Page 30 of Sweet Christmas Wish
Back on the sofa, she pulled up the internet and began searching for different hair dye options, researching the pros and cons of different at-home brands. She had barely begun her search when she heard a knocking coming from her front door. At the same moment, a text appeared on her phone.
LACY:Get down here and open up!
Laughing a little, she got up and hurried down the staircase that led to the front door, still holding her phone. When she pulled the front door open, Lacy, all pink-cheeked from the cold, was grinning at her and bouncing on the balls of her feet to stay warm.
“I was just dropping by for a visit,” she said, her eyes bright. “It’s been way too long since we’ve had a good chat.”
“Come on in! I made popcorn and it’s to die for.”
“Knowing you, it could literally be to die for,” Lacy teased. “I’m going to take a wild guess and say you drowned those poor kernels in butter.”
“Guilty as charged and not ashamed,” Sarah replied, sticking her nose in the air, which made Lacy laugh.
Lacy was about to say something else when she caught sight of what was on Sarah’s phone screen. “Whoa, are you thinking about dying your hair?”
Sarah could feel herself flushing a little, so she turned and led the way up the stairs to her apartment, shrugging. “I was just thinking it might be time for a color change.”
“Let me see,” Lacy demanded, tugging the phone out of Sarah’s hand once they got to the top of the stairs. She zoomed in on the pictures, studying them. When she looked back up at Sarah, her eyes were suspicious. “Jet black is a pretty drastic change from blonde… what’s really going on, Sarah?”
Sarah grabbed the phone back. “Nothing,” she replied, her tone a little defensive. “Just thinking about a change, that’s all.”
Lacy folded her arms, cocking her head to the side and raising one eyebrow. She stared at Sarah, letting the uncomfortable silence stretch out until Sarah couldn’t stand it anymore.
“Okay, fine! You got me!” Sarah blurted and then groaned. “I was thinking about dying my hair because it looks like Will’s past girlfriends all had dark hair. I snooped on his brother’s Facebook and found pictures of Will with different women over the years. I think he might have a type, and I don’t think it includes blondes.”
“Okay, first of all, that’s a pretty big assumption you’re making,” Lacy pointed out.
“Well, I know, but it’s not like I can come right out and be like, ‘So, I was Facebook stalking you through your brother’s profile and I just happened to see that you seem to like dark-haired women. Would you like me better if I dyed my hair dark?’”
“If a guy can’t like you because of your hair color, he’s not worth having.”
“Will is definitely worth having. He’s any woman’s dream.”
“Not mine.”
Sarah rolled her eyes at that. “Well, yeah, because you’re with Derek. How are things going with you two, by the way?”
Lacy shook her finger at Sarah. “Nice try. We’ll talk about me and Derek later. Right now, it’s all about you and your Will obsession.”
“I’m going to need more popcorn if we’re going to have this discussion.”
Once the two women were settled on the sofa, popcorn in hand, Lacy brought up Sarah’s hair-dying scheme again. Like a dog with a bone, she refused to let the subject drop, and Sarah knew there was no point in trying to get her to let it go.
“Well, what does Michelle think about you having feelings for Will? I mean, they dated all through high school, right?”
Sarah couldn’t maintain eye contact with Lacy then. She studied her fingernails, a detached part of her brain realizing she desperately needed to get a fresh manicure. The gel paint was chipping pretty badly.
“Sarah?”
“I haven’t told her yet,” Sarah finally murmured.
“You haven’ttoldher?” Lacy’s voice was almost a shriek. “Sarah!”
“I know,” Sarah groaned.
“You really have to tell her. This isn’t something you can just do behind her back.”
Sarah waved that away. “I’ll tell her, I’ll tell her. It just… hasn’t come up yet.”
