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“I s that another outfit picked out by Blake?” Sara wanted to know.

Lily glanced down at her modest white blouse combined with a pair of pressed black slacks and low pumps.

Blake had picked out the outfit after she had already dressed in jeans, sneakers, and a t-shirt.

Lily had wanted to argue with her husband, but quelled her words because there were bigger things in life that were far more important.

“Yes,” Lily answered with a smile, smoothing one hand down her blouse.

She wouldn’t ask Sara if she liked her outfit because Sara liked nothing about what Blake picked out. Sara didn’t like anything about Blake other than commenting once that yes, Blake was kinda good looking.

Sara snorted, lifted her hair, and gazed at her in the wide mirror that sat against the wall in front of the black chair. The salon suite was roomy but small enough to be cozy and Sara had decorated it with clients in mind. On one wall, a low cushioned bench rested along with a potted plant and colorful art covered the walls. Her friend’s cosmetology license was proudly displayed in a butterfly frame.

Sara gave a smile and tipped her head to study the regrowth in Lily’s hair.

Sara’s black hair was a mess of long rich curls that cascaded down her back. Combined with her sea-colored eyes and curves, Sara was a gorgeous mixture of exotic beauty. Her mother was of Hispanic descent and her Irish father had taken one look at her mother and had fallen in love—Sara was a result of that love.

But looks aside, it was her bubbly personality that made Sara loved by many and that included Lily.

Sara lifted Lily’s long blonde hair to place it over the front of one shoulder. She then shook out and fastened a black cape around Lily’s shoulders and lifted the bright hair, allowing the curls to cascade down the woman’s back.

Sara sighed, but made sure she did it quietly, along with a smile. Setting up the tray with highlight solution and foils for Lily’s highlights, Sara began the process of lightening Lily’s roots.

Placing foils was therapeutic in a way. It was a task that was repetitive, but the end result was always exquisite.

“Did you hear that Theo was killed?” Sara asked her out of the blue.

“What?” Lily couldn’t keep the shock from her voice.

“Yeah, I just heard about it. He was hiking in Montana two months ago. There was an accident on the mountain.”

“Oh no. His poor mother,” Lily said, her heart hurt.

She had dated Theodore Benton right after graduating high school. He had been handsome, wealthy, and very smart. After almost a year of dating, they had decided they made better friends than lovers. And she had lost touch with him over a year ago.

Theo had been one of the sweetest guys she had ever known. Her other boyfriends, Franklin and Josh, had reminded her of Theo and perhaps that was why she had dated Franklin and Josh after her heart had been broken by Maxwell. Just thinking of that bastard—

“I know, it’s so sad,” Sara said, thankfully cutting into her thoughts—which was a relief. Lily didn’t want to remember the worst time in her life.

“Wait…” Lily frowned. “Didn’t Theo’s parents have a service?”

“They kept it small with only immediate family,” Sara said.

“Ah, okay.” Lily sighed. “Theo was a really nice guy.”

“He was,” Sara agreed and they sat in silence for a few minutes.

“Soooo…on a lighter note. Are you celebrating over Halloween?” Sara wanted to know.

Lily dutifully went along with her friend’s change of topic and launched into what she planned for her and Blake’s second Halloween together.

“Last year, we didn’t dress up. This year, I want us to wear matching costumes.” Even though they didn’t have a party to go to. Perhaps something would come up before the end of the month, Lily thought.

Sara listened as Lily rattled on about Blake this and Blake that.

She had long given up cautioning Lily about Blake.

She really blamed herself that Lily had ended up with Blake.

It had all started when she had left Lily behind last year.

They had been best friends since high school and both being single young adults had also taken vacations together more often than not throughout the years.

It had all started when Sara had taken a one-month vacation to France to see her parents. Lily had turned down going along because of a promotion at her job. So, Sara had flown to France while Lily had opted to remain in the States.

They had kept in touch via FaceTime and over the next few weeks, Sara watched her friend fall further in love.

“Why didn’t I meet this guy before I left for France?” Sara had grumbled, walking through her parents’ condo that lay nestled in the shadow of the Mont Blanc massif, one of the steepest Alps in France.

“Because we had only been dating just a month before you left. I wanted to have something concrete,” Lily had said with a soft smile.

Even via the computer screen, Lilly’s face glowed, and her happiness was undeniable.

“You’re in love,” Sara had teased her friend.

“Oh, Sara, so much.” Lily gushed, sighed, and flopped dramatically onto the queen-sized bed in her high-rise Seattle apartment.

Sara had spent the next several days trying to be the voice of reason, but she knew that once Lily put her heart and head into something or someone, there would be no stopping her.

And before Sara knew it, Lily was hooked, line and sinker, into Blake.

And then in a blink of an eye, her best friend had gotten married.

Sara found out about the ceremony—that was more of an elopement than an actual wedding—on the day she’d flown back from France.

She remembered clearly that chilly November day last year because that was the day she had almost lost Lily as a friend.

“You married him?” Sara had gaped at her best friend when Lily picked her up from the airport.

Lily didn’t even look like herself—dressed in a beige pantsuit that appeared years too old for her with her blonde hair tied back. Lily had looked forty instead of a woman in her twenties.

“Yes.” Lily’s blue eyes brimmed with happiness.

“Without a wedding? Without…me?” Sara felt like crying.

Growing up, they had spent hours upon hours telling each other exactly how they wanted their fairytale weddings to be when the day came and how they would be each other’s bridesmaids.

“I’m sorry.” Lily’s smile was sweet. “Oh, Sara, I’m in love for the first time since…” Lily’s voice trailed off and Sara knew Lily was remembering her ex-boyfriend.

Maxwell Beckman, the only asshole who had broken Lily’s heart.

Damn it, Sara cursed inwardly and took a breath to get a hold of her anger. Her mama’s words of caution came back to her.

“Don’t let your temper affect your friendships,” Mama had told her.

Well, she was on fire and her next words had come out angrily.

“I don’t care. You’ve known him for what? Two months? Do you know anything about him?”

“He’s forty-one, grew up in Nevada, and has one cousin who lives out of state,” Lily stated in a flat hard voice.

“What about your family?”

“They…will come around,” Lily sighed.

“I doubt it,” Sara had said dryly.

She couldn’t see the Snows approving the hasty marriage between the only granddaughter of the oil tycoon Jethro Peter Snow and this…Blake Stevenson character.

Lily came from money and this Blake guy didn’t seem to have a dime to his name. Plus, the man had lost his job shortly after she learned they were even dating.

Sweet holy hell, what had her friend been thinking? Meet a guy and marry him two months later? A person really doesn’t know someone all that well in that short amount of time.

“You know, just once I’d like you to be happy for me,” Lily said, glaring at her.

“What?” Sara asked confused, because she had been very confused.

“You’re always criticizing my choice of boyfriends!”

“I do not,” Sara insisted hotly, but then paused to point out, “Well, Franklin, Josh, and Theo were okay. But what about Clark? He was a cheater. And Roy was a crackhead. Oh, and don’t get me started about Maxwell…”

Sara slammed a hand over her mouth and snickered into her palm.

Lily snorted and guided the car from the airport and onto the freeway that led to Sara’s home.

Sara dropped her hands to her lap with a sigh and gazed at her friend instead of out the car window. “Okay, I do admit I can be a bit vocal, but it’s only because I love you.”

Lily tossed her a glare before turning her eyes back to the road.

Sara swallowed back any further words.

Perhaps this man Blake was worthy of Lily’s love.

“Sara?”

Lily called her name, bringing her out of her thoughts and back to the salon.

“Yes?” She smiled brightly at Lily in the mirror and continued placing foils.

“Whatcha thinking?” Lily wanted to know.

“Nothing,” Sara lied.

What she should do was introduce Lily to Blake’s ex-girlfriend. That might wake Lily up a bit. Blake had dumped Jennifer the minute he had met Lily. Sara had found out about Jennifer when Michelle had called her to fill her in on the dirt.

“Let’s put you under the dryer for a few minutes.” Sara lowered the chair and guided Lily into the back room and beneath a hair dryer.

She needed to learn to mind her own business. So, Blake was controlling, but he was nice to Lily, and as long as the guy stayed that way, then Sara would keep her mouth shut.

Blake still gave her the creeps , but she couldn’t figure out why.

All Sara knew was that the moment the guy fucked up, she just might let her temper fly.