Page 61 of Worthy of Sunsets and Second Chances

“Why is this a bad thing?” Sutton asks.

“Because!” I roll my head to the side, looking at her. “I still haven’t talked to him, and I am still so confused. He says he wants a relationship, but Eli’s never had a relationship—ever. Now all of a sudden he wants to be all in? I think it’s just because he has Wren now and things are different.”

“Things are different now,” Lainey concedes, “but I’m not sure it’s for the reasons you might be imagining.”

“I think you need to have sex with him,” Sutton says, sipping her drink pensively.

I rear back and look at her like she just shape-shifted. “What!”

“Yeah, why not? You need to see if you still have the spark or if it’s all just sexual tension. Are you burning hot and fast from being around each other because of these circumstances, or are you going to smolder and stoke each other’s flames for a lifetime?”

It’s a good idea, but there is a major problem. One that I am not even comfortable vocalizing to my very best friends.

50

Kendra

Antonio spins me around the small reception area at the front of the Dip and Dye salon and then yanks me into a tight hug.

“It hasn’t been the same around here since you’ve been gone!” he exclaims.

“I wasn’t away so long, was I?” I ask, enjoying his fussing.

“One day is too long as far as I’m concerned, and you, my sweet Kendra, were out for weeks,” he says with a frown, scanning my body like he is looking for any lingering injuries.

“I missed you.” I lean in for another hug. “I hope Peg didn’t give you too much trouble.” One of my regulars, a feisty old lady in her late eighties, only lets me do her hair and set her curls weekly.

“Oh shit, it was not easy to convince her to let anyone else help her! But”—Antonio sighs—“once she heard about why you were gone, all that was left was concern for you, she was much more compliant afterward, and she let me do her hair.”

As I walk to my station I see the pink of my cheeks reflecting back in all the mirrors. “I guess everyone knows by now, huh?”

“Fox Grove loves a bit of gossip, you know that, honey. And what happened to you? That was awful. You’re loved by so many people here, and I’ve had a constant flow of customers, old and new, stopping in just wanting to know how you are doing.” Antonio sits in my chair and rubs my arm soothingly.

“Really? I guess it happened and I just . . . I don’t know, felt like nobody would care besides the handful of people that are close to me.”

“Kendra, you are a giant spark of sunshine and happiness in this community. So, when someone dims that sparkle, when you aren’t here or bouncing about town shining, we all notice.” He smiles at me kindly as I swipe a tear from the corner of my eye.

“You are the best.” I kiss his cheek.

“That’s why you can never leave me!” His smile blooms as the door chimes with the two other stylists coming in for the day, squealing in excitement to see me back at work.

“No, I don’t have an appointment,” a deep, familiar voice floats back to me as I am finishing up Mrs. Wilson’s hair. She’s another one of my regulars and insisted on not getting anything done until I was fully healed and back to work.

Eli is standing at the reception desk, Wren in his arms. He’s wearing a tight black T-shirt even though it’s chilly out today and dark jeans that hug his muscular legs perfectly. There’s a rip in the left knee and a paint stain on the back pocket—wear and tear that is completely authentic. Completely hot. He also has a diaper bag slung over his shoulder and a FGFD baseball hat on . . . backward.

He’s trying to fucking kill me.

“You’re drooling, dear.” Mrs. Wilson chuckles.

“I am not.” I poke her lightly with my finger, making her laugh harder and drawing Eli’s attention straight back to us. His eyes flare as he takes in my outfit from head to toe—a tight black T-shirt that mirrors his own paired with my favorite cream, black, and grey plaid, high-waisted mini skirt; black sheer tights underneath; and comfortable flats to wear for working on my feet for the day. It’s what I want to wear for fall to feel confident, girly, and powerful. My first day back at the salon seemed like the perfect time to break it out. I was happy I asked Sutton and Jess to go over to the cabin for me and get a few more specific things that I wanted for workdays and not just resting and recouping at Eli’s.

Eli grins, dimple popping, and I do my best to ignore him.

“She’s busy, but I’m happy to take care of you,” I hear Candace say. “I’m Candace, but you can call me Candi.”

Fuck no.

“Alright, Mrs. Wilson, you are all done!” I whip off her cape and scoot her from my chair.