Page 49 of Coincidentally Kismet

I’ve set Anita up with a hot towel on her face—yes, her makeup will be ruined but it’s worth it. The hot towel with soothing lavender essential oil is exquisite. Exactly, what isneeded for the optimal relaxation experience. This is where I thrive. My shampoo girl game is strong, and I know I will give her a great experience. I spend extra time on the head and neck massage, to the point that I’m not entirely sure if Anita is awake when I finish. I nudge her up gently and welcome her back to the land of the living.

We make our way out of the lounge and to my chair. That feels weird to say. Gosh, I hope this is my chair when everything is said and done. Daveed cuts her hair because he’s the only one she trusts, but she has me beaming from ear to ear with all the praise from the color experience and the Lather Lounge. Daveed promptly gives me kudos, noting that even he hasn’t ever made Anita doze off. I’m soaring in the clouds with all this positive feedback.

The signature blow-dry that’s up next is something I could do in my sleep. Most people think you need a flat iron or curling iron to get that frizz-free, effortless, wavy look, but you definitely don’t. The barrel of a round brush is metal, and when heated by the blow-dryer paired with proper positioning, it is wildly more efficient at smoothing flyaways and adding shape or curl to the hair.

I finish her up and call Daveed over for his assessment. He takes a chopstick off my station, examining her highlights to ensure there weren’t any bleeds or lines of demarcation. He runs his hands through her hair to ensure it’s completely dry and won’t frizz the second she steps out into the sweltering Tampa heat. Finally, he gives me a sly smirk and tells me it’s perfect. Sweet relief. One model down, two to go.

I’m ecstatic to be done with two of the six trials. It’s a huge weight off of me, even if I do have several more to do. I will finish two more on Smith today, and then it’s just a matter of working out the last client for tomorrow. I want to call Will and let him know. It’s weird but he is the very first person that I want toshare my excitement with. I’m not sure I should, though, he may be upset that I didn’t ask him to fill in for Elliott.

Realistically, I know he shouldn’t be, but there’s a small nagging feeling low in my belly that this is the exact thing he would expect to help with. He is very proud in general and wouldn’t appreciate me seeking the help of one of his friends when he isn’t even aware I’m having an issue in the first place. Now I’m second-guessing myself, should I have asked him? I don’t think so because it would have been harder for me and my potential to fail would have gone up by an exorbitant amount. Ugh!

Making a snap decision, knowing I have twenty-ish minutes until Smith arrives, I pick up my phone and call the one person I know will give it to me straight: Elliott.

“Hey, I’m walking into a client meeting in ten minutes, what’s up?” he says, sounding annoyed that I would dare call him while he’s working.

“Hi, umm, so I kind of have a teensy tiny little problem.”

“Oh God, this ought to be good. What did you do?”

“Well, so, uhhh . . .”

“Geez-us, spit it out, Cam!”

“Will and I . . . well, we’re sort of together now.”

“Wow . . . uh, okay? And why is this is a problem?”

“Well, no, not exactly...but you know how you couldn’t make the trip down for my hair trial, and so I sort of asked his friend to fill in for you, and now I’m wondering if that was a mistake and if he is going to be mad,” I ramble out without taking a breath.

“Cam, seriously? He is lucky you are even giving him the time of day, in my opinion. I like the dude, don’t get me wrong, but he kinda fucked you over. You should not be sitting there worried about making him mad over a freaking free haircut. This doesn’tsound like a very healthy start, if you ask me. Also, why the hell did you not call me the minute you got back together?”

“I know, I’m sorry, I should have called you. I just didn’t know if, well, I still don’t really know where it’s going. I don’t know if I trust that he’s in it for real, but I’m giving it a chance.”

“Listen, I gotta run into this meeting, but we are going to talk about this. You need to be careful, and I don’t love that you’re already keeping things from me. I love you, Cam.”

“I love you too. Call me later. I’ll tell you everything, I promise.”

Welp, I thought Elliott would help me work out my dilemma, but instead I just feel worse than I did before calling. I love my brother; he is right that I should have called him right away when I got back with Will. I’m not even clear on why I didn’t. Maybe I was worried he would think I’d officially lost it, or that I am so desperate for the past that I’m settling. No, that’s not right, Elliott isn’t like that. He might not agree with all my decisions, but he’s always there for me. No matter what. Ugh, I’m the worst!

“Cam, your appointment is here,” Micah says, looking like he is up to absolutely no good with the shit-eating grin he’s giving me.

“Wow, okay, I guess the military is all about being punctual, am I right?” I say trying not to reveal the bout of nausea that just swept over me.

“Something like that, I think. Hopefully they don’t all come prematurely,” he quips.

“Oh my God, Micah.” I laugh hysterically and he looks amused as we round the corner—oh crap. Smith didn’t come alone. Will is sitting right next to him on the small leather sofa in the waiting area, sporting a cocky look.

“Heyyy...I didn’t know you were both coming,” I say breathlessly as I shoot Smith a confused and somewhatexasperated look. Just the sight of Will in my space makes my head spin and the spot between my thighs heat. At the rate things are going, I’m going to need to start packing extra panties in my purse.

“Well, I’m not going to say that I’m not happy to see you, you look gorgeous as ever. But I’m actually not here for you, Wright,” Will says with a satisfied smirk.

“Oh, okay...ready, Smith? Wait, who are you here for then?” Confusion forces my feet to stay put.

“He’s with me, lovebug. He heard about the amazing head rub I give and simply couldn’t resist,” Micah pipes in, grabbing Will’s arm to lead him over to his chair.

Will’s face has transformed from holier-than-thou to pinched with confusion, and Smith is about to die laughing. It’s going to be an interesting evening, that’s for sure. Will has no idea what can of worms he just opened. Micah has been lusting after him since trivia night. I get it, I couldn't agree more with every downright naughty thing he has said about Will. I should be jealous, and maybe I am a little, if I’m honest with myself. However, I’ve seen and touched that coarse, curly hair before, and there is absolutely no way I would attempt blending a high and tight on him. My skills aren’t to that level, yet. Also, it’s going to be fun watching Will squirm under Micah’s advances. Micah does not do subtlety well.

I quickly move through Smith’s haircut. There isn’t much to cut, but it’s enough to count and get me a passing grade with Daveed. Then I take Smith into the Lather Lounge and give him the full treatment. Waxing his eyebrows is a once-in-a-lifetime experience—he whimpers more than most women do during a Brazilian. I wish I could have recorded it for Lo, but that’s against the rules and also probably would have been slightly incriminating. I may or may not have pulled a little harderthan necessary as payback for all the sleepless nights I’ve had recently, thanks to him.

---