AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I wouldn’t know,” I responded.
The two stylists worked their way patiently through the crowd, giving each customer their full attention. It was approaching seven by the time my turn came around.
“How late are you open?” I asked, sitting down in Lindsey’s chair.
“Eight on Friday and Saturday nights,” Lindsey said.
“Must make for a long day.”
She shrugged. “We don’t open until noon.”
“You certainly have a lot of business.” I stared at my image in the mirror as she circled my neck with a plastic drop cloth.
“We’ve been fortunate,” she smiled. “Now, what can I do for you?”
“I just want a trim,” I answered. “Make me look nice.”
“Is there a particular someone you want to look nice for?” She was too savvy to be fooled.
I blushed. “No.”
She spritzed my locks with water. “If you want to talk, I’m a vault.”
“Thanks,” I said with a sigh. There was only one person left in the waiting area, and it wasn’t Sally Dyson. There was music playing so that no one could hear our conversation. The flood gates opened and I poured all my misgivings into a rambling confession. “It’s Lincoln. Ever since he came back to town, I’ve been all tied up in knots.”
“He’s the topic of more than one woman’s speculation,” Lindsey agreed.
“I thought you said you were a vault,” I complained.
“I am.” She winked. “I won’t tell you who was talking about him, but I don’t think I’m breaking any confidences by saying that people are talking.”
“He’s very attractive,” I said. “He’s got this mystery about him. I wonder if he’s thinking all these deep thoughts or if he’s just shy. He doesn’t say much.”
“Looks like you may get a chance to find out,” Lindsey said cryptically.
“What?” I asked.
She pointed at the mirror with her comb, and I caught sight of the door opening behind me. As if we had conjured him up by saying his name too many times, Lincoln walked in. He stepped up to Tammy’s desk and gave his name. Lindsey deliberately swiveled my chair so that he could see who it was she was working on.
I found myself staring right at him, wearing that ridiculous nylon gown. His face went from passive to interested in a heartbeat, causing my blood to quicken. I smiled back. Outside of work, it didn’t seem so difficult to make conversation.
“Hey, Aly,” he said.
“Hi, Linc,” I answered.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, as if the answer weren’t obvious.
“Haircut,” I said. “You?”
He ran a hand across his head, the hair having sprouted just barely past regulation buzz cut. “I can’t decide if I want to keep it short.”
“I think it looks nice,” I said.
“It feels hot,” he answered.
“You could try something less military,” Lindsey suggested. “Like a four on top, two on the sides.”
Lincoln looked at me as if my opinion meant something. I tried to imagine him with a styled haircut and failed. I couldn’t see him with anything other than a shaved head. As it was now, his hair was still shorter than most people’s.
