30

Priscilla

Priscilla, Tim’s on the phone, and he says it’s urgent.” Avery, one of the fresh-out-of-beauty-school new hires hands me the phone.

“Hey, Tim. What can I do for you?”

His voice sounds like he’s been sucking helium it’s so tight. And he’s talking ninety miles an hour. “Slow down, Tim. I can’t understand a thing you’re saying.”

I hear the muffled fumbling with his phone as he clears his throat and takes a very loud, deep breath. “Something terrible has happened here at the Mosses’ house. Can you get away?”

As long as I’ve known him, Tim has never had this much of a sense of urgency, and I’m not about to let him down if he really needs me. The first image in my mind is Pete’s truck wrapped around another tree. “Let me go wash the chemicals out of my client’s hair, and I’ll get one of the new hairdressers to finish up.”

“Tim, are you on the phone with Priscilla?” Laura’s voice rings in the background.

“Yeah. She’s comin’.”

“Tell her that’s not necessary. Pete’s comin’ home, and we’re takin’ her to the emergency room.”

“I called an ambulance.”

Laura makes one of her growling sounds. “I told you not to do that.”

“Tim,” I say as crisply as I can. “What happened, and to whom?”

“Renee’s bleedin’ like a stuck pig. I mean there’s a mess of blood all over the place.” He clears his throat. “I think she might die if we don’t get her to the hospital right away. Hold on . . . If you don’t wanna go in an ambulance, I’ll take her.” I can tell he’s talking to someone there.

Not knowing whether to go straight to the Moss’s house or the hospital, I make a quick decision. “Why don’t we hang up so you can help? Call me when you get to the hospital.” I hear a siren in the background, followed by Laura yelling and her daughter screaming.

“Okay, sounds like the paramedics are here, and Laura’s a basket case. She keeps talkin’ about a baby. I think that woman mighta lost her mind.”

“Renee’s pregnant.” Someone has to tell him, and obviously that little detail has slipped Laura’s mind.

“She don’t look—” He groans. “I gotta go. I’ll call you back.” He clicks off the phone before I have a chance to say another word.

By now I have a crowd gathered around me. Since I’m not sure what’s happening, I don’t have any information to give them. “I don’t know anything yet. Avery, don’t hesitate to interrupt me if Tim calls back.”

She nods and takes the phone, and the crowd disperses. The only person still standing in my station is Sheila, who has her hand on her hip as she stares at the counter shaking her head. “Seems there’s always somethin’ happenin’ with Laura and her brood.”

I nod. “It does seem that way.”

“Any idea what’s goin’ on this time?”

“Tim said something about Renee bleeding all over the place.”

Sheila’s eyes instantly widen. “She’s the one’s pregnant, right?”

I nod.

“I bet that girl’s havin’ a miscarriage. Poor baby. Any idea how far along she is?”

“I’m not sure, but I think it’s still early in the pregnancy.”

Sheila turns to leave but stops and looks at me with sadness. “Seems to me like Laura’s not catchin’ a break from anyone.” She makes one of her clucking sounds with her tongue as she heads on back to her station, leaving me standing there, thinking about what she just said.

Sheila’s right. Laura has always been a disaster magnet—mostly caused by her own actions, but that doesn’t make it any less difficult. I want to do something to help her, but in this instance, I have no idea what will make her feel better and what might infuriate her. Laura Moss is difficult to gauge sometimes, and she tends to fly off the handle if she perceives my actions being anything close to dishonorable, even if I have the best of intentions.

When the timer dings, I quickly rinse the chemicals out of my client’s hair and start working on the style. I’m barely finished when Avery appears at my station holding out the phone. “It’s Tim.”

“Thanks, Avery.” I thank my client and let her know Avery will process her credit card and schedule her next appointment with another hairdresser. As soon as they leave, I lift the phone to my ear. “Hey, Tim. So what’s the news?”

“Looks like Renee lost the baby. Laura’s so upset no one can console her.” He pauses. “Even Renee is tryin’ to make her mama feel better.”

“Do you think it would help for me to be there?”

Tim lets out a breath of exasperation. “No. I mean, I’d like you here, but Laura don’t . . . well, she don’t want no one with her but Pete.”

“I understand.” And I really do. If I had a tragedy, the last thing I’d want is a bunch of curious people standing around. “So what are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know. I was over at the Moss’s house tryin’ to get my orders from Laura when this whole thing happened. Now I feel like I’m in the way.”

“Tell you what, Tim. I can use your help here.”

“You can?” I hear the hope lift his voice.

“Yes. Make sure Laura and Pete are okay, then come on over to the salon and spa.” After we hang up, I run over to Sheila’s station and pull her away.

“So how’s the little Moss girl?”

“You were right. She had a miscarriage. And now we have to come up with something for Tim to do so he can feel useful.”

Sheila grins and gives me a thumbs-up. “I know just the thing.”

By the time Tim arrives, his face pale with fear, we have a list of things to keep Tim busy all afternoon. And it’s useful stuff, like picking up lunch for all the hairdressers, taking Bonnie Sue and Jack Moss out for something to eat since their parents aren’t home, and running a few errands for the salon and spa.

“After I finish up here, maybe you’ll be done with the list.” As I place my hand on his arm, he looks down at me with a tenderness I’ve never seen from any other man. My heart does a little flip, a totally new experience for me. I instantly pull my hand back, and the bond is broken. “Maybe we can go back over to the Moss’s house and see how they’re doing.”

Tim continues looking at me as he nods and licks his lips. “I’ll be back with lunch.”

He’s barely gone when Sheila pops up again. “That boy is still so in love with you he don’t know what to do with himself.”

Once again, I feel an unfamiliar tug in my chest. “Tim is truly one of the nicest people on earth.”

“Yeah, he don’t have a selfish bone in his body. What a great catch for the right woman.” She narrows her eyes and gives me a long glance. “And I think that woman prob’ly knows it too, but she’s got so many irons in the fire she wouldn’t know love if it bit her in the . . . well, you know.” She tilts her head to the side and gives me a goofy grin. “Get the drift?”

“Loud and clear.”

That conversation plays in my head for the rest of the day. As I finish up with my final appointment, Tim appears. “I thought we’d go check on the Moss kids together. When I stopped by the hospital, Pete and Laura said they wanted to stick around with Renee until she can go back home, which’ll prob’ly be mornin’. They wanna keep her overnight for observation since she bled so bad.”

“Sounds good.” I say good-bye to the people in the lobby and take off with Tim.

We’re barely out the door when I hear Chester talking to one of the new hairdressers. “She might be famous now, but she’s still one of us.” That makes me smile. I glance over at Tim who winks but doesn’t say a word.

Tim holds the door as I get into my car. “Why don’t I follow you to your parents’ . . . er, your mother’s house, and we can go in my car?”

“Sounds good. Want me to call the Mosses, or do you want to just show up?”

“Why don’t we just show up? Them young’uns need to stay on their toes. We don’t need to warn ’em.”

“Good thinking.”

Mother is weeding her front flower garden as I pull into the driveway. She stops, turns and glances at me, and without even acknowledging my presence, turns back to what she’s doing. I get out and walk over to her.

“Tim and I are taking two of Laura and Pete’s children out to dinner. Would you like to join us?”

She gives me a look as though she thinks I’ve lost my mind. “Whatever would I do that for?” She plucks another weed before stopping and casting a curious glance at Tim who has just pulled into the driveway behind my car. “The Mosses have four children. Why would you only take two of them out for dinner?”

“One has moved out, and the other is in the hospital.”

“Oh.” She stands. “What happened?”

As I explain, she shakes her head. “That’s what happens when people marry the wrong person or marry too young. Laura made both of those mistakes.”

I don’t mention the fact that both she and my dad have made one of the mistakes—marrying the wrong person. So we glare at each other.

Tim saves the moment by joining us. “Hey, there, Ms. Slater. Your flowers are lookin’ good.”

Mother’s face lights up, causing a jealous twinge through my heart. “Thank you, Tim. It’s nice to know someone appreciates natural beauty.” Her words are meant to hurt me, I’m sure, but I’ve dealt with her anger toward my profession so long it doesn’t even bother me. I’m way past that, but it would still be nice to hear something positive from her once in a while. I don’t know what more I could do to impress her.

Tim glances back and forth between Mother and me. “Ready, Priscilla?”

“I sure am.”

We’re halfway across the yard when Tim stops. “Would you like us to bring you somethin’, Ms. Slater?”

“No thanks, Tim, but it’s sweet of you to ask.” She watches us as we get into the car before resuming her weeding.

“Mother probably wonders why you even want to be friends with me.”

Tim gives me a reassuring smile and places his hand on mine. “That’s not true, and you know it. Your mother loves you.”

I’m sure he’s right, but it still hurts to know she doesn’t approve of anything in my life. “She has an odd way of showing it.”

“Some folks don’t know how to show love, and it comes out lookin’ like somethin’ else.”

I wonder if there’s a hidden meaning behind that statement, and then I remember this is Tim we’re talking about. One of the most endearing qualities in him is his transparency.

When we pull up in front of the Mosses’ house, I notice the blinds moving in one of the windows. “They know we’re here.”

Tim nods. “Yeah, I saw that. What do you reckon they’ll wanna eat?”

“I don’t know. McDonald’s Happy Meals maybe?”

“I think they’re a little old for Happy Meals.” He chuckles. “But so am I, and I like ’em.”

By the time we get to the front door, Bonnie Sue has it open, and she’s standing there smiling at us. “This is so awesome.” She pulls her cell phone out from behind her back and aims it at us. “Hold still for a sec so I can take a picture. My friends will be so jealous.”

“Let’s make it real good,” Tim whispers. “I don’t wanna disappoint her friends.”

When I nod, he grabs my hand and gives me a look that practically melts my insides, all the way to my toes. I don’t want this moment to end, but as soon as Bonnie Sue clears her throat, Tim drops my hand and gestures for me to go ahead of him. Bonnie Sue takes it all in, making me wonder what she’s thinking.

“Me and Priscilla are here to take you and your little brother to dinner.”

“Cool.” She walks over to the bottom of the stairs. “Jack, get your hiney down here right now. We’re goin’ out to dinner with famous people.”

“I’m not hungry.” Jack’s voice is very high-pitched.

A look of concern crosses Tim’s face. “Want me to go up there and see about him?”

Bonnie Sue rolls her eyes. “He’s just bein’ a big baby ’cause he’s not gettin’ much attention from Mama and Daddy, now that Renee’s pregnant. When that baby comes, Jack won’t be the youngest no more, and then he’ll know what it’s like to be a middle child.”

Tim gives me a look, and I shrug. Bonnie Sue obviously isn’t aware that there won’t be a baby—at least not this time.

He looks back at Bonnie Sue. “Go get yourself ready to go.”

She holds her hands out. “I’m always ready.”