Page 82 of New Day at the Beach House

Her mom frowned. “You’re not getting serious with this man already, are you?”

“I don’t mean like that. I mean about what’s going to happen when I go back on tour, because that might be happening pretty soon. Depending how this song goes over.” Jules sighed and leaned back. “I don’t want my going on tour to mean the end of us, but you know how hard long-distance is. Especially that kind of long-distance.”

Her mother’s eyes narrowed, but there was compassion in them. “You really like him, don’t you?”

“I do.”

“Then ask him to go with you.”

Jules’s mouth came open. She hadn’t been expecting that at all. “There’s no way. I mean, he’s got the club to look after. And Shiloh.”

“You take Toby on the bus. What’s one more dog? Unless they don’t get along.”

“No, they do. But what about the Dolphin Club?”

“Jules, if there’s one thing I know about men is that they can make the impossible happen when it’s something they really want to do.”

“Sure, but this is his livelihood we’re talking about.”

“I understand that. But there’s nothing that says he has to accompany you on the entire tour. But maybe for a few weeks of it, here and there.”

Jules thought about that. It would be amazing to have him along. He was so good at making things happen and getting stuff done. A person like that on tour with her would be invaluable. And he’d just mentioned hiring someone to take over his job to spend more time with her.

Could that person be up to speed by the time she had to leave? Would Jesse have enough confidence in that person to really let them handle things? She had no idea, but it was certainly interesting.

“It’s worth thinking about, isn’t it?” her mother asked.

Jules nodded slowly. “It is. Enough so that I’m already trying to figure it out.”

Trina woke up feeling like she’d used muscles she didn’t know she had. Which was pretty much exactly what had happened. Trying to stay on the surfboard, all of that paddling, and jumping up, combined with the beating she’d gotten from the waves had apparently taken its toll. Miles had warned her she’d be sore from surfing, though, and she was prepared with Advil and plenty of water.

In fact, she’d left them on her nightstand. Now, as daylight peeked through the blinds, she reached over for the pain relievers and the bottle of water. She took two Advil with a big gulp of water, then laid back down and closed her eyes.

Nothing wrong with giving the painkillers a little time to kick in.

She pulled the covers over her head to block the light and thought about last night and how nice it had been to walk hand in hand with Miles on the beach. They’d walked for a while, then gone back to his house for a snack of ice cream bars. They’d sat on the couch together, eating their ice cream and snuggling close as they watched a movie.

When she’d gotten tired, he’d bought her home. It had been late. So late her mom and grandmother had already been in bed, but she knew she’d see them this morning, so she’d been super quiet as she’d gone to bed herself.

She sighed into the covers. She should get up and moving. Today was going to be busy, but she was happy enough to ignore what lay before her for a little while longer. Although coffee sounded pretty tempting, too.

She’d be in the salon today, setting up some things in the employee breakroom and waiting on the arrival of the sign people, who were coming to measure, as well as doing some cleaning and whatever else she could accomplish.

The more that could be done, the quicker the salon could open. Of course, she still needed to hire stylists. Her goal was to open with at least three, herself included. Four would be better, but realistically, she understood that unless those stylists brought clients with them, the shop wouldn’t have enough customers initially.

She’d also like to have at least one dedicated shampoo person, as well as two receptionists. Eventually, she might even hire someone to do makeup.

As for her mom, Trina wanted her as an assistant salon manager. Trina’s second set of eyes and ears. Making sure everyone was being taken care of, that customers were happy, that stylists had the supplies they needed, and that the shop wasn’t running out of anything.

Basically, helping Trina run things enough that Trina could still concentrate on her first love, which was doing hair and making people feel good about themselves.

She also didn’t want her mom working full time. Part-time was more than enough. And if they got busier, which was obviously what Trina hoped would happen, she’d just hire more people. Another receptionist. Maybe a part-time cleaner to keep up with sweeping the floors, washing tools and towels, and making sure the rest of the salon was in good shape.

With a soft grunt, Trina tossed the covers back. She really couldn’t stay in bed. There was too much to do and she needed coffee so she could sit down and make a list of what she hoped to accomplish today.

She got up and went out to the living room in her shorty pajamas, doing her best to keep quiet while also ignoring her aching muscles. She got a pot of coffee going, then went back to her room for her salon binder, her notebook, a pen, her laptop, and her phone.

Hands full, she went out on the back deck and took a seat on the couch. Might as well enjoy the fresh air before she ended up inside again. She put everything on the table, then checked her phone and found a message from Miles.

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