Evie saluted me from across the Delicious Divas salon floor. “You’ll thank me for it.”
“Don’t think I didn’t notice how you ignored my question about your date, lady,” Jacinda grumbled, giving my hair a shake and eyeing it critically. “Layers. It’s so long that it’ll all just hang there, like, blah and boring. Layers will perk it up like one of those ‘boost your tits’ bras.”
Sayla smiled apologetically at her client. “I’m so sorry about her. She has issues.”
Putting a hand on her hip, Jacinda looked at the client who’d just received the apology. “Okay, if you had a choice of bra, would you choose one with no underwire that made your boobies look boring and didn’t boost them up, or would you rather have a naughty lace one, with underwire and a little padding under them, that made your ta-tas do handsprings and look fab-u-lass?”
I was the second type kind of girl. I hadn’t had boobs until I’d had Nemi, so now I’d happily wear bras that made them do handsprings, look fabulous, and also scream ‘welcome’ to Bond.
“The second one,” the woman replied firmly. “Every year, when I blow the candles out on my birthday cake, they sink a little lower. Bras that boost them back to when I was eighteen are a must.”
In the reflection of the mirror, I saw Jacinda smile and wink at her and then shoot a subtle middle finger at my sister before she turned back to me.
“Ahem, you were telling us about the date.”
“No, I wasn’t.”
“Just tell her about it, Heidi, before she pops a blood vessel in her head,” Sayla sighed, getting a snicker from her client.
Great. I was going to have to discuss my personal business in a public place full of women—and women talked.
“He took me to the lake for a picnic and then brought me home.”
Jacinda’s head jerked slightly, and then she glared at me in the mirror. “I sense you’re leaving out a few hours' worth of words, actions, and activities.”
Damn it.
“His parents set up the picnic while he was collecting me. They lit candles around the blanket and made sure the critters didn’t eat the food and the candles didn’t set fire to the place. After that, they left when we arrived, we ate, we spoke, and he brought me home. Satisfied now?”
Instead of answering me verbally, she grabbed hold of my chair and spun it to face her. Then, bending down, she poked me in the chest and said quietly, “You’re leaving out the best bits, and now I’m offended. Spill.”
“We kissed,” I whispered, “and other stuff.”
“Well, now.” Her lips twitched at this information. “Other stuff means?”
“You know.” I looked around us and saw that people were trying to listen in discreetly.
Evie and Sayla had switched their hairdryers off but pretended to be blow drying hair still, holding sections, and moving the appliances over them.
Lord!
“No, I don’t know. How many bases are we talking about?”
I hadn’t done much of my education in the States, so the bases still confused me, meaning I took a guess. “Third?”
Jacinda looked off to the side as she thought about something, then she nodded and smiled happily at me. “He’s got big fingers. Well done!”
I choked on nothing but spit and air, coughing hard to clear my lungs.
Sighing at being left out of the conversation, Sayla muttered something to herself and then said loudly, “She has to pop into Kleins after this to discuss something work-related, so make sure she looks hot.”
This was true. It was also why I’d taken more care with what I was wearing and how my makeup looked. I hadn’t done more or gone for a dramatic look, more like effortless but as pretty as I could make myself.
Jacinda nodded and went back to what she was doing, and by the end of it, I couldn’t even believe it was me. My hair was a dull brown and, before today, had fallen in a straight layer to mid-spine. Now, it was two inches shorter, had layers that made it look bouncy and fun, and I had long bangs at the front, which swept to the side.
“You like?” Jacinda asked, running her fingers through the length one last time.
“I love it.”
Nodding, she picked it all up and held it to the back of my head in a ponytail. “I’ve also cut these side bits at the front so that they’ll frame your face when you have it up in a ponytail. It’s effortless but sexy.”
It was also like five hundred degrees outside. “Could we put it up in a ponytail today? I hate to mess up your work, but it’s just so hot out.”
Instead of looking disappointed, she looked excited and went to work doing just that for me. By the end, I understood how significant an impact having those front pieces framing my face with the bangs falling heavily over one side of my forehead was.