Page 37 of Cougar

“Who?”

She rolls her lips between her teeth as if she’s keeping it a secret, then says, “Diana Cooper.”

My eyes nearly pop out of my skull. Diana Cooper is my favorite actress of all time. I actually met her once, years ago, at the Grammys. I practically fangirled all over her. Marcus thought it was hilarious, but I was mortified. “No shit?”

“Shit!” Willow parrots, and Aiden laughs.

Max shakes his head at me and I mouth, “Sorry.”

My mother moves to stand at the edge of the pool. “Baby girl, we’re gonna go to the Beach Club for dinner. You wanna come?”

Jay yawns. “No thanks, Mimi, I’m tired. You guys go. Willow and I will stay here and watch movies.”

“You’re sure?” Max asks.

Jay smiles at Willow. “Of course I’m sure.” She presses a kiss to Willow’s head. “You wanna hang out with me?”

Willow nods happily, and I smile at their little exchange. I think Jay is going to be happy here.

Emerson

Lisa’s Salon and Spa is located in a small plaza called The Square, which was the first shopping plaza to be built on the island of Heritage Bay. You’d never know it, though, because the row of buildings has definitely had a facelift in the past couple of years.

“Emerson!” Lisa rounds the reception desk and throws her arms around me. “I’m so glad you’re back. We have so much catching up to do.”

Lisa and I cheered together for Heritage Academy. Halfway through our senior year, Lisa dropped out because she’d gotten pregnant by her boyfriend, Felix, who was on the football team. Felix finished his senior year, and right after graduation, he left for Army boot camp. Three years later, Felix was killed overseas. I’d heard the news from my mother, who happened to run into Lisa’s mother. They exchanged numbers and since then, Lisa and I have stayed in touch.

“Definitely,” I agree before turning to Jay. “Jayla, this is Lisa. She and I went to high school together. Lisa, this is my daughter, Jayla.”

Lisa takes Jay by the hands and holds them out to get a good look at her. “She’s beautiful, Emerson,” she says as she pulls Jay in for a hug.

“And who are these gorgeous ladies?” a male voice singsongs.

We all turn our heads at once toward the voice as a young, handsome Latino man likely in his midtwenties saunters up beside us. He’s perfectly put together, from his trendy hairstyle down to his Prada loafers.

“Xavier, this is Emerson, an old friend from high school, and her daughter, Jayla.”

Xavier smiles as he gestures to Jay and me. “So, which one of these beauties do I get to play with today?” He shoots a playful wink at Lisa.

Lisa smiles and turns to me. “Xavier is my second-in-command,” she tells us, then directs her attention to Jay. “Jayla, from now on, Xavier will be taking care of you. Whenever you come in here, you only see him.”

Jay nods and smiles at him. “Got it.”

Xavier leads Jay toward the back of the salon, and they disappear into a private room behind a frosted glass door. Lisa leads me into the room next to it.

“This is nice,” I say, scanning the room that looks like a mini-salon. There’s a single station for hair, nails, and two pedicure chairs.

“We reserve the private rooms for special customers.” She winks.

“You mean so no one can hear the gossip,” I quip.

“Exactly.” She laughs. “How does it feel to be back?”

“Strange. Everything looks different.”

“Yeah, I felt the same way when I moved back, and a lot has changed since then.”

“How’s Junior doing?” Lisa’s son is named after his father, but Lisa calls him Junior.

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