her.
“Nonsense. Wide eyes are sexy, sugar. Now hold ’em open.”
After five unsuccessful attempts, Lucky finally managed not to blink. The mascara went on, then a light dusting of powder and blush. Earline finished with a little lipstick, then stood back to survey her work.
“Ready, sugar?”
For all Lucky’s excitement, she couldn’t squash the sudden apprehension. She’d never been in a full-service beauty salon before. Most of her haircuts had been at Jake’s Barbershop back in Chicago. No spray spritz or blow-dryers. And forget the makeup. Of course, that alone probably accounted for her nonexistent love life.
The chair swung around and Lucky found herself staring at a complete stranger. Soft layers of short brown hair framed the stranger’s face. Mascara accented obscenely long eyelashes and gave deep cocoa brown eyes an exotic look.
Exotic . The word echoed through her head and Lucky reached up, her fingers trailing over the soft curls accenting her cheekbones. Her cheekbones. Not some stranger’s. This was really her face. Her hair. Her exotic eyes.
“You like it, sugar?”
“Yes,” she whispered, her throat closing around the word. “You’re a genius, Earline.”
“I wouldn’t go that far. Oh, hell, maybe I would.” The bell on the front door tinkled. “But now comes the real test.”
Lucky turned to see Tyler walk through the door. He stopped dead in his tracks, an unreadable expression on his face.
“Well?” she asked. She sat up straighter, her chest pushing up and out a fraction, as if he would notice. But a girl had to try. “What do you think, um, er...Mr. Grant?”
Her words seemed to penetrate his frozen exterior. He blinked and a serious expression passed over his features. He glanced at his watch. “I think we’d better hurry. We’ve got forty-five minutes and you still have to meet Bennie.”
While Lucky stifled her disappointment and climbed from the chair, Tyler paid the bill. He gave Earline a sizable tip and Doris a smile that would have melted every snowflake during Chicago’s worst blizzard.
Not that it bothered Lucky. She knew Tyler Grant was one of those men, the experienced kind who flirted with every woman, otherwise he would never have turned all that charm on her.
Experienced. Exactly the sort of man to teach her a thing or two. She focused on that possibility and ignored the strange tightening in her stomach. Experienced was good. Just what she wanted. She only wished he wasn’t beefing up his résumé right in front of her.
“HERE’S YOUR MONEY.” Tyler handed her an envelope once they’d climbed into Jed’s battered Ford pickup that had a giant R emblazoned on the side. He keyed the ignition. The engine grumbled and knocked and he cursed.
“I told Jed to replace the battery in this thing.”
“If it was the battery, it would be more like a grinding noise.” She demonstrated. “See? That’s nothing like the knocking. It’s probably just being a little temperamental. These ’79 Fords sometimes do that.” When he raised questioning eyebrows to her, she rushed on, “I’m sort of into cars and trucks—anything on four wheels. Trust me on this. Count to five, give it just a little gas and turn the key nice and slow.”
He did as she said. The engine purred to life and Lucky shrugged. “What can I say? It’s a gift.”
“Thanks.” He pulled out onto the main strip through town.
“Thank you.” She counted the bills, then shot a glance in the side mirror at her reflection. “So what do you think?”
“You look...different.”
“Different?” She stared into the side mirror again. “Different in a bad way, or different in a good way?”
“Different in an...appropriate way.”
“Oh,” Lucky murmured, stifling another pang of disappointment
Appropriate. It wasn’t a “Gee, Lucky, you’re drop-dead gorgeous,” but it would have to do. At least he hadn’t said in appropriate.
One thousand dollars, she told herself
“Nonsense. Wide eyes are sexy, sugar. Now hold ’em open.”
After five unsuccessful attempts, Lucky finally managed not to blink. The mascara went on, then a light dusting of powder and blush. Earline finished with a little lipstick, then stood back to survey her work.
“Ready, sugar?”
For all Lucky’s excitement, she couldn’t squash the sudden apprehension. She’d never been in a full-service beauty salon before. Most of her haircuts had been at Jake’s Barbershop back in Chicago. No spray spritz or blow-dryers. And forget the makeup. Of course, that alone probably accounted for her nonexistent love life.
The chair swung around and Lucky found herself staring at a complete stranger. Soft layers of short brown hair framed the stranger’s face. Mascara accented obscenely long eyelashes and gave deep cocoa brown eyes an exotic look.
Exotic . The word echoed through her head and Lucky reached up, her fingers trailing over the soft curls accenting her cheekbones. Her cheekbones. Not some stranger’s. This was really her face. Her hair. Her exotic eyes.
“You like it, sugar?”
“Yes,” she whispered, her throat closing around the word. “You’re a genius, Earline.”
“I wouldn’t go that far. Oh, hell, maybe I would.” The bell on the front door tinkled. “But now comes the real test.”
Lucky turned to see Tyler walk through the door. He stopped dead in his tracks, an unreadable expression on his face.
“Well?” she asked. She sat up straighter, her chest pushing up and out a fraction, as if he would notice. But a girl had to try. “What do you think, um, er...Mr. Grant?”
Her words seemed to penetrate his frozen exterior. He blinked and a serious expression passed over his features. He glanced at his watch. “I think we’d better hurry. We’ve got forty-five minutes and you still have to meet Bennie.”
While Lucky stifled her disappointment and climbed from the chair, Tyler paid the bill. He gave Earline a sizable tip and Doris a smile that would have melted every snowflake during Chicago’s worst blizzard.
Not that it bothered Lucky. She knew Tyler Grant was one of those men, the experienced kind who flirted with every woman, otherwise he would never have turned all that charm on her.
Experienced. Exactly the sort of man to teach her a thing or two. She focused on that possibility and ignored the strange tightening in her stomach. Experienced was good. Just what she wanted. She only wished he wasn’t beefing up his résumé right in front of her.
“HERE’S YOUR MONEY.” Tyler handed her an envelope once they’d climbed into Jed’s battered Ford pickup that had a giant R emblazoned on the side. He keyed the ignition. The engine grumbled and knocked and he cursed.
“I told Jed to replace the battery in this thing.”
“If it was the battery, it would be more like a grinding noise.” She demonstrated. “See? That’s nothing like the knocking. It’s probably just being a little temperamental. These ’79 Fords sometimes do that.” When he raised questioning eyebrows to her, she rushed on, “I’m sort of into cars and trucks—anything on four wheels. Trust me on this. Count to five, give it just a little gas and turn the key nice and slow.”
He did as she said. The engine purred to life and Lucky shrugged. “What can I say? It’s a gift.”
“Thanks.” He pulled out onto the main strip through town.
“Thank you.” She counted the bills, then shot a glance in the side mirror at her reflection. “So what do you think?”
“You look...different.”
“Different?” She stared into the side mirror again. “Different in a bad way, or different in a good way?”
“Different in an...appropriate way.”
“Oh,” Lucky murmured, stifling another pang of disappointment
Appropriate. It wasn’t a “Gee, Lucky, you’re drop-dead gorgeous,” but it would have to do. At least he hadn’t said in appropriate.
One thousand dollars, she told herself
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