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“We must be on the same wavelength, because after I left your place, I found myself driving here.” He reached up, brushing my hair back and holding my face in his hands.

My throat felt tight with emotion. “You have no idea how much it meant to me to see you two together at dinner, laughing, joking. It felt like a fresh start for all of us.”

He pulled me in, hugging me close. “That’s all I’ve wanted.”

I looked up at him and rested my chin on his chest. “Let’s go to your place?”

He smiled. “I think that’s a hell of a plan.”

* * *

When I gotto the salon the next morning, Rhonda had a cup of coffee waiting for me, which was good because I got barely any sleep the night before. She smiled at me and said, “How was your weekend?”

“It was...” I let out an unintentional happy sigh. “Really good.”

Rhonda laughed. “It’s been a whirlwind of a summer, hasn’t it, dear?”

I nodded in agreement. “I can’t believe the Unicorns last game is Friday,” I said as I took a spot on the mustard-yellow couch.

Rhonda sat across from me, smiling. “This is the first year that the Unicorns even stand a chance at winning the Little League championship.”

“No way. Really?”

“You and Rhett make quite the team.” She gave me a coy smile that had me blushing. “But I don’t want you to get distracted from what brought you home. It’s important to me that I see you giving this salon your full attention.”

I nodded quickly. “Absolutely, Rhonda. I don’t want to let you down.”

“So then you have a plan for your service project?”

“Yes!” I took a sip of my coffee. “Actually, my friend Cam came up with the idea. She thought it would be good to have a monthly spa day for the residents in the retirement home. I could dedicate a whole weekend once a month to do nails, toes, maybe hair if we have the time for it.”

Rhonda twisted her lips to the side, nodding along as she listened. By the time I finished, she had a full-fledged grin. “That’s an amazing idea. And that way, you’ll be doing my hair forever.” She winked.

I let out a laugh. “You’ll be fabulous always. We’ll both make sure of that.”

“How about you take a month off after Little League and then solidify your schedule at the retirement home? We can announce the program in the paper. I think that will mean a lot to the people of this community.” She paused, taking me in. “I’m proud of you, Magnolia.”

My heart melted. “You mean it?”

She nodded and extended her arms for me. I set my coffee cup down, holding her close, wishing I could have a relationship like this with my mom, but so much time had passed I doubted it was even possible.

Our first client came a few minutes later, and Rhonda and I got back into the flow of welcoming people to the salon, cutting and coloring hair, and cleaning up between appointments. When I had someone cancel last minute, I took my phone outside to call Camryn.

It was still hot in the way only early August could be. But I walked slowly, just enjoying the cute Main Street with its flags on the light poles and big flowerpots kept up by the master gardeners.

After a few rings, she answered. “Hey, girl, hey. Can’t talk too long.”

“No worries, I just wanted to tell you that Rhonda loved the idea of a salon day at the retirement community!”

“No way!” She sounded genuinely excited for me. “That’s awesome!”

“Thank you so much for your idea. It really helped a lot. Do you think you could do me another favor and put me in touch with the director there so we can handle logistics?”

“Absolutely,” she said. “While I have you, can you come over to my parents’ house tonight? We want to talk plans for the wedding, and you’re my maid of honor, of course.”

I grinned. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this moment?!”

She laughed. “You won’t have to wait much longer.”