Page 11

The next day, after taking Sydney a loaf of the bread he’d made the afternoon before and then mowing her yard, Adam showered and headed into town to pick up his suit. But first, he had an appointment to keep.

He walked into the barbershop, curious about the man Dexter Guildman had recommended. Of the three men working in the shop, only the older, silver-haired man didn’t have a client. He was sweeping up, his striped apron a suitable addition to his round-framed glasses and throwback handlebar mustache.

He leaned lightly on the broom handle as he greeted Adam with a nod. “Hello, there. How can we help?”

“I have an appointment with Franco? Dexter sent me.”

The man straightened. “Adam, right?”

“That’s me. I’m a few minutes early.”

“No problem. Nice to meet you, Adam. I’m Franco. Have a seat.” He gestured to his chair. “Let’s talk.”

Adam sat in the man’s chair while Franco put the broom away.

He returned and stood behind Adam, making eye contact through the mirror. “What would you like to change?”

Adam took a hard look at his reflection and frowned. “All of it, I guess. I want to look … better.”

Franco touched Adam’s hair, felt the shape of his head, eyes narrowed as he made small sounds that could have meant anything.

“You have a lot of potential. Especially with that jawline.” He tipped his head, continuing to study Adam’s hair as if it was the most interesting thing he’d seen. “There is a woman.”

It wasn’t a question, but Adam answered it anyway. “No, not really. I just want to look better for me.”

“Or maybe to show her what she is missing? Very few men want to look better for themselves. A few, sure, but generally not without some motivation. There’s a woman.

There is always a woman. Unless you are the kind of man who prefers a different sort of company, but you are not that kind of man, are you? ”

“No,” Adam confirmed.

“Sometimes the woman is one from your past you are trying to be rid of, sometimes a new one you are trying to entice. Sometimes, she is your mother.” Franco shrugged as if he were prepared for any possibility. “I know what to do. Do you trust me?”

Dexter had sent Adam here, and he trusted Dexter. “I guess. Nothing too drastic.”

“How long have you looked like this?”

He wasn’t really sure. “I don’t know. A while.”

“And before that?”

“I was in the Army.”

“Mm-hmm. And then you met the woman?”

Adam gave up and sighed. “Yeah, wasn’t long after that.”

“But now, you’ve met a different woman.”

Adam took a breath. “She’s just a friend. We aren’t interested in each other that way. At least, she’s not interested in me that way.”

“Not with you looking like this.”

Adam narrowed his eyes, but Franco was peering intently at Adam’s scalp.

Franco moved to the counter under the mirror, opened the drawer beneath it, and started removing supplies. “Trust me. I’ll take care of you.”

Adam still wasn’t sure he trusted Franco, but it seemed a little late to get out of the chair. And he did need a haircut. “I have an event tonight, so I need to look good.”

“Yes, the bachelor auction.” Franco gave him a smile. “It’s a good thing you’re doing, helping to raise money for the animals. My own Chichi came from that shelter.” He pointed to the tattoo of a smiling corgi face just below his rolled-up sleeve.

“She’s, uh, very pretty.”

Franco picked up the clippers. “So will you be, my friend.”

Adam closed his eyes. He wasn’t sure why he cared so much about his appearance all of a sudden. Except he did know why.

Sydney.

It was stupid. She was clearly looking for a different kind of guy. Among other things, one who would still be here in five and a half months, which Adam would not.

He could also justify caring about his appearance because he did not want to let Nick or Willa down at this charity event. He didn’t want them to regret asking him. Or for Nick to regret getting him the job at the fountain.

With the split from Veronika, he’d lost some friends, people he now realized were never really his friends to begin with. Still hurt.

He didn’t want to lose Nick, too.

He frowned at that thought, the clippers vibrating against his scalp as Franco worked. Adam was over Veronika, he knew that much, but the pain, the betrayal, the feeling that he’d wasted years with her, those things remained.

He should have been married by now. Maybe with a son or daughter, maybe another on the way.

Franco planted his fingers on the crown of Adam’s head and gently pushed, tipping his head forward.

Why had he hung around when she’d started playing off his talk of marriage? When he’d begun to suspect that her idea of the future and his no longer meshed?

Because he’d loved her? That was true. He had definitely loved her. If he hadn’t, none of this would hurt so much. But why hadn’t he forced her to talk about what was going on? About what had changed?

Maybe because he’d been afraid of that conversation. Afraid to get his heart broken and his dreams shattered. Stupid. Because both of those things had happened anyway.

And as much as he felt like he needed a break from women, he’d give anything to have the right woman at his side.

For years, he’d thought Veronika was that woman, though. He’d bought the ring and everything. Then, when it came right down to it and he was on one knee, ring in hand, she’d just given a little shake of her head and said, “We have to talk.”

Returning that ring had paid for his trip out here and allowed him to put some money back in the bank.

Thing was, if he’d been so wrong about her, how could he ever trust his judgment about another woman again?

Sydney was a prime example of that. She seemed great. Kind, caring, incredibly beautiful, an animal lover, funny, but better yet, fun to be around.

But she also had one major flaw. She was human. She’d never understand his world. She’d probably faint if she ever saw him in his true form.

And if she had that one flaw, what others did she have? What faults existed in her that he hadn’t yet picked up on?

He turned his head, only to have Franco push it back in the other direction. “Not yet, my friend.”

“Sorry,” Adam muttered. He was a mess. Hopefully, he was hiding it.

Even so, lunch with Sydney yesterday had sparked something inside him. A kind of new hope that felt almost … dangerous.

He could not get entangled with another woman until he was completely sure of her. That had to be his plan. Except how was he ever going to be completely sure of a woman again? His heart and his head both agreed that was an impossible task.

With his chin still to his chest, he heaved out a breath, feeling like he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Not a spot that should make a gargoyle panic, but it did.

What if he never found a woman he could trust?

He realized he hadn’t heard the clippers in a minute. He opened his eyes. He was faced away from the mirror, and Franco was coming at him with a steaming towel.

“Time for a shave, my friend. Close your eyes and relax. I’m going to put the chair back.” With a few deft movements, the chair reclined.

Adam stared up at the tin ceiling. The panels had been painted white. He closed his eyes as Franco wrapped Adam’s face with the hot towel. It was relaxing.

After a few minutes, Franco unwrapped the towel and lathered Adam’s face with a rich, foamy soap that was also warm.

He’d never had a barbershop shave before, and although he had no idea how much this was going to cost, he was already thinking it was something he should do on a regular basis.

He didn’t even worry when Franco started in with the straight razor. Clearly, the man knew what he was doing.

In a matter of minutes, Franco was done, Adam’s face was clean, and the chair was being put upright again.

Franco smiled at him. “Some of my best work. Are you ready to see?”

Adam nodded, still a little nervous.

Franco spun the chair around.

For a moment, Adam wasn’t sure he was actually seeing his own image reflected back at him. Between the haircut and the shave, his face had become all hard angles, and his eyes, not a feature he’d ever thought much about, seemed brighter and more piercing.

“What do you think?” Franco asked.

“I think you did good,” Adam said. “I don’t look like myself.”

“You look exactly like yourself,” Franco said with a smile. “You always looked like this. It was just hiding underneath all that hair.”

Adam nodded, then broke into a smile as he got up from the chair. “Maybe, but I’ve never seen myself look like this before.”

Whatever this cost, it was worth it.

He was a little bummed he hadn’t told Sydney about the auction now, but it was probably better she wasn’t going to be there. It was still kind of embarrassing, and he didn’t want her to think less of him.

Although it was for a good cause.

Maybe, once he had his suit on and was about to leave, he’d find an excuse to stop by her house.

He paid the tab, which was less than he’d expected, and gave Franco a good tip, then headed back to his car.

If he didn’t think he could trust Sydney, why did he care if she saw him all dressed up?

He really needed to figure himself out.