Page 47 of Finding You
Dante appraised me head to toe. Normally this type of thing would make me uncomfortable, but he seemed kind. And if his skin, eyebrows, and clothes were any indication, he was probably in a position to give me some impeccable beauty tips.
“You. Are. Gorgeous!” He wrapped me into a huge hug. I was several inches taller than he was, so he was basically hugging my boobs. I gave him a halfhearted pat on the back. What was up with all the spontaneous hugging in this town?
“Christian, don’t you think so?”
Christian appeared to be in his late thirties and far more subdued than his husband. He looked up from his phone. “Oh yes. She’s a hottie. Love the jacket.”
“She got it at my store,” Nora piped in.
“It looks like it was custom made for you,” Christian remarked. “I’ve got a guy if you ever need another.” I nodded. Christian looked far too cosmopolitan for this small town. He seemed to be the type of person who “had a guy” for everything.
Dante, on the other hand, was positively manic. “Talk to me about your eyebrow strategy,” he asked, taking a long drag of a fancy looking martini.
I looked at Maggie and Cece who were chatting with Christian. “Um…I don’t have one.”
He patted my hand. “I can fix that. And what about this hair?” He grabbed at my hair, and I felt a bit defensive.
I scooted back. Truthfully, my hair was one of the last things on my mind most days. It was blonde and straight and hung a bit below my shoulders. Most days I had it up in a messy bun or a sleek ponytail for work. I never styled it, dyed it, or did anything fancy to it. It was just there.
“Don’t worry. I can make it savage. To match the rest of you.” He waved his hands around my body. “Fierce hair for a bad bitch.”
Nora and Cece were giggling as Dante grilled me and asked intrusive questions about my grooming routines. Under normal circumstances I would be offended, but he was so open and friendly, and clearly knew his shit, that I didn’t mind.
“Christian, sweetie, be a good big brother and go fetch us a round,” Nora pleaded.
Christian sighed like an annoyed big brother. “Astrid, what are you drinking?” he asked politely.
“Whiskey neat, please.”
He nodded at Nora. “I like this one.”
“Christian and Dante are investors in the bar, so he can just jump back there and get us drinks whenever we want.” Nora gestured to the massive crowd at the bar. The two bartenders looked fairly overwhelmed.
“That’s cool,” I added, finally sneaking into the open seat next to Cece, praying that my inspection was over.
Dante drained his glass. “Yup. When Christian and I moved back here from New York we decided we needed to spruce up this sad little town. So we’ve been investing in local businesses like this.”
“Oh, so you’re in finance?” Finally, something I could actually talk about.
Dante made a disgusted face while Nora snorted. “Oh no, honey. My handsome hubby over there is the Wall Street guy. I am a hair stylist. I own the Chelsea Salon. It’s on Water Street right before the shipyard?” He asked like I should know exactly what he was talking about.
Cece piped in. “Dante has completely changed my life. My hair used to be a disaster.” Dante visibly shuddered. “But then he taught me how to care for my curls, and it’s been life changing. He is a genius.”
Dante bowed in gratitude.
“Sorry, I’ve only been here a few weeks and haven’t explored,” I explained.
Dante looked disappointed in me, and I made a mental note to step things up in the beauty department. I did have a lot of extra time on my hands. “I am going to give you my card and you will come see me. You are the perfect raw material. Like a slab of Carrara marble.”
Christian arrived with a small tray of drinks that he began handing out.
“Is my husband trying to make you over, Astrid? I’m so sorry. He does this a lot.”
I smiled and accepted my drink.
Dante rolled his eyes at Christian. “My husband is the brilliant businessman. I am the style in this relationship.” That was abundantly clear.
“What brought you guys to Havenport?” I asked while taking a big swig of spicy whiskey.
