“Hi, you must be Audrey. I’m Marigold, or you can call me Mari.” She came closer and instead of shaking my hand, she stepped in for a hug. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
I hugged her back, instantly loving her. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Stacey, my front desk person, is out sick today, so I’m juggling all the things.”
“It’s no problem.”
“Come on back and we’ll talk about your hair.”
She led me to her station and I sat in the chair. “I haven’t had a haircut in a long time. I got laid off and my hair paid the price.”
“I totally understand.” She put a black cape around me, then ran her fingers through my hair. “The good news is it’s pretty healthy. The ends are a bit dry and you have some splitting, but that’s to be expected if you haven’t had a haircut in a while. What are you thinking? Just a trim or do you want more of a change?”
“I don’t think I’m up for anything too dramatic. I’ve had enough change in my life lately.”
“Do you mind if I take off a couple of inches?” She held up a lock of hair to demonstrate. “Or are you concerned with keeping the length?”
“That’s fine. I wouldn’t mind a little less weight.”
“Yeah, as is, your hair is weighing you down.” She drew the hair around my face downward, emphasizing her point. “What if we take off about two inches to restore the health of your hair and add in some subtle layers for movement. It won’t be a dramatic change but it will still be fresh and vibrant.”
“That sounds perfect.”
She smiled at me in the mirror. “Great. I’ll wash your hair and then get started.”
I moved to the washing station and after she shampooed my hair, she gave me one of the best scalp massages I’d ever had. It was so relaxing, I was surprised she didn’t lull me to sleep. When she finished, she wrapped my hair in a towel and led me back to her station.
“So, Audrey, tell me about you.” She gently dried my hair and set the towel aside. “I know you’re new in town and you work for the Tribune. I also heard that your real name is Daisy and you’re a billionaire heiress, but I’m pretty sure that one was made up.”
“Daisy? Who said that?”
She shrugged as she combed out my wet hair. “I don’t remember. The Tilikum gossip line gets a little crazy when a new person moves in. Most of us know to take what we hear with a very large grain of salt.”
“I’m definitely not that interesting. I grew up in Pinecrest, moved away and thought I’d never come back. A layoff and a stint with unemployment cured me of that delusion. By the time I applied for the job at the Tribune, I was getting a little desperate.”
“If you grew up in Pinecrest, that basically makes you a local. What’s your last name again?”
“Young.”
“Hmm, it rings a bell but I guess we’d both remember if we knew each other. Unless you do remember me and I’m the jerk who forgot and I’m currently making this situation extremely awkward.”
“Not at all. Actually, I’m the worst at that. I forget names and faces so easily, it’s embarrassing.”
“I’m glad it’s not just me. Can I ask how old you are?”
“I’m thirty-five.”
“Thirty-four, so we’re close. We must have been in high school at the same time, although I don’t think I knew many kids from Pinecrest.”
“I was a cheerleader, so I mostly knew the other cheerleaders or athletes from Tilikum. Even then, I’ve probably forgotten most of them.”
“I tried out for the cheerleading squad my freshman year. Fortunately for me, I didn’t make the cut. I thought my life was over at the time, but it was probably a good thing. I would have been terrible. After that, I embraced my identity as the school bookworm.”
“Did you have one of those makeover moments when you got older? Because honestly, you don’t look like the school bookworm.”
She smiled while she kept cutting. “I was really into historical fiction, so books led me to costuming and fashion, which led me to hair and makeup. And I did get Lasik in my twenties, so that did away with the glasses. But it wasn’t so much that I had a makeover moment as learning to make my bookworminess work for me.”
“Did the cute boy you’d always had a crush on finally notice you?”
“No, but like my failed cheerleading career, that’s for the best too.”