Page 12 of Lessons in Love at the Seaside Salon
‘Of course you’re allowed to say it,’ she responds with a lightness in her tone. She turns off the engine, puts the car ingear and yanks on the hand brake, which feels a little loose. The car needs a service. Something to add to the to-do list.
Anna turns to look at her mother. ‘I know what I did may not make sense to others, but I feel better, not worrying about why he’s not coming home. Why he’s … lying to me.’
‘Lying to you?’
She hasn’t told Ingrid about her affair theory and isn’t sure she should – but she also doesn’t want her mother thinking Gary is a saint.
‘I just don’t believe he has that much work,’ she says, not looking her mother in the eye.
‘So what do you think he’s doing?’ Her mother’s voice is shrill.
Anna shrugs. ‘I don’t know and I don’t want to know any more. Shall we go in?’ She doesn’t give her mother a chance to respond, instead jumping out of the car and helping Ingrid into the salon.
‘Hello, Ingrid Bergman!’ Trudy calls across the salon. She always calls Ingrid that and while Anna is tempted to think the joke is more than over after all this time, her motherdoeslook a little like the Swedish film star.
‘Gertrude,’ Ingrid says – her usual riposte. Trudy hates her full name.
‘Tit for tat, I see,’ Trudy says. She points the comb at a spare chair in the corner, next to where Evie is combing out a client. ‘That one’s spare, pet. Be there in a mo.’
Anna smiles at Evie as they approach. Evie seems distracted, as usual. From what she’s gleaned, she knows Evie is a single mum with one son who’s around Renee’s age, and she works at the salon in school hours, sometimes longer.
The single mum part hasn’t registered with Anna before now but she guesses that’s what she is too. Except it doesn’t feel that different to how things were before.
‘Hi, Evie,’ she says, picking up aWoman’s Dayfrom the pile of magazines on the small table against the wall. ‘Mind if I do the crossword in this one?’
‘Go for it.’ Evie puts a clip between her teeth as she teases her client’s hair.
Anna smiles her thanks and glances at her mother, who has settled into a chair to wait for Trudy. There is an unfamiliar young woman sweeping the floor today, her eyes rimmed in black, her hair teased out. She looks cool in a way Anna could never.
The young woman catches her looking and Anna smiles quickly and looks away.
‘Here she is, my movie star,’ Trudy says as Ingrid approaches, shaking out a cape and fastening it at the back of Ingrid’s neck. ‘A trim today, I think?’
Ingrid nods, then Trudy turns in Anna’s direction.
‘I don’t s’pose you booked in today?’ Trudy raises an eyebrow.
‘No,’ Anna says. ‘Should I have?’
Trudy and Ingrid exchange glances and Anna feels her cheeks go red.
‘What?’ she says.
‘One day,’ Trudy says, wagging the comb at her. ‘One day you’re going to let me – or Evie – have a go at that hair and you’re going to be amazed at the result.’
‘My hair’s fine,’ Anna mumbles, her cheeks still hot, as she picks up her pen and prepares to start the crossword.
‘It’s never just about the hair,’ Evie says quietly, and this time she’s the one glancing at Ingrid. ‘Is it?’
Evie’s client makes a small noise.
‘Sorry, Mrs L,’ Evie says. ‘I didn’t mean to tug so hard. But once we’re finished it’s going to look great for your lunch.’
The door opens and another client comes in. There’s already one waiting.
Trudy and Evie glance at each other.
‘Did you double book?’ Trudy asks.
