Chapter 12
Elodie
A Massage and A Girlfriend
My hands are still shaking as I pull into a parking space right outside of Blossom Beauty, shut off my engine, and lean my head against the headrest. “Breathe, Elodie. Just breathe.”
The words I said to Henley before storming out of his house have been on an endless loop in my head as I drove across town to Laney’s salon, the only place I could think of where I could gather my nerves.
I’m supposed to have dinner with her and Dilynne tonight anyway, but seeing Henley this morning just made me even more furious with him.
It wasn’t just fury you were feeling though, was it, Elodie?
Luckily, the voice of reason I need right now answers on the first ring. “Elodie?”
“Hey, Lennon,” I croak out, fighting off my tears that are mostly from anger. But a part of me is sad because the worst possible thing has happened to me—I’ve developed feelings for my boss.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“I just went off on Henley.”
Lennon snorts. “Okay, why don’t you start from the beginning…”
“God, Lennon. He’s so closed off and grumpy, but sometimes he lets his guard down, and I see what a strong man he is.
He grew up in foster care, so I can’t imagine what he’s been through and seen, but he doesn’t let people in, Lennon.
Except for his friends. He has this friend group that’s basically his family, and last night he went out with one of his co-workers, which shouldn’t bother me, but then he wouldn’t answer my texts and all I could think about was him either dead in a ditch or sleeping with some random woman… ”
“Whoa, Elodie. Breathe, honey,” Lennon’s voice cuts through my spiral, giving me a chance to catch my breath. “That was a lot of information you unloaded.”
“Well, that’s how I feel this morning. Henley finally showed up at home after his daughter had a fever last night and he never responded to me. But by that time, I was so flipping angry, I went off on him and stormed out.”
“Did he tell you why he didn’t answer you?”
“Apparently, he had too much to drink, which is what he turns to when he wants to escape. I swear, before he left, he took one look at me and Remy, then bolted—like he couldn’t handle the sight of us and had to get away.”
Lennon hums. “Has he done that before?”
“I mean, he’s been short with me, but never run away.”
“Well, where are you now?”
“I’m sitting in my car outside of Laney’s salon.”
“Who’s Laney?”
I spend the next few minutes bringing her up to speed on my friendship with Laney and Dilynne. “Maybe ask them if his behavior is normal.”
“His sister warned me that he has issues. I just didn’t realize that they’d make me want to strangle him. And knowing that he was probably out chasing women last night doesn’t help.”
Lennon clears her throat. “Why does it matter if he was out with other women?”
“It doesn’t.”
“You sure about that?”
My jaw clenches tighter. “What are you implying, Lennon?”
“That what I was afraid of happening is happening.” Tears prick behind my eyes.
I already know that what I feel for Henley is inappropriate, but hearing one of my best friends call me out on it isn’t making my blood pressure come down any faster.
“It sounds to me that maybe there’s some jealousy blended with that anger you’re feeling. ”
Sighing, I close my eyes. “I’m in a clusterfuck right now, Lennon.”
“Only if you act on what you’re feeling,” she counters.
“I’m so mad at him right now that the only thing I’ll be acting on is strangling him.”
“Anger can lead to some pretty amazing sex.”
I pop my eyes open and stare at myself in the rearview mirror.
“You’re not helping. Nothing can happen between me and Henley for a multitude of reasons.
One, he’s my boss. Two, I’m caring for his daughter, so that’s supposed to be my focus, not the blatant display of arm and ab porn that taunts me while I’m living with him.
And three, I’m leaving and he’s clearly dedicated to his business and life here in Blossom Peak, so there’s no chance a relationship would work between us. ”
“The fact that you’re even using the word relationship is shocking, especially considering the last man you opened up to.”
Staring out the front window, I whisper, “I had a panic attack last week when I was dancing with some guy at a bar. He kept pressuring me to leave with him…”
“Shit, Elodie. I’m sorry.”
Shaking my head, I close my eyes and feel the first tear slide down my cheek. “I hate that I let a man have that power over me, Lennon.”
“He only has that power if you let him.”
“Well, running away sort of let him win, huh?”
“Liam was an asshole that used your dream of singing to manipulate you, and when you didn’t bend to his will, he got his revenge by tarnishing your reputation. I doubt Henley has any scope of power in that regard.”
“Henley will be my last reference on any job application I fill out next. I doubt anyone is going to want to hire a woman who slept with her boss because his forearms were taunting her too much. I can’t be weakened by forearms, Lennon. That’s not a skill employers want.”
“Why would you even write that on a job application? Besides, I thought the plan was to go back to L.A. eventually? Or have you decided that’s not what you want?”
“I haven’t landed on any decision yet. The only thing I knew with certainty this morning was that I had to get away from Henley before I did something really stupid, and the last thing I should be doing is mixing in feelings for the man whose child I’m taking care of.”
“Then keep it professional.”
“He’s so hot, Lennon. I mean, I never knew that blue jeans and work boots were such a turn on.”
Lennon hums in approval. “Don’t get me wrong, I love a man in a suit. But there’s something about a blue-collar man that will win out every time.”
We share a laugh. “And for some reason, I feel safe with him.”
“Even though he pisses you off and won’t open up to you?”
“Yeah.”
“Look. You have a little less than three months left there. Just take it one day at a time, Elodie. I can’t help but think that this transitional period you’re in is going to lead you to exactly where you’re supposed to be.
Call it intuition or whatever, but when things don’t work out the way we thought they would, there’s usually a reason. ”
I groan. “I don’t think I’d be this frustrated if I could write a damn song.”
“Still no luck?”
“My notebook is full of bits and pieces of ideas, but nothing is speaking to me.”
“Maybe you need to write something about your boss.”
Just the suggestion has my pulse picking up speed. The truth is, I’ve been wondering the same thing because the forbidden feelings I’ve been harboring are speaking to me, but I’ve been too scared to put them down on paper.
I rest my hands on the steering wheel in front of me. “I’ll consider it.”
“It’s going to be okay, Elodie. But in the meantime, you should probably apologize to Henley since you technically still need the job.”
“Believe me. My credit card balance reminds me of that every day.”
“Keep me posted, my friend.”
“I will.”
After ending the call, I check my appearance in the visor mirror and then head inside the salon, instantly transfixed by the beauty of the space. I’m so disappointed that I can’t afford any services right now because I would love nothing more than to relax and pamper myself for a bit.
Unfortunately, I’m choosing to be a responsible adult at the moment.
“Elodie?” Laney walks over to where I stand in the waiting area.
Olive green chairs line a few walls along with shelves of products, the small room slightly closed off from the rest of the salon.
The walls are white, which make the space look open and fresh, each stylist station has black framed mirrors hung in front of each chair, and the gray floors provide the perfect soft background to bring the whole look together.
Past the hair stylist stations on both sides of the room are three separate spaces—one for the nail technicians, one for the massage services, and one for facials and skin care.
“Hey.” My throat is still tight from the emotion of this morning, but I fight to keep my composure. “Sorry to just drop by like this.”
“Nonsense. You’re always welcome here. Everything okay?”
“Well…” I can feel myself about to break, and luckily, Laney senses that.
“Yvonne?” she calls out to an older woman with a long, dark braid with streaks of gray in it.
“Yeah?”
“You still have a while before your next client?” Laney asks her.
“About an hour. Why? What’s up?”
Laney wraps her arms around my shoulders and leads me past the receptionist counter and over to Yvonne. “This is Elodie. She’s Henley’s new nanny, and she looks like she needs to relax.”
Yvonne drops her eyes up and down my body. “Yeah, she does seem tense. Let me work my magic on you, sweetheart.” She wiggles her fingers in the air.
“Oh, that’s nice of you, but I can’t really afford a massage right now,” I say with a hint of embarrassment in my voice, but there’s no sense in trying to make up an excuse.
Laney and Yvonne share a look before Laney looks back at me. “It’s on the house.”
“What? No, Laney. It’s okay. Really…”
“Nope.” Shaking her head, she leads me forward as we follow Yvonne to the massage rooms. “You’re my friend and you look like you need a moment, so I’m taking care of you. And then, you can take my keys to my house and wait there until this afternoon for Dilynne and me.”
“You really don’t have to do this.”
Her smile is comforting. “I know I don’t. But I have a lot of experience with being mad at a man, and judging by the look on your face and how early you’re here in the day, I’m guessing Henley did something Dilynne’s going to want to kick his ass for.”
I laugh as my eyes well up. “How did you know?”
“Again, I spent years being mad at Fletcher.”
Yvonne tsks. “She used to call him Lucifer if that gives you any indication of how she felt.”
I chuckle through my tears. “Okay. Thank you.”