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Whatever.
She started with beard scissors to remove the bulk of the bushy mass. A twig fell out, one he’d somehow missed during his shower.
“If you find any bird nests in there, be gentle with them,” he joked.
She sniffed and shook her head, entirely focused on her task. She darted from one side to the other, snipping away, and something even more shocking happened. His father emerged.
He had his father’s jaw, broad and square. His full lips and finely carved mouth, check. Had he inherited Marshall Cooper’s magnetic smile, too? He tried a tentative smile. Yeah, more or less. He might not have his father’s star quality or his cowboy-next-door appeal, but anyone would know they were related.
His heart twisted as he looked at his reflection. He remembered that beer coozy he’d been making that fateful night. That eleven-year-old kid had really loved his father. Why hadn’t Marshall Cooper ever come back? He wasn’t in prison anymore. The brothers had all been in Lake Bittersweet when he got out, but he could have tried to find them. Where are you, Dad? What happened to you? Don’t you love me anymore?
“Handsome man.” Sunny admired her handiwork in the mirror. “I know just the cut for you.”
He snapped back to the task at hand.
“Keep it simple,” he warned. “I’m just a wilderness guide. I don’t want anything that makes me look like a city guy.”
“Military style?” She mimicked buzzing it off with a razor.
“Not that simple. I don’t want to freeze when I’m out on the lake. Just give me a regular guy haircut.”
She whooshed out a breath and tapped the scissors on his shoulder, making him jump. “You want to pick something from a magazine? Either you show me what you want or let me choose for you. You aren’t providing good guidance.”
He reminded himself that he’d chosen Sunny for her directness. “Do want you want. I might close my eyes for this part.”
“Please.”
He did so, and let his mind wander while she completed the rest of the process. The snip-snip was soothing, along with the alcohol settling into his veins. He actually fell asleep for a moment, only to wake up to the sound of an electric razor. Sunny stood before him, blocking the mirror.
“Your beard,” she explained, when she saw that he was awake. “Ready?”
He nodded, and she nudged his head up so she could work on his neck.
When she was finally done, she stepped out of his line of sight and stared hard at the stranger in the mirror. God, he really did look like Dad, except with more dramatic coloring and more striking cheekbones and eyebrows. He touched his jaw and winced. The skin there was red and irritated.
“Told you,” said Sunny as she whipped out a jar of salve. “You want this?”
He nodded and she smoothed it into his skin.
“Lots of hair.” She gestured at the floor, and he looked down to see a plush profusion of dark hair surrounding the chair, like a cushion.
“What will you do with it?”
“It goes in the trash.”
That thought gave him a nasty chill. He didn’t want any part of himself going in the trash. That was what his parents had done, more or less. “I want it. I’ll sweep it up and take it in a bag or something. You don’t have to do it.”
She shrugged. “Saves me the trouble. Well, how do you like it?”
“You did a good job.” Which didn’t exactly answer the question, but it was all he could think of. She’d left his hair thick on top, with a nice wave, and thinner along the sides. Did he like it? He had no idea. It looked good, but felt surreal. He didn’t even recognize that person in the mirror. Everything felt strange. His neck was cold. His face stung. His ears were cold. And he hadn’t even left her garage yet. What would it be like outside?
Maybe he should have waited until next summer before robbing himself of his homegrown insulation.
On the other hand…he tried another smile at his reflection. Nice to meet you, Mrs. … Uh oh, what was Brenda’s mother’s last name? Bogosian? No, she’d married again. It wouldn’t be McMurray because that was her maiden name. God, he could ruin everything right off the bat with the wrong name.
“Galen,” Sunny prompted. “You going to sit here all day?”
“Oh. No. Hey, you did a really good job, Sunny. Thank you. How much?”
