by Debby Mayne
“You can say that again.”
“Don’t forget, Priscilla—”
I swat at him with a napkin.
He playfully holds up his arms as a shield. “Whoa there, girl. You don’t have to go gettin’ all violent on me. I was just doin’ what you told me to.”
“So far today, all my clients have seen at least one of the pictures, and they all say the same thing . . . ” I grin and take a bite of my sandwich.
“What? That I’m the hottest guy in town, and they think we look like a royal couple?” I detect a hint of wishful thinking in his tone.
I swallow my food and smile. “Something like that.”
Redness creeps up his neck and tinges his cheeks. He coughs. “I went by Pete and Laura’s place, but no one answered the door. I think one of the kids was home ’cause I seen the blinds . . . er, I saw the blinds move.”
“Don’t take that personally.”
“I won’t. I know how they are. I just wanted to find out if Laura has my to-do list made yet.”
“Did she say she was putting you to work?”
He shrugs. “She always does, and earlier she said she would, and I don’t have any reason to believe anything will be different this time.”
“You don’t have to—”
He lifts a finger and raises his eyebrows. “I don’t have to do anything, but I want to do everything I can to make the reunion a success.”
“You’re very sweet, Tim. I think everyone appreciates all your hard work.”
“That’s nice and all, but I’m doing this for one pers—”
Sheila shows up at the door, interrupting Tim. “Your first afternoon appointment is here early. I don’t want to rush you. I just thought I’d let you know.”
“Thanks, Sheila.” I’m actually thankful she interrupted Tim because it sounded like he was about to get mushy, and I’m surprised by the way it makes me feel.
The rest of our lunchtime conversation switches to talk about less-personal topics. I’m relieved, and I think Tim might be too. Neither of us can finish our sandwiches.
“Why don’t you go on out there and take care of your client?” he asks. “I’ll clean up.” When I look at him, he makes a shooing gesture. “Go on. You don’t wanna keep folks waitin’.”
“Thank you, Tim.” I have to fight the tears that form at the backs of my eyes. Whatever is happening to me is foreign, and I’m so discombobulated I don’t know what else to say, so I scurry out of the break room.
29
Tim
Me and Priscilla make quite a pair . . . although I’m not sure what we’re a pair of. Some folks might say we act like a married couple, but others might think we need to move on. I’m somewhere in the middle . . . somewhere along the lines of confused about where we stand and wantin’ to stand a whole lot closer. And from how I see Priscilla actin’ lately, I’d be willin’ to bet my fine leather briefcase Uncle Hugh gave me for my college graduation that she’s just as confused as I am.
I head out of the salon and spa, straight for the Moss’s house. If I don’t catch someone home this time, I’ll go back to my hotel room in Hattiesburg. I forgot to book a room in advance, so all the hotels in Piney Point were full up. But that’s okay. I like Hattiesburg. It’s more sophisticated and youthful, with all the college kids swarmin’ around. I went to a smaller college, and that was okay at the time, but if I had it to do over again, I’d probably try to get into Southern Miss.
I pull up in front of the Moss house, park my car, get out, and head up the sidewalk. Before I get to the porch, the front door opens, and there stands Laura.
She’s smilin’. That’s rather shocking. “Hey, there, Tim. How’s the poster boy?”
“Poster boy?”
“C’mon in, and I’ll get you somethin’ to drink.” As we walk toward her kitchen, she keeps talkin’. “I hear girls all over the country have cut out your picture and hung it on their wall. You’re gettin’ to be a regular heartthrob.”
“I never heard that.”
“Oh, but it’s true. In fact, Bonnie Sue—that’s my second- youngest child—she says all her friends wanna meet you.”
“I’m near ’bout old enough to be their”—I practically choke on the last word—“father.”
Laura cracks up with laughter. “It happens. Even the best of us get older. Coffee, sweet tea, or Mountain Dew?”
“Tea would be good. I done had a sody pop over at the salon.”
She pauses for a split-second. “I got me an appointment with Priscilla on Friday. I wanted one on Saturday, but Sheila says she’s all booked solid.”
“Want me to see if I can get her to switch things around for you?”
Her jaw tightens, and she shakes her head. “I’ll be fine with Friday. She doesn’t owe me a thing.”
“But I think—”
She narrows her eyes and sticks out her chin. “I said no.”
Now that’s the Laura I remember. I lift my hands in surrender. “Okay, but if you change your mind, just give me the word.”
“We have a bonfire planned, but I’m not so sure folks will wanna come since there won’t be any alcohol.”
I shrug. “I don’t think that’ll make much difference.”
“You’ve obviously not been payin’ much attention to where folks line up.”
She has a point. “Maybe they’ve matured since then.”
Laura leans back in her chair and lets out a deep laugh. “You’re prob’ly the most mature person at any of our reunions, Tim.”
“Maybe you think that ’cause you don’t know me as well.”
Laura’s face crinkles into a genuine smile. “Sheila told me you took over your uncle’s company. How’s it goin’ up in the Big Apple?”
“It’s okay.” I look Laura in the eye. “But I have to admit I miss bein’ down here in the South.”
“Yeah, I can imagine.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m livin’ in a real nice house . . . Uncle Hugh and Aunt Tammy’s lettin’ me stay there rent-free and all, but . . . ” I take a deep breath before I admit what’s really wrong. “It’s sorta lonely up there all by myself.”
“You lived alone in Jackson, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, but I always had folks around to do stuff with, ya know?”
Laura nods. “Yes, I know.”
“But I didn’t come here to talk about me. I want to pick up my to-do list. If you don’t have one for me, we can make one now.”
“You can start by vacuuming the living room, and after you’re done there, you can mow the lawn. I’m sure Pete will appreciate that. The job went back to bein’ his after Bubba left for boot camp.” She chuckles. “But seriously, Tim, there’s not much left to do. Now that Pete’s sober, he’s been a real big help with the reunion.”
I know that should make me happy, and I sorta am . . . for Laura. But it also makes me wonder what I’m doin’ here so early. I squirm around in my chair and try to come up with somethin’ she might want me to do.
“Did you get the permit for the bonfire yet?”
Laura nods. “Pete got that a few days ago.”
“Oh.” I drum my fingers on the table and rack my brain for more ideas. “How about equipment? Do you have everything you need for the big party on Saturday?”
“The community center has everything, but we can prob’ly use you to help set up the tables and chairs.”
I push my chair back from the table and stand up to leave. “In that case, I reckon I’ll just head on over to Hattiesburg. There’s a coupla new salons we’re sellin’ to, so maybe I can go introduce myself.”
“That sounds like a good idea. I’m sure they’ll enjoy meetin’ you, since you’re famous now.” She glances at me, and I see that twinkle in her eye that lets me know she’s teasin’.
I run my fingers through the top of my hair. “Maybe I should see if I can get Priscilla to freshen up my hair before I go meet these strangers . . . now that I’m so famous.”
/> “Don’t forget she’s famous, too, and she’s got all the business she can handle today.” She stands up and turns to face me. “Tim, I know how annoyin’ it can be for folks to give you unsolicited advice, but I got some for you.”
“What’s that?”
“Don’t let time get away from you. If you want somethin’, go after it with everything you’ve got. Even if you can’t have it, at least you’ll know you’ve tried your best.” She smiles. “And then you can move on.”
“True.” I hold out my hand to let her know she can go first.
She places her hand on my arm. “Tim, if you still want to be with Priscilla, have a talk with her. I’m sorta surprised you’re still single and hangin’ around waitin’ for her.”
“I’m not exactly waitin’ around and doin’ nothin’.”
“Are you datin’ anyone?” She challenges me with one of the looks she gives her kids when she don’t believe them.
“I might not be datin’ anyone right now, but I have in the past. It’s just that . . . well . . . ”
“No one matches up to Priscilla, right?”
I nod. “Yeah, I reckon you could say that.”
She opens her mouth to say somethin’ when an ear-splittin’ scream makes both of us near ’bout jump outta our skin. “Mama, come here! Quick! I’m bleedin’ to death!”
30
Priscilla
Priscilla, Tim’s on the phone, and he says it’s urgent.” Avery, one of the fresh-out-of-beauty-school new hires hands me the phone.
“Hey, Tim. What can I do for you?”
His voice sounds like he’s been sucking helium it’s so tight. And he’s talking ninety miles an hour. “Slow down, Tim. I can’t understand a thing you’re saying.”
I hear the muffled fumbling with his phone as he clears his throat and takes a very loud, deep breath. “Something terrible has happened here at the Mosses’ house. Can you get away?”
As long as I’ve known him, Tim has never had this much of a sense of urgency, and I’m not about to let him down if he really needs me. The first image in my mind is Pete’s truck wrapped around another tree. “Let me go wash the chemicals out of my client’s hair, and I’ll get one of the new hairdressers to finish up.”
“Tim, are you on the phone with Priscilla?” Laura’s voice rings in the background.
“Yeah. She’s comin’.”
“Tell her that’s not necessary. Pete’s comin’ home, and we’re takin’ her to the emergency room.”
“I called an ambulance.”
Laura makes one of her growling sounds. “I told you not to do that.”
“Tim,” I say as crisply as I can. “What happened, and to whom?”
“Renee’s bleedin’ like a stuck pig. I mean there’s a mess of blood all over the place.” He clears his throat. “I think she might die if we don’t get her to the hospital right away. Hold on . . . If you don’t wanna go in an ambulance, I’ll take her.” I can tell he’s talking to someone there.
Not knowing whether to go straight to the Moss’s house or the hospital, I make a quick decision. “Why don’t we hang up so you can help? Call me when you get to the hospital.” I hear a siren in the background, followed by Laura yelling and her daughter screaming.
“Okay, sounds like the paramedics are here, and Laura’s a basket case. She keeps talkin’ about a baby. I think that woman mighta lost her mind.”
“Renee’s pregnant.” Someone has to tell him, and obviously that little detail has slipped Laura’s mind.
“She don’t look—” He groans. “I gotta go. I’ll call you back.” He clicks off the phone before I have a chance to say another word.
By now I have a crowd gathered around me. Since I’m not sure what’s happening, I don’t have any information to give them. “I don’t know anything yet. Avery, don’t hesitate to interrupt me if Tim calls back.”
She nods and takes the phone, and the crowd disperses. The only person still standing in my station is Sheila, who has her hand on her hip as she stares at the counter shaking her head. “Seems there’s always somethin’ happenin’ with Laura and her brood.”
I nod. “It does seem that way.”
“Any idea what’s goin’ on this time?”
“Tim said something about Renee bleeding all over the place.”
Sheila’s eyes instantly widen. “She’s the one’s pregnant, right?”
I nod.
“I bet that girl’s havin’ a miscarriage. Poor baby. Any idea how far along she is?”
“I’m not sure, but I think it’s still early in the pregnancy.”
Sheila turns to leave but stops and looks at me with sadness. “Seems to me like Laura’s not catchin’ a break from anyone.” She makes one of her clucking sounds with her tongue as she heads on back to her station, leaving me standing there, thinking about what she just said.
Sheila’s right. Laura has always been a disaster magnet—mostly caused by her own actions, but that doesn’t make it any less difficult. I want to do something to help her, but in this instance, I have no idea what will make her feel better and what might infuriate her. Laura Moss is difficult to gauge sometimes, and she tends to fly off the handle if she perceives my actions being anything close to dishonorable, even if I have the best of intentions.
When the timer dings, I quickly rinse the chemicals out of my client’s hair and start working on the style. I’m barely finished when Avery appears at my station holding out the phone. “It’s Tim.”
“Thanks, Avery.” I thank my client and let her know Avery will process her credit card and schedule her next appointment with another hairdresser. As soon as they leave, I lift the phone to my ear. “Hey, Tim. So what’s the news?”
“Looks like Renee lost the baby. Laura’s so upset no one can console her.” He pauses. “Even Renee is tryin’ to make her mama feel better.”
“Do you think it would help for me to be there?”
Tim lets out a breath of exasperation. “No. I mean, I’d like you here, but Laura don’t . . . well, she don’t want no one with her but Pete.”
“I understand.” And I really do. If I had a tragedy, the last thing I’d want is a bunch of curious people standing around. “So what are you going to do now?”
“I don’t know. I was over at the Moss’s house tryin’ to get my orders from Laura when this whole thing happened. Now I feel like I’m in the way.”
“Tell you what, Tim. I can use your help here.”
“You can?” I hear the hope lift his voice.
“Yes. Make sure Laura and Pete are okay, then come on over to the salon and spa.” After we hang up, I run over to Sheila’s station and pull her away.
“So how’s the little Moss girl?”
“You were right. She had a miscarriage. And now we have to come up with something for Tim to do so he can feel useful.”
Sheila grins and gives me a thumbs-up. “I know just the thing.”
By the time Tim arrives, his face pale with fear, we have a list of things to keep Tim busy all afternoon. And it’s useful stuff, like picking up lunch for all the hairdressers, taking Bonnie Sue and Jack Moss out for something to eat since their parents aren’t home, and running a few errands for the salon and spa.
“After I finish up here, maybe you’ll be done with the list.” As I place my hand on his arm, he looks down at me with a tenderness I’ve never seen from any other man. My heart does a little flip, a totally new experience for me. I instantly pull my hand back, and the bond is broken. “Maybe we can go back over to the Moss’s house and see how they’re doing.”
Tim continues looking at me as he nods and licks his lips. “I’ll be back with lunch.”
He’s barely gone when Sheila pops up again. “That boy is still so in love with you he don’t know what to do with himself.”
Once again, I feel an unfamiliar tug in my chest. “Tim is truly one of the nicest people on earth.”
“Yeah, he don’t have a selfish
bone in his body. What a great catch for the right woman.” She narrows her eyes and gives me a long glance. “And I think that woman prob’ly knows it too, but she’s got so many irons in the fire she wouldn’t know love if it bit her in the . . . well, you know.” She tilts her head to the side and gives me a goofy grin. “Get the drift?”
“Loud and clear.”
That conversation plays in my head for the rest of the day. As I finish up with my final appointment, Tim appears. “I thought we’d go check on the Moss kids together. When I stopped by the hospital, Pete and Laura said they wanted to stick around with Renee until she can go back home, which’ll prob’ly be mornin’. They wanna keep her overnight for observation since she bled so bad.”
“Sounds good.” I say good-bye to the people in the lobby and take off with Tim.
We’re barely out the door when I hear Chester talking to one of the new hairdressers. “She might be famous now, but she’s still one of us.” That makes me smile. I glance over at Tim who winks but doesn’t say a word.
Tim holds the door as I get into my car. “Why don’t I follow you to your parents’ . . . er, your mother’s house, and we can go in my car?”
“Sounds good. Want me to call the Mosses, or do you want to just show up?”
“Why don’t we just show up? Them young’uns need to stay on their toes. We don’t need to warn ’em.”
“Good thinking.”
Mother is weeding her front flower garden as I pull into the driveway. She stops, turns and glances at me, and without even acknowledging my presence, turns back to what she’s doing. I get out and walk over to her.
“Tim and I are taking two of Laura and Pete’s children out to dinner. Would you like to join us?”
She gives me a look as though she thinks I’ve lost my mind. “Whatever would I do that for?” She plucks another weed before stopping and casting a curious glance at Tim who has just pulled into the driveway behind my car. “The Mosses have four children. Why would you only take two of them out for dinner?”
“One has moved out, and the other is in the hospital.”
“Oh.” She stands. “What happened?”
As I explain, she shakes her head. “That’s what happens when people marry the wrong person or marry too young. Laura made both of those mistakes.”