Page 57 of Somewhere We Belong

“Then don’t bring them home,” she said. “Worry about you first, vet them out, make sure they are worthy of you both and then bring him home. If they don’t pan out, sic those ranch boys on him. I’m sure they would defend both of your honors in a heartbeat.”

I chuckled because she wasn’t wrong, but she also hit the nail on the head. They would protect us even if I didn’t pursue anything with them.

“Are you thinking about the date or those boys?” She scrutinized me.

I laughed, this woman was a bloodhound for gossip. “Blanche, you are a woman on a mission.”

“I told you, what else am I going to do?” she grinned.

“Maybe find out how we can have world peace,” I joked.

“Nah, that sounds too boring. I love chaos,” she laughed, and it was maniacal.

We moved on to safer topics like gossip from the strawberry festival. Apparently, a lot had happened, and I was grateful we had moved on, except Blanche. The sneaky little gremlin wasn’t done with me as I sat her at the hair dryer.

“I never realized how much was on your shoulders,” she said, cupping my cheek. “You suffer in silence, asking no one for help, and as admirable as that is, this isn’t good for you and your mental health. Let someone in, even if it's just for having fun and living a little. Not every man is husband material and if I’m going to be honest, most of them are like children themselves. Now that Sol is older, it’s time to start working to relieve that weight on your shoulders. Go on a second date or have fun with the men at the ranch. Either way, do something for you. Be selfish for once, because if you don’t take care of yourself then you're going to work yourself into the ground.”

I blinked away tears.

“A little advice from this old lady is to pick the boys at the ranch, let them help you and give you orgasms galore,” she smiled, patting my cheek. “It doesn’t have to be happily ever after, but happily now.”

I laughed, trying to hide the blush that was making my face hot.

“Thanks for the advice, Blanche,” I said, putting the dryer head down and turning it on.

“Anytime, sweetheart, and if you do choose the ranch boys, I expect to hear all about those sexcapades,” she cackled.

That woman was a little demon wrapped up in a sweet old lady's body. I shook my head and cleaned up my station as I saw my next guest here.

“Hey Iris!” I waved her over, willing a blush not to bloom on my face since I was talking to someone about her brother.

“Hey!” She hugged me, sat down and pulled her phone out of her purse. “I’m meeting someone this weekend and I need to look different, but good.”

She showed me several pictures, and each one was blonder than the next.

“Oh, Iris.” I raised my brows. “Are we going for a blonde bombshell look?”

“Yes, I need to leave this sweet small-town girl behind,” she sighed. “I’m not that girl anymore.”

“Oh, Iris, you came to the right girl,” I said, getting excited. “Back in Denver, blondes were my specialty.”

“Ok, let’s do this,” she grinned, and we got to talking about what she wanted exactly.

It took four hours, but we had Iris looking so good I think she was going to have her date eating right out of the palm of her hand.

After doing Iris’ hair, I had a few girls from the bar coming to me, looking for a change and it felt so fucking good to be doing something different. Highlights and balayage were my specialties and I had really missed doing hair like this. It had only taken almost six years, but let's hope it stuck. The money was also great and if this continued, I might be able to stop working at the bar.

Of course, the surge of blonding clients also came at the start of the school year. Sol and I drove to Monroe for school supplies and some new clothes. She was extremely excited about starting kinder even though it was very similar to Pre-K. I was a little emotional dropping her off for her first day of school. She wasgrowing up and while I was so happy for her, a little part of me was going to miss my little baby.

I had just finished highlighting a woman who came from Monroe, and it took me a lot longer than I had expected. I didn't think I was going to finish before I needed to pick up Sol. I paced the breakroom with my finger hovering over Theo’s name on my phone; It was not in my realm to ask for help. With the start of school, working at the bar, and these new clients I was getting, it felt like I barely had any time for myself.

Me: Hey, I’m sorry but I need a big favor. Can you pick up Sol from school? I have a client and I’m running behind.

I chickened out and texted Stellar.

Stellar: I have Volleyball practice. I’m sorry.

Me: No worries! Thank you!

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