Page 96 of Her Paramedic
It was almost ten o’clock when they walked through her front door. She paused long enough to let Slate lock it behind them before pulling him into her bedroom and asking him to sit on the bed. Talia removed his gifts from the closet, giving him the gift bag first.
It was a wrist brace that could hold small parts: screws, lug nuts, and Allen wrenches. She thought it would come in handy and help him save time when working on cars. When he thanked her, putting it aside, she handed him the small wrapped box that housed a simple platinum chain. When they’d gone on vacationa few weeks ago, she’d seen him look at something similar in one of the stores they’d stopped in.
Slate pulled her to stand between his legs after putting the box on the nightstand. “Thank you, baby.”
He kissed her, hands going to the button of her shorts, and he made quick work of it and the zipper. “I’m requesting one more gift,” he stated against her lips.
Talia hummed, pulling him up and into the en suite. “I can accommodate that. After all, you have some rearranging to do.”
Her boyfriend chuckled in that way he did when he planned on having his way with her and leaving her incapacitated for a few hours. She knew by the time he was done with her, it would feel like it was her birthday.
29
Talia unpacked the supplies she’d brought with her as the other three stylists from her shop did the same. There was an hour until the hair show started, and she hoped the last case Alivia had gone to the car to retrieve had the holding spray she preferred in it. She hadn’t seen it in any of the other beauty supply cases.
When her friend returned with the last case slung over her shoulder, she was optimistic that it was in there. She’d made a list of everything she wanted to bring with her and packed it all the day before. With it not being in any of the other cases, it had to be in that one.
Alivia put the case in the chair beside Talia, and she opened it, looking through it. She didn’t see it, and thought maybe she’d overlooked it. So she took a deep breath, and looked again, but it wasn’t there. Then Talia remembered she’d removed it from the case for a walk-in at the end of the day yesterday, and she must not have put it back. It wouldn’t have been such a big deal if the style she was doing didn’t require a strong hold, but it did.
“It’s not in there?” Alivia asked when Talia sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
“No, and the show starts in an hour.”
“There’s a hair store a couple of miles from here. Maybe they have it in stock or something similar. Send me a picture of what it looks like and any substitutes close to it, and I’ll go get it,” Alivia said, already turning to head from behind the curtain.
Talia pulled her phone from her pocket and sent Alivia a picture of what she wanted and two substitutes. They wouldn’t work as well, but she’d just have to use enough of them to get through the presentation of the style and the poking and prodding the judges were likely to do. You would think it was a cook-off with the way they touched and maneuvered the hairstyles.
She hoped the hair store had what she needed. Going back to her shop to get it wasn’t an option. It was across town, and with lunch traffic, there was no way she could make it there and back before things kicked off, and she wasn’t sure that if she called Monique to bring it, it would arrive in time. Alivia would find what she needed and be back quickly.
It didn’t take Talia long to finish setting up. She’d organized everything as she’d packed it up the previous day with her friend’s help. The other woman had left work early to help Talia ensure she had everything she needed because it never failed that she’d pack and unpack the carriers several times because she wouldn’t remember putting something in them even though she’d marked it off her list. Having the two of them checking off two lists saved time and kept her from doing that. Too bad they’d checked their lists before the walk-in.
She sat in the styling chair as she waited for Alivia to return. If all else failed, and they didn’t have either of the sprays, she could change the style she’d planned to do. The organizers of this hair show allowed the stylists to choose their own styles instead of assigning them like some hair shows did. However, they provided random models to ensure that the stylist didn’t bring someone that they’d already prepped.
There were twenty-five minutes left until things kicked off when Alivia returned, Slate trailing behind her.
“I found your beau outside, and thought I’d bring him back,” Alivia said, handing Talia the bag. “They didn’t have the bigbottles, but they had smaller ones. I got four in case you all needed one. There’s also a few more bags of braiding hair. I think it’s the same as what you’re using,” she directed at Nesha. “I saw some models on my way out, and they have thick hair. So, I got those just in case.”
“Thank you. The last thing I want to do is run out of hair,” Nesha responded, taking the hair Talia passed her.
“Thank you,” Talia replied, then turned her attention to Slate. “Hey, baby.”
“Hey, gorgeous,” he responded. He leaned down and kissed her. “Why do I feel you’ve been stressing?”
“I forgot something, but it’s all good. Alivia went and got it for me.”
“Good. Now you can focus on winning.”
“You have so much faith in me,” she replied.
“I do, but that doesn’t mean I’m not speaking the truth. Are you excited?”
“I am. I always get a little nervous before. A bit of competition jitters, but I’ll be fine once I get started.”
“This crowd is bigger than the last one you were at, but that just means more eyes on what your salon is capable of,” Alivia said.
The two stayed with her until a person working the event came in and gave a ten-minute warning.
“You’ll do great,” Slate said before kissing her. “Good luck, ladies,” he directed to the other three, then headed to the door.
