10. Claire
10
“Hey, Claire! You just missed the boss man.”
“Oh, what a shame,” I say with absolutely no sincerity at all as I step through the back doors to Parlour Tricks Beauty.
“It’s all good.” Westley laughs. “You still came at a good time. He dropped off some paint samples for you to look at.”
Now that is something I'm excited about. I push my sunglasses on top of my head as I take in my new staffroom.
“Wow!” Last week when I came in, it was just timber frames marking out the space.
Now that the frames are lined with plasterboard, I can see how little sunlight comes through here. There’s enough filtering in for the staffroom, but I’ll bet the main floor and classroom will look even better.
There’s a pit in my stomach as I realise I could have made a mistake sticking with my original floor plan. I guess Lee was right. The bastard.
“Lee left the samples in the front so you can see them in better light,” Westley says.
I follow slowly, ducking my head into the storeroom and bathroom as we pass.
When I step out of the back hallway, I come straight into the salon floor overlooking Main Street and my favourite little bakery, Sweet Escape.
The powder blue exterior and awning couldn’t be more perfect out my front window.
I’m again left feeling so thankful I listened to Lex in waiting for the right space in this part of the city to open up.
When I turn to my left, a gasp leaves unbidden from my mouth. My feet move on their own accord to the classroom where I’ll run masterclasses for learning beauty tips and tricks, and maybe events like hens nights or birthday pamper parties.
As I tentatively approach the double doorway, it’s like my heart can sense what my head wasn’t ready to acknowledge.
I step fully into the room, and my jaw drops when I take in the wide-open space.
The street-facing window overlooks the towering purple jacaranda trees that line the median strip.
A hint of the florist next door to Liv’s bakery is just in frame, but in full view is the trendy little cocktail bar, Chord and Coupe.
God fucking dammit, the bastard was definitely right. Again.
“Looks good, hey?” West stands in the doorway, looking around with a smile before fixing his gaze on me.
He chuckles. “Don’t look like that.”
Huh, guess the eye twitch wasn’t just in my head.
“Like what?” I ask, moving past him to head back to the salon floor.
“Like it physically hurts you that Lee suggested switching the rooms. I know the salon is your business, but construction is his. It only helps you to take on his suggestions.” I pin West with a skeptical glare, raising my eyebrows.
“Look at it this way,” he continues. “If we kept the layout how you wanted, and at the end of this you realised it wasn’t the right move, you might have blamed us for not pointing it out. People very rarely blame themselves when they have an equal hand in things, and that could have reflected badly on Lee as a business. He wants people to walk away loving what we’ve done for them, and that includes making suggestions where he sees them.”
I fold my arms over my chest, blowing out a breath. “I guess you’re right.”
“Of course I am. Now, let me show you these paint samples.”
I smile and follow him over to the front windows.
There are six big boards lined up against the window with writing along the top. I can see the two colours I picked out, a pale pink called Face Powder for the walls and a darker pink called Sorbet for the doors.
Britt, my interior design consultant, told me the colours would look different on the wall compared to the website and paint chips we were looking at, and she was definitely right. They have a grey undertone in the natural light that has me scrunching my nose.
When I look at the boards beside them, there are two other pale pinks and two more bright pinks.
I step closer to them, taking in one that’s a light, classic shade called Cadillac Pink, but the one next to it reminds me of soft petals and sweet, sticky marshmallows. Unspoken Love.
It doesn’t look too bright for the space but still exhibits enough pink power for what I envisioned.
The next board is darker with a playful tone that throws a retro vibe called Full Bloom, but it's a bit too purple when it’s next to the Unspoken Love I’m drawn to. I pick up the very last board and place it next to the lighter one. Romance. It’s not too loud. It has a perfect balance of peach and rose.
With the gold accents I’ll have around the space, the warmer shade would work so much better. I take another glance at the original colours I picked, then back at the ones Lee picked before I look back at a waiting Westley.
“I changed my mind.” Taking a deep breath, I turn around, taking in the salon, envisioning all the things I want for this place. “I want Unspoken Love and Romance.”