Ma jumped up and ran over to me. “Honey, sit down.”
“I need to be alone.” I gritted the words out.
She nodded. “I understand. Take all the time you need. If you need me, I’ll be in my room.” She left the box on the table as she took her juice and retreated from the kitchen.
I rubbed my forehead as I stared at the old box, not knowing where to go from there. It wasn’t like I could talk to my father. Him drowning himself in alcohol eventually killed him with liver cancer. He must have been battling his own demons, but it wasn’t an excuse to treat Ma and me the way he had.
I understood more now than I did then, especially after learning he was a Vietnam veteran. Regret thickened in my throat as I left the box on the table and went back upstairs to salvage some rest for the next day.
“Let me do caramel highlights, and we can keep the length but layer your hair,” I told Faith as I played with her hair in the mirror of my station.
She hummed, tapping a finger on her lips before she nodded. “That’s different from my usual. I think I like it.”
I grinned. “Good, because I have some dye on hand.” I went to the back of the salon to the storage closet and pulled out some caramel-colored dye. Grabbing the bowl and brush, I opened the dye and mixed in the developer.
“You ready?” I sat the bowl down on my counter and faced Faith.
She played with the ends of her hair before answering, “Yes.”
I wrapped the cape around her neck and got to work with the highlights. Faith’s hair had always been a pretty chocolate brown, and I’d always wanted to do something with it but she would refuse me. I wasn’t sure what made her come out of her comfort zone, but I was excited. Dying hair was a soothing process. It was something about lathering it into the strands and watching them change color.
Mid-way through, the door dinged and Autumn greeted a customer.
“Hi, I just came to give this to Evelyn,” Mrs. Rockwell’s voice echoed off the walls. I glanced over and noticed an envelope, much like the one she gave me before in her hand. I could feel my heartbeat in my throat.
“Thank you.” I flashed a smile at her, and she winked back. “Autumn, can you put it by the register?” I held up my dye-covered gloves.
She nodded, took the letter from her and placed it beside the register.
I met Faith’s curious gaze in the mirror and shook my head.
“You know.” Mrs. Rockwell’s eyes twinkled as I glanced back at her. “I would just love for you to come to dinner tomorrow night. Flynn’s having a difficult time adjusting, and a familiar face would do him good.”
My mouth went dry, and I licked my lips. “Are you sure that’s a good idea, ma’am? I saw Flynn a couple of weeks ago, and he took off like a bat out of hell.”
That was an understatement. As much as I wished the reunion would’ve been a happy one, he closed himself off to me before I had a chance to say anything.
She chuckled. “I promise, Evelyn. As I said, he’s having a rough time is all. Please join us. I’ll bake cookies.”
Memories of Flynn’s mom’s cookies flooded my brain. She used to make us cookies every single night I stayed over, which was at least once a week.
My lips curved into a smile. “Okay. That sounds great then. What time?”
“Six sound good?”
I nodded, and she left. I turned back to Faith’s hair, ignoring the prying stare of her icy blue eyes.
She cleared her throat. “Wanna explain that?”
Heat rose in my cheeks as I put the foil in place on the last part of her hair and took off the gloves. I set a timer for half an hour and leaned against the counter. “I told you I ran into him,” I mumbled.
“But you didn’t tell me about you and Mrs. Rockwell getting close.” She clicked her tongue.
“We aren’t getting close.” I waved my hand back and forth in front of me. “She just gave me a letter a few days ago…”
Her eyes bugged. “A letter? From Flynn?”
I nodded. “It was written a few weeks after he left. I guess he just never sent it.”
Her eyes drifted toward the envelope. “And that’s another one?”
My shoulders lifted. “It sure looks that way.” I looked at the white envelope and a shiver went down my spine.
What could this one say?
“Why’s his mom giving them to you and not him?”
“That’s honestly a good question.” I tugged at a curl hanging down from my bun. “But enough about him, tell me more about what you and Asher have decided.”
A grin spread on her face, and she let out a dramatic sigh. “Not playing fair. You’ll have to tell me what the letter said eventually! But, since you asked, we have a preconception appointment in the morning. I can’t believe we’re planning to have a baby!”
I laughed. “I’ll be praying for you both. I can’t believe Mags is a mom, and soon you will be too.” My heart swelled at the thought of my best friends’ fulfillment. A small ounce of jealousy crept inside, but I pushed it away as we launched into conversations about baby names and what the future would hold.
I parked my car on the dirt driveway in front of the red-brick cottage my parents had given to me when they moved into a bigger house down the street. It was a two bed, one bath, and I was beyond grateful. I had a lot of memories tied to this place, plus it was paid off.
The bricks were faded, chipped, and crumbling, but it gave the place personality. It had a new black metal roof with the original small chimney peeking out. I replaced
