Page 8 of No One But You

I shook my head.

“Didn’t your dad tell you to take care of that before he moved?”

“Again, not the point.”

“Interesting. So, where’s the old tire?”

“In the back of my car. I’ll take it to Bubba’s. He’ll dispose of it for me when he puts on some new tires.” Bubba owned Tyson’s Brakes and More.

“It was nice of this stranger to put the tire in the back of your car.”

“He didn’t. I did.”

“I’m guessing that would explain the smudge I noticed on your shirt.”

“Yep. It’ll come out with dish soap.”

“Okay, so a guy stopped by and was a gentleman, and helped you out, which you ladies nowadays don’t like. But was he a looker?” Tonya asked.

Nothing was ever sacred in this hair salon. Not with the town gossips, slash book club, slash my aunt and her best friends, always within ear shot. “Yeah, he looked good, but looks aren’t everything, you know. Personality and respect are number one, Auntie,” I replied.

The bell over the door jingled, announcing the presence of another in the salon.

“Yeah, and helping a woman in distress isn’t very gentlemanly,” Tonya mocked.

“T, leave the ladies alone,” Kaye answered. “They’ll figure out how to find a gentleman when they’re ready.”

“Hey, everyone.” It was Darlene, my best friend since birth. “Don’t put me in the same category as my friends here. Remember, I’ve already figured things out. I have my husband.” She was married to Bryson, Tonya’s middle son. “And he’s pretty amazing.”

“Thank you, honey.” Tonya blew her a kiss. “His wife’s pretty amazing as well.”

Darlene placed a coffee on the counter in front of me.

“God, you’re a lifesaver. Thanks, Dar.” I leaned over to pick up the coffee, but Summer yanked my head back by the handful of hair she held. “Ouch. Crappy customer service,” I said as I reached up to rub my head.

Summer smacked my hand away.

“Jesus, Summer. That’s the second time this morning you smacked me. Your customer service truly sucks.”

“If you want me to take out a big chunk of your hair, fine. But I don’t want to hear you complain about it forever, so sit still.”

Darlene chuckled and sat in the neighboring chair and crossed her legs. “You better take her seriously, Kor. We don’t want a repeat of senior year.”

Yeah, that sucked. I had always been Summer’s guinea pig when it came to needing a model for cosmetology school. Senior year, Summer was pissed at me for something that happened on the volleyball court and “accidentally” cut off all my hair. We didn’t talk for months after.

I met Summer’s gaze in the mirror and raised a brow.

Summer winked. “Don’t worry. I’ve matured since then.”

Darlene let out a loud, hearty laugh, and Summer got a snort from me. One thing we knew as a fact—Summer would never grow up.

“So, get back to this mysterious stranger who helped you this morning,” Summer replied.

“Mysterious stranger?” Darlene leaned forward in the chair; her brows raised intently.

“Yeah, I got a flat tire, and a hot guy helped me.”

“Oh, so now he’s hot.” Summer pursed her lips. “Earlier he was just good looking.”