Andie thought Emily was just telling Sadie what she wanted to hear and had no intention of hiring her. With her memory issues it was unlikely Sadie would remember the promise. She was surprised when Emily caught up with her as she was leaving Tall Pines.
“I never go back on my promises, so I would like to hire you to look at some of Mom’s stuff.” Emily’s lips were pinched as if the request physically hurt her.
Andie hesitated. Did she even want to take on a job with such a reluctant client? But something in her gut told her the Thompson house might have exactly what she’d been looking for. There was a slight opportunity to find a treasure, with its history. “Sure. When is good for you?”
Emily’s posture was stiff, her demeanor unfriendly. Frigid waves radiated from her. Andie was not looking forward to working with this woman.
“How about tomorrow morning around ten? I usually visit Mother for breakfast.”
“Sounds good.”
“Fine. See you then.”
Emily walked away, and Andie started to second guess her decision. There better be something really exciting at the Thompson house in order for her to work with that lady.
Andie was still wondering if she’d made a mistake when she walked into Curlz for her trim.
Jules draped the apron over her shoulders and sat her in the chair. “So, what do you think? A pixie like Jane’s?”
“No!” Andie had kept her hair long since grade school and couldn’t imagine cutting it off. She glanced in the mirror at Mary, who was arranging shampoo bottles in perfect alignment on the shelves. If Mary could keep hers long into her seventies, so could Andie.
Jules plucked the curling iron out of its holder and, to Andie’s surprise, started to curl her hair. “Okay, then just a trim for the split ends? How about something to cover the silver? How about a reddish tone? Your hair is dark. It would look nice.”
“I don’t think so. I like it the way it is. And I sort of like the silver. I’m thinking about just letting it grow in naturally.” Unlike Jane’s, Andie’s hair only had a few streaks of gray, and she thought they looked more like highlights than anything. Andie watched as Jules uncurled a lock from the iron, turning it into a subtle wave. It looked kind of nice. Maybe she would think about getting a curling iron and styling it for something different. But why was Jules doing this now? It would be ruined once she washed her hair, and Andie always got it styled at the end, not before it was even washed or cut. “Don’t you usually do the styling after the wash and cut?”
“I just wanted to try it to see if you liked it and wanted me to curl it when I’m done.”
Andie studied the soft waves from the curls on the right side of her face. “It’s different. Might be good for a change.”
“Change is always good.” Jules continued with the curling iron, rolling locks of hair and gently releasing them, then fluffing and curling them to perfection. “I was wondering if you have any Frozen Charlottes in your shop.”
“Frozen Charlottes?” Mary turned from her task at the shelves. “Sounds like a cocktail!”
Andie laughed. “It does, but they’re actually small china dolls that were made in the late 1800s. Highly collectable.” Andie met Jules’s brown eyes in the mirror. “I have some nice ones. Do you collect them?”
“It’s not for me. For my grandmother. She’s sick in hospice at Tall Pines now, and I thought it would cheer her up.”
Jules’s expression was pained, but Andie thought she saw something deeper than just sadness. She had no idea what that was about, but every family had their issues. “Sure. Come over anytime, and I’ll pick out some of the best ones for you.”
The bell over the door chimed, indicating a new customer.
“Hey, Aunt Mary, Sheila, Jules—”
Shane Flannery’s voice stopped mid-sentence as his eyes met Andie’s in the mirror. Suddenly self-conscious, Andie was glad she wasn’t sitting there with sopping-wet hair and looking like a drowned rat. What a stroke of luck that Jules had decided to practice curling her hair… hey, wait a minute. Andie narrowed her gaze at Jules, who had a guilty smirk on her face.
“—Andie, how are you?” Shane recovered from his surprise.
“Great. How about you?”
Shane looked as good as the last time she’d seen him—tall, broad shoulders, intriguing gray eyes, and the dimple when he smiled. Which he was doing now.
“Good.”
Was that all she could think of to say? She found herself tongue-tied because it seemed like Jules and Mary were watching her and Shane as if they were some kind of entertainment. She wouldn’t have been surprised if one of them made popcorn so the two could have something to munch on as they listened in.
Shane turned to his aunt. “Where’s that plug, Aunt Mary?”
“Right over there in front of Andie.”
Convenient.
Shane wedged himself in between her and the plug. It was a little crowded and awkward. Jules made no move to situate her somewhere else, though.
They all watched as Shane took out a tester and pushed it into the plug. “Huh, seems fine.” He frowned down at the tester. “Maybe I should take the cover off and look at the wiring.”
“Would you like some coffee?” Mary asked.
“No, thanks. I’ll only be a sec.” His arm brushed Andie’s as he worked. “Sorry.”
“No problem.”
“I see you’re settling in nicely.” Shane nodded toward her shop. “The place looks great.”
“Thanks.” More witty conversation on her part.
“It’s good to see it spruced up.” Shane’s gaze held hers for a while before going back to the switch.
“I’ve been having fun with it.”
“Great. We should catch up sometime now that you’re staying in town,” Shane said without looking at her.
“Yeah, we should.”
Shane pulled the wires out of the plug and frowned. “There’s nothing wrong with this, Aunt Mary.”
“Really? It didn’t work earlier, right, Jules?”
“Yep, tried to use the blow-dryer and got nothing.”
Shane looked skeptical. “That’s odd. I’ll tighten these up, and hopefully that won’t happen again.”
As Shane went back to fixing the outlet, Andie saw Jules and Mary exchange a look. Had they set her and Shane up? Andie feared that they were in for a big disappointment. She doubted things with Shane would work out after all these years. Too much water under the bridge. Then again, one never knew until one tried.
\
As Shane left Curlz, he glanced back in the window at his aunt and shook his head. Aunt Mary’s little trick about the outlet was an obvious ploy to get him and Andie together. Mary had been hinting about that for weeks now, and he was sure there was nothing wrong with the outlet.
Shane didn’t really mind. He knew Mary was only looking out for his best interests, and Andie’s move to town had stirred up a lot of old feelings. Not all of them were unpleasant.
A lot had happened in the thirty years since they’d been a couple. Shane had completed a career in the navy, gotten married, and had two great kids who had grown up to be wonderful adults. And of course the highlight was his grandson, Caleb. Even though his marriage hadn’t lasted, he didn’t regret it because he wouldn’t have his kids or Caleb without it, though he could have done without the bitter divorce.
He resisted the urge to peek back into the salon at Andie as he got into his truck. Andie had looked good with her hair curled. He hadn’t spent much time with her since she’d come back to town other than a few quick conversations when he’d run into her while working at Tides. She still looked mostly the same, though. Her face had a bit of a harder edge and a few wrinkles, but Shane thought that added maturity. When he’d dared to look into her golden-hazel eyes, he’d seen that same depth of emotion and vulnerability that had always made his heart leap when they were younger.
It was encouraging that she’d been agreeable to catching up. Or had she just said that to be polite because he’d asked in front of the others?
He wondered if she was different now. Thirty years had come and gone, and that changed a person. Andie had once been the person he was closest to. The person he shared his hopes and dreams and fears with. He knew her, and even though life shaped and molded a person, people didn’t change much at the core.
And because of that, he also knew if he wanted things to work out with Andie he had to go slowly because she could easily be scared off and bolt like she did back in high school. And if that happened again, he was afraid his fragile heart might not survive.