Chapter 30
Addyson sat in the stylist’s chair, and Samantha draped the smock over her.
“All right, we have Catherine tucked in and sleeping like a baby. Now I get a new canvas to work on,” Samantha said, rubbing her hands together evilly. “Tell me, what do you want?”
Addyson paused. Sam always loved her hair long and only trimmed. She wore it in a bun most of the time. Last year, she grew brave enough to cut her own bangs.
“I searched for styles in magazines. They seemed too short or complicated to work with my job. I don’t particularly care to wear it down all the time, but I hoped for something different,” Addy explained.
“You need layers. The weight drags your natural wave down. It’ll freshen your style, and you can wear it multiple ways.
I suggest you take about six inches off.
It’ll bring it over your shoulders. It seems like a lot, I imagine.
You tell me what you want to do. When’s the last time you’ve gotten a haircut? ”
“Almost two years. I trim it myself. I messed it up the first time, went into Seattle, and let them trim it last year. Sam used to trim it for me after we married, or I went to the barber where I was stationed.
Samantha grimaced and stared at Addyson in the mirror as she tugged at the ends. “In case they haven’t warned you, I love new victims in my chair. It gives me a new person to try things on. You’ve lived here for two years and have never visited. I don’t want to scare you away.”
Addyson swallowed. She worked hard over the last two months to get to know the women she worked alongside.
She painted her entire house and donated most of Sam’s stuff.
Taking the pictures off the wall and reliving each memory, she realized how she put her deceased husband on a pedestal.
As if the fog lifted from her brain, she saw how Sam never let go of control when he came home.
She enabled him by never wanting to fight.
Addyson gave away her freedom to keep the peace and missed out on doing things she enjoyed.
Smiling, she recalled arguing with Liam.
He let her vent and gave his opinion. It felt good to have an active voice in her life again. Embracing it, she met Samantha’s gaze.
“I want something different. What do you really want to do?” she asked.
“I want to cut it as I mentioned earlier, give you some highlights, and we need to discuss skincare and shape those nails. You’ve made a meal out of them,” Samantha said, winking at her. “Liam will come home to find a new woman in your place.”
Biting her lip, Addyson nodded. “Let’s do it.”
Samantha smiled and led her to the wash bowl, where the shampoo girl scrubbed and massaged her scalp.
Pleasure flooded her as she thought about how Liam might react to the changes she made in her life.
She didn’t make them for him. She did it for herself.
He served as the catalyst, reminding her she must continue with her life despite what happened.
Sam never asked her to stop living. She willingly let him dictate where they moved and what they bought.
He kept the wardrobes slim for the ease of moving. At the time, she agreed.
Her future changed as soon as Liam started challenging her.
Something shifted inside her, and she knew she never wanted to leave the mountain.
Addyson met someone new every time she drove into town, got a cup of coffee from Bryanna’s, and chatted with Serenity’s townsfolk.
Driving with her window down, she loved her new SUV and the crisp mountain air.
The new Addyson loved life and her new friends.
She moved back to Samantha’s chair, and the beautiful blonde woman held up her scissors, snapping them open and shut.
“Do you want to change your mind?” Samantha asked with her eyes twinkling.
“No,” Addyson whispered. “By the way, call me Addy.”
Samantha stepped away to answer a question from one of her employees. Addy took out her phone and texted Liam.
You’ve changed me. I don’t know when or how, but you’ve made me see myself differently. Thank you for seeing the real me. Addy texted, not expecting a reply because of the time change.
I can’t wait to see you and hold you in my arms. With every text, I get to know you a little more. You’ve made me feel things I thought only got written about in books. It seems both of us have changed. I know I can’t live without you. He replied.
Goodnight, Liam.
Good Afternoon, Addy. He replied.