Page 59 of Hunter (Hell's Bastards MC)

They both burst out laughing. Harlowhadn’t been too concerned with her hips, just her heart, but she wasn’t going to tell Avathat.

Getting behind the counter, she wrapped anapron around her sore body and stood at the counter, servingcustomers as Ava went and called Larissa.

This was a good thing. She had evenoffered to help train Larissa, which Ava was thankful for. Ava wasstill in the early stages of her pregnancy, but it did exhaust her.She would make sure Larissa was perfectly capable in all things before she left. She hadto keep repeating in her mind that this was a goodthing.

The rest of the day went by without muchevent. Ava had told Larissa to be at the shop at six tomorrow.

Ava had also promised to handle Smokey.Larissa used to work at the local library. Cuts had to be made andLarissa lost her job. Smokey had taken her on as a cleaning lady,meaning the guys at the club had to be on their best behavior whilearound her. Everyone, including Smokey, had a deep respect forJonah, and by extension,Larissa. They all cared about the two.

At the end of her shift, she hugged Ava,who offered to give her a lift. Smokey would be arriving soon, butHarlow wanted to be alone. She wished Ava a goodnight and left the bakery, walking downthe street.

The cold was still very much gripping FortClover. She shoved her hands into her pockets and extracted hergloves,and as she did,she couldn’t help but turn. Right at the end of the street, Harlowhadn’t noticed it before, but it was pretty in pink, almost with anice glow to it. “Hair, beauty, and nails, for all your beautyneeds.” Hailey’s Beauty Parlor.

“When the fuck did that turn up?” Harlowasked.

She couldn’t remember there being a beautyparlor. Not that she had ever cared about beauty products oranything else to do with it. Curiosity got the better of her, andbefore she could stop herself, she had stepped through the glowingpink door. The moment she did, she was surrounded by warmth.

“Well, hello.”

Harlow turned to see abeautiful blonde walkingtoward her. “Hello.”

“Welcome to Hailey’s Beauty Parlor. I amHailey, and it’s apleasure to see you. How can I help you?”

“You’re very perky,” Harlow said.

Hailey laughed.

“What do you say if you’re not … Hailey?”Harlow didn’t even know why she was asking these questions.

The woman in front of herdidn’t stop smiling. “I don’thave any employees.”

The smile wasn’t fake. Harlow had been onthe receiving end of lots of fake smiles.This was rather unnerving. Were people this happy?She knew Larissa was happy and always found the good and hope ineverything. Larissa was different. She was special. She was sweetand kind.

“So, it’s always me.”

“I don’t know you,” Harlow said.

“And I don’t know you.”

Harlow didn’t know what to doand she glanced around theshop. It was beautiful. She had never thought much about beautyproducts.

“You own this place?” Harlow asked.

“Yes.”

“How long has this been here?”

“Six months,” Hailey said. “And trust me,this hasn’t been easy, but I got it. My parents think it’s a total waste, but so far,the business is growing. I offer beauty sessions in store, and Isell products online. The online side of the business is where youneed to be. If I wasn’t so afraid of being on camera, I would offertutorials online.”

Harlow loved how chatty she was. It wasrefreshing.

A beauty store. Admittedly, it wasn’tsomething she had ever been interested in, but it would offer her afresh start and a chance to think about something completelydifferent.

“Would you like me to do your makeup?” Hailey asked.

“I’ve never…”

Hailey waved her hand in the air. “Don’tworry about it. A woman always has to start somewhere. Let me helpyou.”

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