Page 23 of Romancing My Grumpy Goalie

“This?” I look down at the older pink polka-dotted shirt I’m wearing. “This is the shirt I wear to get my hair done. You know, in case it gets bleach on it?”

She nods. “It’s still cute.”

I grin at her. “I know I’ve told you this a million times, but I can’t believe how you’ve turned this place around. I remember coming here back when the wallpaper was from the eighties.”

“I know. My grandma put her heart and soul into this place, but she got too old to keep up with the renovations.”

“You had your life with Chase. You could have gone off to live in Hollywood if you’d wanted. Live the life of a musician’s wife.”

“I can still live that life here. And we do go to LA quite often. But I could never leave Maple Creek or this salon. It was my dream to get this salon profitable. And now that I’ve achieved that, I don’t plan on stepping away from it.”

“I would never want to leave Maple Creek either. I’ve lived here all my life. My parents and my brothers are here.” I don’t talk to my brothers often because our lives get so busy, but I see them at the occasional family dinner.

“Should we get started?” she asks.

“Yes.” I’ve already sent her about ten photos of what I’d like my hair to look like, so we can dive right into the job.

She turns me away from the mirror and starts clipping up sections of my hair. I close my eyes, enjoying the feeling of someone combing through my hair. As a single woman, I’ve noticed that I don’t get this kind of touch anymore. Nolan isn’t cuddling with me at his age. So, I’m pretty touch and attention deprived. Sometimes I don’t notice it until I’m getting a person to touch me, like at a massage or a pedicure.

Or when Lucas touches me.

Where did that thought come from?

“How are your kids doing?” I ask Lauren.

“They just got a new nanny, so it’s been a bit of an adjustment for everyone. The last one got married and moved away.”

“That’s good for her, but not great that you lost your childcare,” I say. Lauren had the financial means to stay home with her children, but she loves her career and wanted to build her business even though their family doesn’t need the money. Chase is the lead singer in the mega-famous rock band, Remington Sound.

“It’s okay,” Lauren says as she mixes some chemicals in a bowl. “The new nanny is great. But she’s still figuring everything out, like the kids’ routines and favorite foods.” She grabs a foil and starts applying the lightener and developer mix to my hair. Pretty soon, I’ll look like an alien with foils covering my entire head. And I’m okay with that. With hair as naturally dark and thick as mine, it’s a big deal to get so much blonde put in. But it’s worth it for the end result, and Lauren is very good at what she does. She’s flown all over the country taking classes, so she’s always up to date on the latest trends and methods.

“I heard a rumor about you,” Lauren says, folding up the foil with my hair trapped inside.

Oh, I wonder what that could be. “What did you hear?”

“That you might be dating Lucas Hensley.” She pulls out another foil and places it behind another section of my hair so she can brush lightener on it.

I shift in my chair. My bottom is already getting sore, and I’ve just started sitting here. “People around here do love to talk.”

“Are you dating him?” Lauren cuts straight to the point.

“No, not at all. He’s Nolan’s soccer mentor. I can’t date him,” I explain.

“But there has to be some truth to it if everyone is saying it.” Lauren finishes brushing product onto my hair and then folds up the foil.

“Everyone?” That doesn’t sound good.

“I’ve had at least three clients this week bring it up.” Lauren reaches for another foil.

I groan. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah. He’s a really big deal, and he’s been on ESPN a lot.” She places the foil behind my hair and starts brushing product on it.

“I had no idea.”

“Girl! How do you not know this?” Lauren folds up the foil, and it’s cold against my head.

“I don’t watch ESPN,” I say simply.

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