Love Gently Falling (7 page)

Donna's left eyebrow went up. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Rita nodded. “The chairs are in fabulous shape, Mom. I sat in them and they're comfortable, too. I think we should put them back into Hair and Now. I think we should bring Hair and Now back to its former splendor. I was looking at the old photos in the back room. It was such a cool place, Mom. I never really saw it as a kid. At least not that I remember. But it would be a great-looking salon. Very uptown.” She paused. “Am I talking too fast?”

“Nooo…”

“Do you like this idea, Mom?”

“Yeah…”

“Will you let me go ahead with it?”

Now Donna looked perplexed.

“Are you worried about money?”

“Yeah…”

“I have a little money to spare. I've been really good at saving. I want to invest some of it in your salon. I think it's a worthwhile investment.”

Donna's left eyebrow arched again. “Yeah…?”

“Yeah.” Rita nodded eagerly. “Please, let me do this, Mom. I've never been so excited about a project before. I think it'll be fun and exciting. Is it okay?”

Donna just looked at Rita now, as if trying to decide. “Yeah…” she finally said. “Gooo…”

Rita bent down to kiss her mom's cheek. “Great. You won't be sorry. And don't worry about a thing. I've already started putting together a plan.”

Donna looked like she wanted to say something more. Probably to give some advice or some warning or ask a question. But finally she just let out a deep breath and gave Rita her funny little half smile.

Rita went to the salon again on Saturday morning. It was slightly busier than the previous day, but that wasn't saying much. And it was never so busy that anyone asked her to take an appointment. But that was fine with her. She spent most of the morning just measuring things, making notes, and doing research on the Internet. Then about an hour before she was supposed to meet Marley for lunch, she went down to Cabot's Upholstery Shop at the far end of the mall. Using her phone to show the proprietor the boxy-shaped waiting room chairs, she asked him how much it would cost to have them recovered.

“Depends on what you want them covered with.” Mr. Cabot adjusted his glasses to peer more closely at the photos. “These chairs look pretty straightforward. How many are there?”

“Five. Not that we usually need them, but you never know.” She quickly explained the Hair and Now situation, including her financial and timeline limitations.

“I heard about Donna's stroke.” He shook his head. “Such a sweet woman. Too bad about that.”

“I want her to be completely wowed by this makeover.” Now she told him about the lime green chairs she planned to recycle. “So I want something that goes with that. It could be a solid in a similar shade, or maybe even a print.” He excused himself to get some samples then returned with an interesting book of retro prints, including several with lime green. “I really love this one.” She pointed to a bold green and white print that was reasonably priced.

He nodded, removing the piece from the ring so Rita could take it with her to help her make other decorating choices. “You need these when?”

“As soon as you can get them done.”

He scratched his chin with a thoughtful expression. “Lucky for you it's a slow time of year. By the time the fabric gets here—you say five chairs?”

“That's right. But I'd settle for three.”

“I could maybe get all five done by mid February.”

She frowned.

“That's all five though. You could have the others as soon as they're finished. Maybe two or three in ten days.”

She brightened and they shook on it. Mr. Cabot promised that someone would be down to pick them up in a few days. “Not all at once,” he said as he wrote something down. “That way your folks will have something to sit on.”

“Yes. That's a good idea.”

With that settled, she went out to meet Marley for lunch at Noah's Ark.

“This is so fun,” she told Marley as they settled into a booth. “Just like old times.”

“I'm so glad we've buried the hatchet.” Marley smiled.

“We should've done it a long time ago.”

“Yeah, but we've both been busy with jobs…and life.” Marley's eyes lit up. “Which reminds me, I forgot to ask you about your love life yesterday. I can't believe you're still single. What's up with that?”

Rita gave her a condensed report, explaining how her career took a lot of her time during the first few years and finally confessing how her skill at picking guys was challenged at best. “At first I thought it was the general shallowness of living in Beverly Hills, but the truth is I just consistently attract the wrong guys.”

“You and me both.”

“So…how are things with you and Rex?”

“Didn't Johnny tell you?”

“What?”

“We're separated. Just this fall.”

“Oh…I'm sorry.”

“I'm not.” Marley's mouth puckered in a frown. “Okay, maybe that's not true. I mean, no one likes to fail at something. Especially a marriage. But the truth is I was holding on to our marriage these last few years out of nothing more than pure stubbornness. So many people predicted we'd never make it five years, let alone ten…I just wanted to prove them wrong.”

“So it's been hard?”

“
Hard?
It's been sick and twisted and dysfunctional and painful…yeah, you could say it's been hard.”

“I'm so sorry.”

And now Marley unloaded her whole sad story on Rita, telling how Rex had started cheating shortly after their wedding. “For all I know he was cheating before that, too. I don't think he knows how not to cheat. It's like he's got
WOMANIZER
stamped onto his forehead, but only a certain kind of woman can read it. You know?”

“That's got to hurt.”

“Yeah. I mean, I didn't really know about his affairs for the first few years. Looking back, I think I knew on some levels. A lot of little things felt off…and I often suspected something was wrong. You know what they say about twenty-twenty hindsight. But just the same, I was in total denial.”

“That's not so unusual.”

“When my parents helped me get my shop started—that was about four years ago—I got so caught up in setting everything up, getting inventory, and making it work that I sort of forgot about Rex.” She made a pathetic laugh. “And, no doubt, he'd already forgotten about me.” She leaned forward peering into Rita's eyes. “But you know what really sucks now?”

“What?”

“Rex doesn't want to divorce.”

“You gotta be kidding.”

“Nope. He swears he still loves me. But I know that's not true. You don't treat people you love the way he's treated me.”

“Then why does he want to stay married?”

“I think he knows a good thing when he sees it. Secondhand Rose is making profits. I'm becoming independent for the first time in my life. His job doesn't pay that well…why not hang on to me, let me pay the bills, take care of everything at home, and he can keep running around with all his girlfriends? Nice, huh?”

Rita groaned. “That does suck.”

“So…it'll be an interesting ride this year.” She held up her hands. “But already I feel better. I like being free.”

“Yeah…freedom is good.” Yet even as she said this, Rita wasn't so sure she still believed it. Sometimes she really longed for a good man to love, a loyal man who would love her enough to partner with her for life. Kind of like how her parents had done. But for some reason it had escaped her.

Marley slowly shook her head. “Man, Rita, what was I thinking? Getting married when I was only twenty? I must've been certifiably crazy.” She made a sheepish grin. “Oh, yeah, you tried to tell me that, didn't you?”

“Not in a very helpful way, unfortunately.”

“That wasn't your fault. I wouldn't listen to anyone back then. Not even my best friend. I was so over the moon that Rex Prescott wanted me—little old me. And then I was head over heels about having the perfect wedding. It was like my fairy tale coming true. I thought for sure we would live happily ever after. What a fool.”

“You know what they say…love is blind.”

“So, seriously, you haven't fallen in love yet?”

“Not seriously. I mean, sure, I've put my heart out there a few times…been hurt a few times. But I wouldn't call it real love. Usually it's just because I trust a guy who turns out to be a jerk.”

“And there's no one you're interested in right now? No one you'd like to get to know better? To date perhaps?”

Rita felt her cheeks grow warm as a certain unexpected name flashed through her mind—a certain
Jolly Janitor's
name. But there was no way she was going to say that name out loud. Not because Johnny was a janitor, she told herself, but simply because she knew it was ridiculous to get involved with someone in Chicago when she lived in Beverly Hills.

“Aha,” Marley said triumphantly. “There
is
someone.”

To distract her old friend, who used to see right through her, Rita told Marley a little about Dr. Wright.

“A doctor…hmm…that wouldn't be too bad.”

“But I'm really not interested in him. Mostly I find it amusing.”

“Amusing is a good place to start. Especially with a doctor.”

“Yeah, I was teasing Mom the other day, saying she didn't have to have a stroke just for me to meet a doctor. I mean, really, that's taking it a little too far.” They both laughed, making good-natured jokes about moms picking out future spouses.

And then, finally, after they'd talked for more than two hours, Marley announced she had to end the reunion and get back to the shop. “The girls will need a break by now. And I don't like having just one girl in the shop by herself.”

They hugged and promised to stay in close touch, then parted ways. As Rita went back down to Hair and Now, she was already back to mentally planning the big changes she had in mind for the salon's renovation. She knew she'd need to go about the whole thing very carefully. She would keep their doors open as long as she possibly could because she knew the hairdressers' needed their income just as much as her mom did. But she also knew that she needed to move fast if she was going to accomplish this monumental task in less than two weeks—and that was her goal. Whether it was possible or practical or sensible remained to be seen. But, for the sake of her mom and her family, she was determined to give it her best shot.

Rita wasn't surprised
that the appointment book was blank after five o'clock for Saturday night. And she could tell that the hairdressers weren't too disappointed to go home early.

“Although we've been known to have a walk-in on a Saturday night occasionally,” Charlene said as she buttoned her coat. “Some desperate young woman with a big date who can't get into Zinnia's.”

“Well, I'll be here,” Rita assured her. “Even if I'm in the back room, I'll hear the buzzer. Don't worry, I can handle it.”

“And you know that Donna quit being open on Sundays a few years ago.”

Rita nodded. “Right. But I might come over here and try to get some things done tomorrow anyway. I don't have much time to pull this thing off.”

“So, I'll see you on Monday morning.”

Rita locked the back door and continued her sorting and moving program, which was quickly filling the back room with a lot of junk. Her plan was to thin that horrible storage room down so that it could become a usable space for her upcoming renovation project. She would borrow her dad's pickup on Monday to take boxes of throwaway and giveaway stuff out of here. Then she would continue cleaning and oiling the lime green chairs and store them in the cleaned-out space.

She was just stacking another cardboard box by the back door when she heard the buzzer ring. Was it possible she had a customer? When it was almost closing time? She frowned at her dirty hands and messy clothes. A client was a client. The least she could do was to get the woman comfortable then come back here and quickly clean herself up.

“Hello?” she called out as she hurried into the salon.

But instead of a woman, it was a man. Johnny Hollister was walking through the salon like he owned the place. Of course, she remembered, he cleaned the salon…it would only be natural he'd feel comfortable in here.

“Sorry to intrude,” he said as they met in the middle.

“That's okay.” She put her hands behind her back. “Isn't it a little early to clean? It's not quite closing time yet.” Now she noticed that he was dressed in neat tan cords and a dark brown zippered sweater. “But you don't look like you're here to clean.”

“No. I'm not working right now.”

She studied his curly brown hair. “A haircut then?”

He grinned. “Think I need one?”

She frowned. “Not exactly…I mean, it looks fine at that length. Natural wave is great camouflage for an overdue haircut.” She tipped her head slightly. “Although I suppose it could be cleaned up some around the sides and the back…if you liked.”

He reached up and mussed it a little. “I don't know. I sort of like it a little long in winter. Keeps me warmer. To be honest, that's not why I'm here.”

“Then why are you here?”

“To see how you're getting on.”

“Oh.” She nodded slowly. “I'm getting on just fine. Thanks.” She moved to the nearby sink, where she quickly washed her hands.

“Ricky told me about what you're doing.”

“He did?” She turned back around, drying her hands as she studied him again. Really, he was awfully nice looking…and well mannered too. A girl could do worse. “What did Ricky say?”

“That you're trying to help Donna by giving this place a makeover.”

“Oh…well, that's true.”

“Sounds like a big undertaking. I thought maybe you could use a hand with something.”

“Seriously?” She blinked. “You came here to help me?”

“Why not?”

She pointed to his tidy clothes. “For one thing, you're dressed too nice.” She tipped her head toward the back room. “I've got a serious mess going on back there.” She told him about cleaning out the back room. “Decades' worth of garbage and crud and spiderwebs and dust. I even found a couple of skeletons.”

“What?”

She laughed. “Halloween decorations.”

“Oh.” He nodded. “Yes. Donna does love to decorate for holidays.”

“And she'll be happy to know that I'm not throwing her decorations out. Although I am sifting and sorting and clearly marking the crates so they'll be easy to find and use. But trust me, there's plenty of real garbage to toss. Mom's never been the most organized person, and she doesn't like getting rid of things.”

“You're a good daughter, Rita.”

Something about the way he said this, or maybe it was the warmth in those chocolate-brown eyes, enticed her to open up with some of the ideas she'd been noodling on these past few days. “Come on back and I'll show you what I've done,” she said.

The first thing she showed him was the lime green chairs, explaining how they were the original ones for Hair and Now. “To be honest, these are my real inspiration. Everything I do will be to make them look great.”

“Wow, these are very cool.” He tested one, giving it a little turn. “Feels like this one might need a little oil and maintenance.”

“They all do. I was thinking about asking my dad to help. He's pretty mechanical. Except that he's so overwhelmed with everything else right now. And I'd hate for him to come in here and see how it looks. He might not get it. He can be awfully protective of Mom. It's sweet, but it can get complicated, too. He'd be worried about the mess this could turn into.”

“Sometimes you have to make a mess before you can really clean something up.”

“Exactly.” She nodded eagerly.

“I'm a little mechanical, too.” He was down on his knees now, examining beneath. “It's a very simple construction style. But good and solid. I could probably get your chairs working properly.”

“Could you, really? I'd be happy to pay you for your time and—”

“We can figure that out later.” He stood, brushing the dust off his knees. “Those boxes by the door—are they trash?”

“That pile on the right is. The one on the left is for Goodwill or something like that.”

“I've got my pickup. How about if I pull around back and get them out of here for you tonight?”

“That would be awesome!”

“I'll be right back,” he promised.

While he was gone, Rita dashed to the bathroom, where she did a quick fix-up on her hair and makeup. Going to this trouble for a man she wasn't really interested in seemed a bit silly, but she decided to simply chalk it up to her personal vanity. She came out of the bathroom and was surprised to find him already picking up one of the trash boxes.

“I have a key,” he explained. “Remember?”

“Oh, yeah.” She nodded, hurrying over to pick up a box herself, following him outside and watching as he slid the box into the back of a shiny red pickup.

“Let me take that.” He reached for her box. “And if you're going to help with this, you better get your coat on.”

She got her coat and together they loaded not only the trash boxes but the giveaway stuff as well, completely filling the back of his pickup. As he closed the gate, Johnny assured her that Jolly Janitors was used to dealing with this sort of thing. “We have lots of great organizations we donate reusable goods to.”

“You have no idea how much I appreciate this,” she said as they hurried back into the warmth of the back room. “You are a godsend.”

“Now I'll tell you why I really stopped by,” he said as he washed his hands in the laundry sink. “I wanted to see if you needed to grab a bite to eat.”

“Come to think of it, I'm starving,” she admitted. “But I'll only go if you let me treat.”

“Let
you
treat?” He looked slightly confused as he dried his hands.

“To thank you for your help tonight,” she insisted.

“But I don't think I can—”

“That's my final offer,” she told him. “Either I treat or I don't go. Take it or leave it.”

He held up his hands. “I'll take it.”

“Where do you want to go?” she asked as she reached for her handbag.

“Oh…I don't know.” He looked uncertain. “We could just go up to Noah's Ark.”

“Sounds great.” She didn't admit to him that she'd eaten lunch there already today. Hopefully Noah would be gone by now. They went through the front, turning off the lights and going outside. “I keep forgetting to ask someone what they're doing out here.” She waved her hand toward the construction mess in the courtyard. “It's such a disaster area—I'm sure it can't be helping the businesses down here.”

“You haven't heard?” Johnny locked the door for her. “They're putting the ice rink back in.”

“No kidding?” She looked at the mess with more appreciation now. “That's great.”

“Yeah. And the new owners are great people. It'll be called On Ice, and there will be a snack bar for kids as well as an upscale rinkside restaurant catering to the older crowd.”

“That sounds lovely. When is it supposed to be finished?”

“It's further along than it looks. They wanted it done before Valentine's Day. They're planning a big grand opening celebration with ice sculptures and skating and all sorts of things.”

“That's perfect!” she exclaimed. “I should have Hair and Now all renovated and hopefully doing good business by then, too. What great timing.” As they rode up the escalator she told him about some of the promotion ideas she had for the salon.

“So you'll still be here by the time On Ice opens?” he asked as they strolled down the busy mall.

She considered this. “I told my manager two weeks. My first week is up on Monday. It'll be two weeks on February eighth, although I haven't booked my return flight yet.”

“That's only about nine days. You sure you can get Hair and Now renovated that quickly?”

“Actually, I'm not sure. I'm a little worried. I've worked out a schedule, but it's cutting it pretty close. If anything goes wrong, I'll be up a creek.”

“Why not ask for a third week?” he suggested. “It would be a shame to leave without completing what you started.”

She nodded. “I know. It would break my heart to have Mom show up to her salon only to discover that it's half finished.”

He pushed open the door to the café, waiting as she went in ahead of him. Johnny got high marks for good manners. Rita remembered the handsome attorney Margot had set her up with last summer. Alistair may have had an impressive job and a flashy car, but he'd been a self-centered snob who was clueless about women, and it only took one date to figure that out.

To her surprise, Noah's Ark was different in the evenings. Instead of ordering at the counter, they were seated at a table, which not only had a tablecloth but a votive candle as well. A young woman set down ice waters, handed them menus, and told them tonight's specials.

“This doesn't feel like Noah's Ark to me,” she whispered after the waitress left.

“You haven't been here for dinner?”

“Not in years.”

“They try to cater to a different crowd in the evenings now. As you may have noticed this mall's a little short on restaurants these days. Besides the food court and the steakhouse, this is pretty much it for dinner.”

“That should be good news for the ice rink restaurant.” She studied the menu, relieved that it was relatively simple. Especially since she was slightly rattled by the fact that this was feeling strangely like a date.

“The lasagna is killer,” he told her. “If you're hungry, that is.”

“I liked the sound of the seafood pasta the waitress mentioned.” Rita set her menu down, and while Johnny was studying his, she studied him. She wondered how she would feel about him if they were sitting in a Beverly Hills restaurant right now. Was her hesitation over Johnny because of the distance—or because of his occupation? She honestly didn't believe it was the latter. Because the truth was—she
was
interested. Just guarded. But then she was usually guarded when it came to guys. Even so it bothered her that she felt guarded with Johnny. That made no sense. Really, was she so shallow that she'd allow his line of work to come between them? Was that what came from living in Beverly Hills? When had she become that snooty? After all, in a lot of people's eyes, she was “only a hairdresser,” the daughter of a hairdresser.

As she sipped her water, she made up her mind. She was no longer going to think of Johnny as a Jolly Janitor. She was going to accept him for the good person she knew that he was—Johnny Hollister, a man who wasn't too proud to take out her trash. She smiled with relief.

“You look happy,” he said as he set his menu down.

“I am happy.” She truly was.

“Any special reason?”

Her smile got bigger. “I was just thinking how fun it's been getting to know you again. You're really a nice guy, Johnny.”

He grinned back at her. “I was thinking the same thing about you, Rita.”