“May eighteenth,” she repeated, and then remembered that was the anniversary of the date the Mount Saint Helens volcano erupted. She’d been just a kid back then, and she recalled watching the ash fall from the sky. She and Emmie had collected it and stored it for years in a mason jar. Funny how memories like that floated into her mind.
“See you then,” Phil Harrison said.
“Thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
The call disconnected and a warm sensation came over Joan. Phil Harrison sounded like such a nice man. She’d be cautious and get more than one bid, although she already liked him and hoped he lived up to the image she had of him in her mind.
Chapter 5
Joan arrived ten minutes early for her hair appointment. The shop was abuzz with activity. Chatter hummed across the room as women and a couple men filled the stations, with stylists doing a variety of tasks involving hair. Joan couldn’t keep from smiling. It was as if the pandemic had never happened. Life had returned to normal. It had felt anything but normal for so long that this small reminder was enough to boost her spirits to the point she could almost forget.
“I’m Joan Sample,” she announced, as she stepped forward to the desk where the receptionist sat. “I’m a bit early.”
The young woman greeted her with a welcoming smile. Her name tag identified her as Jordan. “No problem. Take a seat and Bailey will be with you in a few minutes. Would you care for something to drink while you wait?”
“I’m good, but thanks.” Joan chose a comfortable chair and noticed the wide assortment of magazines on the coffee table in front of her. She reached for People and absently leafed through it, astonished that she didn’t recognize a single celebrity. They were all so young.
“As I live and breathe, it’s Joan Sample,” Charlene said, walking toward Joan. Her smile was wide, and her eyes sparked with delight. While the salon owner had been Emmie’s high school classmate, she’d been Joan’s friend, too. They hadn’t socialized much, but Joan had been a regular at the salon. The two had lunched whenever Charlene could get away from the shop and Joan was able to leave the office.
She stood to greet her old friend. The two women briefly hugged. Taking hold of her shoulders, Charlene leaned back as if to get a good look at Joan. “Other than needing a decent haircut, you haven’t changed a bit.”
Oh, but Joan had changed in myriad ways. She might resemble the old Joan on the outside, but inside she was a completely different woman, one she hardly recognized herself. One she wrestled with on a daily basis, struggling to navigate this unfamiliar world in which she’d found herself thrust.
Jordan approached them. “Bailey is ready for you now.”
“It’s good to see you,” Charlene said, as she returned to her station.
“You, too,” Joan replied, and she meant it. She shouldn’t have waited so long to make an appointment. “When you have a minute, I’d like to ask you about your boarder.”
Charlene’s eyes revealed her surprise.
“Yes, of course. As soon as you’re finished with Bailey, we’ll chat.”
“I hope that won’t put you behind, I mean, I’m not sure this is anything that would interest me,” she admitted, although the thought had darted through her mind a few times since her sister had mentioned it. She rarely saw her sons, and having someone living in the house might help her to break out of the protective shell she’d built around herself. That cocoon that she needed to break free from in order to fly again.
Jordan gestured toward the young woman who would be styling her hair.
“Hello,” Bailey said as Joan took a seat at her station. The young woman was in her early twenties, with her shoulder length hair parted down the middle. One half was a pale, almost white blond and the second half was pitch black. She looked a little like a checkerboard or a harlequin, which made Joan smile.
After draping the cloth apron around her neck, Bailey ran her fingers through Joan’s hair and frowned ever so slightly.
“It’s been a while since I was last in a salon,” Joan confessed.
“Well, you’re here now, and we’re going to have you walking out looking good as new.”
The two exchanged pleasantries as Bailey led Joan to the shampoo bowl. Back at her chair afterward, Bailey asked Joan a few questions about how she styled her hair and what she wanted.
Joan realized she no longer knew. She’d always worn her hair short in an easy-to-wash-and-wear style. It was longer now than at any time since she’d attended middle school. She’d grown accustomed to seeing herself with this length and often wore it in a ponytail at the base of her neck.
Given a free hand, Bailey reached for her scissors and went to work, clipping here and there, working her magic. She used a blow dryer and a huge brush to shape the style and then handed Joan a mirror so she could review the back. Joan barely recognized herself. She looked good. Really good, even if she said so herself.
When Bailey was finished, Joan left the young stylist a larger-than-normal tip. Bailey had earned it.
Her eyes widened with appreciation when she noticed the bill. “Thank you.”
“You did a great job.”
“I hope you’ll come back again.”
“I will.”
Joan stepped up to the receptionist’s desk and waited until Jordan was off the phone. She paid with the gift certificate from Emmie and booked another appointment for a trim the following month.
Charlene had finished with her client at about the same time and waited while Joan paid before walking her to the door. “You look great,” she said approvingly.
“Bailey worked a miracle.” She hesitated for a moment, and then said, “Emmie said something recently about you taking in a boarder and suggested I might do the same. I wonder how that’s working out for you.”
“I did mention that to Emmie,” Charlene confirmed. “With Evan away, the house was so quiet; it sort of spooked me. Both our children live out of state. A widow friend of mine was the one who suggested I consider renting out a room. Her children live in the Midwest somewhere and she has a large home but didn’t want to downsize. I found a young woman who sounded perfect, Maggie. She’s a nursing student, a hard worker and very bright. Her references assured me she was decent and honest, and I wouldn’t go wrong if I decided to rent her a room.”
“She sounds ideal. How’s it going?”
Charlene sighed with obvious regret. “I was happy to offer Maggie the room, but then I heard from my brother. My niece took a job in Seattle and needs a place to stay, and a little TLC after a bad breakup. I’m Shelley’s godmother and really couldn’t refuse. I didn’t feel I can take in two boarders, especially with Shelley in such a sad emotional place.”
Joan listened intently and silently wondered if considering taking in Maggie herself was something she could do. It went without saying that Emmie would encourage her to give it some thought. Knowing Charlene had already vetted her was a bonus. She trusted that the savvy business owner wouldn’t be easily deceived, which gave Joan confidence. The more Charlene went on about Maggie, the more enthused Joan felt. Maybe having someone move in with her wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all. Joan had heard about renting out bedrooms but had always assumed people did that because they needed extra funds. Certainly, Charlene didn’t need the money. With Evan, her husband, working out of the country, the hairdresser was lonely. Although Joan had never thought of herself as lonesome, she was. The silence, the lack of purpose, was one of the elements that had led to her isolation. The more she mulled over the idea, the more appealing she found it.