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Mrs. Clarke let out a laugh. “You’re still pretty new yourself, sweetheart.”

I nodded in acknowledgement. “But I won’t be the newest for much longer if more of these guys keep moving in.”

“True!” Mrs. Seymour crowed, and I laughed.

Bess’s movements slowed as she teased the ladies’ hair into their usual styles. “So what are they actually doing out there?”

“Just hanging around.” Mrs. Clarke sounded perplexed, like she hadn’t considered the purpose of the sudden influx of men before. “You know what? Leslie, maybe we need to talk to Florence—perhaps one of her spotty people knows something?”

I choked down my giggle. Mrs. K wouldn’t appreciate her Sweetwater Spotters being referred to asspotty people. The nickname fit, though.

The door to the salon burst open, knocking against the wall, and a woman raced inside, already removing big, dark sunglasses that seemed to cover half of her face. “I’m so sorry,” she gasped. “I know I’m late.” She lifted her reusable travel coffee cup to her mouth and took a loud, dramatic gulp. “Is my appointment still available?”

Bess glanced at the new customer then at me.

The woman tugged at her hair. “I need emergency intervention.” Her gigantic purse rattled and clattered, and the thin bracelets on her arms jingled every time she moved. She turned pleading eyes on me. “Won’t you please take pity?”

I laughed, and Bess stepped out from behind the counter.

“Your appointment is safe, Kate.” My boss side-eyed me. “You weren’t the only one late this morning.”

My cheeks heated as Kate let out a delighted giggle.

“Well, thank the Lord for his small mercies.” She slipped her sunglasses into the side pocket of her purse. “So, today’s the day, right? Goodbye, boring hair from hell. Hello, rainbow unicorn heaven?”

I nodded as I led her over to the chair in my area. We’d already had a consultation about color choices, and I’d worked on lightening her hair gradually over several sessions, so she was now completely ready for me to dye it today.

“You still thinking rainbow?” I asked as I considered her thick mane.

She sat in the chair and faced me in the mirror. “I want hair exactly like yours. Let me see it again. In all its splendor. Go on!”

I reached behind my head and released my ponytail. Allowing my hair to tumble over my shoulders. “Exactly like mine?” It wasn’t a big deal—I could just change my dye job so there weren’t two of us wandering around the local area with the same style.

“It’s gorgeous.” She looked at me and sighed. “But I doubt even the most beautiful hair on earth could make me look as good as you.”

I waved a hand dismissively, hating it when customers paid too much attention to me and especially when they lavished me with compliments. “I’ve been researching other color combinations.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Yeah.” I grabbed the sketchbook I kept on my shelf and started flipping through. Some pages had nylon hair samples taped onto them. Others boasted photographs of various wigs on faceless mannequins where I’d already experimented at laying down the colors. “I’m still building my portfolio of client results, but these pictures and pages should give you some ideas of the new effects I can create since we last chatted.” I flipped from the back. “This is beach-inspired. See the opal—”

“That’s beautiful. I’d look like a walking gemstone.”

I nodded and gave her a supportive smile. “The pale colors appear different based on how you’ve styled your hair or how the light catches it.”

She grinned. “It’s like rainbow lite, then.”

I nodded. “Pretty much.” It was a style that would appeal to anyone who didn’t have the confidence to go all in with the color but wanted show-stopping hair, anyway. I flipped to the next page. “This color range was inspired by an amethyst geode.”

She nodded. “I can see that, and it’s beautiful too, but maybe it’s a touch dark for me?”

I glanced at her, remembering what she’d previously said about being conscious about aging and wanting to keep things light. “I also had an idea earlier for a color scheme based on the flowers out on Main street. I haven’t been able to work any samples up for that yet, though, so I’d be free-wheeling it.” But part of me itched for someone to just let me loose on her hair.

Like I had a ton of creativity ready to burst out of me.

“You know what? I don’t think I’ll go full rainbow, after all.” She eyed my hair again. “As gorgeous as it is. Maybe I’m feeling a little more opal today.”

“You sure?”