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“Watch it. You’ll have me swooning again,” CeCe teased.

Alexis grinned. “I thought that was a good thing.”

“Oh, honey, it’s a very good thing,” CeCe said. She kissed Alexis on the cheek as she walked by.

12

They went in and Melanie was sitting at the same table by the window where CeCe had found her last Saturday. She looked up when she heard voices.

“Hey.” She smiled and stood up. “Welcome.”

CeCe and Alexis walked over and Melanie hugged each of them. “I’m so glad you’re both here.”

“Thanks for inviting us,” CeCe said.

“It seems awfully quiet around here,” Alexis said. “Is everyone getting ready for the evening party?”

“No,” Melanie said. “Have a seat.”

CeCe and Alexis sat down next to each other and across from Melanie.

“We were supposed to have a group this weekend, but I postponed them till next weekend. I was afraid Krista would try to do too much. Have you both met Julia, Krista’s partner in the resort? She and her wife will be out later this evening.”

“Yes,” CeCe said. “I did her daughter’s hair before she moved and Julia came to the salon with her occasionally.”

“I met her and her wife, Heidi, when y’all needed a doctor that weekend,” Alexis said.

“Oh my God! I’d forgotten about that, Alexis!” Melanie exclaimed. “We didn’t need a doctor. A certain diva thought she did and you were gracious enough to come out.”

“I didn’t mind. You insisted I stay and treated me like one of your VIP’s,” Alexis added.

“Oh?” CeCe said, looking at Alexis then at Melanie.

“A nameless pain in our ass,” Melanie began, “came for a week and had stitches from an earlier accident. She was sure they were infected and I couldn’t convince her they were fine. I had been to see Alexis that week and called her for help. I wasn’t about to take this woman to the emergency room in our little town’s hospital. Can you imagine the spectacle!”

“I was happy to come out.”

“Let me guess,” CeCe said, grinning at Alexis. “You turned on that Dr. Reed charm, gave her one of your sexy smiles, and told her she had nothing to worry about.”

Alexis smirked.

Melanie laughed and said, “That’s exactly what happened! How’d you know?”

“I may have been on the other end of a few of those sexy smiles. Believe me, Melanie, you won’t know what you’re doing.”

Alexis's mouth fell open and then she bit her bottom lip and shrugged. “I’m not the only one with a sexy smile. When you cock that one eyebrow, all coherent thoughts fly out of my brain.”

“Really?” CeCe said, propping her elbow on the table and resting her chin in her hand.

Melanie chuckled. “I’d say things are going quite well with you two. But I remember,” Melanie said as she held up her hands, “this is not a date.”

It was CeCe and Alexis's turn to laugh.

“I have a new hairstylist,” Alexis said with a grin.

“Oh!” Melanie exclaimed.

“Is it so terrible that I have a rule against dating clients? It could cause all sorts of problems.”