Page 59 of Run Home

“I’d love to come see you again sometime soon, though,” I say as Marcia packages up a bag of cookies for me to take home. “I might have to learn how to play bridge so I can catch Deborah in the act.”

“She’s more slippery than a greased pig,” Marcia says with a sigh, and I can’t contain a burst of laughter at her expression. She smiles at me and says, “But maybe you’re young and quick enough to catch her.”

I give Marcia another hug and walk out to my car. As I drive to the beauty-supply store to stock up on essentials—for free, thanks to Adrian’s gift—I mull over her advice. To not waste any moments. I hold her good advice in one hand while the other holds the importance of restraining my natural tendency to rush into relationships.

I’m not sure how to reconcile the two.

But I know the lifetime of love Marcia had with Harry is what I want with Adrian. So I’m going to figure it out.

The next morning, I arrive at the salon thirty minutes before appointments begin. Lynsey and I already set up our station on Thursday, and she was here yesterday, reporting that everything worked like a dream.

Still, I want a few minutes to be alone in the space before my first official day as a stylist begins. Letting myself in the locked door, I pass through the pale turquoise lobby filled with plush velvet chairs and pop my head into the owner’s small office to let her know I’ve arrived.

“First big day, huh?” Adele says as she stands behind her desk. “I’m excited to have you here. And apparently someone else is excited too because these were delivered for you first thing this morning.”

She hands me a large vase filled with stargazer lilies, and I immediately smile.

“I didn’t realize I was renting a chair to one half of a Kansas City celebrity couple when you showed up with Lynsey to apply,” Adele says. My cheeks color, and I open my mouth to offer apologies when she waves a hand to cut me off. Smiling, she says, “Don’t worry. If anything, it will be good for business. Let me know if you need anything today.”

“Thank you,” I murmur, then walk down the hall to the last room on the right. The whole salon space is divided into smaller rooms with glass doors, keeping an open feel while providing more privacy to stylists’ conversations with their clients. Some established stylists have private rooms with a single chair, while the chair that Lynsey and I are splitting is in a shared room with another stylist. She wasn’t here when we set up on Thursday, but the certificates on the wall named Veronica Thompson as our salon roommate.

I’m thankful that Veronica isn’t here yet, so I have privacy to open the small card tucked into the bouquet of flowers. Adrian must have physically stopped into the floral shop to make this purchase because my name is written in his handwriting. Pulling the tiny card out of the matching envelope, the note simply reads “Hope you get to sombré all day.”

Laughter erupts out of me right in time for a woman with sleek black hair to walk in. I clamp down on the giggle and quickly set the vase on my work station.

“Hi!” I say, holding out a hand. “I’m Sam. You must be Veronica?”

Her light brown eyes widen momentarily before narrowing. “Yes, I’m Veronica. Nice to meet you, Sam.” The tone of her voice indicates otherwise, but I smile nonetheless.

“I’m excited to get to know you. Lynsey and I are so happy to be in this space. The salon has such a great vibe,” I chatter, and Veronica looks mildly annoyed already as she hangs her purse on a hook next to her station. Clearing my throat, I say, “Well, I need to put away a few supplies and get ready for my first client. I’m so nervous. Any advice for my first day?”

She’s silent for a beat before she says, “I assume you’ll do just fine.” My smile falters, and Veronica’s eyes seem to bulge with a suppressed eye roll. “Clean up as you go. No one likes to walk through piles of other people’s hair.”

With an appreciative nod, I thank her and turn away to set my favorite styling products within easy reach of the sink and chair. Veronica’s lackluster welcome poured an energy drink all over my jitters, so I settle my gaze on the lilies, a cheerful burst of bright pink and white.

I let them be a good luck charm to calm my nerves. I let myself remember who sent them and why. Closing my eyes, I center my thoughts on the breath in my lungs, the pulse of my heartbeat, the feel of my fingertips tapping against my thumbs.

Walking out to the lobby, I prepare to greet my very first client.

Chapter twenty-three

Adrian

Sam holds her wristband up to the scanner posted outside the door, and we rush inside to scan the room for instructions or clues. It looks like we’re standing inside a prison cell. Names are written on the walls with tick marks below each one, but there are no clear directions as to what we’re supposed to do.

“What the . . . ?” I question aloud, spinning in a circle to check for something we’ve missed. “That’s it. Let’s give up and try a different one.”

Sam laughs and grabs my arm as I try to exit. “No! You can’t quit. We have three minutes in here. We can at least attempt to figure it out.” She moves around the small space while I try to make sense of the names and hash marks.

“Got it!” she exclaims as she pulls the fake sink away from the wall, revealing a hidden door. We duck inside and wind through a maze to a second room. There’s a computer screen that Sam reads aloud. “Select which statement is false. James stayed in jail longer than Nancy. James and Arnold stayed the same length of time. Nancy—”

She cuts off with a groan. “We have to go back over there and count all the hash marks! And do math! I’m out.”

Now I’m determined not to let her quit. “No way. I’m gonna run back over there, and you yell back which names I need to count.”

I take off before she can protest, but by the time we’ve figured out a system, the whole room turns red, indicating we ran out of time. When we exit, I march us right back to the same entrance door. “We’re conquering this room even if it takes us the full hour we have left.”

While it doesn’t take an hour, it does take us two more tries before we finally count the right hash marks and do the right math to determine the false statement. When we exit in victory, I suggest, “Let’s find one of the rooms marked as a physical challenge. Forget these mental puzzles. I need an ego boost.”