Chapter Six
Alice
I didn’t get sad. Not like I’d expected. Disappointed. Embarrassed. And for a moment, the rejection stung, and it stung badly.
But over cookies and a mug of tea, I thought about what had happened and decided I wasn’t going to take it personally. Yes, Caleb didn’t want to date me, but his only reason was that he didn’t date. Period. It wasn’t specific to me. How could it be? He didn’t know me.
I’d never even tried to let him know me.
If he’d turned me down because he thought I had crappy taste in books or didn’t like the way my face looked, I probably would have been crying into my chamomile. But that wasn’t it. He just didn’t date.
Still, I couldn’t shake the gnawing thought that maybe part of the problem was me. Not as in who I was, but as in how I moved through the world. For as long as I could remember, I’d been firmly on the sidelines, watching the world go by.
I lived in this town. At night, I served a good portion of the population at Joy’s.
During the day, I checked out books to the rest of them.
I was as much a part of the fabric of Sugar Brush as everyone else, but how many of them knew me?
How many knew my last name, what music I liked, or that I was writing my own novel?
I sipped my tea, the steam curling up into my eyes.
Maybe I’d gotten so used to being a pane of glass to my family, I expected everyone to look right through me.
Maybe Caleb wasn’t the only one who didn’t see me.
Maybe I’d never given anyone outside of a small handful of people a chance.
No one knew me because I didn’t let them.
That thought turned into resolve. For once, not being known didn’t make me feel sad.
I was motivated to end my ghostly existence.I liked my little house, mugs of tea, and quiet life, but I’d like it even more if I had someone to share it with.
It wouldn’t be Caleb, but there was someone out there for me.
Except if I kept on how I was, I wouldn’t find him.
Wrapping my hands around my mug, I made myself a promise. I wouldn’t let this shut me down further. I’d let it be what cracked me open.
Joy looked like I’d punched her in the nose. “You want what?”
I picked up the end of my heavy ponytail. “A haircut. And some highlights too. I don’t know where to start.”
Tossing her cleaning cloth over her shoulder, she folded her arms across her chest. “This have anything to do with the date you don’t want to talk about?”
I tucked my hands in my apron pockets, clicking the pen I kept in there. “I did talk about it. There isn’t anything to say about a date that didn’t happen.”
“Yeah, you said that.” She worked her jaw back and forth. “Yet, here you are a week later, looking for a makeover. I’m not stupid, Alice. I see the connection, and I don’t like it.”
I sighed, leaning my elbows on the bar. “Can’t this be about me? I’m ready to make more of an effort. For me, not anyone else. For heaven’s sake, I’m almost thirty, and I’ve never done a single thing with my hair and have no clue how to put on makeup.”
Joy propped her arm on the opposite side of the bar, leveling me with a probing gaze. A few customers were seated nearby, but her focus was solely on me.
If I had faltered, even for a second, I didn’t doubt she would have taken the shotgun from beneath the bar and hunted Caleb Kelly down. But I wasn’t lying. I had changes to make, and I was starting on the outside and working my way in.
“I hear you,” she gruffed. “But do I look like I’m the one to come to for beauty advice? I’ve been using the same black-box dye since my first gray showed up. I cut my ends with nail scissors. If you want that kind of treatment, I’m your gal. Anything else—”
“Excuse me, ladies.”
We both turned to the woman who’d slid in beside us. In her forties or fifties, Margot was more glamorous than a patron at Joy’s had any call to be, but this seemed to be her default setting. She was a regular, and from what I’d seen, had a penchant for rugged cowboys.
I smiled. “What can I get you?”
She slid closer. “I’d apologize for eavesdropping, but I’m not really sorry since I think I can help you.”
Joy shook her finger at Margot. “That’s right. You’re exactly who this one needs. I’m useless in this department.”
Margot’s lips curved into a confident, bright smile. “I manage the salon at Sugar Brush River Ranch Resort. Why don’t you come by tomorrow? I’ll set you up with a full treatment. Cut, color, style, and maybe a brow cleanup if you’re brave.”
My mouth fell open. The Kelly ranch. Caleb’s family. A long time ago, it had been partially turned into a luxury resort for billionaire tourists and company retreats. I’d never even thought to set foot on the property. It wasn’t for me.
“Oh, I don’t know…” I stammered, reaching for a valid reason to say no aside from the idea making me nervous. Of course, I couldn’t find one.
Margot didn’t allow me to say no anyway. “What don’t you know? You said you wanted a makeover, didn’t you? I’m so keen on the idea; if you turn me down, I’ll be insulted forever.”
Joy clapped her hands once. “That settles it. We’re not offending our customers. You’re going.”
I felt like I’d been handled. But could I really complain when I was being given exactly what I’d said I wanted?
“Thank you. Really.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” Margot teased with a wink. “Wait until you see what I can do.”
The next morning, I walked into the salon at Sugar Brush River Ranch Resort feeling like an impostor.
With pale wood, bronze fixtures, and big windows overlooking the cottonwood-lined river, everything gleamed.
The lights were low in the waiting area, and soft, relaxing music emerged from hidden speakers.
Before I could take a seat in one of the plush armchairs in the reception area, Margot swept in to greet me.
“Alice, darling, welcome!” She wrapped me in a hug like we were old friends then held me at arm’s length to assess me. “We’re going to have so much fun. I love when I get to play with a blank canvas.”
Ouch. That wasn’t my favorite thing to be called, but it wasn’t untrue. I presented exactly nothing to the world and was as close to a blank canvas as a person could get. But I wouldn’t walk out of here as one, for better or worse.
Before I knew it, I was in a wide leather salon chair, draped in a sleek black cape. Another stylist brought me a cup of steaming herbal tea in a porcelain teacup while Margot gently undid my ponytail, letting my hair spill down my back.
“Oh, honey,” she murmured, running her fingers through the thick strands. “This is some beautiful hair. We’ll bring it to life, I promise.”
“That’s exactly what I want. Life.” I looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her perfect blonde waves, flawless makeup, stylish clothes, and mentally handed myself over. “I trust you to do what you think will look good on me.”
She squeezed my shoulders. “I love that for me. I’m going to take really good care of you.”
She and another stylist consulted over swatches, pointing out caramel and honey tones.
I sat there, my nerves frayed, as many, many foils were wrapped around pieces of my hair.
It was nice, though, being the center of attention.
To have my hair gently tugged and arranged.
To be showered with compliments and asked questions about myself.
The process went on longer than I’d expected, but the library was closed today, so I had nowhere else to be. I let myself relax and savor the experience. Maybe I’d make it a regular thing. After all, I could afford it now.
Once the highlights were finished, and I’d been rinsed, toned, and conditioned, I was brought back to the chair for a haircut. Margot circled me while one of her stylists combed through my hair, listening to her instructions on how she wanted my hair to be cut.
“Elena!” Margot called out brightly. “You’re early.”
I tracked Elena Kelly in the mirrors as she strode through the salon.
She wore slim black pants and a sage-green silk blouse, her icy-blonde hair pulled into a low ponytail.
Everything about her was polished but relaxed, like someone who knew exactly who she was and had never once felt a shred of doubt.
Sometimes I had trouble wrapping my head around her being Caleb’s mother. She didn’t look old enough to have a son in his thirties, and while he was rough and a little unkempt, she was unfailingly put together.
“My last meeting wrapped up ahead of schedule,” Elena said, draping herself on one of the empty salon chairs. “Thought I’d stop in and see if you had a minute to go over the new website banners. Plus, if I looked at another spreadsheet, I was going to scream.”
Margot folded her arms. “I thought you were going to retire soon.”
Elena flicked her manicured nails. “Oh, I’ve been saying that for years. But what would I do with myself all day? I’d be bored to death.” She caught me watching her in the mirror and flashed a warm smile. “Well, hello.”
I waved from beneath my cape. “Hello.”
She canted forward, getting a better look at me. “Is that Alice?”
Margot nodded proudly. “She’s my project. I overheard her telling Joy she wanted a change, and I brought her right in. She’s never done anything to her hair. A virgin. Can you believe it?”
Elena hopped up from the swiveling chair and moved in front of me, propping her hip against the stylist’s station. “Well, this is exciting. Is Margot giving you the works?”
“Yes. I think she is. After my hair’s done, she’s going to teach me how to do my makeup,” I replied.
Her eyes narrowed. “Not too much. Your skin is already gorgeous. A little color and you’ll be perfect. If you weren’t so sweet, I’d hate you for how naturally pretty you are.”
Margot hummed her agreement as chunks of hair rained down around me.
With every lock that fell, a rush of relief came with it, like I was shedding a weight I’d carried far too long.
Even if I ended up with a pixie, I wouldn’t mind.
My hair had been nothing but a curtain to hide behind, and suddenly, I couldn’t understand why I’d clung to it for so many years.
“I don’t need to be perfect. A little color would be nice, though,” I said.
Elena tilted her head, considering me. “You’d look stunning in purple. It would really bring out your eyes.”
“I’m not sure I own anything purple, but I’m planning on doing some shopping, so I’ll be on the lookout.”
Elena and Margot exchanged a look, then Elena smirked. “Oh, you are a project, indeed. We’re taking you shopping. Now, if I had my druthers, we’d take a trip to Denver, but I suspect we should start a little smaller. We’ll go to Cheyenne as soon as you have the time.”
I barely stopped myself from gawking at her. I’d met Elena Kelly as her server at Joy’s and helped her at the library, but that was it. We had never had more than a passing conversation. Plus, she was Caleb’s mother. I didn’t understand what was happening—or why.
“We will?” I asked.
“We will. Are you in, Margot?”
Margot rolled her eyes. “Obviously. An artist can’t let her masterpiece go unfinished.”
The two of them seemed more excited about my makeover than I was, but if they wanted to help me, I couldn’t think of a reason to tell them no.
By the time Margot finished curling my hair into glossy waves and brushed the final sweep of peach blush across my cheeks, I hardly recognized the woman in the mirror.
My hair was no longer a long, dark sheet. Margot’s team had brought it to life with golden-caramel and honey highlights, layered to frame my face and skim my shoulders. When I moved my head, it bounced. She gave me a tutorial on how to style it myself, and I was hopeful I could do it.
My brows had been shaped into clean arches for the first time in my life, opening up my eyes. My makeup was subtle, a hint of shimmery eyeshadow, a flick of brown liner, and a sheer pink gloss that made my lips look full and soft.
When it was all finished, Margot stepped back, hands on her hips. “Well,” she said, her voice brimming with satisfaction. “I think you’re my magnum opus.”
Elena stood behind her, arms folded, appraising me with a discerning smile. “You look beautiful, Alice. You’ve always had fantastic hair, but it was so long and thick, it overwhelmed your frame. Now, I see you first then your hair.”
I blinked at my reflection, feeling a sudden tightness in my throat. “Thank you,” I managed. “I don’t even know what to say. I…I’ve never looked like this before.”
Margot squeezed my shoulder. “This is all you. I made a few minor adjustments.”
Elena cocked her head, her silver earrings catching the light. “So, tell me, Alice. What made you want to make a change? Please don’t say a man.”
I let out a surprised little laugh. In a way, she was startlingly close to the truth. Not that I’d ever tell her about my disaster of a nondate with her son. And anyway, he wasn’t the reason I was doing this. I was moving on from him.
“Not exactly. There was a man I liked…but it didn’t work out. He doesn’t feel the same.” I drew in a deep breath. “I’m moving on now. I’m going to date.”
Elena’s brows rose. “Tell me more.”
“I was thinking I’d try online dating.” I rubbed my lips together, startled by the gloss on them. That would take some getting used to. “The pool here is small, and I’m not one to hang out in bars on my own. So…I guess that’s what I’m going to do.”
Margot wagged her finger. “You need good pictures for your profile.”
“Probably,” I agreed, though I hadn’t gotten that far in my planning yet.
“Well, let’s go.” She held out her hand. “No time like the present. Give me your phone and let’s give those men something to drool over.”
Elena chuckled. “They will absolutely drool over you, sweetheart, and you deserve every drop.” She scrunched her nose. “Oh, that was gross. Never mind the drool. You deserve a man who’ll ignite for you.”
I couldn’t imagine a man ever burning for me, but I’d settle for a little drool. With my new hair and makeup, I felt good enough to think I might get a little of that if I put myself out there.
“All right.” I smiled. “Let’s do it.”
Margot shook her head and whispered, “Magnum opus.”
Elena rested her hand lightly on my shoulder. “Smile like that, and you'll make the app crash from all the guys trying to message you.”
As Margot held up my phone and Elena angled the salon lights just right, I sat up straighter, lifted my chin, and smiled.
I wasn’t quite ready to crash apps…but putting myself out there didn’t seem so daunting anymore.