Chapter 21
Hollywood
Clint pushed out of his barber chair with a groan. He’d spent more time sitting in it than customers today. “I’ve got an appointment with my chiropractor. Hold down the fort for me?”
I glanced around the empty shop. “I don’t know, boss. What if some of these invisible customers give me a hard time?”
He gave a rusty chuckle. “Didn’t know I hired a funny guy.”
“I have many talents.”
The barbershop was a thriving business, but Wednesday was our slowest day of the week.
Most of the time, I didn’t mind going to work, because I really loved meeting new people and getting to know the community better.
The hair part was fun, too. But it had been extra-hard to leave today, because I knew it’d be slow and I’d just think about all the time I was missing with my family.
Because that’s what Tex and Ruby were. My little, private family.
The door jingled before I could get too deep into a mope, and Joyride strolled in.
“Hey.” He looked around. “So this is…cool.”
“It’s dead today. Usually it’s busier.”
I wasn’t sure why I needed to defend Clint’s barbershop. I loved the place, but it didn’t matter what Joyride thought of it. Maybe I’d begun to think of it as my place as much as Clint’s.
Joyride nodded. “Yeah, nice.”
“Did you come by for a trim?”
His hair was looking shaggy around the ears. He hesitated. “Um…yeah. Sure.”
I waved him into my chair, then draped a cape around his shoulders and fastened it at the nape of his neck. “How much do you want off?”
“Oh, uh, I don’t know. Whatever you think.”
“I’ll buzz it all off then.”
“What?” That got his attention. “Don’t you dare!”
“So you do care what I do.” I chuckled and combed through his hair with my fingers, easing the tension from him. “I’d never buzz it all off. You’ve got great hair.”
“I bet you say that to all the boys.”
“Only the ones who sit in my chair.” His hair was thick with a hint of wave and long enough to brush his collar, but the longer style suited him. “I’ll just clean you up a little.”
I grabbed the water bottle, spritzing. “So, what brings you here? Because I know it wasn’t really about your hair.”
He shrugged. “I just bombed another job interview. I figured I could use a distraction. If I go home, I’ll think too much.”
“We need to find you a job you actually want,” I said. “You sure you don’t want to cut hair? It’s a pretty awesome gig.”
He eyed the empty shop. “Seems perfect for you, but no. I can’t see myself doing that. For one thing, I don’t want to talk to people all day long.”
I chuckled. “Fair. It’s a big part of the job.”
“Can you imagine if Ghost ever had to work someplace like this?”
I snorted. “He’d refuse on pain of death, probably.”
We laughed for a minute. Ghost was just about as antisocial as they came. After so many years in prison, it was hard to say whether it was his nature or an adaptation to his circumstances. He’d been inside a long time, and that didn’t just fade overnight.
“Knight would be a decent barber though,” I mused as I grabbed my scissors and pulled a section of hair between two fingers.
“Yeah, though his tats might scare off the more uptight clientele,” Joyride said. “You’ve got that clean-cut, good boy look going for you.”
“Tex thinks I should get a tattoo.”
“Does he now?” Joyride smirked. “You guys must be getting serious if he’s suggesting you mark up your body for him.”
I snipped, and strands of brown hair fell to the floor. “Well, it’s not like that.”
“Uh-huh.”
“He wasn’t asking me to tattoo his name on my ass or anything.”
Joyride laughed, and I had to lift the scissors away.
“No Property of Tex tramp stamp? I’m disappointed.”
“Shut up,” I said, though my voice sounded far too happy.
“Oh my god. You’d totally get that tat for him, wouldn’t you? Damn, Holly. Where’s your dignity?”
I laughed. “I’ve got sharp scissors in my hand. Don’t make me get violent with you.”
“Sorry, sorry. I’ll be good.”
I trimmed quietly for a few minutes, focused on getting his layers even.
Joyride shifted in the chair. “I think it’s great, actually.”
“Hmm?”
“You and Tex.”
“Oh.” I sighed. “It’s pretty great. I just wish…”
“What?”
“Nothing. Never mind.”
“Come on, Hollywood. You were there for my total meltdown last week. We’re friends. I know you see me as a little brother or something, but you can talk to me too.”
“I know. It’s not that I don’t want to talk to you. It’s…just not easy to put into words. Tex is great. So great. The sex is like…wow.”
“I bet he’s a beast in the sack,” Joyride said with a grin. “Does he get all toppy and pin you down? Because that sounds—”
“We’re not going there,” I said quickly.
He laughed. “Fine. What is the problem?”
“There’s no problem, exactly. When we’re together, everything feels right, you know? He’s great with Ruby. He’s patient and thoughtful. He’s sweet and sexy. He cares. When he’s in front of me, I know it.”
“And when he’s not in front of you?”
“He’s still not out, and I don’t know if or when he’ll ever be.
He’s not ready to tell people. I’m okay with that.
Really, I am. But we haven’t really talked about what this relationship is.
Like, he’s here to help me with Ruby, and he’s promised me he’s not going anywhere.
I believe that. But what about when Carrie recovers?
Will he decide I don’t need him anymore and just… ”
I set the scissors down and combed through his hair, getting the loose strands out and checking the lengths to ensure everything was even.
“Go?” Joyride prompted as I fell silent. “No way, man. He’s not really here for Ruby.”
“What? Of course he is. That’s why—”
“He’s here because you needed him. But it’s about you. It’s always been about you.”
I picked up the clippers and turned them on. I wished I was as sure as Joyride seemed to be. But Tex could have returned anytime during that three-month hiatus. He didn’t come back until he saw how overwhelmed I was with Ruby.
I trimmed around Joy’s ears and the nape of his neck, my thoughts running wild and aimless.
“Okay, I think we’re done.”
I grabbed a brush to knock any loose hair from the back of Joy’s neck, then gave him a hand mirror so he could see the back of his head in the larger mirror behind him. “Happy?”
“Yeah, that’s great.” He handed the mirror back. “Thanks.”
“I should be thanking you for keeping me busy. I hate when it’s slow like this. I get antsy.”
Joyride nodded. “Why do you think I’m avoiding home?”
“A good reason to get a job and keep it.”
He rolled his eyes. “Seriously? You’re gonna give me a hard time when I let you angst over a man who’s totally in love with you? That’s not right.”
My heart jolted. “In love—” I shook my head. “No. It’s too soon for that. Way too soon.”
I unfastened the cape and Joyride got out of the chair and turned to face me. “So you’re saying you don’t love him?”
“What? No, I…” I huffed a breath. “You’re annoying.”
He grinned. “I know. But hey, you’re the one who wanted to cast me as a little brother. I’m just playing the part.”
“Funny.”
I fetched the broom and started sweeping up hair. I was maybe a little too emphatic, because a tuft of it flew too far across the shop floor. I had to run over and herd it back like a wayward sheep.
“For what it’s worth, he seems really happy with you, Holly. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
“Yeah?”
“But maybe you guys should talk about it.”
“That can be tricky with him,” I said. “He internalizes his feelings a lot. He’s only recently come to terms with being with a man. I don’t want to push too hard.”
“Yeah, there’s a careful line you have to walk. I get it.”
The door chimed, and Clint entered the shop. His eyes lit up when he saw Joyride. “A new customer? Nice work.”
Joyride turned. “I was just leaving. What do I owe you?”
“Twenty should cover it.”
He fished in his pocket, withdrew a twenty, and handed it to me. “Catch you later. Thanks for the talk.”
He hurried from the shop. I found his quick exit to be surprising. Then I caught sight of Clint’s perplexed expression.
“Do I know that young man from somewhere?”
“I don’t know. He grew up in town, so maybe. His name’s Joey Whittaker.”
Recognition lit in his eyes, followed by the downturn of his lips. “I know the name. He’s the one who damn near killed Dakota Willis.”
“Yeah,” I said. “It was an accident, though.”
“It was reckless.”
“It was,” I agreed. “He knows that.”
“Well, that’s something, I guess,” Clint said shortly.
“Clint, you’ve been great about me being an ex-con. Joey is in Redemption Road too. He’s trying to start over.”
“And what about Dakota? She can’t just start over and walk again.”
“I know. So does he. That’s why he’s still full of guilt and shame. But he’s trying to be a better person.”
He exhaled. “It’s different with you, Hendrix. You didn’t hurt anyone.”
“Oh, but I did. I hurt my girlfriend by losing everything we’d built together. I hurt my daughter by missing the first two years of her life. I hurt my family.” I shrugged. “It was emotional damage, but still damage. We all have amends to make.”
“Some of those amends are tougher than others,” Clint said, though some of the heat had left his voice. “I don’t envy that kid. He’s got a long road ahead.”
“Yeah, I guess he does.”
Longer than I’d realized, even. It hadn’t occurred to me the impact of living in a town where so many people knew you. Where they knew all your mistakes. I moved to Riverton to be close to Ruby. No one knew about my past until I chose to tell them.
But they all knew Joey’s name. Knew him as the guy who’d hurt Dakota.
No wonder the kid wasn’t having great luck getting a job or keeping it. If he was getting these kinds of reactions, he probably wanted to hide out as much as Ghost did.
A couple of guys from a construction crew came in on their lunch break, sweaty and dusty and smelling like tar. Clint and I each took one so we could get them cut and on their way with enough time to grab a bite before they had to return to work.
Another lull fell. Clint glanced over at me. “I’m sorry, Hollywood. I think I was too harsh about your friend. I don’t know his life or his hardships.”
This was why I liked Clint. He was genuinely a good man. He’d had a very natural reaction to meeting someone who’d made a terrible mistake. But he was also genuinely empathetic.
“You didn’t say anything that wasn’t true,” I said. “I just worry about how hard it must be for him to have everyone knowing and judging what he did. He’s been struggling to stay employed. I thought he was apathetic. But it makes a lot more sense now.”
Clint clucked. “It’s not easy when you get on the wrong side of a small town. Dakota was a real town darling. Everyone knew her, and everyone loved her.”
“You say that in past tense. She’s not dead.”
He looked abashed. “You’re right. She’s still lovely. Still beloved. Her brother too.”
“Kit, right?”
“That’s right. How do you know him?”
“He’s doing therapy with Carrie.”
“Ah, yes. Kit’s great. He was devastated over his sister.”
I was still curious why Kit hadn’t recognized Joyride or vice versa. “Was he not here when the accident happened?”
“Well, no. He was off at school at the time. But after what happened to Dakota, he moved back here to help her through her recovery.”
Later that night, I did a Google search. Joyride had taken a plea deal in the case, which charged him with auto theft and aggravated assault with a vehicle. Had he not stolen his parents’ car, he might not have faced any prison time. It was the theft that made the accident a crime.
There was no splashy trial, but there were a couple of news articles.
I found one photo. Joyride looked incredibly young, just a baby, really.
His hair was short and much blonder—either from youth or highlights.
He had the face of a spoiled rich boy. He looked softer than he did now. Skinnier. More kid than man.
It was easier to understand why Kit wouldn’t have recognized him.
Not just because of the longer hair or the way his face had matured in the five years since the accident, but he’d also bulked up and gotten a few tattoos. He didn’t look like a preppy rich kid anymore—even if he still was one in a lot of ways.
Despite looking like a rich snob, he didn’t look happy or smug in the photo. I recognized the regret in his eyes.
That was one thing that hadn’t changed.
His eyes were the same.