“I did. She seems super nice.”
“She’s fabulous. You’d love her. We’ve been friends since we were little, along with our other bestie, Isabelle. You’d love her, too. I’ll have to see if we can all get together. Although planning things is tricky, since they have six kids between them.”
“Wow, six?”
She nodded. “Annika has four and Isabelle has two. I adore their sweet little families.”
I heard a hint of sadness in her voice, despite her smile. “I bet it makes the single in your thirties thing a little bit harder, though.”
“Does it ever. I feel like I can’t admit that to them, though. I love being the favorite auntie and I don’t want them to feel like they have to hold things back from me to spare my feelings. But yes, seeing my two best friends living their dream lives does make mine seem a little lonely.”
“I totally understand.”
“So, Josiah Haven.” She met my gaze in the mirror and lifted her eyebrows. “What do you think of him?”
I felt a tiny bit of panic rise from the pit of my stomach into my throat. What should I say? “He’s – nice?”
“You think so? That’s not what most people say about him.”
“Actually, I’m a little bit scared of him. But also not. I don’t know how to explain it. Wait, he’s not the cute boy you liked who never noticed you, is he?”
“Oh, no. Definitely not. I grew up with the Havens, I knew better than to crush on Josiah.”
“Why?”
“Don’t get me wrong, he’s a good guy. As much as I say I’d love a Mr. Darcy, I’m probably too sensitive to be with a man who’s so serious all the time. I’d wind up feeling responsible for his emotional state and stressing about his moods.”
“That’s very insightful.”
“I’ve done a lot of growing up, especially since I turned thirty. And I’ve probably read too many self-help books.”
“It’s weird because the grumpy thing should be totally off-putting to me. I hate confrontation and he’s kind of intimidating. I’m not usually drawn to that, but –”
“But?”
I took a deep breath. “I am. He’s so broody and mysterious but once in a while, he smiles and it’s amazing. By the way, I haven’t admitted any of this out loud, not even to my dog. Sorry for pouring my heart out to you when we just met.”
“Don’t worry, it comes with the job. Sometimes I’m equal parts therapist and hair stylist.” She put her comb and scissors down and grabbed a round brush and hair dryer. “And don’t worry about the Tilikum gossip line. I hear all the gossip—and I mean all of it—but I don’t spread it. What’s said in the sacred chair of hair, stays in the sacred chair of hair.”
“That’s good to know. Thank you.”
“As far as Josiah, he’s a good guy. I’d wonder why he’s still single in his thirties, but that seems to be a theme with the Haven brothers. Plus, I’m pretty sure he almost wasn’t.”
“Oh, really?”
She nodded. “I think it was about five years ago? He’d been dating a woman named Cassandra for a couple of years. Annika thinks he was going to propose when she broke up with him and moved to California.”
“Ouch.” I put a hand to my chest. “That’s brutal.”
“Right? Although obviously it wasn’t meant to be. But the poor guy hasn’t dated anyone since. Not that I know of, anyway.” She paused and fluffed my hair. “Regardless, he’s not a guy I’d warn you away from, especially if you like broody lumberjack types.”
“I never have before, but let’s be honest, my track record stinks. Not that I’m thinking of dating Josiah Haven. I don’t even know if he’d be interested in me.”
“I’m not saying a new haircut is all it would take, but it wouldn’t be the first time a fresh look helped a guy see what’s right in front of him.” She winked.
“Then I guess we’ll see what happens.”
She grinned. “Indeed we will.”
Marigold blew out my hair and then added some soft waves with a curling iron. It did feel fresh and vibrant, without being too big of a change, just like she’d said. Sandra was right, she was a magician.
Before I left, we exchanged phone numbers, since we agreed we’d become instant friends. I walked back to work feeling fresh, pretty, and invigorated. A new look and a new friend? How could my day get any better?