by Cindy Kirk
“What are you girls discussing?”
Jenn’s voice had Piper clamping her mouth shut.
“How’d you get in?” Sasha demanded.
Her mother shrugged. “The door was unlocked.”
For that, and so many other reasons, Piper was thankful she didn’t live in Georgia.
“I heard something about someone not being pretty enough?” Jenn dropped down next to her daughter. She shifted her gaze from Sasha to Piper.
“I was telling Piper that none of the dresses we saw on Saturday were pretty enough.” Sasha’s expression gave nothing away.
With great effort, Piper also managed to keep her face expressionless. She’d fully expected Sasha to share the details of what they’d been discussing and for her mother to agree that Piper had never been pretty enough for Heath.
“The perfect dress is out there. We simply haven’t found it.” Jenn offered her youngest daughter a reassuring smile before shifting her gaze back to Piper. “Did you have other dress ideas for Sasha to consider?”
“We’ve already gone through those.” Sasha waved a dismissive hand before Piper could respond. “None of those worked either.”
Again, Piper schooled her features so her surprise didn’t show. She and her sister hadn’t had a chance to even discuss other dresses before their mother had shown up.
Jenn let out an exasperated breath. The look she shot her youngest was one she usually reserved for Piper. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you don’t want to find a dress.”
The comment had barely left Jenn’s mouth when Sasha laughed.
“Oh, Mother, don’t be ridiculous. You know I’m looking forward to marrying Heath. I’m picky, I admit it. But when I find the dress of my dreams, you’ll agree that the wait was worth it.”
“I know you’re right.” Appearing somewhat mollified, Jenn gave a decisive nod, then refocused on Piper. “How is everything with you? Do you have any plans for Thanksgiving?”
Surprise coursed through Piper. She couldn’t recall the last time her mom had shown any interest in her life. Other than, of course, to complain about some aspect of it.
For that reason, Piper decided not to mention anything about how slow business had been.
“Life is good.” She smiled, thinking of Saturday. Sledding with Anders, then pizza. “One of our local cafés is serving free meals on Thanksgiving for anyone without a place to go.”
Shock, followed quickly by disapproval, skittered across Jenn’s face. “Please don’t tell me you’re considering going. You’ll look like some kind of charity case.”
Piper took a deep breath, forced to hold on to her temper with both hands. She knew, without a single doubt, that her mother would rather have her sit at home alone, than go to the café.
“I am going,” Piper continued, talking over Jenn’s hiss of protest. “They needed volunteers, and I offered to help serve. Though once my shift is over, I plan to sit and enjoy a fabulous meal.”
“Where is your pride? You’re—”
“Mom.” Sasha’s hand on her mother’s arm, as well as the urgency in her sister’s voice, had their mother pausing. “We have an appointment in thirty minutes with the cake designer. Heath is meeting us for the taste tasting. You know he won’t be happy if we’re late.”
Jenn sprang up as if the seat beneath her had turned red-hot. “Why didn’t you remind me earlier? We should leave immediately.”
Without any urgency, Sasha remained seated and smiled at Piper. “Have a happy Thanksgiving.”
“You, too.” If her sister had been marrying anyone but Heath, Piper might have mentioned him, too.
“We’ll chat another time. Bye.”
Piper wasn’t sure if Sasha was the one who ended the connection or if their mother had taken it upon herself in order to spur her youngest along.
No, Piper thought, rising to her feet. She didn’t miss Georgia at all.
At two thirty that afternoon, Swoon was on its way to setting a record—not a single customer had walked through the door since Piper had opened.
The lack of business had Piper assessing her current store hours. It seemed time to make a change. The bridal salon could be appointment-only, while Swoon could go the way of several other businesses on the peninsula and switch to limited winter hours.
Piper had avoided going that route, figuring one sale was better than none. Still, if the store wasn’t open, she could turn down the heat and save on electricity. Plus, it was a serious waste of her time to sit here all day, hoping someone would walk through the door.
The wintry mix outside, while par for the course in northern Wisconsin, didn’t help. She’d rather be sitting in front of a fireplace—if she had one—than venturing out on this blustery day.
She wondered what Anders was doing. Had he gone to church yesterday with his family? Had he looked for her there?
The desire to see him was one of the reasons she’d shied away from Sunday services. She liked him too much already.
Her phone buzzed as she stood to stretch. She smiled at the sight of Charlotte’s name. “Hey, you.”
“Piper, I’m glad I caught you.”
Piper ambled to the front window to look out over the deserted street. She put the phone on speaker. “What’s up?”
“My three o’clock cut-and-color just canceled. Something about a sick kid. You mentioned wanting to shake things up. I wondered if you were still interested.”
Piper thought of Sasha living so close to their mother and enduring constant criticism. Wasn’t living her own life part of the reason Piper had started her business in Good Hope rather than in one of the Atlanta suburbs?
“Piper? Are you still there?”
“I’m sorry.” Piper’s voice sounded oddly breathless. “Yes. I’m here, and I definitely want that appointment.”
Piper had already been to the recently opened Marigold’s Golden Door Salon and Day Spa for a haircut and knew a truly lovely experience awaited her.
“Good afternoon.” Evie offered her a smile from behind the reception desk.
“I have a three o’clock appointment with Charlotte,” Piper told her.
“She’s finishing up with a client and should be with you shortly.” Evie gestured toward a waiting area. “Please, have a seat. May I get you a glass of cucumber-infused water with mint leaves? It’s very refreshing.”
Piper wondered what the girl would say if she asked for something stronger. She smiled politely. “Thank you. It sounds wonderful.”
She’d barely taken her first sip when Charlotte appeared. “Piper. I’m so happy this time worked for you.”
Piper followed Charlotte to her station. The private area managed to radiate both warmth and style. The shiny wood floor coupled with black leather chairs and decorative accents brought a feeling of calm to the room. A unique light fixture made up of dozens of tiny umbrellas drew the eye upward and added a note of whimsy.
Piper pointed up. “That wasn’t there the last time I was here. You also painted the door.”
The door to Charlotte’s area, previously gold, was now an eye-popping red.
“The golden door was fine, but the red is more striking.” Charlotte motioned for Piper to take a seat. “Shipping of the light fixture had been delayed. It finally arrived late last week.”
“Is everyone’s station going to have some unique light fixture?” Piper recalled from the open house that Marigold had brought over her vintage chandelier when she and Charlotte had merged the two salons.
The gorgeous chandelier, made of Capodimonte porcelain from Italy, boasted amazing hand-painted flowers.
Charlotte smiled. “I believe Gianna is, even as we speak, searching for the perfect one for her space.”
“I haven’t met her yet.” Piper had heard all about the hairstylist the salon had recruited from Chicago. “So she’s here in Good Hope now?”
“Not yet.” Charlotte sighed. “But soon.”
Piper assumed her arrival
couldn’t come too soon for Marigold and Charlotte. Not with Marigold, pregnant with twins, due in February and Charlotte due in March.
“Are you still planning on working just part-time?” Piper asked.
“That’s the plan.” Charlotte smiled and rubbed her small baby mound. “At least for a few months. Stan is eager to babysit his grandson, and Adam’s days are flexible. I’m thinking we’re all going to need to be flexible around here for a while.”
Piper fought a pang of envy. Still, she was happy for her friend.
She jolted when Charlotte slipped her fingers into her hair.
“Sorry.” Charlotte glanced quizzically at her. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Piper pointed to her image in the mirror. “Tell me what you think that woman needs.”
“Other than a good roll in the hay?”
Swatting her friend’s arm, Piper laughed. “Where did that come from?”
“Seeing you and Anders together at Clay’s party.” Charlotte’s lips curved. “The heat between the two of you had me wanting to fan my face.”
“We’re neighbors,” Piper reminded her.
“You’ve kissed him.” Charlotte made the simple declaration. Not a question. A fact.
“Nothing wrong with a friendly kiss between neighbors, is there?” Piper kept her tone light.
“Nothing wrong with sleeping with him either.”
“I’m not looking for a boyfriend.”
The sound that came from Charlotte’s lips fell somewhere between a laugh and a snort.
“He’s just here through the end of the year.” Piper felt as if she was losing control of the discussion, but wasn’t sure how to regain her footing.
Charlotte’s eyes softened as she rested a hand on Piper’s shoulder and leaned close. “Society tells us what we should and shouldn’t do. I say if sleeping with your neighbor feels right to both of you, you should do it. If not, stick to kissing. You’ve seemed stressed lately. I’ve found that a good roll in the hay can often be a miracle cure.”
Done with this topic, Piper only smiled. “Can we get back to my hair?”
Charlotte winked. “You’re the customer.”
Two hours later, Piper walked out of Charlotte’s area a redhead. The color reminded her of the piece of cake she’d purchased several weeks ago at Blooms Bake Shop. Not really red, but not burgundy.
Charlotte had also brought out her scissors and gone to work. The layered cut brought out the volume and added some nice angles to her face. She wasn’t sure initially about the short side-swept bangs, but had to admit they framed her face perfectly, and she loved the way the lengths of the layers increased toward the back.
“I look the same, but different,” she told Evie as she paused by the front desk to grab a mint. The chocolate spearmint hard candies were her favorite.
“You look awesome.” Evie gave an approving nod. “Your other hair was nice enough, but now you’re stylin’.”
“Thank you.” Piper didn’t know why she was lingering, other than the snow had begun to fall again. Or maybe she just wasn’t ready to go home to her apartment. “It’s only temporary. The color, I mean.”
“That’s cool.” Evie shrugged. “Not everything has to be forever.”
The young woman’s words circled in Piper’s head as she drove home. By the time she pulled into her space at the back of Swoon, the snow had quit falling.
Piper had reached her back door when she heard her name.
She turned to see Anders striding toward her. When he was about ten feet away, he came to an abrupt stop. “Your hair.”
Not able to bear the thought of covering her new cut with a hat, Piper had gone without one for the drive home. Now, she found herself flushing under Anders’s sharp-eyed gaze.
“I got it cut and colored.” She met his eyes with a firm look. “I like it.”
“I like it, too.”
She might have thought he was merely telling her what she wanted to hear, but when he stepped closer, she saw the admiration in his eyes.
“You did it.” He held up his hand for a fist bump.
Obligingly, she tapped his bare fist with her gloved hand. “Did what?”
“Took the leap. Did what you wanted.” Anders grinned. “The color looks great on you. I’m partial to your regular hair color, that chocolate-bark color is so unique, but this is…wow.”
Pleasure rushed through her. He was right. She’d taken the leap and done something she wanted to do. Thankfully, it had worked out.
His watch pinged, and he glanced at his wrist.
“Beck is warning me the food will be on the table in fifteen minutes.” Anders hesitated. “If I don’t see you before Thanksgiving, have a great holiday.”
Piper wasn’t sure what brought the wave of sadness that washed over her. She certainly hadn’t expected to see him on the holiday.
She had her plans.
He had his family.
Besides, like she’d told Charlotte, they were simply friends.
“Happy Thanksgiving, Anders.” Then, giving in to impulse, she kissed him on the mouth before walking away.
Chapter Fourteen
When Piper arrived at Muddy Boots on Thanksgiving Day, volunteers were everywhere. All were focused on getting the place ready for the eleven o’clock opening.
Piper was quickly assigned the task of setting the tables with plastic silverware, napkins and cups. Each table sported a festive floral centerpiece, courtesy of Lindsay Vaughn.
Blooms Bake Shop had supplied pumpkin and pecan pies, and Anita Fishback’s Crumb and Cake had brought in a variety of specialty cakes, including chocolate pumpkin cheesecake, salted caramel pound cake and several “turkey cakes.”
Piper motioned to Helen, who was helping her set up the tables. She hadn’t had a chance yet to check out the dessert table, though once the doors opened, that’s where she’d be stationed. “What’s in the turkey cake?”
She’d waited to ask until after Anita left. The woman had ears like a bat. Piper certainly didn’t want Anita to think she was questioning her choices.
“It’s cake shaped like a turkey and stuffed with candy.” Helen grinned. “A huge hit with kids. A lot of adults love it, too.”
“Five minutes until the doors open,” Beck called out, his voice carrying easily throughout the dining area. “Remember, if anyone asks, there is no charge. For those who want to contribute, every donation will go toward the Giving Tree Christmas fund.”
“Thank you all for coming together today.” Ami stood beside her husband. “This is a community effort that shows we’re better together.”
Excitement crackled in the air. Piper knew, regardless of what her mother thought, plenty of people would soon walk through the door. They would all be eager to enjoy Thanksgiving at Muddy Boots.
The doors were opened, and the tables quickly filled. Most loved the fact that everyone sat together, family-style. Sometimes they were seated near people they knew, and sometimes they made new friends.
Helen and several other “servers” directed traffic through a double-sided buffet line. Once the guests were seated, volunteers delivered their drinks.
Piper’s job was to keep the dessert table replenished and to enforce one dessert per person. When she’d arrived this morning, she’d been surprised to learn that so many people had wanted to help that they’d had to turn volunteers away.
Since Piper hadn’t volunteered on Thanksgiving before, she hadn’t been sure how to dress. It appeared going casual had been the right move.
The smell of turkey roasting in the oven and the spicy scent of pumpkin pie teased Piper’s nostrils. But it was the smell of celery, onions and butter that had Piper exhaling a sigh.
For nearly two hours, Piper watched people mingle. Though she’d heard the Good Hope Living Center was having its own Thanksgiving feast, Piper wasn’t surprised to see Gladys and her friends stroll through the door close to one o’clock.
Gladys loved a
ny activity that brought people together and was a staunch supporter of the Giving Tree. The fund, originally started by the rotary as a Christmas gift project, had morphed over the years into so much more.
Unique to Good Hope, the Giving Tree wasn’t a charity, but the fund helped neighbors who’d fallen on hard times. Money came from citizen donations as well as several fundraisers throughout the year. With the town priding itself on neighbors-helping-neighbors, the Giving Tree was considered a way to put words into actions.
While Katherine and Ruby found a spot for the three of them at one of the long rectangular tables, Gladys strode over to Piper.
“Your sweater is striking,” Gladys commented, those pale blue eyes taking in the kelly-green, cable-knit cowl neck. “It’s especially pretty with your red hair.”
Piper couldn’t tell yet if Gladys liked the new color or not. “It’s called red velvet.”
“I adore it. And the cut is tres magnifique.” Gladys studied her for a long moment. “Who did it? Marigold? Or Charlotte?”
In Gladys’s mind, those were the only two hairstylists in Good Hope worth seeing.
“Charlotte suggested red velvet.” Piper’s lips curved. “I was up for a change.”
Gladys arched a dark brow. “What does your young man think of the color?”
Though Piper knew very well that Gladys referred to Anders, she feigned confusion. There was only friendship between her and Anders. She didn’t want Gladys, or anyone else, thinking there was more. “I don’t have a young man.”
“Don’t you?” Gladys smiled sweetly. “Save me a piece of a turkey cake. Oh, and in case you’re interested, that young man, the one you don’t have, just walked through the door.”
When Beck and Ami told Anders they’d be celebrating Thanksgiving at home in the evening, he’d been cool with the change in time. He understood it was because of the large community meal they were hosting over the lunch hour at the café.
He’d offered to help, but apparently the volunteer list had been full for over a month. Ami encouraged him to stop by Muddy Boots if he got hungry.