by Megan Noelle
Stefan laughed and his extended hand caught my eye as he reached out to them both. “I’m Stefan Harrison.” Tyler’s jaw dropped and Kari’s eyes bulged out as they both limply shook his firm grasp.
“The ex??” Kari blurted.
“Kari!” I scolded.
“That’s me.” I refused to look at him, but I could hear the amusement in his voice.
“Did you forget your manners, Grey? Aren’t you going to bring him in and introduce your salon family?” Tyler asked.
Narrowing my eyes I made sure he knew I was not thrilled with his intrusions. It wasn’t that I was ashamed of Stefan or of my friends. I just knew bringing Stefan inside would lead to endless questions from all, especially, my very best friend. Kacie last heard I was no longer speaking with Stefan. So bringing him in had a way of showing that just the opposite was true. I wouldn’t even be able to share the reason how our friendship came about this time. That would mean indulging them in the story of Allie and our chance meeting at the cemetery for her birthday.
“I’d love to come in.” Stefan answered, before I had a chance to make up an excuse to keep it from happening.
“Excellent!” Tyler replied, completely ignoring my glare.
Stefan reached out and removed the food from my lap. Adding it to the takeout bag with his own. The sound of his door opening made me give in to the possibility of this not happening. I powered the window back into place and left the car to join the interrogating crew.
“So you just stopped by to bring lunch?” Kari asked, skeptically. Stefan’s hands slid into his pockets while he nodded casually.
“Basically, just wanted to come see my friend. It’s been a day from hell and I needed a bit of a mental break from it all.”
“And Grey helps with the stress?” Tyler inquired.
“Every single time.” Stefan turned to me with a smile. My control was working overtime to keep my entire body from crumbling at his words.
“Good Lord, that’s adorable.” Tyler squealed out.
Thankfully Kari spoke up to keep Tyler’s filter from completely running wild. “That’s our Grey, she’s awesome. Well, did you want to come in and get the tour?”
“Grey already gave me the tour the other night, but I’d love to meet everyone.”
Kari put her hands on her hips, while Tyler eyed me up and down with a look of admiration.
“Did she?” Kari asked. “Funny, I don’t remember seeing you in our appointment book.”
Stefan’s composure never faltered a single moment.
“I stopped in right before close. Luckily Grey still managed to fix my hair before going home for the evening though. I had a ton of meetings that next day and my hair was completely unmanageable.”
“Well, I’ll bet she didn’t mind squeezing you in.” Tyler said with a smirk.
“Not at all. Come on Stefan, I’ll introduce you to the others.” I chimed in, taking hold of Stefan’s sleeve, pulling him away from Tyler’s big mouth. Stefan threw his arm around my neck, chuckling softly as he pressed his forehead against my temple.
“They making you nervous?” He joked.
I rolled my eyes, playfully shoving against his chest making him let out a laugh. He released me, just as we went through the doors. The second my foot stepped onto the tiled floor the atmosphere changed. The constant chatter seemed to come to a halt the instant the stylists and clients realized who had just walked in. My eyes cased the room and the mix of shock, amazement, and downright frustration—from Kacie’s chair—met us. Looking away from all the others I focused my attention on Stefan. Once again he blew me away with the cool façade that stayed in place. An easy smile greeted them while he naturally commanded the room.
“Look who we found eating lunch outside in the parking lot?” Tyler announced, appearing behind us.
The buzz began all at once as the clients all called out to Stefan. Some said hi, a few got up and shook his hand—claiming to have his security system. Whatever the story was, they all tried relentlessly to capture his attention. Stefan handled it wonderfully, shaking each hand firmly. Always looking into the woman’s eyes, holding their attention directly. I had to admit, he was made for this kind of work and it was mesmerizing to watching him interact. Of course, observing the naturally charming side that had all these women under his spell was swiftly making my blood boil.
Kacie left her chair and stood in front of Stefan with her hand out.
“Hi, I’m Kacie Brooks. I’m co-owner of Bella Donna, Grey’s best friend and her maid of honor. It’s great to meet you.”
For years I had listened to Kacie go gaga over every picture or article of Stefan. Right now, though, it seemed she was more of a scorned lover than a longtime fan.
I saw pure amusement spark in his demeanor as he shook her hand. He understood the same thing I had. Kacie was showing her loyalty to me and Richard by letting Stefan know that she was watching him.
“Nice to meet you as well, Kacie.”
“How did you two wind up getting together today?” She asked with a smile, as daggers shot from her eyes.
“Stefan just stopped by to join me for lunch.” With the others I didn’t know how to respond to their questions. With Kacie I felt the instinctual need to defend Stefan. She knew more about my past with him than the others. I knew she had every intention of watching over my shoulder to make sure I didn’t slip up somehow. I loved my friend, but I hated the way she was treating me like a child.
“Just randomly?” Her smile never faltered as her eyes narrowed at me.
I shrugged casually. “Yeah, pretty much. Kari and Tyler thought it’d be fun to introduce Stefan to everyone in the salon.”
“Well, welcome to Bella Donna. I’m sure you’re busy and everything but we are so happy that you stopped by. You’re more than welcome back anytime.”
Stefan spoke up before I had a chance. “Thanks Kacie, I really appreciate that. Today though, I’m not all that busy anymore. So, there’s nothing I’d love more than to hang around for a bit to get acquainted know Grey’s work family.”
I bit my lip to suppress the wicked grin of amusement from Stefan’s response. Maybe he actually did have other plans today, but Kacie’s not-so-subtle comments to get him out of here had worked in the opposite way. Stefan was never one to back down from a challenge, no matter the circumstance. In this case I knew all too well that he wanted to prove that I had been his first.
“We’d love you to stay!” Tyler blurted out.
Stefan whipped around and pointed to Tyler, nodding his head enthusiastically.
“Fantastic! I’d be honored to hang out today.”
And just like that, I knew there was no avoiding it anymore. My two worlds had just collided.
Kacie’s face hardly contained the utter surprise in her reaction. “You’re staying?”
“Yeah, I think it sounds like fun.” The unfazed smile proved that Stefan wasn’t going anywhere.
“Well, that is very nice, but don’t you have a company to run? Or something along those lines?” The falsely sweet tone was fading away with each question.
Stefan just shrugged his shoulders. “Company’s still in good hands, and if I am needed for anything they know how to reach me.”
“The other issue is we are a salon so we have chairs at the stations but they’re usually occupied by our clients. We do have our waiting area, but you’d be just sitting there while the rest of us focus on the people with appointments.” Kacie posed a point that was hard to ignore but just as a smug grin lit her features, Kari piped up.
“You know, I’m actually taking a long lunch right now. I won’t be back for about an hour and then I just have one more haircut scheduled. You can sit at my station if you’d like.”
“Are you sure you’re okay with me taking your seat?”
Kari nodded, sliding a quick indescribable look my way. “Absolutely, it’s all yours. It was nice meeting you, have fun.” She waved at the group of us standing arou
nd, and exited the salon before anything further happened.
Kacie’s piercing eyes zeroed in on Kari’s back as she walked away. I knew the three of us were going to battle about this moment later. Already I was dreading it.
“Then it’s all settled, as long as it’s alright with you, Grey?” Suddenly everyone’s attention was on me. Kacie was sending serious vibes that I needed to get Stefan out of here and I knew I needed to respect that. Not only was she my business partner, but also my best friend.
Because I had never shared anything about my past with her all she saw was an old fling back to cause problems. As much as I understood his presence would complicate my whole world—it was worth it. Having Stefan around again on friendly terms was something I could hardly believe. Just being near him brought back all the fun and laughter we once shared. Without question Stefan had been my very best friend. Now that he was back, I refused to let it all slip away again.
“As long as none of our clients mind, it’s fine with me.” Tyler threw a victorious fist into the air. Stefan’s beaming aura lit up the room, while Kacie turned on her heel and marched back to the client at her station.
The part of me that wanted to run after her and make things right needed to be pushed aside. My lunch break was officially over and my next client was due to arrive any minute. The last thing any customer needed was to see us all standing around like gossiping teenagers.
“Follow me, I’ll show you to Kari’s chair.”
Stefan seemed elated that Kari’s seat was so close to the center of the action and wasted no time settling in. Just as I had anticipated, my client showed up just minutes later. Mary-Ann was one of my very first clients upon opening Bella Donna, and she was the very first one to schedule a return appointment with me. I waved merrily as the sweet 70-year old woman checked in at the desk and took a seat in the waiting area.
Once every couple weeks she’d arrive, sit and wait while I prepared her favorite tea. As soon as it was ready I’d bring her to my chair and then we would go back and forth for at least ten minutes about whether or not she should cut her long hair. The end result was always the same, just a couple inches off the bottom and a revitalizing treatment to keep it healthy. It was a happy tradition we had and even still I looked forward to our hour together.
I set her tea onto my counter, and tried to ignore Stefan’s unfailing focus on me. Getting nervous about doing hair after years of doing it most every day, was not something I was okay with.
“It’s great to see you Mary-Ann! Come on back, and we’ll talk about what you are looking to have done today.”
She stood with a smile. “Sounds wonderful, and how are you doing, dear?”
“I am doing fantastic.” Her face lit up at my response. Staying upbeat around clients was a normality, but I couldn’t remember the last time Mary-Ann had seen such an enthusiastic response from me.
“That is swell to hear, Grey. I am always so happy when I hear your life is going well.”
“That means so much from you, and yes, it really is.”
I offered her my hand as she slid back into the chair. As always, she held out her purse to me and I traded it for the fresh hot tea. A few sips later she smiled and gave her approving nod.
“Delicious as always, dear girl.”
“Great!” Just as I was about to head into the hair chat, she turned her head to the side and caught a glimpse at Stefan.
“And who might this be? I don’t recall seeing him before. Has he replaced my sweet Kari?”
Stefan flashed a smile at her, and stood to shake her hand.
“Oh no, Mary-Ann, this is a very old friend of mine.”
She carefully assessed Stefan as he took her hand in his. “I’m Stefan Harrison, ma’am. Greyson and I go far back and I just wanted to stop by and see her.”
Mary-Ann gave a genuine grin back, but when she turned her head my way I didn’t miss that look. The same one every mother got when they understood a situation far beyond the way their child explained. In that single glance I felt our entire relationship play out in her eyes. Every stolen kiss, every accelerated heartbeat. Nothing was hidden and it was making me extremely uncomfortable.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Stefan. And none of that ‘ma’am’ nonsense, you just call me Mary-Ann.”
“Pleasure to meet you as well, Mary-Ann. Do you mind me sticking around while Grey does your hair?”
“Absolutely not, young man. It would most certainly be a nice little treat.”
“Excellent!” Stefan clapped his hands together. My first thought was that he had to be putting on a show to stick it to Kacie. When he sat back down and caught my eye there was no mistaking that whole-hearted excitement. In that instant I knew it was no game for him, he wanted to be here. Stefan may have been claiming his territory where I was concerned earlier, but now that was far from the truth.
“So, what are we thinking for your hair today?” I asked, trying to bring focus back to Mary-Ann and get my head out of the clouds.
Taking a few pieces of hair forward she examined it, shaking her head in irritation. “I still stand by my stance to not dye it, so we can at least eliminate that.”
“Wait, your hair isn’t dyed that way?” Stefan budded in.
Mary-Ann was one of those women that was naturally blessed with beautiful hair. Soft ash blonde was the color she had since the day she was born. In the sun it picked up natural highlights and as she aged strands of white-gray mixed in with the rest. People frequently assumed the hairdo was salon colored, but Mary-Ann was happy to correct them.
“Haven’t put a drop of dye in my hair and after this long, I’m sticking to it.”
“Absolutely! My mother has been doing tons of damaging things to her hair, since she was about ten. Now it takes copious amounts of product to keep it from looking like an electrocuted poodle is resting on her head.” Neither of us could hold back our laugh.
Stefan’s depiction of his dear mother wasn’t far from the truth. The few times I saw her before she put the effort into taming her mane, I was scared. It wasn’t just that Emma Harrison dyed her hair one too many times. Oh no. Every month it seemed a new color was added to hers, or she would invest in a perm, but a couple weeks later go in for a relaxer treatment because she hated the curls. Emma went to a salon more than any one person should and until Stefan brought it up I had completely forgotten.
Mary-Ann swiveled in her seat to catch sight of my persistent laugh.
“You said the two of you were old friends. Did you know his mother?” I nodded, regaining composure, breathing in deep breaths to fill my lungs back up.
“Oh yeah, and that visual is the most accurate way to describe her.”
“Remember the first time you stayed the night and the next morning you were in the kitchen getting a glass of juice?” Stefan asked and the memory whooshed back in and once again—I lost it. My hand flew to my stomach to make the laughing cramps cease. Mary-Ann beamed at me and turned her attention back to Stefan.
“What happened?”
He let out a chuckle, shaking his head at me. “I was in my room down the hall trying to wake up a bit. All of a sudden I hear this shrill scream and the sound of glass shattering. I bolted from my bed, ran down the hall and entered the kitchen ready to fight a burglar or something. Instead I see Grey with one hand over her mouth and the other over her stomach. Then I saw my mother, hands on her hips glaring at her; with facial gunk caked onto her face and this mad scientist look happening with her hair.”
Mary-Ann threw her head back and joined into my nonstop laughter.
Stefan watched the way we responded to his story and continued on. “I asked if everything was alright and my ma said that apparently she scared my poor girlfriend with her face. And trust me, there was nothing but irritated sarcasm behind my mom’s words.”
“Is that why you went into hair, Grey? Were you trying to keep women’s hairdos from terrifying you every day?” Mary-Ann asked and I bobbed my head
.
“I felt I had a duty to the people and I work hard every day to make sure no one has to see that again.”
An accidental snort escaped Kacie, and one look at her told me as hard as she was trying to hate the situation—it wasn’t working. I gave her a wink before bringing my attention back to Mary-Ann.
“Well, you have certainly found your calling, dear!”
Grabbing onto the corners of an invisible skirt I bowed down into a slight curtsy. “Thank you, Mary-Ann. It is all I’ve ever wanted.”
“So, now that Grey and I have successfully scared you away from ever wanting to dye your hair; what are you planning on doing today?” Stefan’s interest impressed me and Mary-Ann’s immediate connection with Stefan made me happy.
“Oh, I don’t know. I always come with the plan to cut my hair but wind up doing nothing more than trimming it.”
Stefan stood from his chair, and really examined Mary-Ann’s face and hair style. “Would you care for my opinion?” He finally asked.
“I would love it.”
“I think you would look lovely with a cut above your shoulders. Not to mention, if you are going to take that leap, Greyson is the best one for the job.”
She smiled at his assessment. “I completely agree. My Grey has never once let me leave with anything less than complete satisfaction.”
“Let’s do it, Mary-Ann.” I added, truly enthused to make the cut that she’s wanted happen.
After looking from me to Stefan, she nodded her head once. “Bring on the change!”
I could hardly believe Stefan’s devotion to a single client that he had never met. It warmed my heart to make someone happy, but nothing compared to creating that joy with Stefan on my side.
I did the wash treatment, and while I paid precise care and attention to every single cut, Stefan continued to make her laugh. It wasn’t just Mary-Ann that was enjoying Stefan’s company, it was the entire salon. Even while the other clients and stylists did their own thing, they focused their attention on him. His stories all included Stefan on his feet acting out the extravagant parts. Just the way he always did with me—he captured the attention of every single person.