Page 66 of The Situation
My heart leaps in my chest as I stop pushing. “Yeah?”
“You could’ve left me half of the pie.”
I snort, shaking my head, and walk out.
ChapterFourteen
Aurora
Me: Tell me you’re off tonight.
Jamie’s answer is immediate.
Jamie: I should be done around six. Need to clean the salon, though. It’s been a week already, and it’s only Monday.
Me: I’ll come by and help.
Jamie: Bring wine.
Me: Try whiskey.
Jamie:
Me: It’s been that kind of day.
Jamie:
ChapterFifteen
Aurora
“Hey,” I say, entering the salon from the back. The familiar smells and sounds from the old building help recenter me from the day’s chaos. No matter where I work or how much I love working elsewhere, The Luxe will always be home. “Where are you, Jamie?”
I peek into her office. The light is on, but the room is empty.
“I’m in the front,” she calls back.
“Today has been a day, and I meana day,” I say, traipsing through the building with a wine bottle swinging in my hand. “Wait until you hear this. It’s going to blow your mind.”
“If you could give me just a few minutes before you blow my mind, that would be great,” she says. “Unless, of course, you don’t mind Curtis hearing your story.”
I round the corner and wince. A man sits in her chair with a cape covering his chest. He’s probably a little older than us, but handsome in a slightly distinguished way.
“Sorry,” I say, giving him a little wave. “I didn’t realize Jamie still had a client.”
“It’s no problem at all.” He nods toward the bottle at my side. “What kind of wine is that, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“Cheap and red.”
“She was supposed to bring whiskey,” Jamie says, dusting his neck. “I’m not sure how to read the fact that she opted for wine instead.”
I plop down in the chair my clients sit in when I’m working. “It’s simple. I have to drive home and work tomorrow. As much as this day warrants whiskey, wine is the more responsible option.”
“If you ever want pointers on vino, I’d be happy to share my knowledge with you,” Curtis says. “I’m somewhat of a wine connoisseur.”
Something about how he says it makes me want to laugh—not with him, but at him.Who calls themselves a wine connoisseur? And unless you’re Italian—which I’d bet he’s not, who says vino?
“We’re more like amateurs instead of experts when it comes to wine,” Jamie says. “As long as it does its job, we’re happy.”
