Page 14 of Haze's Jewel

She glances around before replying in a low tone. “I appreciate it but since I’m paying you back, I don’t know if I can afford all this.”

My hand comes up under her chin, and I tilt her head back to look into her eyes. “Today is my treat. I won’t take no for an answer or expect anything in return. I just want to do something nice for you.”

When she opens her mouth to object, I tell it to her straight. “I might look like a broke ass biker, but I promise you that I’m not. My brother and I have just made a habit of living below our means.”

She seems to get that I’m not going to give up because she eventually nods. “Alight. If you’re sure this is what you want. I guess I probably look like I need freshening up.”

I shake my head, “Darlin’ you look a million dollars. This isn’t about what I want, it’s about what’s gonna make you feel good.”

Her cheeks go pink, and I feel something tighten inside me, she looks like she’s about to tear up, “Thank you Haze, I can’t remember the last time anyone did anything like this for me.”

“You deserve it, now go spend my money like a there’s no tomorrow!”

She snorts a laugh, pulling her head away. “If you’ve got money to burn, then fine. I’ll pay you back what I can, when I can.”

I give her a stern look. “You’re not listening to the words coming out of my mouth. I said it’s my treat. Now get your pretty ass in there and get your hair and nails done.”

A hint of a smile ghosts across her face. “Fine. Prepare to be dazzled and amazed by my unrelenting beauty once I’m done.”

My smile is back in full force as she saunters away to the front desk. It takes everything I have not to playfully smack her on that cute ass of hers when she turns to walk away. Instead, I grab an empty chair with a good view of the chair they took her to. It might sound corny and get me teased by my club brothers, but I absolutely love watching Anna explaining to the staff what she wants done and then seeing her vision slowly come to life.

She gets layers cut in her thick hair and then they begin adding highlights. I might not have realized that’s what she was doing but two women waiting their turn are engaged in a conversation about whether redheads really need highlights and if so, what colors would work best with her particular shade of red. I’m amused by how vested they seem in a stranger’s choices.

It takes close to an hour and half just to finish her hair, and it’s nothing short of breathtaking when they’re done. The stylist has parted it on the side, but Anna’s careful to pull the longer side down until it’s almost impairing her vision. Shock roils through my gut when I realize she’s trying to cover the scar on her forehead. It starts about an inch above her right eyebrow and cuts back into her hairline. Maybe because I’ve got a few scars of my own, and some of my club brothers have genuine battle scars, I never notice things like that. But if it’s making Anna feel bad about herself, then after they’ve finished with her hair, I’ll see if she wants to get her makeup done too. Not that she needs it, but if it’s gonna make her feel more confident, then it’s an idea.

When she sits down to have her nails done, I’m pleasantly surprised when she gestures to me to come over. I rush to her side, excited to see what she needs. She pats the stool next to her as the nail technician starts to glove up and line up her supplies.

Anna runs her fingers through her hair and asks, “What do you think?”

“You’re so far beyond beautiful that I don’t have words to describe it.”

She chuckles and jokes, “Yeah, I’m the whole package, but I was referring to the hair in particular.”

Glancing up at her stunning new style, I respond mildly, “It’s gorgeous. The highlights really make your natural color pop.”

She narrows her eyes at me. I know she’s gotta be wondering how I became an expert on women’s hair color, so I quickly explain. “The two women sitting next to me had a lot to say about your highlights. The general consensus seems to be that blonde highlights bring out the red coloring. They were delighted with the results.” Leaning forward, I add, “I happen to agree with them.”

I glance over at the two older ladies who are in the process of paying their bills. Anna follows the direction my eyes went and sighs. “I knew you had to have gotten that from somewhere.”

Pausing for a moment, she picks the shape she wants her new nails to be and then turns back to me. “I thought it might be fun if you picked the nail color.”

I can see a huge rack of nail polish hanging on the wall beside us. Slowly, I come to my feet and stand in front of the rack. There are dozens of colors, all different. Some are metallic and others have flecks of glitter floating around inside. One in particular catches my eye. It’s the same color as her hair before she got the highlights, a deep red, almost burgundy. I pluck it free and hold it up with one hand.

“What do you think?”

Her eyes light up. “I love it!”

I slide back down onto the stool and watch her get her nails done. I have to admit that whatever they’re using doesn’t smell all that great. Neither does the coloring they put on her hair. My best guess is that it will fade in a few hours. If someone had told me two months ago that I’d willingly spend an afternoon in a beauty parlor watching a woman getting the full works, then I’d tell them they were on something. Okay, old me might have peered in the window, because often you found hot babes in places like this. But truth be told, I only had eyes for one woman today, and she was glowing with happiness right now.

When we walk out of the salon, my new obsession is standing tall and proud. I’m pleased that my idea of gifting her with a glow up to lift her spirits seems to be working so well. When we pass a cosmetics shop, I pull her inside. This time, she just gets down to business with no balking. Since it’s the middle of the afternoon on a weekday, they’ve got time to give her a makeover. I sit this one out and just leave her to it, as I watch from afar.

I love how she takes time to try on several samples of lipstick to find the perfect shade. I should not be enjoying such purely feminine pursuits, but I’m not really into the actual activity so much as watching the woman I’m growing ever fonder of enjoy being pampered. We finish by picking out a new perfume and buying all the makeup she used during the makeover. I was astonished at the price of all the cosmetics. Who knew that shit was so expensive?

We sit down to take a breather and while I’m getting us a cold drink, her phone rings. When I come back to her, Anna’s voice is filled with worry.

“Mom, are you okay? You sound like something is bothering you.”

I drop down on the bench beside her and can hear a timid voice answer. “I’m… okay. Just stay where you’re at.”

---