Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 55171 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55171 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Me: I’m sorry I missed your call. Please tell me everything is okay and call me later if you get a chance. Finn and I were taking a nap. I now understand why he loves the couch so much <3
Griff doesn’t respond, and that sucks even more. This time, I keep my phone on me, even though I’m going to use the bathroom. The damn thing will be glued to my hand from now until eternity.
21
STORMY
Today is the day for two reasons. First, Griff comes home. Thankfully, we spoke for a few minutes last night. He was vague but assured me he was okay and he’d be heading home first thing this morning as soon as they were released. The other reason is I’m back to work, and my schedule is full for my first day back at the salon.
“Hey, honey, you ready to open up?” Kitty, the store owner, asks after we’ve had a cup of coffee and set up our stations for the day. Today is absolutely a two-cup minimum, if not a third by the way of an iced coffee from the shop next door. I woke up extra early, made sure Finn was taken care of, then took a longer walk than our usual. He must have realized it, too, because I got an extra dose of puppy dog eyes when I grabbed my bag while saying goodbye to the big couch potato.
“As ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose.” My stomach is a riot house. I guess it’s a good thing one of my first clients is a regular. Marie’s hair is a root touch-up and a trim, every six weeks like clockwork, unless she changes things up. So far, it’s been the same honey-blonde hair for the past few years.
“It’s been two weeks. Surely, the dust has settled and someone else will become more interesting,” Kitty says, walking to the door and unlocking it. I move in the same direction, pulling on the string that signals we’re open in a bright pink neon sign that reads Kitty’s Style and Wash. Only time will tell on what I’ll be dealing with. The only thing certain is that time marches on. Eventually. I was really hoping to see Griff this morning before heading to work, to soak in some of his confidence, even if it were only a hug. That didn’t happen, and I’m not holding it against him. I probably shouldn’t even use him as a crutch, but tell that to my nerves.
“I guess we’ll see. At least Marie is my first client.” Maybe she won’t bring anything up, and we can have a normal day.
“That’s good. It’s been boring without you here. Promise me you won’t take another two weeks off.” I snort. I’m not fun by any means. Kitty probably missed me opening or closing when she needed some time off and knows I’m the most reliable.
“Oh, I can assure you there will be no time off in my future. I’m actually thinking about opening my books a weekend a month,” I admit, not going into full detail on the reason why.
“You’ve got a key, honey. Do what you need to, but don’t overwork yourself,” she says before dashing to the back of the salon, probably to bring out a load of towels that need to be washed.
The door chimes, alerting me to a guest. Marie walks in saying, “Hey, Stormy.”
“Hey, girlfriend, you’re looking fabulous as ever.” I’m back at my station, going through my products and making sure none of the other stylists have snatched them up. There’s a rule that stylist can borrow things from one another, but you’re supposed to return it. Ask me if that’ll actually happens.
“Oh no, ma’am, honey, that would be you. You’re absolutely glowing.” A genuine smile plasters on my face. After sleeping all day, I needed a shower. It was time for me to get back into my Sunday routine. Self-care, if you would—exfoliate, shave everything, deep-conditioning mask, and then washing my hair was in the works. Once that was done, I made a quick bite to eat. A girl-style dinner, unhealthy to its core. A bag of chips and salsa was exactly what I wanted, and I was eating my feelings. By the time I was done eating, it was time to blow dry my hair, my phone on the bathroom counter, face up just in case, and Finn on the floor beside me. It’s a good thing I brought my phone with me. I was halfway done blowing my hair out when Griff called. I’d never been more ecstatic to hear his voice even with not-so-fun news.
“Thank you, I’m going to take the compliment even though I’m sure it was my time on the beach that helped.” I pat the seat for Marie to come over so we can get started.