Page 40 of Full Strength

The guys looked at each other and simultaneously shrugged.

“As long as you don’t cut the beards.”

I rolled my eyes but didn’t say anything. The majority of them started their beards early in the season and didn’t shave or really even trim them until after playoffs. Plenty of other teams did this too, but I wondered if they were as superstitious about it as these guys.

Grant and Nikolay were the only ones that didn’t have one. Grant kept his trimmed down to scruff, just more than a five o'clock shadow. He’d tried growing it out before, but it grew in patchy. It was something the guys teased him about regularly. I was okay with it. More than okay. I loved that his dimples were on full display.

Walker agreed. “Of course. We wouldn’t cut off Samson’s hair.”

I laughed but the guys seemed pleased with his answer.

“We’re ready.” Five of our stylists came over and Walker paired the guys up with them, barking out directions and time limits. I followed Peter and Grant over to one of the stations that was staged and ready to be photographed. The idea was to get pictures of the cuts as well as shots of the guys after. With the number of pictures, they’d already taken of the salon I was sure they could fill several months’ worth of their magazine, and they hadn’t even gotten to the guys yet. I hoped this would all be worth it. That business would grow and additional locations would be an option.

“I’m not going to take off too much length, but I’ll make it so your curls don’t look so sad.” Peter was playing with Grant’s hair, finger combing the curls and making them bounce back in place.

If Walker had asked Peter to cut Grant’s hair short, he would have had to go through me and all of Grant’s female fans. Those curls had their own social media accounts. Women loved them and I was pretty sure they’d hunt Peter down if he touched them.

“That’s fine with me.” Grant leaned back in the chair as Peter swept the gown over him. I moved around, trying to stay out of the way while checking in on each of the guys. There wasn’t much for the stylists to do. All of them stayed on top of their appearance. It was a part of the job, plus it wasn’t like the Pride would let them walk around looking like unkempt messes.

Noah was getting a scalp massage from Sarah with a big goofy grin. “Feeling good?”

His smile grew. “Oh yeah. I’m coming here from now on.”

I met Sarah’s wide eyes in the mirror. One new customer already. Plus, Noah had a huge social media following. Colby made sure his name stayed relevant, not that it was hard. Everyone loved the bright-eyed boy-next-door vibe he had. He was excited about everything and loved sharing things with his followers. A few live videos and we’d be booked for months out.

But more importantly, I was glad he was enjoying himself. I never wanted people to feel pressured to come to this salon just because I work here. I wanted them to come and experience it and want to come back. From the looks of it, all five of the guys were doing just that.

13

Grant

If all photoshoots were this much fun, I wouldn't turn so many down. I wasn’t sure if it was the fact I wasn’t here as a player, that I had my friends here with me, or it was just Addi’s presence. It was probably a combination of all three, but mostly Addison.

She made everything worth it. She made the worst things, like changing diapers or apologizing for being an idiot...again...easy. She was worth it.

I checked in the mirror one more time and touched my hair. I was certain my curls hadn’t been this soft or shiny since I was a little kid. I wasn’t sure I liked it until I saw Addi’s reaction. Her eyes shot to my hair and her mouth dropped just a little bit. It was adorable. She reached up to touch them, but Peter swatted her hand with a comb.

“Grant, we need you.” One of the several assistants called out my name and waved me to stand next to Olli and Erik. We were supposed to act natural, like we hung out in salons daily. It was weird, but we’d definitely had worse.

Walker, the magazine man, worked with the photographer to position me on a bench next to Olli while Erik leaned against the wall next to us. Olli was still in his knee brace, but took it off for the pictures. Erik said he wouldn’t tell Madi as long as he didn’t stand on it for too long.

“Grant tilt your head a bit to the left, toward the window.” I followed the orders, not knowing who’d said them and met Olli’s eyes. I crossed mine and he responded by showing me his double chin.

I laughed and was immediately scolded. “No smiles. We want you all looking relaxed, cool, like you just got done with the best salon experience of your life.”

Olli’s face went from blank to confused and he whispered, “I’m not sure they want that.”

“Why?” I asked quietly.

“I’d be asleep.”

I laughed and was reprimanded again. “No smiles.”

I sighed and went to my default, a bored smolder. It worked for every photoshoot so far, and apparently women thought it was hot.

“Good. I’m feeling it now.”

I glanced at Olli and realized he was doing the same thing. His head tilted back just enough to get a bit of his glare.