Page 8 of Power Plays & Proposals

"Is it the length or how it's styled?"

"Both. But Mom won't like it."

"That leaves the last magazine." It was another copy of the magazine with Mr. Hockey on it. As good as the short style looked on him, I didn't think Penelope wanted it. "If you could do anything with your hair what would you do?"

"I'd like red hair like yours," Penelope said.

I smiled at her. "Well red hair can be fun, but I like yours. A lot of women try hard to get their hair your color."

"Really?"

"Yep. Blond can be pretty tricky, if it's not done right it fries the hair and then they have to shave it all off."

She let out a little giggle, and then her smile dropped. "Mom would hate it."

"What would I hate?"

Penelope and I both jumped at her mom's voice. She'd moved from the spot near the seating area and now stood at Charlotte’s station, looking at the flat iron that had been left out to cool.

Chapter 4

"Ma'am, Penelope likes longer hairstyles."

"Well, that's not what I'm here for. She'll get the bob and be happy or I'll have you shave it all off."

"Is there a reason you want her hair so short?" I asked.

"What's the name on the appointment booking?" she asked.

"Erin," I answered.

"That's right. It's Erin, not Penelope. I'm Erin and I get to make the decisions." She grabbed the magazine out of my hands. "I'm a customer, and I want it cut. So cut it or I'll see to it that you never get to use a pair of scissors again."

Spinning on her heel, she strode to the sitting area and sat down. She stared at the cover of the magazine for a moment, then flipped it open and started turning pages.

My hands smoothed the drape around Penelope, "Is there anyone I could call who could convince your mom to listen to you?" I asked carefully.

She perked up. "Could you call my dad? He'll get her to stop."

"Absolutely."

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and handed it to her. "Do you know his number?"

"What are you doing?" Erin asked from her spot on the couch.

Thinking fast on my feet I smiled assuringly at the woman. "Just showing her some pictures of celebrities with short hair. It's one of the most popular cuts for models."

"I know it is. That's why I told you to cut it that way. Now get on with it I don't have all day to wait for this." She put the magazine down and lifted her rose gold and pink rhinestone covered phone to take a selfie. "This lighting is awful." She complained.

"Of course." I lifted Penelope's hair, "Let's go get this washed so it'll be easier to cut."

I led Penelope to the sink while she texted her father from my phone. I started the water and put my hand under the tap to check the temperature. I always felt a bit like Goldilocks as I tried to find the right balance of hot and cold. When I got it to a good temperature, I pulled the black hair tie from Penelope's hair before leaning back the chair so I could start washing.

"He's not answering." Penelope looked up at me with worried blue eyes.

A glance at Erin showed she was checking the time on her gold wristwatch. "I'll stall as long as I can."

Washing Penelope's hair was a dream. The long thick strands of her hair glided through my fingers as I applied the shampoo, and then the conditioner. To use more time, I did a scalp massage as well. I really, really hoped her dad would respond soon. But as the wash went on, I was running out of ways to stall.

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