Page 55 of Unscripted Love
“He’s hard to read,” Josh said then shrugged. “Sort of mysterious.”
Wren arrived fifteen minutes early for his interview, which was already an improvement over the first three candidates. Curl Up and Dye ran on Josh time, which meant you showed up at least fifteen minutes early or you were considered late. “I’m Wren,” he said, but I would’ve known without the introduction because he came across as mysterious and hard to read. Wren wore a black leather jacket, jeans, and heavy biker boots. His hair was slicked back from his face and hung to his shoulders, and his beard was thicker than the usual designer scruff that men wore. Wren looked like he was headed for a meeting at his motorcycle club, not an interview as a hairstylist.
Mary Lou Johnson sure seemed to be captivated by him as she stood there blinking while her daughter skipped ahead. Becca lost her balance and started to fall, but Wren reached out and caught her before she could get hurt. I expected Becca to start crying since the strange man probably would’ve looked scary to her. Instead, she smiled brightly and thanked him.
“You’re welcome, little lady.” Wren smiled at Becca, and it changed his entire appearance.
“Thank you,” Mary Lou said breathlessly. She grabbed Becca’s hand, and they headed out the front door.
Josh introduced Wren to the staff as he showed him around. Everyone seemed to respond well to him, and he, in turn, was cordial, if a little guarded, when he shook each hand. While it was true that we were huggers, we didn’t get the same vibe from Wren.
“What do you think?” Josh asked him after the tour and discussion ended. “Can you see yourself being happy here with us?”
“I’m pretty easy to please, Josh. I want to get paid when it’s promised, and I want my employer to treat me with respect. I show up on time, I mind my own damn business, and I never cause trouble. I will always treat clients with respect, but I’m a private person. I guess the question is do you see yourself happy with me here?”
“Absolutely,” Josh told him. “How soon can you start?”
Wren’s personality might not have perfectly matched the rest of the staff’s, but I had a feeling that he would compliment our personalities in a way that made the salon thrive. Josh looked relieved and happy, and that was enough for me. I shook Wren’s hand and welcomed him to the team before I finished my daily tasks so I could leave.
I headed home and started working on the outline for my next book. It was Kyle’s late night at the animal hospital, so I knew I had a few uninterrupted hours to get a lot done. I dove into it right away and lost track of time while I immersed myself into the new world I was creating. An email notification popped up on my screen, and I saw that I had a new message from Jennifer Sugarbaker, the literary agent Agnes Simmons mentioned. After giving it a lot of thought, I had emailed Agnes back and thanked her for reaching out to me. I told her that I was such a fanboy over her career and loved her work. We’d chatted a few times since then, but Jennifer never contacted me.
My heart raced when I opened it, and just like with Agnes’s email, I had to read it multiple times before the words sunk into my brain. Jennifer wanted me to come to New York City to meet her. She mentioned a book convention happening the first weekend in December and asked if I would like to attend as her guest. She told me that Agnes was attending and wanted to meet me and show me around also. I was both excited and terrified at the same time.
“Why terrified?” Kyle asked when I told him about the email later that night.
“I’ve never been to New York,” I replied. “It’s intimidating.”
“New York is an awesome city,” Kyle said.
“You’ve been?”
“Numerous times,” he replied. “I hate to sound presumptuous, but I’d be more than willing to go with you if you’d like some company. I can show you some of my favorite places.”
“That sounds like a lot of fun, but I have to warn you that I might embarrass you,” I told him.
“How?” Kyle asked in disbelief.
“I might fanboy all over the place at the convention center when I see my favorite authors,” I said in awe.
“Just don’t get it in my hair or eyes,” Kyle said.
Yeah, my head went straight to the gutter and I knew that I wouldn’t get another damn thing done that night. “What are you doing right now?” I asked.
“Sweet talking you into spending the night with me,” Kyle said. His voice had dropped a few octaves and made goose bumps pop up all over my skin.
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
“Oh man, I’m not feeling well.” Chaz took his seatbelt off, leaned forward, and tucked his head between his knees.
I removed my seatbelt and rubbed his back. “They’re going to love you,” I assured Chaz. “Besides, you’ve lived in the same town as them your whole life.”
Chaz raised his head a little and turned to look at me. “This is different. I’ve met them as Brittney’s friend from school and the local spaz, but never as your boyfriend.” He returned his head between his knees. “I know I’m going to end up saying something stupid.” His jeans muffled his voice, but his misery came through loud and clear.
“You make me happy, and that’s all they’ll care about, babe.” I leaned over the center console and added, “Besides, I think your outbursts are adorable.”
Chaz met my gaze once more. “Somehow I think your mom would be horrified if I slipped and said something sexual about you.”
My cheeks heated when I thought about the time I overheard him confessing that he thought about me while masturbating.