Chapter 20
Sydney
“Thanks for fitting me in, Selena.” I’m trying to hide the shakiness of my hands as I secure my purse on the hook on the wall in front of me and take a seat in the chair at her station. I don’t think I was this nervous the other night when she and Andre showed up at Javi’s house, even though I was dressed in nothing but lingerie and a trench coat. I tried to make the best of the situation, and the look on Javi’s face made my easiness about it all the more entertaining.
But now that I’m alone with his sister, I feel like the stakes are higher.
A small part of me knows this is different because it’s just the two of us—us girls—and regardless of the fact that Javi and I are just having sex, a small part of me really wants Selena to like me. From our brief interactions so far, I get the feeling that she doesn’t. Maybe she had the same thoughts about me back in high school that Javi did, which means I have my work cut out for me—because if Javi was as standoffish as he was, I can only imagine how another woman may have perceived me.
“Of course. I’m glad I could be of service. Plus, it will give us a chance to talk.” She flashes me a tight-lipped smile and then grabs a cape, draping it over the front of my body and securing the clasp behind my neck.
Crap. That doesn’t sound like this will be a relaxing hair appointment at all.
“So, what would you like to do to your hair?” Her fingers drag through my strands as she gets a feel for the texture and thickness.
“Well, I definitely need a trim, and I was thinking of adding a few blonde highlights. Nothing drastic, but just enough to brighten it up for summer.”
She nods, separating my hair along the part line. “We can do that. You want peek-a-boo highlights? The ones that don’t go up to the root? Your hair seems to grow pretty fast based on the new growth I see up here.”
“Yeah, it does grow fast,” I say on a chuckle. “So peek-a-boo strands would be perfect.”
“Sounds like a plan. Let me go mix up your color.” She rests her hand on my shoulder and gives it a slight squeeze before walking away and through a door in the back to mix up the products.
I take that moment to let out the breath I was holding and remind myself that this doesn’t have to be awkward. Selena seems like a confident and pleasant woman, although she definitely has an edge to her, the same edge I’ve seen in Javi. And even though she said she wants to talk, that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m facing a hardcore little sister inquisition. She could just genuinely want to get to know each other, which I’m not opposed to one bit.
My eyes veer around the salon once I see her disappear, appreciating what she’s created here—a successful business that seems to be flourishing.
Rejuvenation Salon and Day Spa is bustling with patrons, even at five-thirty at night. The dark gray flooring and white washed walls covered in ship lap give it an airy and bright ambiance, crisp, clean, and fitting for a spa atmosphere. There are little pops of green everywhere in the décor and from plants strategically placed around the main room. Several hallways break off from the largest room in the building where the hair dressers work and a few nail ladies sit at their desks, serving their clients. One hallway is labeled for the estheticians, another for the massage therapists, and the last for the washrooms and restrooms. All of the employees are dressed in light gray shirts and black slacks, blending a look between casual and business attire.
As I wait for Selena to return, I grab my phone from between my legs where I tucked it when I sat down and open up my messages, responding to Ally’s rant about what her children did that day. Apparently Taryn threw up in the pool during her swim lessons and the entire pool had to be evacuated and shocked with chlorine. Oh, dear. Poor Ally.
While my fingers fly past the keys assuring her that this will be a hilarious story she can use later to embarrass her daughter, a conversation to my left pulls my attention that way.
“Well, I’m just surprised by how elegant this place is, given that Montes girl owns it.” The older woman with platinum blonde hair leans closer to her friend who’s sitting beside her at another nail station. The two women are both getting full sets of fake nails and gossiping like hens while doing so.
“She’s not a Montes anymore. Didn’t she marry that black guy that owns that boxing gym?”
“Oh, yes. I think you’re right.”
Wow. These women are flapping their jaws about the owner right in front of her employees. Those girls must be biting their tongues to prevent from berating their customers.
“Well, you know about her brother, don’t you?”
The mention of Javi makes my ears perk up, so I lean in slightly to listen closer. I know I shouldn’t feed into the gossip, but perhaps these women know something about Javi that I don’t. Of course, there’s a ton of information I don’t know about him, so I can’t help my curiosity.
“No. What about him?”
“I heard he did time in prison,” she whispers while widening her eyes, smacking her lips after she drops that bomb.
“You know what, I think I heard that too. At least the sister has half a brain to own a successful business. Shame that people like them can’t just learn how to be productive citizens of society.” The second woman shakes her head just as the employee does something to make her shriek.
“Ow! Be careful!” The woman chastises just as the employee apologizes, but not before shooting her neighbor a smug look. Good for her
