Perfect Summer by Bethany Lopez
Faith
The more time I spent with Mitch, the more it felt like we’d never been apart.
Of course, I knew in my head it wasn’t true … I had a four-foot reminder that I’d moved on with my life. But there was something to be said for the history we shared. That familiarity. It felt kind of the same as coming back to Mason Creek had … like coming home.
Sure, part of the reason I’d left was the pressure I’d felt to be perfect for everyone, but now that I wasn’t hormonal from feeling Mitch’s hands on me, and I was sober, I knew Mitch wasn’t the one who’d needed me to be perfect.
It had taken a lot of therapy, but I’d eventually accepted the insecurities as my own, and realized the people who loved me would do so regardless of my issues.
I ignored the direction those thoughts were heading and stepped into business mode as I entered my salon.
Only to find utter chaos.
“Oh no she didn’t!”
“Oh yes she damn well did!”
“You have got to be kidding me…”
“The woman has no shame!”
“What’s going on?” I asked as I walked into the center of the salon.
Four sets of eyes found me, and everyone started talking at once. I held up my hand and said, “One at a time, please.”
“Word on the street is Karlie is back in town and she’s making a pass at every available man in the county lines,” Cheryl said with a flip of her hair.
“The girl is trouble and always has been, if you ask me,” Bethany Murphy agreed from her chair.
And she would know. Her son, Wyatt, was Karlie’s ex.
“You know, she’s the reason Beau and I split up,” Stacey added. She and Beau had an on again, off again kind of relationship. There were at least ten reasons they’d broken up over the years.
“Maybe she’s just lonely,” I said, trying to give the woman the benefit of the doubt.
I owned a salon, so of course gossip was at the heart of most interactions, but I tried to be the voice of reason and not let things get out of hand, or ugly.
“You’re too nice, Faith,” Cheryl said, pointing her brush at me. “Just watch your back and keep your eye on that Mitch.”
“Mitch?” I asked, looking at her quizzically.
“Yeah. That man is a real snack, and you don‘t want him to get gobbled up by the likes of Karlie,” Stacey agreed.
I let out a laugh of disbelief, which sounded fake even to my ears.
“Mitch is free to see whoever he wants. Our relationship is firmly in the past.”
“That’s not what I heard,” Bess, the dispatcher from the sheriff’s station, said with a twinkle in her eye from Stacey’s station.
I groaned and asked, “What have you heard?”
“Only that sparks were flying on the dance floor at Pony Up the other night and just now you two were looking pretty cozy over lunch,” she replied.
“Just now?” I scoffed. “How do you know what I was doing less than ten minutes ago, haven’t you been here since eleven?”
“Good news like this travels fast.”
“Why didn’t you tell us you were meeting him for lunch? We could have set your hair for you, not that the ponytail doesn’t look cute,” Cheryl said, watching me through the mirror.
“It wasn’t a date,” I insisted, raising my hand to feel my hair. Shoot, I’d forgotten I was wearing it up. I’d been in a rush this morning and hadn’t had time to fix it yet.
“What was the dessert special?” Stacey asked.
I blinked at the quick change in topic and said, “Um, I think I saw a chocolate cake on the counter with cherries, maybe a black forest cake.”
“Guess I know where I’m going after my shift,” she said, humming a bit in anticipation. “You know, if you have some milk with your cake, the calories are cut in half. As long as it’s fat-free milk.”
Cheryl rolled her eyes and shot me a grin.
“Oh, Faith, I left a flyer on your desk for you,” Bethany said. “Word on the street is that sweet baby girl of yours is in the market for a kitten, so when I saw the notice on the bulletin board, I knew I had to grab it for you.”
Hope had been asking for a kitten since we’d moved to Mason Creek. I’d tried to sell her on a goldfish, but she wasn’t budging. I didn’t mind the thought of getting a cat, at least they were self-sufficient and easy to care for … now if she’d asked for a puppy, I would have been adamant that it wasn’t the right time. But a kitten actually sounded nice.
“Thanks, Bethany, that was really sweet of you. I’ve been meaning to look into getting one, but just haven’t found the time yet.”
“Well, I think you’ll find time to go see this one,” Cheryl said, a suspicious gleam in her eye.
“Why do you say that?” I asked, although I was afraid I was beginning to figure out what they were playing at.
Cheryl shrugged and repeated, “The flyer is on your desk.”
I glanced at them all warily and said, “Okay,” before turning on my heel and heading into the back.
I found the flyer on my desk as promised and picked it up.
Free to a Good Home. A litter of kittens found under my house and fully weaned and vaccinated. For more information, call Mitch Collins.
Of course, I thought, but couldn’t stop my lips from quirking up as I pulled my cell from my back pocket.