Chapter Seven #3
The chemical odor of the dye, remnants of hairspray in the air, and the rows upon rows of different shampoos and conditioners by the wash stations made Kimberly’s eyes water.
She liked her natural oatmeal shampoo doctored with some lavender essential oil just fine.
It wasn’t overpowering for her sensitive nose.
If she felt confident about cutting her own hair, she would have done it at home instead of a salon to save herself the trouble.
Emily came out of the back room, her black curls bouncing around her shoulders and dark eyes smiling out from a pair of thick-rimmed glasses. The bangles on her wrists clanged with each step toward the welcome counter.
“Hey, girl!” she greeted in her slight Southern belle accent. “It’s great to see you again!”
Kimberly put on her mask of perfect friendliness and grinned. “Me too! Thank you so much for getting me in on such short notice, especially on a Saturday.”
“Oh, it was no trouble.” She waved her dainty, manicured hand at her. “I had a last-minute cancellation, so it was … What’s that word? Serendipity! Come on back, I’ve got the chair all ready.”
Kimberly followed her toward the back and pulled out her phone, knowing what would come next.
The butterflies barraged her full force the minute she decided that morning what she’d do.
It was a gutsy move, a desperate attempt to make herself feel safer.
After what happened last night with Shane, she knew she had to start being more proactive toward reviving her wolf.
Meditation, happy thoughts, and leg-buckling kisses from Shane weren’t going to be enough.
It was time to stop masking and wishing away all the pain and do something to encourage her wolf that she would never be a victim again.
Maybe then, it wouldn’t shiver like a frightened pup at the slightest reminder of the attack.
That was what happened with Shane. He had pulled her hair just like Nathan had.
Their motives were completely different, but her wolf didn’t register that.
It believed they were in danger again and her body reacted the exact same way.
Never again, she decided. Never again would she give someone the opening to make her afraid. She might not have been able to do anything about her dominance, but she could do something about this.
Emily ushered her toward the black leather chair and pulled out a checkered drop cloth apron with silver button snaps. “So, what are we doing today? Just another trim or something special?”
Kimberly opened the Pinterest app on her phone and turned it around to show the stylist the picture she found.
Emily’s smile dropped, gaze darting between the picture and Kimberly’s long, brown hair. “Are you sure?”
“Very.”
“You know, I’ve had some clients come in wanting this and they just burst into tears when I was done. Are you absolutely sure you want this?”
Kimberly slid her phone into her back jeans pocket. “I am very sure, and I promise I won’t cry.”
The stylist bit her lips together and gave in.
Kimberly settled into the seat, sitting straight and chin level.
She looked at herself in the mirror, as she did earlier that morning after Shane left the apartment.
She wasn’t afraid. It was just hair. It wasn’t anything sacred to her, and she wasn’t committed to it as a symbol of her femininity.
She needed this change, and sacrifices had to be made.
It didn’t take too long for Emily to assess the canvas of Kimberly’s hair, tie it into chunks, and get to work on snipping away the inches.
She forced herself to watch through the mirror the whole time as strand after strand was cut and styled to make her new look as close to her inspiration picture as possible.
With the loss of hair came a lightness to her head.
She didn’t think her hair could weigh that much, but she felt it in the release of tension and the ease of her neck muscles as it took less effort to hold up her head.
When the back of her neck became exposed and she felt the coolness of the air conditioning across her skin, the reality of what she was doing finally settled.
Her hair was really dropping to the floor around the chair, destined for the garbage bin when this was all over.
The butterflies slowly dissipated, and a new excitement tingled in her belly as Emily made the final finishing touches around her ears and at the fringe of bangs across the top of her forehead.
With a few brushes, it was done. Kimberly felt the hated tears burn in her eyes, but they weren’t in regret. She wanted to cry with relief. But she had promised Emily, so she refused to let her tears show.
Emily whisked off the apron so she could see the full effect. Her neck looked longer and her shoulders a little broader, but it was still her. The loss of most of her hair wouldn’t change that.
She brought her hand up to the side of her head and threaded her fingers through the short locks, then tried to grab. She couldn’t. Her hair slipped through easily, refusing to be held or tugged. She tried on the top, where it was a little longer, but still, she couldn’t get a firm, solid hold.
Perfect. No human or shifter could use it against her again.
See, wolf? One less thing to worry about.
Emily looked as if she were holding her breath, and Kimberly passed her a big smile to reassure her. This was exactly what she wanted.