Page 11 of Her Magic Light

I tapped Kate on the shoulder and gestured toward the sinks. “Time to unveil your color.” I grinned, and Kate bounced across the room after me.

Bess followed me, too.

I glanced back at my boss. “Youwantme to talk to her?”

“She came fromout of town.” Bess half-whispered the words.

I understood Bess’s excitement, even if I didn’t share it. This was a local salon, catering to local ladies. I helped Kate sit in the reclining chair and situated the back of her neck against the bowl. Carefully, I adjusted the temperature of the water and began the rinse.

“She came because she’s heard of you,” Bess continued. “She’s visitedmysalon because you’re here. Can you believe it?”

“I’ll talk to her.” I fanned Kate’s hair across my fingers as I rinsed it. “But I’m not quite finished with Kate yet.”

“I know.” Bess nodded and laced her fingers together. “I think I can get the out-of-towner to wait.”

“Okay. Maybe send her to Sunshine Brew? More pleasant to wait there?” I mean, I liked the scent of dye chemicals, but some people actually seemed to prefer the aroma of coffee.

Bess hurried off, and I continued with Kate’s hair, watching as the color revealed itself. Wet, it shimmered like jewels, but dry it would be amazing. I lifted the strands, watching as the light played across them.Such shine.

I turned back to the bowl but observed the stranger from beneath my eyelashes. Across the room, the stranger nodded and moved toward the chairs where customers waited. They were hard plastic and the least comfortable space in the salon because people rarely waited. Bess had scheduling down to a fine art.

I glanced between Kate and the woman again. They really were poles apart. Kate wore floaty, bohemian clothes, and everything jingled when she moved. Opal hair fitted right in with her vibe.

But I couldn’t imagine why the sensible-looking lady in the pantsuit had shown up. She looked like she’d be more at home running a political campaign. Maybe I should have been grateful for the chance for a new customer relationship, but something about the stranger made me uncomfortable.

“I see your fame is already spreading,” Kate commented. “You might not have any choice on being the next big thing.” She closed her eyes as I swept her hair from her forehead and directed the nozzle to her hairline.

I pressed my lips into a line. “Hmm.”The next big thingdidn’t sound like a good option. It sounded oppressive and like I’d lose control of what freedom I had.

Yet Bess’s smile illuminated nearly the entire salon as she looked up from her weekly trim of Mrs. Quinn. This was special for her, and she’d given me a chance when I first came to town, so I could meet with the odd extra customer who’d traveled to see me. I probably owed Bess that much consideration, anyway.

In the waiting area, the stranger stood and looked at some of the pictures Bess had displayed of my coloring work. They stood out among pictures of no longer on-trend perms and pixie cuts. She leaned closer to study one based on the colors of a blue morpho butterfly then the second one where I’d been inspired by the train of a peacock. I’d even created the beautiful eye-like shapes.

That customer had been particularly pleased, and it had been a good tip day.

“You’re very talented, you know.” Kate sounded nearly drowsy as I turned the faucet off and wrapped a towel around her head to absorb the excess water before I led her back to sit in front of the mirror. I loved this part, the big reveal.

And Kate’s reveal would be spectacular. It was a truth I knew with a certainty deep within me. Some days, everything just seemed to go perfectly… more than perfectly. And this was one of those days. A day of kismet color. I grinned at the silly expression.

Truthfully, there hadn’t been a day that went badly. Customers left, each happier than the last, like I was perfecting my craft day by day. Almost as if it were what I’d been born to do.

Kate gasped as I ran the blow dryer over her hair, lifting the length high with my brush and allowing the strands to gently return to her shoulders, drying a slight wave into her strands to showcase the new colors at their best. When I finished, I stepped back.

She chewed her bottom lip and turned her head a little one way and then the other.

I waited for her commentary.

She gave a long, satisfied sigh. Like the kind after a long drink on a hot day. “It’s more than nice, Meira,” she breathed. “I never imagined my hair could look this amazing.” She met my gaze in the mirror. “No offense.” Then she laughed. “I guess I just didn’t imagine anyone could dothis.”

My cheeks heated under her praise, but I turned toward a noise on my left to find the sensibly-dressed woman watching us.

“May I?” She gestured toward Kate. “May I look at the colors?”

I waited to see what Kate would say. After all it was Kate’s hair, not mine.

Kate lifted her chin and sat up a little straighter. Her hands strayed to the strands. “You’re my first admirer,” she gushed then laughed. “Oh, absolutely come and look. I never thought I’d have such beautiful hair.” She ran her fingers through it, flipping it over her shoulder as she did. “It’s so pretty,” she whispered.

The stranger stepped closer, but she stopped a couple of yards away, almost like she was afraid. My throat dried, and it was like the tension in the beauty shop increased. Who was she?

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