JENNA STARED AT the name written in the two o’clock slot for a haircut. It had to be someone else, or did her mom not know Jenna managed the place?
“Everything okay?”
Jenna fixed a smile at the receptionist. “Sure, Pam. Everything’s great.”
The reception area of her spa was all white, except for the mural of pink lilies that stretched around the walls and crisscrossed each other. It wrapped around the lettering Jenna had stenciled on the wall behind the front desk herself. Jake had assured her it looked totally girly, which was what she was going for.
She looked up from the appointment book and saw Caisey in the front window of her spa, holding up a white paper bag. Jenna looked at the clock on the wall, sure enough it was lunchtime. Caisey didn’t like the smell of hair products, but Jenna loved the way it permeated the place. The warm scent was more than just her work; it was the smell of the life she’d made for herself.
She left her receptionist, the exceptionally perky Pam, and walked around the circular front counter to meet Caisey in the middle of the white tiled floor. Her friend’s eyes were lined with fatigue.
“You should be at home sleeping.”
Caisey shrugged and looked around, avoiding Jenna’s eyes. “Figured you’d be hungry.”
The spa phone rang. Pam snapped it up and gave the standard greeting with honest warmth. Jenna studied her friend and then looked down at the bag. If it was two salads, Caisey had done something she thought she needed to make up for by eating healthy. Barbeque chicken sandwiches and fries meant she was in the mood to celebrate and Chinese food meant someone had died. Caisey never shared actual details of cases, which was fine with Jenna since it was mostly gross, but she had learned to tell by the food.
“What’d you bring?”
“A humongous burrito. Wanna share?”
This was a new one. “Let’s go to my office.”
Jenna spun on her heel and led the way down the hall, past the salon, the massage rooms and the lounge where manicures and pedicures were done. The sight of women with their heads back and their eyes closed listening to soothing music that played through the overhead speakers had the same effect on Jenna. Satisfaction. It had taken a number of years after Jake was born, juggling classes with Caisey’s, but she eventually qualified as a beauty technician. The day Samuel Lyons introduced her to an old friend of his who owned a spa and was about to retire, Jenna had grasped the woman’s hand and sucked back tears.
Blubbering was never a good first impression.
Four years after that Jenna became the owner and manager of Spa Yourself Beautiful, with a full roster of clients and carte blanche to change anything she wanted. It was a lot of work, managing stylists who wore drama like a diva in a fur coat, but she loved being the boss.
Behind the door that had her name in gold lettering was a small office. The couch was white suede with a cluster of pink throw pillows at each end and a glass vase full of fresh calla lilies on the table. The desk was antique and she had one of those computers that was a huge widescreen monitor with everything built into it. Jenna loved it.
She sat on the couch and slipped off her heels while Caisey slumped down on the other end and laid her head back.
Jenna laughed and grabbed the bag. “I said you should be sleeping.” She tore the burrito in two, pressed the bag flat on her lap and laid her half on it. “So what’s going on, anyway?”
Caisey didn’t move, or open her eyes. “I’m going on vacation.”
Jenna coughed. She wiped her mouth with a napkin. “To get abducted by a serial killer again?”
Caisey flinched.
“Please tell me that’s not what you’re doing.” Jenna hated that her voice was small. She sucked in a long breath and blew it out. Her friend had a dangerous job. She knew that, but it didn’t mean she didn’t worry Caisey would go too far one day and wind up with a worse injury than a limp she was trying to hide.
Caisey opened her eyes, dark and full of a pain she didn’t let anyone except Jenna see. Certainly no one she worked with.
“Where are you going?”
Caisey hesitated.
“You really think I’m going to tell anyone? How long have we been friends?”
“No I don’t think you would, but you still can’t say.”
“At least one person should know where you’re going.” Jenna voiced the foremost question in her mind. “Why can’t you tell Liam?”
Caisey shrugged again. “I’m gonna use the rest of my vacation time to head up to Dad’s old hunting cabin.”
“But that’s in the middle of nowhere.”
Caisey’s mouth curled up at one side. “I remember. That was a fun trip.”
“Borrowing your dad’s car to go hide out in the woods at sixteen, huddled in front of a fire drinking way too much soda so we were sugared up and wired from the caffeine, telling ghost stories all night until we were screaming that some crazy axe murderer was going to knock the door down and get us?” Jenna laughed. “Sure, it was super fun.”
“How come we never do that stuff anymore?”
“Oh I don’t know.” Jenna tapped her finger on her chin. “Maybe because I have a kid, we have a mortgage and we’re supposed to be adults?”
“Right.” Caisey sighed and her smile dropped. “I’ll probably be gone before you get home tonight.”
Jenna bit her lip. “Are you going to eat your burrito?”
“I’m not really hungry.”
Jenna stood up and held out a hand. Caisey didn’t go for too much frou-frou stuff, she was way too down to earth for that, but Jenna knew plenty about how to get a woman to feel better. “Come on. I’ll give you a trim. Give yourself some time to relax before you go.”
Caisey frowned, but she still took Jenna’s hand. The salon had two stylists currently on staff that were both occupied with clients, and a younger girl who worked part time sweeping floors when she wasn’t in class. As soon as she graduated, Jenna intended to hire her full time.
She settled the cape around Caisey’s shoulders, opting to spray her hair with water. She wasn’t going to push it and try to get her to shampoo. She would know that meant more than a little off the ends. Jenna got to work, neatening up the cut and adding some layers to the body of Caisey’s thick blonde hair.
Maybe she could get Caisey’s cut done before the two o’clock appointment arrived. Why did her mom have to show her face now? Maybe she wouldn’t even recognize Jenna. She’d never been in the spa before. Maybe she heard about it and decided to check it out. Get her hair colored. Was she still a redhead? It was hard to remember her aside from the last time; the day she found out Jenna was pregnant with Jake. She would never forget her mom, red faced and screaming like a banshee, telling her to get her stuff and get out of the house. According to her mom, the Cartwright’s were not a family who sinned. At least, not so that anyone could see.
Jenna’s dad had been at work so she’d been packed and gone before he got home. He’d called Caisey’s house later that night, but Jenna refused to talk with him. She hadn’t wanted a repeat of the conversation with her mother.
“Isn’t this place just darling?”
Jenna froze.
A redhead settled herself into the chair beside the one Caisey was in. A cape was swept over her shoulders and the stylist asked her what kind of cut she wanted.
Jenna walked around Caisey’s chair and separated the front of her hair, combing it through before she cut Caisey some bangs. The shorter hair fell against Caisey’s eyebrow.
“What did you—”
Jenna moved so Caisey could see herself in the mirror.
“Jenna that looks awesome.”
She caught her friend’s gaze in the mirror, held her friend’s eyes and then flicked them to the side. Caisey shifted in her chair. Her eyes darted to the mirror beside her and then her face shot back around, eyes wide. Jenna bit her lip and nodded.
Nancy Cartwright told the stylist she wanted honey highlights and a re-style into a sleek bob to accentuate her cheekbones. Caisey’s body jerked. She was laughing? Jenna’s eyes flicked to the woman whose body had nurtured her for nine months. If her cheekbones were any more accentuated she’d be able to cut paper with them.
Nancy Cartwright gasped. Jenna stepped back, half aware Caisey had ripped off the cape and stood. Not behind her, taking her back; Caisey moved so her right shoulder was in front of Jenna.
“Jennifer.”
The stylist glanced between them, probably wondering why Jenna looked about to revisit with her burrito. A glance in the mirror told her that her face was green. Her stomach jumped off the high dive and she felt like she was going into premature menopause. Was the air conditioning broken?
The room went quiet. Jenna swallowed, trying to get her lunch to go down. “Mother.”
“Wassup, Mrs. C.”
Jenna jabbed Caisey with her finger, but got ignored.
Her mother’s eyes flickered and took in Caisey. The corners of her mouth curled up in a sneer. “Caisey Lyons.”
“It’s FBI Special Agent Caisey Lyons, actually.”
Her mother made a noise in her throat like that wasn’t too impressive. “You always were a tomboy.”
Caisey turned her head back to Jenna. “You’re done with my hair, right?”
“Y-yes.” She cleared her throat and tried again. “Yes.”
Caisey turned back to Jenna’s mother and the stylist. “I’m sure…Tina here, does a fine job or Jenna wouldn’t have hired her, but Jenna really is the master.” She glanced at the mirror and grinned. “I mean look at me, she made me a girlie girl.”
Jenna nearly groaned. Caisey meant well, but sometimes her incessant need to defend everyone went over the line. She grabbed Caisey’s hand and yanked on it. “It was lovely to see you, Mother. But I’m afraid I don’t have time to chat. I have a spa to run.”
Her mother’s eyes gleamed. “Yes, we do what we must to get by.”
Like live large off your husband’s money? Spend all day getting your hair and nails done, mud wraps and facials and lunch with the girls at the country club? Then parading your family into church on a Sunday dressed to the nines just to make everyone else feel bad?
Caisey’s back went straight. “Yeah, especially when you get pregnant and your mom throws you out on the street and the baby’s father turns his back on you so you have nowhere else to go except to rely on the charity of people who would, in fact, like nothing more than to have someone they love become a permanent part of their family. To watch that baby be born—well, that wasn’t so much fun. It was kind of gross actually. But seeing that little life grow, and take his first steps, and snuggle up to you when he’s tired. Watching him go out and explore what it means to live in this world knowing at home there’s a family who loves him one hundred and fifty percent. No exceptions or reservations.”
Caisey sucked in a breath. “I’d ask if you know what I mean, but I know you don’t. All you understand is what it’s like to have a shallow existence and live every day knowing you have a daughter and grandson who have lived happy, blessed lives because they refuse to acknowledge you exist.”
Jenna gritted her teeth. “Case.”
“I did not come here to listen to this…abuse.” Nancy Cartwright stood up on her four inch heels and ripped off the salon cape. “This is unconscionable. You can bet I will be telling the ladies at the club never to come here.”
“Fine.”
“Case—” Jenna’s voice was a warning. Both of them stood still while Nancy teetered to the hall and disappeared.
Jenna put her hand on her hip. “Did you have to do that?”
“You wanted her to say that stuff to you? Make you feel small, like you’re still governed by her opinion?”
“No, but you could have at least waited until after she handed over her credit card before you did your big, “you’re missing their lives” speech.” Jenna sighed. “Her money’s as green as yours.”
Caisey’s eyes were apologetic, but she smiled. “I thought I got best friend’s discount or something.”
Jenna shoved Caisey’s shoulder. “Get out of here. I have to fix all this with the other customers you treated to your show.”
Caisey took a step back, ready to leave. “See you soon.”
Their earlier conversation came back to her. Jenna rushed over and gave her a tight hug. “If I don’t see you before you leave, be careful.”
When she pulled back, Caisey looked at the mirror again. “You didn’t do a horrible job of it.”