Chapter 9
Hollywood
Tex drove me to the barbershop the next morning, despite the apartment being a jumble of moving boxes and donate piles.
We’d spent about six hours yesterday getting nearly everything in the house packed up for the move.
I’d hoped to finish before returning to work, but Ruby crashed around eight, and we didn’t want to keep her up, so Tex would have to finish off a few more boxes on his own.
Ghost and Knight were loading up Tex’s truck for a second run when we left. They’d come over early to get as much done as they could before they had to report to their own jobs, though Joyride had promised to help Tex later in the day.
As Tex parked at the curb, a few people walked down the sidewalk in front of us. A little boutique next door attracted shoppers. I recognized Emory Gold and his friend, Allison, as they went through the door.
I hesitated to get out of the car. “I feel bad to leave you mid-move like this.”
“The guys are helping.”
I grimaced. “Yeah, everyone except me, and it’s my place.”
“Our place,” he said quietly. “And we did the hardest part yesterday. It’s mostly hauling and unloading today.”
“Still…”
He patted my thigh, which was something he’d taken to doing and which still threw me off-balance each and every time. “You’ve got to pay the bills, Holly. Your boss is no spring chicken, either. He needs you back. It’s okay.”
“Yeah.” I twisted to look at Ruby, who was swinging her feet and humming contentedly. We’d come a long way since that first night. She was already such an intrinsic part of my life I couldn’t imagine being without her.
“Daddy will see you soon, Roo.”
“Da,” she said with a smile.
My heart fluttered. She hadn’t done that before. “Yeah, that’s right. I’m Da.” I shot a wide smile at Tex. “Did you hear that? I’m Da.”
Tex squeezed my leg. “Heck yeah, you are.”
“It’s hard to leave her. I know I spent so much time without her, but now…”
“Now she’s yours,” he said simply, understanding without me having to explain.
I nodded, throat tight. He raised his hand to my face, smoothing a thumb over my cheek. “I promise I’ll take very good care of her.”
“I know you will.”
“Go do your thing, Holly. When you get home, we’ll celebrate with dinner at the new place. We’ll eat on paper plates on top of cardboard boxes. It’ll be very fancy.”
I laughed and the urge to lean in and kiss him goodbye hit me hard.
I turned, leaning back between the seats to press a quick kiss to Ruby’s cheek instead. Then I opened my car door and stepped out onto the curb before my impulses could ruin our friendship again.
Clint looked happy to see me, but worn out, too. The creases around his eyes seemed more pronounced, and he moved a little slower than usual.
Dang. He was getting too old to run the shop alone. I wanted to be with Ruby and Tex, but I needed to be here.
“Morning, Hendrix. Good to have you back.”
“Happy to be back,” I said, which was true now that I was here. I’d always liked my job. Clint was an easygoing guy, and clients loved to chat while they got their haircuts. It would be a relaxing change of pace after chasing after Ruby for two days.
“How’s the little one?” he asked as he filled a cup with the battery acid he liked to call coffee. He brewed a big pot every day, making it available to customers, but I couldn’t stomach the stuff. There wasn’t enough sugar in the world to make it palatable.
“Ruby’s adjusting,” I said. “She called me Da today.”
I was sure my smile was goofy as hell, but I couldn’t help it.
“Aw, that’s cute,” he said. “Enjoy her. They grow up too damn fast.”
“I will. I’ve already missed too much of her life.”
I went over to my station and checked over my table. The hair wax was running a little low, and my tweezers were mysteriously missing. I rummaged through drawers, then made a trip to the supply closet. When I returned, Cliff sat in his barber chair, nursing his coffee.
“You should have brought your little girl in,” he said. “I’d like to meet her.”
“Oh?” I turned. “Well, maybe when Tex picks me up tonight.”
I’d told Clint about my friend who was helping out with childcare, so he didn’t ask any questions. “Good. Good. Jared’s coming in today. I’m going to let you handle his cut. My back needs a rest.”
“Oh, is he recovered now?”
Jared had a knee replacement, followed by a hip replacement, and he’d canceled his appointments twice in the past month.
“I don’t know about recovered,” Clint said. “But he’s getting better.”
A few regulars came in, keeping us busy until lunchtime. We got a walk-in around noon, so I took that one too. I wanted Clint to take it easy today. By mid-afternoon, the shop was quiet.
Jared arrived just after 3 p.m. The wind had tousled his gray hair. He brushed a few strands out of his eyes and walked into the shop, leaning most of his weight on a sturdy metal cane.
“Hey, Hendrix, sorry I’m late.”
“Are you?” I glanced at the clock. Technically, his appointment started ten minutes ago, but we weren’t busy. “I think you’re right on time.”
He grinned, his face boyishly handsome, considering the man was pushing seventy.
“I couldn’t find a decent parking space. Someone took the handicap spot, so I had to shuffle my ass two blocks to get here.”
“Seriously? What an asshole.”
He laughed. “Totally.”
“Okay, so what are we doing today?”
“You know the drill. Make me look presentable. I’ve got my eye on a gal who does therapy right after me. She’s had a double hip replacement, poor thing, but she’s always smiling.”
“Ooh, should I break out the black hair dye?”
He looked as if he was considering it. Then snorted. “Hell, I’d look like a fool! No. Just a cut.”
“All right.” I sighed mournfully. “But my talent is going to waste with you.”
He chuckled. “Deal with it.”
I got out the water bottle to dampen his hair. “How’s the therapy going? Or should I not ask?”
“It’s a pain in the bum,” he said bluntly. “I hate it.”
I winced, thinking of the hard road ahead of Carrie. “Too bad. My ex was in an accident. She’s going to be doing inpatient rehab.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said. “The therapy helps, even though it’s not fun. She’s in good hands. My therapist, Kit, is a good guy. His sister has been through a lot, so he relates well to patients and families. Better than some of the other therapists.”
I pulled hair between my fingers and snipped it with my scissors. “That’s good to hear. I think the hardest part for her is that she can’t keep our daughter with her.”
“I didn’t know you had a daughter.”
“Yep. Ruby’s a little over two. I’m taking her until Carrie recovers.”
“Wow. You’ve got your work cut out for you, huh?”
I laughed. “Yeah. Ruby keeps me on my toes, but I guess I’m still getting the easier end of the deal, right? Carrie is going to be in a world of hurt for a while.”
Jared nodded. “I’m still going to River Rocks Rehab every other week. I could check in on her. Make sure she’s keeping her spirits up.”
“Really? That would be nice of you.”
I pulled out the clippers and cleaned up his neckline and around his ears, the loud hum killing our conversation.
“All right.” I turned off the clippers. “We’re all done.”
He looked in the mirror, nodding. “Hey, I look good! Hopefully Meryl still recognizes me.”
I laughed. “Is that your lady friend?”
“Yeah. I need to get her digits.”
It was weird to hear someone his age refer to a phone number as digits. “You better do it while the haircut is fresh.”
He grinned. “Good idea.”
I removed the cape and brushed the back of his neck and shoulders, dislodging loose hairs. “Thanks for talking about your recovery. It’s reassuring to know Carrie is in a good place.”
“Oh, the staff is great. They’re so positive and upbeat she’ll want to kick their butts, but they’re all very friendly.”
“Carrie’s feisty on a good day. I’m glad I’m not the one pep-talking her through therapy.”
Jared snorted. “Yeah, it’s not always pretty, but they can take it.”
He grabbed his cane, sitting to the left of the chair, and slowly levered himself upright.
Clint was half asleep in his chair. “The old guy is tired, huh?”
“I missed a couple of days of work. Wasn’t easy on him.”
“Take care of him.”
“I’ll do my best,” I promised.
I swept the floor and cleaned my station. Clint woke up when Jared left and drank some more terrible coffee while he told me about his weekly poker game. “Bennie tried to show up with Wheat Thins for the game snack!”
“I hope you all threw him out.”
I’d learned that the snacks were the most important part of the weekly poker game to the guys.
They sometimes even bet food or services instead of money.
Clint had bartered a year of haircuts to Ford a year ago—and lost. But Clint lit up every time Ford came in, so I didn’t think it was much of a punishment, and Ford usually tipped enough to cover the cost of a cut, anyway.
“We made him leave,” Clint said with a grin. “We said, don’t come back without a decent snack. He went to the store and came back with spicy nacho cheese dip and we all paid with heartburn for the next three days.”
“Worth it,” I said.
“Oh, yeah.” He rubbed his hands together. “If you can’t eat crappy food, what’s the point of living? Not that you’d know much about that.”
“I’m not a health freak,” I said. “I just run a lot. Helps me clear my head.”
I hadn’t been on a good run since Ruby moved in. No wonder I’d been such a mess of stress and turmoil.
The doorbells chimed and Tex stepped in, Ruby perched on his waist.
“Down!” she exclaimed, pointing to the floor.
Tex set her on her feet, and she ran to the nearest chair.
“Well, aren’t you just the prettiest little thing?” Clint exclaimed.
She looked at him with a shy smile. He scooped her up and sat down in his chair, settling her on his lap. “Hi, Ruby. I’m Clint, but you can call me Grandpa.”
Tex and I exchanged a look.
“How did the moving go?” I asked quietly as Clint tugged one of Ruby’s pigtails and drew her into a game of patty-cake.
“I’ve got to move some more boxes tomorrow, but we got the beds set up.”
“Oh, crap. You don’t have a bed.”
We discussed giving him a room, and I’d insisted he couldn’t sleep on the couch, but I’d never considered the fact he didn’t have a bed with him.
“Aiden gave me his. Says he wasn’t using it much.” He smirked. “I guess they prefer to share these days.”
“Right,” I murmured. “Makes sense.”
Tex would have a bed and his own room like a proper roommate, so why did I suddenly wish he didn’t have a better place to sleep?
It wasn’t as if he was going to crawl in with me and ask to stay there. That was ridiculous. I’d learned the hard way that Tex didn’t want to be in my bed. I needed to get it through my head once and for all.