Page 32 of Hunt You Down

“Don’t mention it.” André brushed a kiss across my knuckles, standing to deliver on his promise of a second burger.

The next morning, I found myself sitting in the reception area of a barber shop that looked way too expensive. Then again, I was going to be paying André back whether he liked it or not, so I supposed it didn’t matter.

I didn’t think I’d ever had my hair cut professionally. Mom was the queen of kitchen table cuts when I was growing up and once I moved out, I’d always done it myself. The less hair I had, the less Regan could latch onto.

I was working through a knot near my temple when a petite Latina woman walked up to André. Jet black ringlets were piled into a messy bun on top of her head, that just about reached André’s shoulder. He stood to greet her with a hug. “I’ve known you for ten years and you’ve never let me touch your hair. I don’t know what you could possibly be doing in my shop.”

“This is my boyfriend, David.” I didn’t miss how the woman’s gaze darted to me in surprise. “He could use a little TLC.”

“Boyfriend, huh?” She looked at me, giving me a quick once-over. “Never thought I’d see the day that this one settled down. I’m Ana. Come with me.”

I stood on shaky legs, fearfully looking at André. “I’ll be right here,” he assured me.

I followed Ana back to her chair, purposely not looking at anyone else. I knew they were quietly judging me for how disheveled I looked. The only thing I wanted to do was turn and run out, but I remembered why I was there.

I needed to build my life without Regan.

I sat down in the seat and flinched—but it was just the cape being put over my shoulders. Ana tucked some tissue around my neck, then grabbed the spray bottle. “Do you know what you want to do?”

I swallowed hard, inhaling sharply when the cold water hit my neck. “I don’t know… just fix it?”

Ana laughed, a light, bubbly sound that made me smile. “I’ve got you. Just relax.”

With that, I closed my eyes and let her work. Scissors snipped, and clippers buzzed. Locks of hair fell to the cape and around my face and with each one, I felt a little bit lighter.

Before I knew it, Ana used a blow dryer to blast the irritating pieces away, and brushed off my neck. “Okay. Have a look.”

Slowly, I peeled my eyes open, blinking to restore my vision. I let out a sigh of relief.

Gone were the stringy, dirty blond dead ends. They’d been obliterated, giving way to the darker color beneath. The lines were neat around my ears, and my hand followed the curve around the back of my neck. I ran my hand through the longer strands, amazed when it fell right back into place. “It’s perfect.”

“It really shows off that adorable face of yours.”

Well now I was blushing. Ana reached for a jar on the station in front of me, showing me what to do with the gunk inside. It was sticky and smelled like cotton candy, all but gluing my hair into submission.

“You’re all done,” Ana said, brushing the last few snips of hair from my neck. “Your man’s going to lose his mind.”

I ducked to hide the deepening red spreading over my cheeks. With that, I seemed to find my voice. “You know him well, don’t you?”

Ana arched a manicured brow. “Well enough to know that he doesn’t play for my team.”

I laughed and shook my head. “I’m not jealous. I just…”

Just, what? I wasn’t exactly sure what kind of information I was digging for. Thankfully, Ana did.

“I’ve never seen André in any kind of relationship but one thing I do know? When that man loves, he loves hard. He’d go to the ends of the earth for someone. He’s a good guy.”

That lifted a weight off my shoulders that I didn’t know was there. “Thanks.”

I followed Ana back to the waiting area, attention focused on the floor, but André wasn’t having that for long. He rose to his feet, hooked that finger under my chin, and tipped my gaze to meet his. “Now those blue eyes really shine.”

“You like it?” I squeaked.

“I love it.”

He argued with Ana, who refused to take his money. In the end, he handed it to the receptionist, who promised to leave it in her “tip jar.”

Next, I found myself wandering around a too-big mall. André stood nearby while I picked out a few pairs of jeans and some new shirts. Every time I tried to look at a price tag, André cleared his throat. “I told you I was going to pay you back,” I protested.