Love Gently Falling

by Melody Carlson

  “Maybe…”

  For some reason that stung. It felt like he was looking right through her and not looking at what he saw. “Look, Johnny,” she began slowly. “I think of you as a good friend, okay? And I realize that you might be involved with Zinnia. And although that’s absolutely none of my business, it does make me scratch my head. I mean, I don’t want to say anything negative, but you seem too good for her.” She held up her hands. “There—I’ve said it. You can say I stuck my big size-eleven foot in my mouth if you want to, but that’s the truth. That’s how I feel. Nothing against Zinnia.”

  “Nothing against Zinnia?” He tilted his head to one side like he doubted that.

  She shrugged. “Okay, I suppose it sounds like something. Like I’m disparaging her for no good reason. And maybe I am.”

  “How much do you really know about her?”

  “About her?” Rita sank into one of the detested pink chairs. “I know that she could be pretty mean—but that was back then.”

  “Did you know that her parents went through a really nasty divorce when she was eighteen? I think it was right before she went to work for your Mom. I think your mom was kind of like a second mother to her back then.”

  Rita considered this. “I don’t really remember much about Zinnia’s family or a divorce.” She wanted to add that Marley’s parents had divorced about then, too, but it hadn’t turned Marley into a bully.

  “What did Zinnia do to make you feel so antagonistic toward her?” He sat in the chair across from her.

  “Antagonistic?” Rita frowned. Really, was that how he saw her?

  “I know there must be some reason, Rita.”

  “Yeah…there is. But seriously—you want me to tell you about stuff that happened so long ago?”

  His brow creased. “Yeah. I’m curious.”

  Feeling like she was treading on thin ice, Rita began carefully. “Well, Zinnia always had this superior attitude—at least she did toward me. And she had a pretty sharp tongue to go with it. It’s ironic, because she’s such a petite little thing, I’m sure I could’ve easily taken her out.” She laughed but not with real humor. “Not that I was into that sort of thing. But sometimes Zinnia and I would be the only ones here. Usually, I’d be sweeping up hair, doing laundry, cleaning the back room, folding towels…” She glanced at him. “You know?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

  “Without my mom or anyone else around to see her, Zinnia would cut loose and really slice into me—with her mean words.”

  “Do you think she was jealous?” he asked. “I mean, because of her parents’ marital problems, I think she really looked up to your mom. Maybe she was envious of your being Donna’s daughter.”

  Rita considered this. “I guess that could be true. I never really thought of it like that before.” And she hadn’t—but really, was that an excuse to tear into a person the way Zinnia used to do?

  “But I can tell there’s more to it,” Johnny said softly. “What happened?”

  “It seems so juvenile now. I mean, it was so long ago.” Rita bit her lip. “But I was still in high school when I helped out here on evenings and weekends. I guess I was pretty insecure.” She forced a smile. “You know…being extra tall and stuff. And so when Zinnia would pick on me, like if I was clumsy—and I always felt extra clumsy when she was around. Anyway, it hurt. And then sometimes she’d blame me for things that weren’t even my fault. And I wouldn’t say anything…I’d just suck it up. And then, even if other people were around, she loved calling me names like Amazon woman and Bigfoot and stupid things like that.” Rita felt the old pang of hurt rising up inside of her as she tugged on a loose piece of chair piping, ripping it all the way off. “I know it sounds silly now, but to an insecure and overly tall and gawky teenage girl, it was pretty painful.”

  He leaned forward with concern in his eyes. “Yeah, I can imagine it was. And I know how Zinnia likes to tease sometimes, but I had no idea she’d ever been such a bully.”

  “Well, she was barely out of high school herself. And maybe you’re right, maybe it had to do with her parents’ divorce. Who knows? Anyway, it seems really lame to talk about this now.” Rita’s face was flushed with emotion and she could feel tears in her eyes, but she was determined not to actually cry. How stupid would that be? “I mean, I realize Zinnia has grown up, Johnny. She’s not like that anymore. But sometimes she’ll say or do something—maybe even something a little thoughtless—and I probably take it out of context. I react like I’m still an insecure teenager.” She made a feeble smile as she stood up. “There, you know how immature I am now.” She went over to the sink area to wash the grime from her hands. Suddenly she just wanted to go home.

  “I appreciate you opening up like that.” He came over behind her. “I can tell that it wasn’t easy for you.”

  “Well, who wants to whine about childish stuff that happened that long ago?” She tore off a paper towel, drying her hands. “And, really, I’m glad that Zinnia’s doing so well. And I know I should give her a second chance. Especially since I know she’s friends with Marley. And with you, too.” She sighed as she tossed the towel in the trash. “In fact, I think it was therapeutic telling you that, Johnny. I don’t feel nearly so antagonistic toward her now. Thanks.” This time she gave him a sincere smile.

  “Glad I could be of help.”

  She led the way to the back room, turning off the salon lights as she went. “So if you were on your way to take Zinnia out, I hope you both have a wonderful evening. I really do.” She got her jacket out of the closet. “I’ve got to get home now. I didn’t realize it was past seven thirty. I missed seeing Mom last night, and I promised not to be too late tonight. I know she’s been blue. Dad’s bringing home pizza, and we’re going to try playing a board game with her afterward. It’s a word game her therapist recommended.” Rita knew she was babbling as she grabbed her handbag, pulling out her keys. “It’s supposed to help her with her speech skills. Hopefully it will work.”

  “Give Donna my best,” Johnny said as she turned out the lights and opened the back door. “By the way, I told Mason and Drew to be here by nine tomorrow. Is that okay?”

  “Perfect.” She nodded as she locked the door. “Just one more reason I need to hit the hay early tonight. Tomorrow’s going to be a big day.”

  “See you then.” Johnny waited for her to get in the car.

  She waved then started the engine. She could feel what seemed like a phony smile plastered over her face as she backed out. And then, once she was driving through the parking lot, she felt the tears coming. She knew it was silly and wasn’t even sure why she was crying like this. Was if from remembering Zinnia’s bullying? Or from the disappointment she’d seen in Johnny’s eyes? Or simply the possibility that those two were together tonight? Or maybe it was just plain tiredness. Whatever it was, she knew she couldn’t help herself.

  The next few days passed in an exhausting but productive blur of tearing out, sanding, patching, taping, removing, painting, tiling, installing, and cleaning. Everyone was amazingly helpful, and, thanks to being so busy, Rita and Johnny never had a chance to talk about anything besides the various projects. She hoped that awkward exchange they’d had over Zinnia might be forgotten…or at least diminished.

  But finally it was Wednesday, and the results of their labors were truly amazing. Even Rita, who had been seeing it in her mind’s eye for days, was surprised with how perfect it all looked. From the gleaming checkerboard floors to the lime green chairs, to the black workstation cabinets with their clear glass knobs and marble-like quartz countertops, to the tiled mirror frames against the margarita-toned walls, clear up to the encouraging words that Rita and Marley had meticulously applied just below the ceiling line, it was all wonderful!

  “Oh, Rita,” Charlene gushed at the end of the day on Wednesday. “You really did it. Everything is absolutely beautiful.”

  “It’s not done yet,” Rita reminded her as she arranged the product t
hat had just arrived from Roberto’s on the freshly painted shelf by the reception desk. “I still have accent pieces to put up. Marley’s going to help with that. And Mr. Cabot is bringing some of the chairs for the waiting area tomorrow morning.”

  “Well, it looks fantastic.” Charlene gave a lime green chair a spin. “And everything seems to be in good working order. It’s all just fallen beautifully into place.”

  “So, are you feeling a bit more hopeful now?”

  “I am. And I can’t believe how many appointments we’ve booked for the next few weeks. Partly from the ads you’ve run, but even more seemed to be the result of Ricky’s flyers and coupons. That boy really had a good idea with that.”

  Rita chuckled. “And it doesn’t seem to have hurt his love life either. Did I tell you that he inadvertently handed a flyer to a hairdresser from Zinnia’s and they’ve been talking and texting ever since?”

  “Oh, dear. Ricky better not get involved with a Zinnia girl. No fraternizing with the enemy.”

  Rita laughed. “Zinnia’s is not the enemy. If anything, I should be grateful for Zinnia for leading the way. If I hadn’t seen what she’d done with her salon, I might not have been inspired to give this place a makeover.”

  “So when do we let Donna see it?”

  “Not until everything is in place.” Rita looked toward the windows, which were still covered with brown kraft paper. “Everyone gets tomorrow off. But I’ll come in so Mr. Cabot can deliver the chairs. And I’ll do some tweaking and put up decorations for the grand reopening. Let’s plan on having Mom here on Friday morning. That way she won’t get overwhelmed by too many people, and she can really look around. And the sneak peek for clients doesn’t happen until the three in the afternoon. How’s that sound?”

  Charlene gave Rita another hug. “You are a wonder, Rita. I’m going to hate to see you go next week. You really have to leave on Monday?”

  “I do. I promised to be back at work on Tuesday. They’re already getting booked up for the upcoming Oscars.” Rita held up a bottle of shampoo. “And Vivienne was so generous to give us all this fabulous product. The least I can do is show up for work on time.”

  “You will be missed.”

  Rita sighed, wondering if they would miss her as much as she would miss them…and this place. But some things were better left unsaid. “Hopefully business will pick up enough that you can hire a new manager soon,” she told Charlene. “Unless you’ve changed your mind and would consider doing it.”

  Charlene firmly shook her head no. “I already told you, Rita, I have no interest in that. I do hair and that’s it. You can’t teach this old dog new tricks.”

  “Well, I’m sure it will all work out. And once Mom sees what we’ve done here, I’m thinking it will lift her spirits and she’ll be super-motivated with her rehab. She’ll be chomping at the bit to get back in here. I just know it.”

  “I think you’re right. I can’t wait to see her face, Rita. I’m bringing my camera—I want to capture the whole thing.”

  That reminded Rita that she still needed to pick up something from the frame shop. She’d had the old photos from the early days enlarged into black-and-whites, and they were being matted and framed. She planned to hang them in the reception area along with a little sign she’d made that said, THAT WAS THEN…HAIR IS NOW.

  Chapter 13

  On Thursday morning, Rita was relieved to have the salon all to herself. The last several days had been such a crazy rush with people working, coming and going, banging and clanging…it was lovely to be able to just quietly putter as she put things away, adding the final finishing touches here and there. Her only interruption was the occasional jangling of the phone—but that was a welcome sound, and she couldn’t be happier to book hair appointments. At this rate, they would have to hire more stylists before long. A good problem. However, she was surprised when one call was from Ricky’s new friend, Melinda, the hairdresser from Zinnia’s. “Ricky told me you might be hiring,” Melinda said a bit hesitantly. “I mean, not right now…but sometime in the not too distant future.”

  “I think that’s a real possibility,” Rita told her.

  “I’d just like you to keep me in mind. I’m still employed at Zinnia’s, but I’m not real happy here. But please don’t tell anyone I said that. Ricky said I can trust you.”

  “You can trust me.” They talked a bit more, and Melinda even hinted that she had a hairdresser friend who might also be looking for a new job. So Rita wrote down Melinda’s number and promised someone would get back to her by early next week. Interesting…

  Rita was just peeling the paper from the front windows when she saw Mr. Cabot wheeling the first of the waiting room chairs up to the salon. She held the door as he maneuvered the chair inside.

  “It’s beautiful!” she exclaimed once they had positioned the green and white chair on the large shag rug that she’d just unrolled.

  “White carpet?” Mr. Cabot looked a bit concerned.

  “It’s made of a fiber that’s supposed to be easy to clean.” She bent down and brushed her hand over the shaggy loops. “But it’s so pretty and luxurious. Don’t you love how it looks with this chair?”

  He nodded. “Very nice. And now I’ll go back for another one.”

  “How many did you manage to finish?” She asked as she held the door open for his cart.

  “All of them.” Mr. Cabot grinned.

  “You are my hero!” She patted him on the back. “Thank you so much.” She followed him outside and stared in wonder at the ice rink. “It’s all finished!” she exclaimed. “The ice rink is frozen and ready for skaters.”

  “Haven’t you seen it yet?”

  “No.” She explained how she’d only used the back entrance these past few days. “And the windows have all been covered with paper.” She walked over to get a better look. “It’s absolutely beautiful. I’m so glad they brought it back.”

  “Yes, it will be good for the businesses down here. And the children will love it.” Now he told her about how On Ice had commissioned an ice sculpture for the grand opening on Valentine’s Day. “And I heard they’re going to drop three hundred red and pink balloons, and they’ll have an exhibition with a pair of skaters who were in the last winter Olympics. I don’t recall their names. But it will be a very festive day.”

  “And we’ll be having our grand reopening too,” she said happily. “It’s going to be great.”

  By one thirty, all five waiting room chairs were in place, and Rita was just hanging the last black-and-white photo when Marley arrived with lunch. “I got tomato and basil soup and sourdough bread,” she announced as Rita let her inside.

  “Yum!” Rita took one of the bags from her.

  “Ooh, it looks beautiful.” Marley opened the other bag, removing a large lime green ceramic bowl. “I found this at that estate sale you told me about.” She centered it on the glass-topped coffee table in the waiting area then placed three decorative white twine balls inside of it. “How perfect is that?”

  “Absolutely perfect.” Now Rita led Marley throughout the salon, showing her all the final tweaks and enjoying Marley’s reactions.

  “I can’t believe this is the same salon,” Marley said as Rita led her into the back room. “I’m so glad you took before photos. You should put it on Pinterest.”

  “We’ll eat here,” Rita set the bag on the lunch table and retrieved a couple of water bottles from the fridge.

  “You even redid it back here.” Marley sat down at the table.

  “It’s not as decked out as the salon, but it’s definitely better.” As they ate lunch, Rita filled Marley in on the upcoming plans. “I hope you can come in for the sneak peek party on Friday.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it.”

  “I’ve lined up some yummy appetizers and even bought a case of champagne.”

  “Ooh, big spender.”

  Rita chuckled. “It’s not an expensive brand. Hopefully no one’s a real connoisseur.”r />
  “And you still have the grand opening party on Valentine’s Day?” Marley asked.

  “Yes. The grand reopening is Sunday.” Rita sighed. “And then I fly out Monday morning.”

  “I bet you’re looking forward to that warm California sunshine.”

  Rita nodded. “It’s been pretty chilly here.”

  “I hear we’re supposed to get snow this weekend.” Marley shook her head. “I’m ready for spring to come.”

  “You should come visit me in California.”

  Marley’s eyes lit up. “Yeah, I’d love to. I’ve never been there before.”

  As they finished up, Rita pulled out a calendar and they talked dates that might work for Marley to make the trip. “As long as I can find someone reliable enough to manage the shop for a few days. Maybe my mom could do it.” Marley tossed her emptied soup container in the trash. “Speaking of the shop, I better get back.”

  “Thanks for lunch.”

  “Oh, yeah, I almost forgot.” Marley made a slightly sheepish face. “Zinnia wants to come down here and see the salon.”

  “Oh…?”

  “Sounded like she was going to pay you a visit today.”

  Rita grimaced. “Oh…okay.”

  “I think she’s worried.”

  Rita laughed. “Well, that’s ridiculous.”

  “Anyway, just wanted to let you know.”

  “Thanks.” Rita wasn’t overly eager for Zinnia’s visit, but she did appreciate the heads-up. No doubt Zinnia wanted to check out the competition—and hadn’t Rita done the same a couple weeks ago? As she cleaned up the lunch things she noticed how quiet the salon was and remembered the CDs she’d picked up for her mom’s old CD player the other day. She knew her mom loved listening to an oldies radio station—both at home and at the salon—but Rita wasn’t a big fan of the multitude of weird ads that were played between songs. For that reason, she’d gotten a package of golden oldies CDs. Enough for hours of “easy listening.” Maybe someday she’d talk Donna into an MP3 player, but for now it was better than radio ads.