Chapter 20
TWENTY
Kendall
Ican’t stop thinking about our date. It was perfect.
I don’t know how Dane will outdo himself after this one.
He suggested another date for this upcoming weekend, but I asked to move it to after the openings.
He looked a bit disappointed, and so was I.
I’ll enjoy myself more once all of this comes to a close.
I want to enjoy it, not stress about anything else.
The weekend passed with more preparation for the salon and spa opening. I finally got in a good CrossFit workout, thankfully. I’ve been pushing it off for a couple of weeks, as exhaustion has taken over every day, but this week I'm getting back to my normal schedule—workouts, work, and sleep.
When Tuesday morning shows up, I’m up feeling refreshed. I even woke up just before my alarm. Since I had a few extra minutes, I made a pit stop at the coffeehouse. Approaching the door, someone comes and opens it, and there Dane is, standing on the other side.
“Finally decided to join me for coffee?” He holds the door as I walk inside.
Quick to the punch, I look around. He can’t possibly be talking to me. “I’m sorry, did I miss the invite?”
He chuckles and places his hand on the small of my back as we walk to the counter. We arrived at a good time, with no line. Dane steps in front of me and orders my coffee and then his.
I squint my eyes at him. “How do you know my coffee order?”
“I know things. And when you think I’m not paying attention, I am.”
“Okay, Mr. Cryptic, tell me.”
He scratches his jaw and hums, but gives me nothing.
Giving his arm a little squeeze, like I mean it. “Come on, spill.”
“Just this once, I’ll let you into my secret…The first time we met here, I listened to your coffee order.”
My head tilts, examining him, and it seems legit. “But that was weeks ago.”
He taps his temple. “There’s a plethora of knowledge up here, including all the things you love.”
“Oh, big head.” I can’t help but giggle at the word that just came out of my mouth.
He doesn't miss a beat. “You would know.”
We grab our orders and walk outside. There’s a pause. Do we kiss? Do we wave? I wave tentatively, and he comes in and kisses my cheek. Dragging his lips to my ear, he whispers, “I hope you have a productive day.” He kisses my neck, right below my ear, and pulls away.
My body is firing on all cylinders, and I want to wrap my arms and legs around him. Yes, right here on the sidewalk. Briefly imagining him leaning me up against his car and taking me on Main Street. Nodding to myself, I say, “Ah…you, too.”
He takes my hand and leads me to my car. Opening the driver's side door for me, I look at him with curious eyes, wondering what it is about me that has him doing things for me…like taking me on a date, meeting me for coffee, opening the door… “Thank you.”
Once I’m in my car, I watch him hop into his and drive away. Still sitting in my car, I text the group chat about our coffee rendezvous.
The rest of the week is the same. On Friday, he asks one more time if I’m possibly free for dinner over the weekend.
I politely decline, knowing I’ll be at the salon and spa tomorrow.
I hope to complete everything that needs to be done tomorrow and avoid getting caught up all day on Sunday.
I'd really like to invite my girlfriends over for a pool day and relax.
Thankfully, Saturday went as planned, so Sunday was a day of relaxation.
I slept in until eleven o’clock—not sure the last time that happened.
My girlfriends came over, and we floated in the pool, grazing on snacks and sipping margaritas.
It was a perfect day. I might have been thinking about Dane all afternoon, but we didn’t really talk much about him.
They asked a few questions after the text last week. I think we all needed a down day.
Grand opening week starts off just like last week, where Dane is already at the coffeehouse waiting for me.
It’s like he arrives just in time to open the door for me, orders my coffee because he heard once and memorized it, and then walks me to my car.
A part of me believes there’s something between us, even though I was telling myself he isn’t one to make a commitment, enjoying his one-night stand life.
Dane buys me coffee all week. We exchange just enough conversation to keep the connection going, respecting the fact that this week is one of the biggest weeks in my life. I like that about him.
On Friday, the soft opening day, he even asks if there’s anything he can do. I told him he should come tonight. I want to share this moment with him, so I suggested he come and hang out with his Gram. I’m trying not to make too big a deal—but for me it kind of is.
This is surreal. I remember opening Saxy Salon almost three years ago, after deciding I didn’t want to stay at my corporate job one more day. It was sucking the life right out of my soul.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the salon feels like yesterday.
I’ve accomplished so much in a short period of time, and now the final touches for our soft opening are all in place.
The staff is here making sure everything is ready to go.
We open the doors in less than two hours. My friends should roll in anytime now.
I check my phone.
Dane:
I’ll see you soon.
I’m all giddy knowing he’ll be on his way shortly to celebrate with me. I feel seen. I feel supported. And definitely not a secret.
It’s still a blur, even with the newspaper articles that came out yesterday. Some of my clients were texting me pictures of the press release and the picture of me in front of the storefront. It brought tears to my eyes, knowing I had built something everyone wants to be a part of.
Refreshments are set up on a long table, accompanied by goodie bags filled with swag. Today is reserved for the VIPs invited privately to the soft launch, and everyone will have a chance to receive two services before the night is over.
In the main room, we have high-top tables for people to stand at and eat their hors d'oeuvres.
People will be roaming and taking tours of the salon and spa areas.
We have a couple of our yoga teachers who will offer restorative yoga in the large studio.
Four seated massage chairs line the back wall, allowing the tours to flow smoothly through the spa.
I hear the front doorbell ring and stroll over to the salon area to open the door.
“Oh, my. Kendall, this is completely transformed into an entertainment space. Great work,” Lane says and hugs me.
“Thank you! You have no idea how excited and nervous I am right now. I’m happy you guys are here to support me tonight.”
Addison is awe-struck as she glances around. “Yeah, this is amazing. Do you still need our help?”
“I think we’re almost ready for everyone. Let me go check to see if the massage chairs are open and ready. You both can start there. I hope I won’t need your help later in the event, but at least you can enjoy the perks of the spa.”
I walk over to the studio, and everyone is ready. Lane and Addison spend their time getting chair massages.
By the time I’m back in the front with Sally, there are already people walking through the door. It’s time to entertain our best customers and favorite people.
The evening continues with a revolving door of people coming and going.
This is exactly how I envisioned the soft opening.
People with smiles on their faces, raving about the space and services.
When they leave Saxy’s, they will rave about it, which will bring in the customer base needed to keep this place busy.
A big smile crosses my face. I’m proud to be the owner of this slice of heaven for the community.
When my eyes scan to the door, I end up staring into the caramel brown eyes I’ve been missing all day.
There’s no mistaking them. One look at Dane and prickles spread into my hands and throughout my body.
Our eyes lock for a second too long, as Jane jabs him with her elbow.
“Ow.” His head whips to his grandmother.
She doesn’t say a word, but a huge smile says everything. Yep, he was caught staring at me. There’s no denying it.
He is dressed in dark grey chinos that fit his body perfectly, paired with a light blue button-down shirt that has a couple of buttons undone at the collar and the sleeves rolled up.
Those damn forearms. I don’t know what his workout routine is, but holy hell, the corded muscles in his forearms just might make me drool all over this floor. I casually wipe my mouth just in case.
When I finally stop gawking, I approach them with a bright smile on my face. “Jane, thank you so much for coming.”
She steps forward and gives me a hug. “This place looks like the Ritz. You outdid yourself.”
“There’s an entire team behind me that brought my vision to reality.” I turn to Dane, and he steps closer to me. Jane stares at both of us and smiles. I wonder if he has told her about our date yet.
He wraps his arms around me, picks me up, and twirls me around. “You look gorgeous, and everything looks perfect.”
I enjoy his over-the-top attention on me, expecting nothing less from him.
“Thank you for being here and all your support this week.” Wrapping my arms around him, I kiss him on the neck.
“I haven’t even done much.” He places me on my feet. Staring at me for a few more seconds, we are lost in the moment.
Jane clears her throat. He gives me a kiss on the cheek, and we release each other. If she didn’t know, she knows now from how he just greeted me. It warms my heart that he had no reservations about public displays of affection here in front of everyone.
“I’m happy to bring Gram tonight so she can enjoy the spa services you have on the menu. She was telling me all about them on the car ride here.”
“I hope you’ll take advantage of some services tonight, too,” I say with a bright smile.