Baja (Fallen Ravens MC #3)

7. Alice

7

ALICE

When Sukie begged me to come to lunch with her today, I should have known she was up to something. Last night, she and Harlem stopped by the house for dinner, something she makes a point of doing at least twice a week. Ever since Sukie moved out, her presence has been missed because, for years, we were each other’s rock. As painful as it is to admit, my daughter was my crutch. Then, she found Harlem.

Watching my daughter bloom because she found a man who loves and cherishes her the way she deserves has been the highlight of my life. I would never in a million years admit how lonely I am. Still, Sukie knows me better than I know myself, so she makes it a point to stop by almost every day, invite me to lunch a few times a week, and has gone as far as to pretend to need my help at the shop.

Once, she called, saying she was out of lavender honey botanical bar soap, and asked if I could bring a box. When I got to the store, I entered the storage room and found a box of soap hidden behind a stack of crates.

Last month, she called me from the mall parking lot, saying her car needed a jump. I could smell the bullshit over the phone because there was no way Harlem wouldn’t have known she’d broken down first. When I made it to the mall, her car had miraculously started. That’s the day she roped me into shopping.

Honestly, it feels good knowing my daughter loves me enough to devise ridiculous plans to spend time with me and draw me out of my comfort zone of being a hermit.

Today, however, feels different. After lunch, Sukie took me to get a mani-pedi. Then she took me to this cute little boutique that opened last month, where she convinced me to buy several new outfits, which included matching shoes. Then my tiny demon seed announced she had booked us an appointment with Sage and Juniper, which brings us to now.

Sage and Juniper are Sukie’s friends. They moved to Salem a couple of years ago, and the duo opened a hair salon across the street from Belladonna’s. Sage is married and has a daughter with Fallen Ravens’ president, Salem. I will forever be grateful to Juniper and Sage for the way they took Sukie under their wings when they first moved to town. They ignored town gossip and got to know Sukie. Something tells me they are in on whatever my daughter has planned. My suspicions are proved correct when I turn my head and look through the salon window to see Sage and Juniper peering at us with goofy grins and the same glint in their eyes as my daughter.

“What’s going on?” I glare at Sukie as we stand outside the hair salon.

“What makes you think I’m up to something?” Sukie asks innocently.

I roll my eyes. “Please. You are not as smooth as you think you are.”

Sukie bites her bottom lip to hide her smile.

I shake my head and sigh. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Yay.” Sukie claps, grabs my hand, and drags me into the salon.

Juniper’s grin turns into a megawatt smile when she sees me. “You’re with me today, gorgeous.”

I nod at Juniper. “Are you going to tell me what you all are up to?”

Juniper’s wanna-be innocent look is no better than Sukie’s. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“You know, you’re just as bad at lying as my daughter.”

Juniper doesn’t look the least bit offended. She just continues to grin.

“Fine!” I throw my hands up in defeat, then walk over and plant my butt in her chair. “Just a trim,” I say as Juniper drapes the smock around my front.

Juniper eyes me through the mirror. “I was thinking of trying something a little different today.” She pulls the hair tie from my ponytail, causing my long locks to tumble past my shoulders. For years, the most I’ve done to my hair has been to trim it. I take in the chestnut color sprinkled with salt and pepper while a sense of insecurity washes over me. At my age, I am happy to be blessed with beautiful skin thanks to my religious skin routine and the importance of sunscreen. I’m in decent shape due to how active I am with gardening, and twice a week, I like to take walks along the property behind the house. There is a lake about half a mile from my back door that, especially during the spring and summer months, serves as an escape when I need to disassociate from reality. I spend all day swimming or enjoying a quiet lunch on the bank. But now, sitting in front of the mirror, I see how dull my hair is. As if Juniper can read my thoughts, her smile vanishes, her expression turns serious, and our eyes lock in the mirror’s reflection.

“You’re stunning, Alice.” She runs her fingers through my hair. “And you have the most beautiful head of thick hair I’ve had the pleasure of working on.”

I can’t help but smile at the compliment.

“I know you said you only want a trim, but if you trust me, I have something else in mind.”

I take a deep breath. “You know what. It’s time for a change. I trust you.”

Juniper squeals. “I promise you won’t regret it.”

Two hours later, Juniper finishes my hair. And true to her word, I don’t regret trusting her because I’m speechless.

“Am I the master or what?” Juniper boasts.

Sukie and Sage come up beside us, both with bright smiles.

I run my hand through my hair as I take in the changes. Juniper kept the length, but she enhanced the natural color by adding a mixture of caramel and blonde highlights. The blonde blends in perfectly with my gray hair, or as I like to call them, wisdom sparkles. Juniper also added some layers throughout and around my face. The change is not overly dramatic, but it’s not subtle. “I… I don’t know what to say.” How can I look like me but not look like me? The highlights make my skin glow, and my eyes pop.

“Alice,” Juniper says, her tone hesitant. “What do you think?”

She must have considered my lack of response a bad sign when it’s quite the opposite. Standing, I turn and envelop Juniper in a tight embrace. “I love it. Thank you.”

Her body relaxes, and she immediately returns my embrace. “You’re welcome. Thank you for trusting me.”

Breaking apart, I turn back to the mirror. “I can’t remember the last time I felt this beautiful.”

Sukie walks up beside me. “You’ve always been beautiful, Mom.”

“Thank you, sweetheart.” I brush my palm against her cheek.

A few seconds later, the moment is interrupted by the loud rumble of a motorcycle. The four of us turn our heads simultaneously to a bike pulling up in front of the salon. With his long, blond hair tied back at the nape of his neck, there is no mistaking the rider of the motorcycle is Baja. The butterflies I usually get whenever I see him are replaced by something else when I see a stunning blonde with legs a mile-long climb off the back of his bike. I watch her hand Baja his helmet as she says something that makes him laugh. The more I watch their interaction, the more my heart breaks. This woman is my complete opposite. She’s probably in her mid-twenties and has the biker babe chic look down. Even with my killer new hairstyle, I could never compete with her. I was stupid to think I could keep the attention of a man like Baja. Not that I have been giving him a chance since I’ve been avoiding him like the plague since the party at the clubhouse. It’s almost comical. I’ve been obsessing over what happened between Baja and me and wondering what it meant to him. Meanwhile, he’s off living like I was a mere blip on his radar.

“It’s not what you think.” Sage’s declaration effectively snaps me back to reality.

I blink away the fog to find Sage, Sukie, and Juniper looking at me with expressions akin to pity. Then it dawns on me— they know. And just like that, I’m even more mortified. “What?”

“Arabella works at the club,” Sage explains.

Without sparing Baja another glance, I return to Juniper’s station to retrieve my purse and pretend to play dumb. “Okay.” I can hardly control my shaking hands as I dig for my wallet. “How much do I owe you today?”

Instead of answering me, Sage continues, “All the girls at the club come here to get their hair done.”

I ignore the information.

“It’s not what you think, Alice.” Sage’s voice softens.

“Please stop,” I whisper without looking up. “I know you all know, but I don’t want to discuss it. I also don’t want to know what he’s doing with that woman or any woman.” I pause, taking a shaky breath. “Just… please,” I beg, hoping she will drop the topic.

The silence between us is awkward, but luckily, it’s broken when the bell over the door chimes, and the blonde strolls in as Baja takes off.

“I know I’m late, ladies, but my car wouldn’t start.” The blonde smiles, looking at everyone. “Is everything okay here?” she asks, clearly picking up on the energy in the salon.

Desperate to escape, I thrust a handful of bills toward Juniper with a forced smile. “Thank you, sweetheart. I love my hair.” Then I turn my attention to Sukie, who looks near tears because she knows her momma is hurting. I give her a kiss on the cheek. “Swing by for breakfast in the morning, and we’ll talk, okay.”

Sukie nods. “Love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, doll.” Sukie’s look tells me she wants to push the conversation but won’t in front of an audience.

After a quick goodbye, I make a hasty exit, refusing to look at the blonde and holding back tears of embarrassment and disappointment. I’m angry with myself for getting caught up in my feelings for a man.

I realize now that I was naive to let my feelings cloud my judgment. By prioritizing my heart over reason, I opened myself up to vulnerability.

Being alone feels like the only way to protect myself.