Gator (Three Bears Tactical #2)

Chapter 1

Chapter one

Julius

“So what are we doing today?” I fastened the cape around Willow’s shoulders and looked at her in the mirror.

“I was thinking something a little edgier. Like this, maybe?” She handed me her phone to show me a picture of an artfully tousled mess of short layers and bangs.

“Someone online called it a wolf cut, but I don’t know if that’s like the official name or not.

” “That would look fabulous on you. Do you like the bangs this short, or would you prefer them a little longer, like a curtain bang?” I asked.

“Whatever you think, Jules. You’re the expert, and I trust you.”

“Let’s kind of go in the middle. Short enough to blend in with the layers, but still long enough to tuck behind your ears.” I handed her back her phone. “Sound good?”

“You know what I always say…”

“It’s just hair, it’ll grow back.” We said it together and then laughed.

“Okay, let’s do it,” I said, combing out Willow’s hair. “You’re going to look fabulous.”

Willow was one of my favorite clients. She’d started with me five years ago when I was renting a booth at another salon and had been one of the people who’d encouraged me to take the risk and open The Shag Shack.

I looked around at the salon and smiled.

Tori and Harper were at their stations working on clients, while our apprentice, Devon, was busy restocking the product shelves.

Music played, filling the space with a funky, fun vibe, and natural light streamed in through the glass storefront.

If the world outside was messy, at least in here, it was bright and full of people who had my back.

I loved everything about this space. It had cost me a fortune, but it was worth every penny.

“I can’t wait to see it.” She handed me her glasses and settled back in her chair while I got to work. “So, how did things go at the gallery opening in Austin?”

I let out a sigh. “I ended up not going.”

“But you were so excited about it the last time I was in. What happened?” she asked.

“My date canceled.”

“The doctor you’re seeing? I thought things were going pretty good?”

I shrugged like it didn’t matter. “Story of my life, hon. It was going good until it wasn’t.”

“Men are assholes.” She looked at me in the mirror and gave me a sympathetic smile.

“That they are.”

“Too bad you aren’t straight. We could run away together and live happily ever after.”

I scoffed. “Happily ever after is nothing but a fantasy created to sell tickets to a theme park, girlfriend.”

“You’re way too young to be so skeptical,” Harper called over. “Molly and I are forever, just you wait and see.”

“You and Molly have only been an item for six weeks, Harper.”

“When you know, you know.” She went back to work on her client’s hair.

Willow and I shared a bless her heart look in the mirror, and I rolled my eyes before going back to work on her hair.

She’d been coming in long enough to have heard the number of times Harper had met the one, none of which ever lasted long.

The thing was, Harper was a romantic. Sweet summer child, she truly believed her fairy tale ending was out there somewhere.

“So what happened with the doctor, or would you rather not say?” Willow asked.

“Nothing much to tell. I know I’m a lot, and not everyone can handle all this fabulousness.” I stepped back and dramatically motioned down my body.

“The right man will be able to.”

I loved her for saying that, I really did, but I’d stopped believing in unicorns a long, long time ago.

“How about you? Are you getting back out there?”

Willow had gone through a divorce not long ago, and the last time she was in, she’d mentioned signing up for a couple of dating apps.

“I’ve met a couple of guys for coffee, but there was no spark. I’m trying, though.”

“Hey, trying can be fun.” I winked at her in the mirror and then spun her chair around and handed her a hand mirror and her glasses. “What do you think?”

She looked at the results of the haircut and grinned. “I look ten years younger. You’re a magic worker, Jules.”

“That’s all you, hon. You’re stunning. Devon will get you all sorted out up front.”

“Maybe I’ll get highlights next time, what do you think?”

“I think that’s a great idea. Let Devon know, and he’ll get you all scheduled.”

I rolled my shoulders and then got to work cleaning up my station.

I was finishing up when the bell over the front door jingled and another of our stylists, Miguel Santiago, or Migs as we called him, came rushing in like a hurricane.

He was decked out like he was headed to the club and was carrying a tray filled with coffees in one hand and a single cup in the other.

“Never fear, the coffee is here, my friends,” he called out.

“A German chocolate latte for you.” He handed me a cup and twirled away.

“A Breve for you, my darling.” He handed a cup to Harper.

“A sweet and salty cappuccino for you.” That one went to Tori, and then he turned to look at Devon.

“And a plain cup of coffee with an extra shot of espresso for our baby. Sugar, you’re way too young to be this bitter. ”

Devon blushed and took the cup from him, and Harper and I shared a look. Devon had a hardcore crush on Migs, not that Migs had a clue, and we weren’t going to say a word. It was up to Devon to decide if he wanted him to know or not.

“Hey, Jules, do you have time to help me for a sec?” Tori asked.

I checked my watch and then nodded. “I do, what’s up?”

“I have a new client, and she said the last time she colored her hair, it turned out a lot more orange than she wanted, so she had to go to someone else to fix it. I want to make sure that doesn’t happen, but I’m not sure what to do.”

“It’s all about the toner, sugar. Let’s go to the color bar, and I’ll help you mix one up that’ll do the trick.”

“Thanks, Jules.”

It didn’t take us long to get her all set. Truth was, she already knew what she needed to do; what she needed was for someone to reassure her that she was right. Color was one of those things. Everyone learned to do basic color, but doing it well was an art that not everyone mastered.

I stood there for a minute and watched, but once I was sure she was good-to-go, I wiped my hands on a towel, checked my watch again, and headed back toward my chair. I didn’t have long before my next client would be here.

I downed what was left of my coffee just as the door chimed and my friend, Mika, walked in. I’d met him a couple of years ago at Kirby’s, a local LGBTQ+ night club, and we’d bonded over the trials and tribulations of dating in a smaller city like Vesper.

I waved him over, and he headed my way. Mika had always been a sweetheart, but he had a look that said he’d been through some shit, or at least he used to.

About six months ago, that shit came calling, and his new Daddy, Hawk, had stepped in and eliminated that problem.

Literally. Now the smile Mika wore went all the way to his eyes, and there was lightness like he’d shed a thousand-pound weight.

“Hey, Jules!”

“Hey, sugar. What are we doing today?”

“I kind of want something different.”

“Really?” He’d had the same haircut and had been coming for a simple trim for as long as he’d been a client here.

“Yeah, not super short, Daddy likes my curls.” He blushed and glanced around like he was worried someone heard him, then he cleared his throat.

“I mean, umm, Hawk likes my curls, so I don’t want to lose them, but I want something more stylish.

I thought maybe you would have an idea what I could do. ”

“Oh, I have an idea, alright. How do you feel about a curly top with an undercut? It’ll look really stylish but will highlight your curls.”

“So the top would still be long enough?” He looked around again, then in a voice barely above a whisper, he said, “For him to grab when… well, you know.”

“I can definitely leave it long enough,” I said, assuring him.

“Okay, let’s do it.”

I grabbed my mister and just barely dampened his hair and then went to work.

“So how are things with your silver fox in Austin?” he asked.

“They aren’t.” I glanced around like he had just a minute ago to make sure no one was listening.

Migs knew the whole story, but no one else here did.

I’d told everyone else the same thing I’d told Willow earlier—that things just didn’t work out, but that wasn’t the whole story.

“Turns out there was a reason he never wanted me to come to his place.”

“No way!” Mika gasped.

“Yep, and, honey, I’m way too fabulous to be anyone’s side piece.”

“What a jerk.”

“Aren’t they all?” I grumbled, but then I remembered that Mika had found a Daddy who cherished the ground he walked on. “Other than Hawk, of course. You got lucky with that one.”

“Before Hawk, I would’ve agreed with you, but now I know that our past doesn’t have to define our future, and there are good guys out there.”

I grabbed the clippers that I was planning to use on the sides of his head. “Maybe, but right now, I’m not looking for a good guy. I’m looking for a good time.”

“Well, this weekend is Daddy Night at Kirby’s. You should join us. You might even find a good guy to have that good time with, who knows?”

“That isn’t likely to happen, but I may come. It’s been ages since I’ve hung out with you guys.”

“I think Gator might even be back in town in time, so you should come.”

“Really? Then I’ll definitely come.”

I finished up his cut and let him take a look. He grinned at me before pulling me into a hug. “It’s amazing, Jules. It’s exactly what I wanted.”