Page 62 of Sandbar Sunrise
J.J. found Keith one more time. She hugged him congrats and did the same with Viv. It was a huge effort, suppressing her temper, but now she was tired. She needed to go. The party, for her, was over.
Stone found her as she searched the room for him. He put a gentle hand on her elbow. “You disappeared.”
“You ready to go?”
“I can be anytime. Are you okay?”
“Yes, why?”
“Your face is a little flushed. You look sort of panicked.”
“I’m fine, just done. Yeah, let’s go. I already said my goodbyes.”
“Gotcha.”
Stone helped her navigate the room, with a hand on the small of her back now. She wondered if she would have thought more about that if her mind wasn’t reeling as it replayed Libby and Viv’s conversation.
As it was, she was grateful for the help to get out of there. She wasn’t overprotective. She was the right amount of protective. And she wouldn’t even be here if not for Libby tricking her into coming back.
Maybe that was the mistake. This was all just fine while she was out traveling.
Or was it?
J.J. felt sick to her stomach, her head hurt, and she felt bone tired.
She sank into the seat of Stone’s Range Rover.
“Kiddo, you look like a truck hit you in there.”
“I think it did. I really think it did.”
“You can tell me, or we can just drive. Whatever you need.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
And then J.J. recounted every syllable she’d overheard to her new friend Stone.
ChapterTwenty-One
In the days following Keith’s opening night, J.J. put her head down and focused on two things: her son and the salon.
She begged off when Libby asked for lunch. She didn’t have time to gab with the girls. She’d promised Libby she’d get the salon off the ground, and she was doing that.
She was also watching D.J.’s back. She checked his calendar, reminded him about appointments, and slyly, she thought, ensured he succeeded. He was fine.
By early June, after a mad dash of work and hiring and decisions made, the salon was ready for a soft open. She’d cooled off from her irritation with Libby, and the soft launch was the perfect opportunity to reconnect. J.J. could play nice again. She knew her friend meant well. She knew that. It was just hard to take when it felt like someone was attacking your kid.
The salon wasn’t public yet, but having Libby, Goldie, Viv, Hope, Siena, and even Emma in to get their hair done and use all the services they had to offer would be a good trial run.
They could test their systems; they could show off their work. It was a good way to start, especially for the new employees they’d hired. They also had their new employees pick two or three friends and family to come in, too. They’d be busy, but it would be fun and low pressure.
Well, low pressure for everyone but me.
What they didn’t have yet was a name.
“I’m telling you—this should beyourplace.”
Stone wanted J.J. to be the permanent manager. She tried to imagine it. Every inch of this place was first Dean’s; now she’d made it hers. She’d decided everything from where the chairs sat to the name.
