Chapter 2
Maria
Maria: Are you coming in? You already missed the team meeting.
I threw my phone down and raked a hand through my hair in frustration. This was the last thing I fucking needed. Saturday was our busiest day and our salon was fully booked. I needed a receptionist. Lissa was rostered on but, as predicted, she was late to her shift. Again . My tolerance of her behavior was sitting at zero, especially since I’d cut ties with her as a friend.
I heard my phone buzz and I snatched it up.
Lissa: Sry not feeling well.
I groaned in annoyance, even though I wasn't surprised by her answer. Fucking typical. I generously gave Lissa a job when she’d been let go from her receptionist position at Dr. Gerard's office. Not even a week into the job, she'd started calling in sick—especially on Saturdays. She didn't seem to care that I knew she was out late on Friday nights getting wasted. I’d even moved her to part-time to make things easier, but apparently, working three days was also too much for Lissa.
Within a couple of months of hiring her, I regretted it. But since she had been my best friend, I continued to dish out chances and turned a blind eye to how my whole team's atmosphere seemed strained when she graced us with her presence. Now that I had cut her toxicity out of my life, my eyes were wide open to her behavior, and I was taking none of her shit.
I didn't have the time or energy to deal with Lissa, so I left her on read and immediately called up Rachel, our other receptionist. She was infinitely more reliable.
Thirty minutes later, Rachel breezed in with a big smile and a tray of coffees.
"Thank you, Rach. Sorry to call you in on your day off."
She set the tray down before handing me my coffee. "It's honestly no problem! I need the extra money, anyway, so feel free to call me in if you're ever stuck."
With Lissa under my employment, I seemed to be more "stuck" than not. Rachel was kind enough not to mention how often she'd had to fill in on short notice. The one time I’d begged Lissa to come in when Rachel was genuinely sick, she’d kicked up such a stink that it hadn't been worth the effort. Whenever I needed a fill-in, I handled it myself rather than put up with Lissa's dark cloud.
"How many clients do you have today?" Rachel asked as she started shaking the computer mouse.
"I only have two. A half Balayage, and then I have a bride coming in for a hair and make-up trial." I also had a ton of paperwork to get through and updating and answering messages on our socials. "But everyone else is booked up all day. You know how Saturdays are."
"Hey, bitch." Linda, one of my senior stylists, ambled over to greet Rachel with a hug. "What are you doing here?"
"Lissa's sick." Again. Rachel didn't have to say it, but the implication was heavy.
Linda lifted a blonde brow at me. "Sick, eh? She looked pretty healthy last night when I bumped into her at Malley's."
I closed my eyes, clenching my jaw as I breathed through my anger. I wasn't surprised, of course, but her blatant disrespect for my generosity had me at a breaking point. Why had I put up with her shit for so long?
"Wow." Rachel shook her head as she started logging into our reservation system. "And she saw you?"
Linda bent in front of one of the workstation mirrors to fluff her bleached blonde locks. "Mmm hmm. I met hubby for a drink after work, and Lissa was with some dude, knocking back drinks. She even waved at me."
Linda turned to regard me, taking in my red face and tightly held fists. Her eyes softened in sympathy. "I know she's your friend, Maria, but she takes advantage of you."
"She's not my friend," I gritted out. I turned away to place my drink on one of our high-backed reception chairs. I was a little embarrassed that everyone around me noticed that Lissa played on my friendship. And I let her. "We fell out over a year ago," I quietly explained.
Linda's eyes widened in surprise. "Then why the hell do you still employ her? She's dead weight, and you're basically paying her to play on her phone and take two-hour lunch breaks."
I had no idea why I still kept her on, especially after she betrayed me with Simon. After discovering that they had slept together, I reamed her out over text. Even though I was pissed at Simon, it was the betrayal by my so-called best friend that hurt the most. I stupidly thought she would show up on my doorstep, apologizing profusely, eager to fix the divide her actions had caused our friendship.
When she failed to reach out, I knew we were done. Years of friendship and loyalty washed down the drain.
I had expected her to resign or, better yet, not turn up to work. But no—she showed up the next day, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, with a huge smile and a latte for me. As if a drink would fix what she’d done.
Even when I asked for her resignation, she had simply rolled her eyes at me. "C'mon, you're not still pissed about that? You guys weren't even serious."
No, Simon and I hadn't been exclusive, but Lissa knew how much I liked him. She knew that I was falling for him. Had fallen for him. We’d spent countless nights discussing my possible future with him and dissecting every message and conversation. She'd encouraged me to keep pursuing him, telling me that the fact he was visiting me more than usual was a sign he was falling for me too.
But then, as soon as my back was turned, she set out to seduce him. If that was her only slight, I may have overlooked it. But it was a culmination of many things. Simon had been the final straw.
"I thought you two seemed a little off with each other lately," Rachel piped in. "Is it too soon to put my hat in the ring for more hours?"
I rubbed my temples and glanced at the time. We were opening in ten minutes and had bookings pretty much from the moment I flipped the "Closed" sign around.
I gave Rachel a weak smile. "Let's talk next week, okay?"
I grabbed my phone and texted Lissa.
Maria: Come in for a meeting tomorrow at nine, please.
Linda was right. It was time to let her go.
The rest of the day flew by quickly. The bridal hair and makeup trial went well, so she booked us in for her whole wedding party in six months.
Despite advertising the salon as appointment only, we had two walk-ins that we managed to squeeze in at the last minute. We had to remain open for another hour, but the girls didn't seem to mind.
I was lucky to have not only a talented team on staff, but they all seemed to gel well together. I wasn't used to being surrounded by a group of friendly girls who genuinely seemed to like each other. There was no bitchiness or competitiveness.
I knew they regularly socialized after work, and at first, they invited me along. It surprised me since I didn't have the warmest personality and failed to make friends easily. I always kept my interactions with my staff impersonal and professional, so I never took them up on social outings. Eventually, they gave up asking.
When we finally shut our doors and my team finished cleaning their stations, I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank fuck this day was over. The girls grabbed their bags and coats, excitedly chattering about where to head for a drink.
For the first time, I felt a pang of loneliness. Many of my high school friends moved out of town or State. I had a few friends here, but none I would call close. Lissa had been my best friend since Middle School, and soon, she became my only real friend. And now I didn't even have her.
I waved the girls off, ready to slink back into my office to tackle more paperwork. "You guys can go," I called out. "I'll lock up."
Linda smiled at me as she put her coat on. "Hey, come out with us."
I frowned at her. "What?"
She glanced at the girls before walking over to me. "You never come out for a drink," she said in a low voice.
"I haven’t been asked in a long time."
"True," Linda slowly agreed. "Although you did come out with us once. You invited Lissa, who proceeded to flash her breasts at my husband before trying to climb onto his lap."
Oh, right. I'd forgotten about that.
I glanced at the girls as they waited for Linda by the door. They all smiled warmly at me, even though one or two eyed me warily. I didn't blame them for not wanting me there. I was their employer, but I also wasn't much of a social girly.
"You guys go on without me. I'll catch you on the next one."
Linda's smile dimmed, but she reached out and squeezed my shoulder. I had to fight the urge to jerk back from her touch. "Sure."
After they left, I locked the front doors before grabbing my paperwork and setting up at the receptionist's desk. It made me feel safer being in the front of the salon than alone out the back. I pulled up our socials page and started replying to inquiry messages.
On top of having in-salon clients, we also offered a mobile service. For a travel fee, we could go to client's homes for a more personal service. Usually, bridal parties and proms called us out, but it was a big chunk of our business.
My phone buzzed in my bag, and I fished it out, thinking it was Lissa. She still hadn’t replied to my message, even though it showed as read. I wasn't entirely sure she would show up tomorrow. If not, I was more than happy to pay her a visit.
Logan: You out tonight? Feel like some company? ;)
I grimaced at his text. It was the usual message Logan sent when he wanted to bang. The usual flare of excitement I felt at seeing his name no longer appeared. I was tired of being his bang option. No matter how many guys asked me out or flirted, they all wanted the same thing—my body and the three holes I could provide them. After Simon—after the many guys who had warmed my bed—none had come even remotely close to taking me seriously.
I decided to ignore his message and head home instead. Alone. The lure of my bath and a glass of wine sounded more appealing.
As I walked the short distance from the salon to my apartment, I ignored the bustling Saturday night atmosphere around me. Not that New Haven had much of a nightlife. It had a few bars that filled up on a weekend, but nothing exciting. It was why a lot of kids decided not to move back home after college or not to attend the local community schools. A part of me wished I’d made the move and gone to live in one of the bigger cities. I most likely would have if I hadn't opened my salon here.
There was nothing left for me in New Haven. My mom had skipped town with Steve when I was seventeen, and I hadn't heard from her since. My friendship with Lissa was shot to hell, and I didn't have a lot of other substantial relationships.
Men here sucked, despite what those cheesy small-town romance movies tried to sell you. Every fall and winter, we had floods of tourists. They were all attracted to that small town, cozy feel. Main Street was lit with fairy lights; vendors sold pretzels and hot chocolate in the center square. We even had a Santa's workshop set up. And without fail, single women converged with their bright-eyed stares, hoping to snag their own small-town lumberjack. Their apple-red cheeks spread wide in flirtatious smiles every time one of the locals paid them a little attention. Little did they know that the men here weren't any better than wherever the hell they came from.
Loud music caught my attention. It was coming from The Homestead, our town's most popular bar and eatery. Going by the bright lights, banging music, and a small crowd gathered outside, tonight seemed no exception.
My heart lurched when I remembered the last time I'd been here. It was Barron and Eden's engagement party. Barron was Simon's cousin, and he’d invited me along as his plus-one. The invite shocked and excited me. I was thrilled Simon had finally asked me out to a family event. Hell, he hadn't even invited me to a friend's event, so the fact that he'd jumped straight into such a momentous occasion had my hopes soaring.
It didn't matter that he ignored me for most of the night or seemed annoyed every time I clutched his arm. I even turned a blind eye when I'd caught him in what appeared to be an intimate clinch with Eden's best friend, Sofia—the girl he ultimately fell in love with. I was willing to look past his continuous red-flag behavior because I was desperate for his affection. His love.
It all came crashing down in a tidal wave of heartbreak when I discovered the following day that he’d slept with Lissa a few months prior.
I contemplated crossing the street, but a large board with a sign on the footpath piqued my curiosity. As I wandered closer, I noticed red velvet ropes blocking the entrance and a security guard posted by the door.
I paused to read the board.
"Closed for a private event"
But it was the smaller words scrawled under it in curved script that had me catching my breath.
"Congratulations, Simon and Sofia!"
A stab of pain hit me, and my stomach bottomed out. To add insult to injury, whoever wrote the board drew a picture of an engagement ring and a bride and groom. As if we didn't already get the fucking message.
The guy who feared commitment and saw no harm in sleeping with my best friend was getting married. It just figured that he would get the happy ending.
I no longer loved him, nor did I want him back, but I was human and couldn't help feeling used and discarded. Yes, he had apologized to me for his behavior—which frankly shocked me that he thought I was even owed one—and although I acknowledged his remorse, I still felt remnants of bitterness and hurt.
I stared at the sign until it blurred before angrily blinking my tears away. Without thinking, I took my phone out and texted Logan back.
Maria: You still free?