Page 10 of Unexpected Prejudice

“Alright, sweetheart, I love you.” She kissed me, got out and closed the door behind her, leaving me alone to get ready for school.

Jessie

“We ran out of shampoo, Tish.”

“I saw a new box in the back room, Mia,” I shouted back instead of Tish because I remembered seeing that box when I came to the hair salon earlier today.

“Thanks, Jessie. Need anything from there?” Mia asked as she put down the white towels she was carrying and looked at me through the mirror.

“Nope, I’m good.” I sent her a smile. She was sweet to offer, but I’d already ensured I had everything I needed for today’s appointments. Red hair color for Claire, lilac shampoo for Miss Violet, and a curling iron for Ida and her big hair. It was a method Levi helped me come up with. I made a list of my clients and what each one needed ahead of my shift, so I could organize everything and not get confused on the job. He even bought me a notebook and pilot pens in every available color. My favorite at the moment was the pink one.

I’d been doing those lists ever since I started working at Tish’s hair salon. I loved it here. The girls were fun, and the customers were friendly. I also loved how pretty the shop looked, with the baby-pink walls and pink leather chairs with gold handles that matched the gilded framed mirrors.

“How’s the new school going for you?” Tish asked from beside me with a cup of coffee in her hand. We were just now having a lunch break, even though it was almost evening.

“I like it there,” I said quickly, taking a bite of my curry. Kai cooked it on Saturday, and I took some to eat at work. “We got into detention yesterday because there were some mean kids, but we still had fun. Oh! I almost lost my backpack, but Levi helped me find it.”

Tish’s mouth curved in displeasure. “Who on earth would be mean to you?”

“They were mostly mean toward Levi. You won’t believe what they called him. You know what? I don’t want to think about it.” I filled my mouth with more curry, forcing myself to forget those jerks. It was easy to forget about them when the food was this tasty. Kai really knew how to cook. Maybe I should take Levi to eat at his restaurant again.

After sitting on the chair beside me, Mia spoke as she took out her lunch. “How’s Levi? It’s been a while since he came to visit.”

“He’s great. Like always, he’s motivated to get straight As and do all sorts of college-related stuff. I’ll tell him to come visit. He’s just busy studying and helping Chief at the shop.”

The school year had just started, but that didn’t stop Levi from having his head buried in books. He was always buried in books, but now he had school-related materials added to his usual literary kingdom. The best part about it? Every week, we would pick a book and read it together; by together, I mean he’d read it to me and I listened. Sometimes, I was the one to read, but I much preferred when he did it. He was so sexy when immersed in a book, and I would often switch our reading session into a sexy session.

“Oh, no,” Tish suddenly said, her eyes on her phone.

“What’s wrong?” Mia was the first to ask.

“My husband texted me that Libby has a fever.” Libby was Tish’s five-year-old daughter. “And I have a client coming soon.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll cover for you,” Mia answered and I nodded.

Tish checked her watch. “Are you sure? It’s already late, and I don’t want to keep you ladies away from your homes.” She often called us ladies, and I found it amusing. Since I was the only dude at the shop, it sounded fair.

“Don’t worry about it.” I gave her my best smile. “We’ll just gossip about what a bad boss you are after you leave.”

“You better.” She hugged me before grabbing her phone and coffee mug. “It’s the son of an old client of mine from when I used to work for Melany, so make sure to give him a discount, okay?”

Melany was a famous hair salon where all the superstars went in Beverly Hills. Tish used to work there before she opened up her own shop. Wasn’t she awesome?

“Okay, don’t worry about us. Just go home and give Libby a big kiss from us,” Mia said, pushing and shoving Tish out the door.

“And a hug. Don’t forget a hug,” I added because what’s better than a hug?

An hour after Tish left, so did Mia, leaving me alone at the shop. I had just wrapped up my last client for the day when a new customer walked in. He was a young guy who looked around my age. Yes. That was Tish’s appointment—the son of her old client.

I walked over to greet him. “Hello there. Tish was the one who was supposed to do your hair, but she had to go home because her five-year-old daughter is sick. But luckily for you, I’m just as good.”

“O-oh, good,” the guy said in a quiet yet deep voice as he glanced down at his feet before raising his head and meeting my stare. I examined the depth of his blueish-green eyes until I noticed how he shifted from one foot to the other. Was I making him uncomfortable? Remembering what Levi told me, that not everyone enjoys making prolonged eye contact, I looked away. It was a shame because his eyes were really pretty. In fact, all of his face was pretty—and familiar. Ignoring the cuts and bruises he was sporting, I forced myself to focus on the bigger question. Why was he so familiar?

“I know you,” I said, not done processing the thought.

“Sorry?” He sounded surprised.

“I mean, I know you from somewhere because you look familiar.” I tried explaining myself as I led him toward the chair where I had my station ready for his session.