Chapter 4
Chapter Four
The door of the salon was yanked open wildly and the welcoming bells rang obnoxiously.
Everyone turned to stare. An older woman with rollers in her hair sat underneath the dryer while she read a gardening magazine, and the smell of perm was noxious in the air.
A few other ladies turned over their shoulders from the nail stands.
Their local town sweaters and messy buns and oversized purses gave them a cute and effortless look in Evie’s eyes.
She drew in a deep breath with a tight smile and observed the room.
Just perfect for spring and her interview, she was rocking a floral print keyhole neckline blouse with paper bag waist belted pants.
The outfit was a swarm of blushing pink hues and soft whites, and her high-heel sandals were just the right white to go with it.
Even though they followed her with their eyes that were stacked with heavy mascara, she didn’t care. Evie was bursting with so much excitement that she ignored all the peering strangers and sat right down in front of an open nail stand, with one lone nail tech waiting for a client.
“Are you available?” she asked sweetly as she set her purse down. “I’ve had such an amazing day so far and have to celebrate it and treat myself!”
The lady paused in mid sip of her nutrition shake, made by the local smoothie joint and kept in a locally made tumbler with “Mom Boss” written all over it.
Her hair was a deeply dyed red hue and gelled with gentle wisps to accent her short cut.
Her age had to be around fifty, and her well-manicured nails were French tipped, and one finger sported a large diamond ring.
Her lips were painted in a glossy deep red as well.
She pursed her lips. “Who are you?”
Evie smiled and waved. “Oh, you don’t know me. I’m new here. I moved here roughly two years ago and haven’t been in here yet. But not only did I have this amazingly cute guy send me a friend request last night, I got a call this morning that I got a promotion at work! So, help a girl celebrate?”
The nearby women snickered and went back to their work and gossiping, still staring at Evie. She looked a bit out of place there.
“Alright, I can do that for ya. What are you wanting?” She put her drink down and began gathering her things.
“Surprise me. I’ve never done this before. But keep my nails short because I like to play guitar, and I type a lot at work.”
The lady looked at this stranger and hesitated for a brief moment before flashing a friendly smile. “You got it, sis. Tell me, what’s your name?”
“Evie Morgan. What’s yours?”
The tech began cleaning off her old polish. A few moments passed with the aggressive approach. “Myla. Myla Marr.”
“That’s a pretty name. Far better than mine.”
“What’s wrong with yours?”
Evie shrugged cutely. “I don’t know. It sounds too fanciful.”
Although Evie was trying to smile and be friendly, the obvious stares of the nearby women caught her side eye once more.
Slowly, she turned and smiled in confusion.
The client with the blonde messy bun asked, “And where did you come from?” Her accent was a slight drawl, but nowhere near Caleb’s, Myla’s or her pawpaw’s.
The blonde little horror had a voice that was high-pitched yet slow at the same time.
“I lived in Dawson for about seven years.”
“Ooooh,” she teased with raised eyebrows. A few lines of age and more pronounced cheekbones made Evie believe she was in her early or mid-forties. “You’re a cardinal girl, aren’t you?”
“Yep! Traded in my feathers for the horseshoes.”
“You ever make it to one of the basketball games?”
Evie shook her head. “Um, no.” What a random question to ask.
“Why not?” the blonde horror said as she sat up more. “All of our town are avid supporters of our school sports.” She flexed her long, bony fingers for the technician and looked at them.
Myla stared at Evie. Evie brightly answered, “I don’t have kids or anything like that. And I don’t really know anyone here. There’s really no point in me going. Not that I wouldn’t, it’s not something I really need to do.”
The other woman next to the blonde was a brunette with a body as soft as a natural woman with a tired face and glasses.
She was tanned and had those captivating blue eyes framed with a bit of age lines.
She leaned over across the blonde’s lap.
“You don’t wanna support our teams because you don’t have kids in school? That’s a little rude, don’t you think?”
Even smiled awkwardly, hiding her annoyance. “I literally got here like, two years ago and just trying to get settled in.”
The brunette didn’t seem to be swayed. She offered a lackluster response, “Hey, relax. I’m having fun with you.” She went back to look at her nails that were now being buffed. “And who’s the guy you’re into?”
“I’d rather keep that to myself, if that’s okay.”
“Aw,” the blonde jested. “She’s one of those quiet, introverted, innocent types.”
“No, I’m one of those ‘I think he’s separated and don’t wanna gossip about him’ types.”
The brunette cackled and stared at the blonde with a stupid grin. “Watch it be Caleb Wright.”
The high-pitched, squawky cackling grated in her ears.
“So disgusting. What he did to Ashley was just disgusting.”
“Right? What a damn dog. If he’d have been my husband, I would have divorced his ass long ago.”
Myla softly glanced at Evie. “Ignore them.”
Evie straightened up and let her nails be painted. “No, I don’t think I will.” She turned to the women. “I don’t think it’s appropriate to be gossiping about someone behind their back.”
The blonde quirked a brow. “Listen Miss Cardinal, everyone in town knows Caleb is a jerk. It’s only gossip if you’re spreading shit no one knows about. It’s common talk here.”
Evie nervously looked back at Myla, who looked at her expectantly and waited for her to make a comeback.
Evie raised her shoulders and gave a disgusted, twisted face in agitation. “Yeah, but you’re both acting like middle school girls. Talking about people isn’t cool.” The two women glared at her. But Evie continued on, “I can see why you’re both friends.”
“Oh?” the brunette asked. “Why’s that?”
“Flies are always attracted to shit.”
Evie couldn’t believe what had come out of her mouth. It even surprised her.
Myla coughed quickly in a chuckle, and as the two nasty women stared, the blonde was given a whap on the head suddenly by the old woman with her magazine and it startled her.
“She’s right,” the old woman said coarsely. “Best to keep your nose outta other people’s hog pens, or you’ll end up face-first in shit, Sandy and Kelly.”
Evie glanced at both of the women. “Sandy and Kelly? I guess it’s nice to meet you two.”
Sandy, the blonde, gave her a look. The older woman rubbed Evie’s shoulder briefly and said, “Welcome to Laysville. You’ll do fine here, city girl.”
“But I’m not from the city,” Evie said sweetly as she turned to look up at the woman.
The older woman smiled with pressed lips and looked at her.
“You’re from Dawson, yes, I get it. But no one comes in here lookin’ like the prize that you do and comes from a small town.
You’re the graphic designer from Los Angeles, ain’t that right?
I see you talkin’ on the discussion page all the time. ”
Evie felt a smile coming on with a friendly conversation.
The woman sat in the empty chair next to her, and Evie tried to face her with a loving smile.
Evie loved smiling to people. “I am actually! I’m not from there originally, but I moved here from there.
Well, sort of. I lived with my pawpaw in Dawson for a long time. But…”
“But what, hun?” the older lady asked.
Evie looked left and right. “He passed away.”
The older woman put her hand back on Evie’s shoulder. “I’m sorry to hear that, young lady. Must be pretty hard. I’m Margie Atwood. I work at the bank here in town.”
Evie greeted her warmly, and they continued to talk.
But after a few minutes, Margie asked her with that slow, womanly southern accent, “So is it Caleb?” She lifted her brows in a curious smile.
“I couldn’t imagine a girl being so giddy over any other man here in town.
He’s the best damn lookin’ piece of real estate this town’s ever seen.
Every other man in this town looks like he’s gotten hit by a semi truck. ”
Myla popped in, still focusing on Evie’s nails, “Yeah and most of ‘em need to be.”
Evie snickered, amused at the wisecracking older ladies she was with. She lowered her head bashfully. “Well, I’m not anything to shake a stick at either.”
Sandy and Kelly kept on as if trying to draw the attention back to Caleb.
Their laughter turned into downright insults, like a band of hyenas tripped up on caffeine and cocaine all at once.
Her knuckles clenched, but she was nervous and unsure of how to act.
She was never one to be rude those days, now that she was older.
Evie had changed since she was a younger adult in Los Angeles, and so now fighting and causing problems didn’t seem to be the smartest idea in a small town.
She wanted to make friends and be civil to people.
Being abrasive and defensive was how she survived in Los Angeles and how she had survived so many horrible encounters with men, but in a small town such as this?
Saying the wrong thing once to anybody could leave her with deep consequences.
Kelly flopped her hand around in her dark hair as she drank coffee from her tumbler. “I’m so glad he moved outta town. I hated seeing that guy anywhere here. He has such a punchable personality. So full of himself!”
Evie’s knuckles tightened and her stomach knotted, but she attempted to maintain a cheery demeanor to Myla and Margie.
Myla showed her the color palette. “Which one would you like?”
Evie peeped happily, “Pink!”
“You should get gel,” Sandy said. “It’ll last forever and help your nails feel stronger.”