Page 200 of New Growth
Her brows lifted slightly, surprised. “You’re offering to do my hair?”
“You walked into my salon,” I said, motioning toward an open chair. “And this is what I do.”
Esther leaned in close to my ear. “You sure?” she whispered.
I nodded once. “Yeah.”
Samantha hesitated for a beat, then slid off her coat and stepped into the chair like she’d done it a thousand times before. I draped the cape over her and gently loosened the top of her sleek bun, watching the strands fall one by one.
Samantha’s eyes flicked up to mine in the mirror. “How old are you, Elliot?”
I didn’t flinch. “I’m twenty-seven. And Ellie is fine.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I see. And where’d you meet Elliot?”
“We met at a coffee shop,” I said, working my fingers through her hair, loosening the tangles. I glanced at her reflection. “They mixed up the orders.”
Samantha’s lips twitched into a barely-there smile. “Hm.”
We made our way to the shampoo bowl in silence. I washed her hair gently, letting the water and suds fill the awkward quiet between us. When I guided her back to the chair and started combing through, she finally spoke.
“I didn’t come here to fight you.”
“Didn’t think you did,” I replied, focused on sectioning her hair.
She glanced at me through the mirror. “But I did come with questions.”
I met her eyes. “Ask.”
She studied me for a moment, like she was trying to find the cracks in my image. I held her gaze through the mirror, unbothered.
“How long have you and El been serious?” she finally asked.
“Not long, maybe two months,” I said, reaching for the wide-tooth comb and sectioning off a piece of her damp hair. I moved like this was just another client and not my fiancé’s ex-wife in my chair.
“Did you know about me?” she pressed, tilting her chin slightly as I began detangling before applying the product.
I gave a short breath of a laugh. “He told me he was married. Never said to who.”
She hummed but said nothing. I finish styling the back section of her hair and diffused it, keeping my tone casual.
“He did say you were pregnant, though,” I added, “and halfway around the world.”
“I just had my baby girl a month ago,” she explained softly, and for the first time, there was a trace of warmth in her voice. “Her father and I are here visiting family. We live in Australia.”
“I see,” I said, catching her eyes again in the mirror.
“I wasn’t gonna reach out to him,” she continued, “but when I saw El got engaged… I had to stop by and meet who it was.” Her lips curved slightly. “Didn’t expect the hairdo, though.”
I gave her a look. “What exactly are you trying to find out, Samantha?”
She sighed and folded her hands neatly in her lap, her eyes focused on a spot between her knees. “I’m not sure. We ended things badly, so maybe I just wanted to see how much he’s changed. Maybe compare us a little. Figure out if I was just the warm-up for the real thing.”
I stopped the dryer and looked at her through the mirror.
“I can’t speak on what y’all had,” I said, voice even. “El doesn’t spend time talking about his past. He barely brings up his mother, let alone his ex-wife.”
Samantha’s gaze dropped again.
