Page 5 of No One But You

“Right,” Trevor agreed. “And I’ve gotta say, you’re the first one I’ve seen do that.” He pointed to the mayo and Tabasco concoction. “I’ve mixed that combo together for years and have gotten some strange glares. Until they try it, of course.”

“Nothing’s better.” I dipped another fry into the mayo and popped it in my mouth. Delicious.

“Let me know if you need anything else,” Trevor said as he refilled my glass.

“There is something else. Can you tell me if there’s anyone in town needing a handyman? I’ve got full-time work, but really want to keep myself busy and can do all types of home repair and small remodeling jobs.”

“You know what? Shear Perfection, the hair salon just across the street, needs an addition. Let me make a call and talk to Diane and Kaye.”

“That’d be great. Thanks.”

By the time I was finished eating, I had a meeting with Diane and Kaye, the owners of Shear Perfection. It sounded like a simple addition. They just needed a storage area turned into additional shampooing stations. I didn’t think it would be difficult or take too much time.

“Thanks, Trevor. You were right. The food was delicious.” I handed him my card to pay for the meal. “And thanks for the reference to the salon.”

“Glad you enjoyed it, and not a problem at all,” he said. “Don’t want to pry, but do you have a wife or kids who’ll be joining you in town?”

“Nope.” I shook my head. “Just me. I’m hoping to settle down, build a house, and see what happens.” I placed my card back in my wallet. “What do you do for fun around here?”

“You’re looking at it. Friday and Saturday nights, this place gets full. You should stop back by tonight. The cornhole competition starts, and it can get competitive.”

My brows shot up. Cornhole was the weekend fun. “Sounds interesting.”

Trevor laughed. “Yeah, the expression on your face says otherwise. If you don’t come for cornhole, come for the females. We have quite a nice group of single women in this town.”

I had to agree. If Kora was any indication of the type of women occupying the town, I was looking forward to getting to know them. Maybe Kora would show up. I wouldn’t mind seeing her again.

Chapter 3

Kora

I blew through the door of Shear Perfection like a tornado on a path of destruction. God, I hated being late and hated the attitude Summer always got when she was held up. “Hey, Summer. So sorry.” I plopped my ass into her chair and pulled the scrunchy from my hair, letting my wavy mass of auburn hair fall past my shoulders. I had to suck in deep to get my breathing under control.

“You’re fine. I need to finish up in back really quick. Get comfortable, and for God’s sake, try to stop sweating.”

I chuckled at Summer. She was as sarcastic as a wasp was mean, but she made a perfect friend. She was always honest and wouldn’t let you walk around looking ridiculous.

“Hello there, Kora honey.” My Aunt Tonya was at the salon as usual on a Saturday morning, more to feed her best friends the local gossip she’d heard during the week than get her hair or nails done. She wrapped me in a one-arm hug, then backed up with a grimace. “You’re as sticky as a strip club floor at closing time. What the hell have you been doing?”

My mouth dropped, and Tonya laughed, which always sounded more like a cackle than a laugh. Everything about her was loud, and she was always the life of any party and the perfect aunt. “Tonya,” I said, shaking my head. Yes, Tonya was my aunt, but she always said aunt made her feel old, so she banned me from using the term early on.

“You do know we have customers in here, right? You need to find a filter.” Summer appeared from the back room, her hands filled with towels.

I took some of the towels from her and helped her put them in the cabinets above the sinks. “You know we should be used to her by now.”

“Yeah, you should,” Tonya agreed. “Sometimes, Summer, you act older than me. No wonder you’re still single. You need to relax a little,” Tonya said as she sat in Kaye’s chair, a stylist and co-owner of the salon.

“T, be nice,” Kaye replied. “Not everyone needs to be as eccentric as you.”

“Eccentric?” Summer’s face scrunched up with disgust. “Tonya is far from eccentric. She’s just loud and obnoxious. Adding a filter once in a while would make her more bearable.”

“Oh, pooh, Summer.” Tonya tilted her head mockingly. “Better?”

Summer rolled her eyes and turned to me.

“Sorry.” My shoulders met my ears. “That color’s new and looks amazing on you.” Maybe I could get Summer’s attention on something else. Change the subject. “You really pull it off.” It was true. Summer’s hair was an out-there color—as usual. Her naturally brown hair was dyed midnight black with blue tips, but in true to Summer form, her petite five-foot-three frame easily looked natural with the short choppy cut and colorful locks.

Summer always was the unorthodox one and stood out like a sore thumb in our conservative, small-town high school, and that was how she liked it. She was loud, boisterous, and unpredictable, and had been since we were kids.

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