“There sure is a lot to pick from.”
“I’ll say,” Grace agreed, scratching her head. She looked at Skye. “What do you recommend?”
“Well, it depends on what you’d like to get out of your session. Some of our clients come to relax. Others come to have makeup applied, or to get a haircut.”
One of the spa employees, a young woman with short, spiky hair, appeared from behind the stone wall with a flat stone-colored tray. There were four handleless cups and a plate of flat orange discs.
“Please refresh yourselves with some herbal tea and dried mango,” Skye invited them.
“Dried mango?” Grace asked, looking hesitant.
“Thank you.” Alyssa took a cup of tea and a piece of mango. She bit into the mango. “Oh, this is great,” she enthused.
Jenna and Grace picked up teacups and pieces of mango. Natalie took the last teacup. She glanced up at the clock. Because they were late, they were already almost fifteen minutes into their three-hour booking. She started to feel nervous.
“You guys, you need to decide what you’re going to have done,” she said.
“Okay, okay,” Grace said, drinking down her tea.
“What I would recommend for you is a nice spa manicure and a pedicure,” Skye told Grace. “And perhaps a hot oil treatment for your hair.”
“My hair?” Grace frowned and touched her crazy mass of curls. “Is there something wrong with it?”
“No, of course not,” Skye said easily. “It’s beautiful. The hot oil treatment is simply to pamper it.”
“Oh.” Grace exhaled, looking a little happier. “Okay, that sounds fun.”
Jenna said, “I’d like to get a French manicure and pedicure. I’d like to get flowers painted on my nails, too.”
“Fingers and toes? We can do that. We can use little jewels for the centers of the flowers,” Skye told her.
“Cool!” Jenna cried.
“Can I get my hair cut?” Alyssa asked.
“Ah, a brave one,” Skye said approvingly. She cocked her head and studied Alyssa, as if seeing her in a brand-new look.
“Brave? A haircut is nothing for this wild child,” Jenna scoffed. “You should have seen what she did to her hair last summer.”
Everyone giggled at the memory of Alyssa’s dye job—instead of the cool red tint she had been aiming for, she had wound up looking like Ronald McDonald. But Alyssa had figured out a way to make that fashion disaster seem cool.
“Well, I’d like a haircut and some acrylic nails,” Alyssa said decisively. “And I want the nails to be dark, dark purple.”
“Whoa.” Grace, Jenna, and Natalie stared at her.
“You do realize,” Skye said, “that if you get acrylic nails you’ll have to maintain them once you get home?”
Alyssa nodded. “Or take them off, right? With acetone?”
At the stares the others were giving her, Alyssa said, “What? Nat and Marissa spent all summer reading fashion magazines. I did listen.”
Skye lifted Alyssa’s hand and examined her nails. She said, “We could easily paint your own nails dark purple. Perhaps instead of the acrylics, we could add some temporary purple highlights to your hair.”
“Purple highlights . . . hmm,” Alyssa considered. “Let me think.”
Think quickly, Lyss! Natalie glanced again at the clock. Now they were almost twenty minutes into their three hours. She tried to signal to Alyssa that she had to make up her mind. But Alyssa was glancing down at the pages of the spa booklet.
“Let’s see . . .” Alyssa said.
“Alyssa,” Natalie blurted. “Please hurry.”
Alyssa glanced at her. “Oh, sorry.” She shut the booklet. Her cheeks were pink. “Whatever.”
“The haircut, the highlights, and a manicure with purple polish?” Skye asked her.
“Sure.” Alyssa smiled, but she didn’t look totally okay with the plan.
“You should get what you want,” Natalie said, feeling bad for rushing her best friend.
“It’s cool. I’ll love it,” Alyssa told her.
“Okay. Natalie, you’re the last one to pick,” Skye
“I’ll say,” Grace agreed, scratching her head. She looked at Skye. “What do you recommend?”
“Well, it depends on what you’d like to get out of your session. Some of our clients come to relax. Others come to have makeup applied, or to get a haircut.”
One of the spa employees, a young woman with short, spiky hair, appeared from behind the stone wall with a flat stone-colored tray. There were four handleless cups and a plate of flat orange discs.
“Please refresh yourselves with some herbal tea and dried mango,” Skye invited them.
“Dried mango?” Grace asked, looking hesitant.
“Thank you.” Alyssa took a cup of tea and a piece of mango. She bit into the mango. “Oh, this is great,” she enthused.
Jenna and Grace picked up teacups and pieces of mango. Natalie took the last teacup. She glanced up at the clock. Because they were late, they were already almost fifteen minutes into their three-hour booking. She started to feel nervous.
“You guys, you need to decide what you’re going to have done,” she said.
“Okay, okay,” Grace said, drinking down her tea.
“What I would recommend for you is a nice spa manicure and a pedicure,” Skye told Grace. “And perhaps a hot oil treatment for your hair.”
“My hair?” Grace frowned and touched her crazy mass of curls. “Is there something wrong with it?”
“No, of course not,” Skye said easily. “It’s beautiful. The hot oil treatment is simply to pamper it.”
“Oh.” Grace exhaled, looking a little happier. “Okay, that sounds fun.”
Jenna said, “I’d like to get a French manicure and pedicure. I’d like to get flowers painted on my nails, too.”
“Fingers and toes? We can do that. We can use little jewels for the centers of the flowers,” Skye told her.
“Cool!” Jenna cried.
“Can I get my hair cut?” Alyssa asked.
“Ah, a brave one,” Skye said approvingly. She cocked her head and studied Alyssa, as if seeing her in a brand-new look.
“Brave? A haircut is nothing for this wild child,” Jenna scoffed. “You should have seen what she did to her hair last summer.”
Everyone giggled at the memory of Alyssa’s dye job—instead of the cool red tint she had been aiming for, she had wound up looking like Ronald McDonald. But Alyssa had figured out a way to make that fashion disaster seem cool.
“Well, I’d like a haircut and some acrylic nails,” Alyssa said decisively. “And I want the nails to be dark, dark purple.”
“Whoa.” Grace, Jenna, and Natalie stared at her.
“You do realize,” Skye said, “that if you get acrylic nails you’ll have to maintain them once you get home?”
Alyssa nodded. “Or take them off, right? With acetone?”
At the stares the others were giving her, Alyssa said, “What? Nat and Marissa spent all summer reading fashion magazines. I did listen.”
Skye lifted Alyssa’s hand and examined her nails. She said, “We could easily paint your own nails dark purple. Perhaps instead of the acrylics, we could add some temporary purple highlights to your hair.”
“Purple highlights . . . hmm,” Alyssa considered. “Let me think.”
Think quickly, Lyss! Natalie glanced again at the clock. Now they were almost twenty minutes into their three hours. She tried to signal to Alyssa that she had to make up her mind. But Alyssa was glancing down at the pages of the spa booklet.
“Let’s see . . .” Alyssa said.
“Alyssa,” Natalie blurted. “Please hurry.”
Alyssa glanced at her. “Oh, sorry.” She shut the booklet. Her cheeks were pink. “Whatever.”
“The haircut, the highlights, and a manicure with purple polish?” Skye asked her.
“Sure.” Alyssa smiled, but she didn’t look totally okay with the plan.
“You should get what you want,” Natalie said, feeling bad for rushing her best friend.
“It’s cool. I’ll love it,” Alyssa told her.
“Okay. Natalie, you’re the last one to pick,” Skye
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