Page 166 of Dove
Her confession was so soft I almost missed it, and the shock of that statement had me fighting not to lift my head.
“They fly all the way out here?” The amazement was clear in my voice. Could you imagine? Flying across the country just to get your hair done...I was definitely in a different tax bracket than her typical clientele.
“Can I even afford this haircut?” I joked, but not really, knowing how much her clients must pay her to do their hair if they could book a round trip just to get it done.
She smacked my head lightly with the comb. “It’s free dollars for you, like it always has been. Reward for all the pain and suffering you had to go through while I was learning.”
I went to protest, like I always did, even though there had been some questionable bathroom haircut sessions in our past, when she hadn’t quite mastered cutting evenly. And then there was the disastrous time I let her give me bangs…
“Keep your head down, and no arguing with the women holding the sharp object. You know the rules.”
I kept my chin tucked, but secretly I was devising a way to sneak some money into her drawer without her seeing. It would be tricky, but I’d find a way. She wasn’t the only stubborn one between the two of us.
“If they’ll come here of all places, they’ll go to New York no problem,” I mused.
“Yeah,” she agreed. She came around to the left side of me, her hands moving effortlessly to cut the ends even. “I was putting out feelers to a few of my most loyal clients. See if it was something they were down for. Most of them had their flight details before I’d finished booking their appointment.”
“That’s great, Rev.” And I truly meant it. I knew how hard it could be to build up a loyal client base. She’d worked hard for her success. “That means they love your work and want to support you.”
She moved to my other side, her scissors snipping away.
“Yeah,” she repeated, but I could tell it wasn’t with the enthusiasm it warranted. “You can look up now.”
I brought my head upright, looking at her as she came to stand in front of me, checking that both sides were the same length. “What’s wrong?”
My eyes tracked her in the mirror as she moved behind me, but her gaze refused to meet mine as she quickly replied, “Nothing. It’s perfect, honestly. My clients are willing to travel to me, and I can continue to build my book in New York. It’s just...” She trailed off, but I knew why immediately.
“Zeke?”
Reverie exhaled shakily out her nose, pinching the bridge between her fingers. It was her instant tell that she was going to cry.
I spun the chair around to face her. “Oh, Rev.”
She sniffed, waving me off. “I’m fine. Really. Just... he wasn’t meant to trap me here again.”
Zeke had never trapped her in the first place. She’d grown up here and left the first second she could. But I treaded lightly.
“Maybe he’ll want to go with you?”
Her jaw dropped, scandalized. “I couldnevermake him leave his family. You’ve seen them. His family is... they’re so good, Dove. They’re perfect and he loves them. They love him.”
“They love you, too,” I added, because she needed to hear it. Reverie hadn’t had the best upbringing. Her dad had left them young, while her mom had often been withdrawn, battling undiagnosed depression and alcoholism. Because of that, she had a problem recognizing how amazing and loveable she was.
“Debatable, after everything,” she muttered self-deprecatingly. Her hair swished around her shoulders as her head shook resolutely. “No, even so, I wouldn’t ask that. Plus,” her voice grew soft, “he wouldn’t anyway. He loves Haven. Everything he loves is here.”
Except you.
But I knew better than to say that.
“Ugh, my mascara.” She dabbed at her shiny eyes, swiping to make sure no makeup had run. Like always, she looked perfectly put together, even when teary-eyed. “Turn back around, I have to do your layers.”
“Rev...”
She spun my chair around for me. “I don’t know what I’m going to do yet. But that’s the gist of it. Now, let's move on toyou.”
We were hardly done with everything going on with her, but I knew not to push Reverie. When things got too emotional, she shut down. It was best to let her calm down before speaking to her again about it. And I would, because she deserved someone to talk to. To tell her she was worth it.
“What do you want to know?”
