Wave Good-Bye (35 page)

“I agree. She said something in passing about it being a travesty, what you did to the house and all.” I sipped my sweet tea. “While I have sympathy for her situation with her parents, I don’t see why she wanted to disrupt Mom’s life. She’d already ruined our business. Why force Mom out of her home? Why cause Mom all this stress?”

Walter’s mouth turned down and he fingered his napkin, running his hand over it nervously. “Um, Violetta, I, uh, I’m the one who contacted the historic register.”

“You!” Mom’s eyebrows shot up. “Why, Walter Highsmith! Whatever possessed you? Was this a trick to get me to travel with you?”

Walter hung his head. We all sat there, stupefied.

“No.” He sighed, closed his eyes, and then turned to Mom. “See, I was doing research on my own Victorian, and I came across information pertaining to your house. Did you know there are grants available? There are. I sent in your proposal for inclusion at the same time I did mine. I thought that if Violetta’s was in the historic register, it might mean money and publicity for you.”

Mom worked her jaw, a sure sign that she was mad as a wet hornet. Fortunately, both her hands were palm side down on the tablecloth, because I was pretty confident she wanted to smack Walter.

I couldn’t blame her.

All sorts of scenes jumbled together in my head. I saw Mom working alone. I remembered how she never dated. I thought about how lonely her life must have been. And I made a decision to speak up.

“Mom? Have you forgiven me for pushing you into hiring Lisa Butterworth? Because if you have, surely you can forgive Walter. He didn’t mean any harm, just like I didn’t, either.”

“I thought I was helping, Violetta. I was wrong. At the very least, I should have consulted you before I moved forward. Can you forgive me?” He reached for her hand.

She stared at his as he tried to wiggle it under hers.

We collectively held our breath. I mean, even the nephews stayed quiet. Under the table, John gave my fingers a tiny squeeze of encouragement.

“Walter, I forgive you.” She leaned over and kissed him lightly as she looked soulfully into his eyes. “Now what do you want for dessert?”

Corina’s Tips for Getting the
Best from Your Stylist

1. Pictures, pictures, pictures…A picture says so much! When you bring pictures, your stylist gets to see what you like and can ask the appropriate questions to make you happy.
   
2. Communication is key! Be candid about what will and won’t work for you. Are you unwilling to spend a lot of time styling your hair each day? Is your budget too tight to include professional coloring every six weeks? Talk to your stylist and ask how both of you can work within these constraints.
   
3. Come dirty, leave happy. Oddly enough there is some evidence that dirty hair accepts color and other treatments better than squeaky clean hair. Certainly, a little oil on your scalp can help protect your skin from irritation. (We aren’t talking about gross dirty here. Just give your hair a day or two to build up natural protective oils.)
   
4. Ask for the sweet stuff. If you have a sensitive scalp, ask your stylist to add a couple of packets of Sweet’N Low to the color mix. The chemicals in the sweetener buffer the ammonia in the hair color so it’s easier on your skin.
   
5. Your stylist wants you to leave happy. If there’s something you want changed before you leave the salon, tell your stylist then and there.
   
6. Be on time for appointments. Everyone has busy schedules these days so just be courteous.
   
7. Have fun with your hair! It’s a way to express yourself! Try different shades of color or different cuts and styles. Ask your stylist for ideas if you don’t know what to try, that’s what we are here for!
   

Special thanks to Corina Coffinas,
stylist and friend extraordinaire!

[ABOUT THE AUTHOR]

Lila Dare is a girl raised in the South through and through, except that she prefers
unsweetened
ice tea to sweet tea. Her grandmother owned a beauty salon, so she grew up with the smell of ammonia in her veins, er, nose. Because she once worked in a pet shop, she knows firsthand the bird-eat-bird world of parakeets. When she isn’t in a salon chair enjoying a beauty treatment from Corina, she’s busy writing two other mystery series. Lila has taken a vow to never be cold again! So she avoids travel north of the Mason Dixon line. She makes her home on Jupiter Island, Florida.

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Berkley Prime Crime titles by Lila Dare

TRESSED TO KILL

POLISHED OFF

DIE JOB

WAVE GOOD-BYE