Claire kissed me on the cheek. “See you later, babe.”
I wiped my hands on the dish towel and turned for a hug. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her in close.
“I’m going to be late.” She wiggled out of my embrace and headed toward the garage door.
I snapped the dish towel at her, catching the corner of it on her butt. She gave me a dirty look.
I laughed. She didn’t.
She didn’t usually work on Saturdays, but every few months they had a teleconference with managers from the Colorado office. Claire could have joined in from her laptop at home, but she said it was more professional if she did it from her office at work. I suspected she was afraid of the kids making noise while she was on the call.
It was fine. I was taking Annie to get her hair cut at Beth’s salon anyway. I was looking forward to seeing Beth again.
“Annie,” I called up the stairs. “Are you ready to go? Come on, honey.”
Andrew could have used a haircut too, but he balked at the idea and I didn’t push it. He was responsible enough to spend a couple of hours alone while we were gone. He probably wouldn’t come out of his room the whole time. Video games certainly kept his attention. I tried to limit it but was grateful at times like this that it would keep him occupied.
Annie trotted down the stairs and sashayed by me on her way to the door.
“Andrew,” I called. “We’ll be back in a little while. Remember the rules.” Don’t answer the door. Don’t tell anyone who called the house phone that he was home alone, and no cooking or eating until I got back. And under no circumstances, short of a fire, was he to leave the house.
“Yeah, Mom.”
I followed Annie out the door and locked it behind me. The drive was quick, and Annie and I chatted along the way. She was excited to try a new look with her hair. She had worn it long since she was about three and decided to get what looked like a modern day bob. She’d found a picture of a girl about her age on the internet with the exact haircut she wanted. She emailed me the picture so I would have it on my phone to show Beth.
“This is Annie,” I told Beth when she greeted us from behind the counter. “Annie, this is Miss Beth. She will be the one cutting your hair.”
“Nice to meet you, Annie,” Beth said. “Your mom’s told me a lot about you.”
A slight blush traveled up to Annie’s cheeks. Always shy around new people, she surprised me by looking Beth straight in the eye and responding, “Nice to meet you too.” She reached across the counter to shake Beth’s hand. I could see it wasn’t just me who found Beth warm and welcoming.
“Maddie,” Beth said to the young woman sweeping hair from the floor toward the back of the salon. “Come here. I want you to meet someone.”
Maddie leaned the broom against the wall and headed in our direction. She forced a smile.
“Jodi, this is my daughter, Maddie. Maddie, this is Jodi and her daughter, Annie. Jodi is the one who did the new sign out front.”
Maddie’s smile seemed to turn genuine. “Oh yeah. Cool sign. I like it.”
“Thanks.” It was always good to get the stamp of approval. “Very nice to meet you. Do you help your mom out here on weekends?”
The corners of her mouth turned down. “Only when I’m being punished.”
It was Beth’s turn to blush. I wasn’t sure if the red that colored her cheeks was from embarrassment or anger.
“Long story,” Beth said, but offered no explanation. I probably wouldn’t have either in a similar situation.
“Nice to meet you,” Maddie said and went back to her broom.
“My mom has a picture of the haircut I want,” Annie announced.
Annie nudged my ribs, my cue to pull out my phone and show Beth.
“Ah yes,” Beth told her. “I think that will look very cute on you.”
The blush on Annie’s cheeks rose until her ears became involved in the embarrassment that a nine-year-old experienced for no particular reason.
“Do you need my phone as a reference?” I asked.
Beth smiled at me. “Nope. I’ve got this covered.” I took a seat in the small waiting area and watched as my daughter was led to the same chair I had sat in weeks ago and the black plastic cape was draped over her shoulders. I couldn’t hear their conversation but watched as they chatted away, and Beth snipped at her hair until it looked like the young girl’s picture that Annie had found. I was impressed.
“What do you think?” Beth asked me when they were all done.
I nodded my approval. “Great job. Annie, do you like it?”
“I love it.” She tossed her head side to side. She looked up at me and whispered rather loudly, “Ask her.”
“Ask her what?” I whispered back, also too loudly, truly confused.
“Ask her if she wants to go to the play with you. I heard you and Claire talking yesterday. You said you wanted to go, and Claire said she didn’t. She told you to see if one of your friends could go with you.” Claire didn’t seem to take much notice of the fact that I really hadn’t made any true friends since moving here.
I glanced at Beth, who had obviously heard our less than quiet conversation. It really was a good suggestion. But I didn’t want to put her on the spot in front of Annie. She probably wouldn’t want to go to a play with someone she barely knew.
Several beats of silence followed as I tried to read the look in Beth’s eyes. Annie tugged on my sleeve. I cleared my throat. “Well, the play is at Geva Theater a week from today at noon. It’s called Tom Hannagan Goes Home. Have you heard of it?”
She hadn’t. I continued. “Anyway, Annie’s right, it would be great if you wanted to go. My treat. I already have the tickets.” I was really hoping she would say yes, but fully prepared for her to turn it down.
“That would be great,” she said to my surprise.
Annie smiled wide. Well, if I hadn’t made a new friend, I knew that Annie had. Truth was, I was starting to consider Beth a friend. I was hoping she felt the same.