Page 60 of Second Time Around

Seventeen

The suspense was killing Jenna. She’d been distracted all day as she’d cut, colored, and styled hair. Luckily, she hadn’t accidentally dyed someone’s hair blue or given someone a crew cut. In fact, her clients hadn’t seemed to notice anything was amiss, but her coworkers had.

“What is it with you today?” Crystal asked when they were in between clients.

“What do you mean?”

“You have a faraway look in your eyes, like you’re daydreaming about something or someone.”

Working this closely, and literally bumping elbows like she and Crystal did, it was almost impossible to hide anything.

“I’m just a little tired today, that’s all.”

“Liar,” Crystal said, but she was smiling. “I recognize that look, and it’s definitely about a guy.”

Jenna averted her gaze and started straightening her station.

“It’s the hot restaurant owner, isn’t it?”

Jenna darted a look around, but nobody was paying attention. Plus, the blow dryers made enough noise to drown them out. “Are you referring to Mr. Montgomery?”

Crystal laughed, a raucous sound that rose from her bountiful chest and ricocheted off the walls. So much for nobody paying attention.

Lowering her voice and wiggling her brows, Crystal said, “Is that what you call him when you’re alone?”

“Ha-ha,” Jenna muttered.

“Why don’t you just give in already? The man is hot, single, and successful, which is more than I can say for a lot of guys our age.”

Jenna shook her head. “You don’t really know him.”

“I’d like to. Too bad he only has eyes for my hot, single, successful coworker, though.”

Jenna only acknowledged the compliment in that statement. “Thank you.”

“You have a lot more willpower than I do. If a guy like that came sniffing around me, I’d—”

Suddenly Jenna couldn’t take it anymore. “He cheated on me,” she blurted out. “It was a long time ago, but still…”

Crystal’s face fell. “Sorry, Jen. I wouldn’t have gone on and on like that if I’d known.”

“It’s okay. Like I said, it was a long time ago.”

“It’s hard to trust someone after that. I get it.”

Then Lexie’s voice came over the speaker. “Jenna, your client is here. Jenna.”

“I have to go,” Jenna said and hurried off to greet her client.

By the time her shift ended, she was exhausted. As she tidied her station, she recalled what Beck had said about the hot tub and thought it sounded wonderful after the day she’d had. Then she reminded herself that getting into a hot tub with him would only be asking for trouble. Still, she’d packed her bathing suit just in case.

Crystal had left an hour before, so Jenna didn’t have to explain why she was fixing her own hair in the mirror and swiping on lipstick, but Lexie noticed.

“Hot date tonight?” she asked as Jenna tried to slip out the door.

It was closing time, so the salon was mostly empty, but Jenna still didn’t feel like explaining. Besides, this wasn’t a date. It was dinner with an “old friend,” as she’d been referring to him.

“Nope. Just dinner with a friend.”