Chapter 4
Chelsea felt anger simmering as she left, moving slowly. “Of all the people I have to see now, it’s him.”
Her granddaughter was obviously sick. Chelsea tried not to catch it herself, so she just gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head.
“Love you both. If you need me to stay, I can because I’m not sleeping anyway.
I can lie on the couch, grab the gloves I stored in the bathroom so I don’t give myself a surprise, and take care of my little muffin. ”
“Mom, it's okay. You don’t have to stay. I love you, but it would require you getting sick, and I know you work, so being sick with all those chemicals would be a no-no. Not to mention you’d infect a lot of other people. Thanks for bringing the supplies.”
“I love you both, and it's no problem.” Chelsea raised her voice an octave so her granddaughter could hear her. “Love you much, sweetie. Grandma will be back tomorrow to check on you.”
She was exhausted by the time she got home, and the sun was just coming up. The morning air felt cool, but there was already a hint of warmth, a sign that summer would be wonderful.
“I will just lie down for a few minutes to get a couple of winks and then shower before going off to work. I must be crazy.” Cocoa had stayed in her space, the little spot between the pillows, her favorite. She grumbled her displeasure.
“Sorry, my girl, you can rest easy. I’m going to…”
Chelsea passed out more quickly than she’d imagined, waking with the last thing she’d envisioned on her mind. “Why does it have to be him? Ugh.”
She shouldn’t have been surprised by the time on the clock, given how late she fell asleep, but somehow she was. The shower was cold, and the towel didn’t do much to dry her hair. She twisted it up with her favorite hair clip and grabbed her coffee. “Off for the day, Cocoa.”
She gave her favorite fur baby a quick kiss on the head, then walked a short loop around the yard, tapping her toe as she waited. Soon, Cocoa was back inside, shaking off. “Another time, baby. Food is in the bowl, and water is in the other. Miss Molly will be by to let you out soon enough.”
“What is it with all this traffic already?” Chelsea clamped her hands on the steering wheel, wishing the man in question would disappear from her mind.
Customers came and went for hours after her late arrival. Hair everywhere, the scent of chemicals mingled with flowers, and spice circled her—a hot mess for all.
“So why’d you come in late this morning? Was it that cute guy at the insurance agency? What’s his name, Louis?”
Eyes rolling, Chelsea bit her lip to stifle the rude comment that was ready to slip out despite her good sense.
“No, and it wasn’t anyone else, well, not really.
My granddaughter is sick, and I had to stop in for a few minutes.
From the looks of things, my daughter is going to be sick next.
I offered to stay, but she was having none of that. ”
“Aw, poor baby, Grandma to the rescue.” Zoe, her new hire, was a young, sprightly twenty-something with little experience but the right credentials. In front of her was an older woman who liked clean lines and nothing over-the-top or fussy.
“You can bet your bottom dollar Grandma came to the rescue. The sad part is, I ran into the guy last night, Eve. You know who I’m talking about, right?”
Every chair in the salon was full, with most in the waiting area occupied or about to be. Eve, in her classical half-attentive mode, popped her gum. “Grant, I think that was his name. When I tell you, Zoe, this man was gorgeous, not in that classical kind of way, but handsome otherwise.”
“But you're taken.” Zoe, utterly confused by the back-and-forth banter between friends, frowned.
“Yes, dear, I know that. He wasn’t interested in me. Chelsea messed up his hair a little. He was furious, and from there, this weird vibe, as you’d say, popped up. Sparks were flying between the two of them, and I don’t just mean from the drama. He was definitely interested."
“And were you, Chelsea?”
Unable to control herself, on the verge of losing control again and ruining a great hairstyle on a new client, she shrugged and focused.
“I can’t talk right now, and I’d appreciate it if you'd both stop. All I’ll say is he was up driving around the same time I was. It was weird and terribly annoying.”
No more was said, but the annoying laughter that followed her revelation got under her skin and stayed there for quite a while.
Lunchtime approached, and Chelsea needed a break for more than one reason. Stepping out onto the sidewalk, she breathed in the fresh ocean air. “Oh, I needed this break.”
She took a brisk walk to escape the constant chatter and the stress of her packed schedule. Watching the beachgoers play volleyball, she wished she had the energy to join them.
Dogs sniffed the sand, and children built sandcastles. It was an afternoon like so many others in Dragonfly Cove—fun, happy, and perfect for making memories.
Chelsea remembered every moment she shared with her late husband, even though their time together was brief. When she closed her eyes, his face appeared clearly in her thoughts.
She had mourned deeply, feeling as if her heart had been torn apart, and at times she thought she would never heal. Except for her children, she was alone, but she kept going for their sake.
It felt like it was only yesterday; the memories were fresh, though the pain had faded, leaving only fondness and peace. “You were a blessing. I hope it was as unforgettable for you as it was for me.”
Even with her eyes closed, she could sense people passing and hear footsteps near the bench where she sat. A tight feeling grew in her stomach, making her wonder if someone were watching her. She sighed, frustrated that her brief moment of peace had been disturbed.
Her eyes opened, and there he was, with an ice cream cone in his hand, on its way to being devoured. “Meditating?”
Eyebrows arched, he laughed a little before taking a large lick of the vanilla ice cream dripping from its side in the heated afternoon sun.
“You could say that. What’s it to you?”
He shrugged, not even taking a breath before moving to sit beside her, getting way too comfortable. “Well, you're lucky. My hair wasn’t an issue. Maybe you should pay more attention. Hopefully, you did better today than yesterday.”
“I’m glad no one noticed. As for my skills, I’ve been doing this a long time, and no one, not even the mayor in town, complains about them.”
“I can’t believe they still have an ice cream truck. Who does that anymore?”
His eyes were critical as he glanced sideways and surveyed her with a smile. “Well, they do, here in Dragonfly Cove.”
“Good to know. I want to learn everything about this town. Do you know anyone who could show me around and fill me in on all the details—may even some gossip?”
“I could, but I’m not going to.”
Proud of her off-the-cuff answer, Chelsea looked down at her watch, knowing she had to get back to the shop shortly. If her legs would only work, if her lips didn’t feel so dry, and if her body didn’t hum with excitement, she’d be off and running in the opposite direction.
“So what were you up to last night at that hour?”
She’d heard enough. Determined to one-up him, she turned to regard him. “I could ask the same. A man, new in town, not really knowing anyone or the area, decides to go for a drive for no reason.”
“Insomnia.”
His words stunned her into silence. Chelsea didn’t know how to respond to such a personal tidbit. “I, uh, well, sorry to hear that. It must be miserable. How do you handle that?”
“I don’t. Come on, let's play.” He reached out his hand to her, the last bit of ice cream melting in his other hand.
Shocked by his request, Chelsea could only stare at his hand. “Where are we going?”
“Volleyball. Come on, I need someone to play with me because I’m horrible at this sport. Do you play?”
Chelsea felt panic rising, but she made herself stand up, ready to run back to the beauty bar and lock the door. Her eyes darted around as she tried to come with an answer. “I, well, I used to…sorry...I have to go.”
Her legs couldn’t carry her fast enough across the street and up to the salon, the door slamming behind her. Chelsea made a beeline for the back room.
It took a few minutes, but her breathing finally returned to normal. The pulse of her erratic heart that had been thumping had slowed, and she could think again. “Oh my.”
By the time she’d gathered her wits, it was time for her 3 p.m. appointment, a hair extension process. Dorothy, one of her new clients who moved in when the new bank opened at the beginning of spring, loved hair extensions.
She was thankful Dorothy didn’t talk much, spending most of her time buried in her phone until the big reveal left her speechless. “Oh my goodness, this is much better than my last few hair appointments. The lady where I used to go was awful and sold me a set of fake hair.”
Chelsea didn’t have the heart to tell her that hers were fake, too. She knew when to speak up and to cut her losses. “Fake isn’t such a bad thing, as it protects the environment and Mother Nature, and they last longer.”
“They do? I didn’t know that! Well, maybe next time, if you can make them look real, I’ll give it a try.”
“They do.” Chelsea accepted the overly generous tip from her new customer as she strutted out the door in her long skirt, her lips bright red. “She gave us a hundred-dollar tip!” She laughed despite her best efforts to control herself around the remaining customers.
Eve’s eyebrows rose a fraction, a big smile on her face. “Well, you can hand it over to me if you have no interest.”
George, one of the few men who visited their salon for a haircut and beard trim, laughed. “If I were you, Chelsea, I’d run for the border.”
“Thanks, George, but without her, I wouldn’t be as successful as I am. I’ll just put it in the community tip jar. I have a few things I need to?—”
The door swung open. Chelsea turned slightly, her heart sinking. “Chelsea, we need to talk.”