“But you changed your mind, right?” said Hannah. “Isn’t that why you wanted to talk to him?”
“It’s a moot point,” said Grace. “He doesn’t want to talk to me.”
Hannah said, “With your new hair, you could talk to him and he won’t even know it’s you.”
Grace looked like she might burst into tears, but instead she started chuckling. “Maybe I could go to the emergency room and tell him I stuck my finger in a light socket.”
Olivia tried to suppress a laugh, but when Claire snorted, they all lost it. They laughed until they had tears running down their faces. Olivia caught her breath and said, “For Halloween, you and Brad could go as Pebbles and Bam Bam.”
Grace said, “I was thinking I looked like one of those troll dolls.”
Claire snorted again, and when they broke up laughing there was a knock on the door.
“What’s going on in here?” asked their mother, Connie, as she stuck her head in the room. “Why are you all up so late on a Thursday night?” Then her eyes fell on Grace. “Good Lord! What happened to your hair?”
The girls laughed so hard they couldn’t catch their breath, until Connie stood before them with her hands on her hips. Grace sat up on the bed and fingered her hair gingerly. “I was supposed to get a blond bombshell look, but I accidentally got the Agent Orange bombshell look.”
“Oh Grace.” Connie’s face was aghast. “Why would you do that to your beautiful hair?”
Olivia said, “It’s no worse than when she tried to give herself a haircut.”
“You’re right,” Connie agreed. “It’s only just gotten back down to her shoulders after that fiasco.”
“Remember the time she had orange streaks all over from that self-tanning spray?” said Claire. “At least this time it’s only her hair that’s orange.”
“Yeah, and I still remember when she tried that straightener that got so hot it singed part of her hair off,” said Hannah.
“That was right before she gave herself the bad haircut,” said Olivia.
“That’s enough,” chuckled Grace. “At least this time all of you get to share the blame with me. You all helped.”
Olivia said, “Only because we felt so sorry for you because you broke up with Brad and now you regret it.”
“You broke up with Brad?” asked Connie. “Why would you do that? He was—”
“Please Mom, I’ve already figured out it wasn’t my brightest move.”
“She’s dating some guy named Horatio,” said Hannah. “He’s not as cute as Brad.”
“How do you know he’s not as cute as Brad?” said Grace. “You’ve never seen him.”
Hannah grinned. “But I’ve seen Brad. If you don’t want him, I’ll take him. He’s adorable.”
“I have to admit I really liked Brad,” Connie said as her eyebrows knitted together. “He’s the nicest boy you’ve ever dated.”
Olivia could tell Grace’s emotions were teetering on the edge. “I’m sure everything will work out fine, Grace. You do crazy stuff all the time, but you always land on your feet. And we all love you.”
She gave her a hug and Claire wrapped her arm around the other shoulder. “We love you, orange hair and all.”
Connie grimaced. “I’m sure we’ll get used to your new look.”
*****
Brad was in a foul mood when he came home from his shift in the ER. He’d let his temper get the better of him when he’d returned Grace’s call. She’d held out an olive branch, and he’d burned it. At the time it had felt good—to hurt her like she’d hurt him. But now he regretted his harsh attitude. He’d cut her off, and he might not get another opportunity.
“Did Grace call you?” Josh had found him in the kitchen.
“Yes Josh. She called at your request, as I understand it. And I’ll thank you to stay out of it.” Brad grabbed a water bottle and retreated from his roommate, joining his brother on the couch.