2. Being Happy

2

BEING HAPPY

“ T hat was the best massage ever, Sloane.”

Sloane Redding wiped her oily hands on a towel and turned to see her client lying on her stomach, her head turned and a huge smile was on her face while her eyes were shut.

The room was dim and the ninety-minute massage was complete. She had several more hours of work to go today.

“I’m happy to hear that, Maureen,” she said. “You know the routine. I’ll step out so you can change, but please take your time.”

Sloane had thirty minutes before her next massage and time to change the room over. Maureen was a regular, coming every six weeks like clockwork.

She’d get a fifty-dollar tip that she was always grateful for. As the owner of her salon, she knew not many felt the need to tip her. Or tip her as much. It could be frustrating at times, but having grown up the way she had, she also understood that not everyone was in a position to do it.

If anyone got stiffed a tip, she’d rather it be her as the owner than one of her employees who made much less .

She closed the door quickly behind her, went to the bathroom to wash her hands, then pulled her phone out to check her calendar once again and see if there were any pressing emails waiting for her that she’d have to sneak into her office to deal with.

When she heard the door open five minutes later while she’d waited discreetly down the hall, she saw Maureen come out almost whistling.

“Here you go,” Maureen said, slipping the cash into her hand. “You have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. Do you have any plans?”

“No,” she said. “Nothing other than work.”

“You’re open on Monday?” Maureen asked.

“You’d be surprised how many people want to get services when they have the day off.”

It was hard to get the staff on that day, but she did manage to get one of her other massage therapists to take a few appointments in the morning and two of her nail technicians to work for pedicures and manicures. Many were young and relied on the tips too. The more they worked, the more they got.

Sloane knew the hustle and lived her whole life that way.

To be twenty-eight and financially secure with her own business was still a shock to her, but she’d never take it for granted either.

There’d been a time in her life when she didn’t know what the next day would bring.

“If I’d known that, I might have scheduled it rather then today.”

“You know I love seeing you on your Fridays,” she said.

The two of them walked out together while the receptionist rang Maureen out. She had several part timers that covered most of the hours at the desk. If there wasn’t someone there, the massage therapist or any of the technicians or estheticians took care of it.

She’d been expanding her business more and more and the excitement overrode the fear. Finally.

Once the room was set up for her next client, she moved around the building checking on things.

She heard laughter in the pedicure room and popped her head in.

“Sloane, how are you doing?”

“Hello, Diane. Carolyn. I see you lovely ladies are getting your monthly pedicures.”

“Always,” Diane said. “We’ve got our annual party this weekend and our toes have to look perfect.”

She smiled at the regulars who had been coming to see her since she opened.

If they weren’t coming together for pedicures, then one of them was in for a massage.

Over the years they’d bought more gift cards from her for those they knew and almost single-handedly grew her clientele base with their family and friends.

“Pretty toes are important,” she said. “I wanted to thank you again for all the business you’ve generated for me. I got another repeat customer from that wedding party you recommended a few months ago.”

“Chloe?” Diane asked.

“Yes, she came in with her mother and niece last weekend to get pedicures. But prior to that Chloe had been in with a friend for a massage. She sure is a funny one.”

“Chloe is one of the engineers at our husbands’ firm,” Carolyn said.

“I know,” Sloane said, grinning. She knew a lot about the family and what their hobby was too. They seemed to be enjoying their retirement, and as long as it helped her business, she wasn’t going to complain.

“Isn’t Tiffani just a doll?” Diane asked. “That’s Chloe’s niece.”

“Oh, she’s a sweetie,” Sloane said. “A smart one too. She had her grandmother eating out of her hand, but Chloe was onto her.”

The two women looked at each other and back to her. “Tiffani’s father, he’s a great guy. A doctor. He works at Duke with my son and Diane’s,” Carolyn said.

“Let me guess,” Sloane said. “He’s single.”

“You’re a smart one too,” Diane said, smirking. “He is single.”

“I happen to like being single,” she said.

“No one likes being single forever,” Carolyn said. “Chloe is a good example. When you find the right guy, it’s perfect.”

“You two love to believe in perfect, but the rest of us are content with being happy.

Just being in control of her own destiny was enough for her. The rest would come when or if it did happen.

“I see the twinkle in your eye,” Diane said. “We know the truth.”

She laughed. “I’ll let you two ladies get back to your pedicure. Enjoy your party this weekend.”

“We will,” Carolyn said.

She moved to the front and was told by Vanessa her next client was there. “Why don’t you send them up now and I’ll be in shortly.”

She was happy when people came early and could keep her on schedule.

And wasn’t being happy what it was all about, as she’d told the Fierce women? How could they not believe that? To her it was and that was all that mattered.

“What do you think about Sloane?” Carolyn asked her sister-in-law when they were walking to her car. Since they lived in the same development they always rode together. Getting pedicures with someone was much more fun in her eyes.

“What about her?” Diane asked. “I think she’s a wonderful person with a dry wit and a great businesswoman.”

“I know that,” she said. “I meant as a match for Dane.”

“Oh,” Diane said, her eyes lighting up. “That might work.”

“It never occurred to me before and might not have if she hadn’t brought up Chloe, her mother and Tiffani being there.”

“She did seem like she was entertained by Tiffani,” Diane said. “Always a plus.”

“We don’t know if she likes kids or not. That is huge for Dane.” She only knew about Dane’s situation through Chloe and it was not as if Chloe talked all that much.

But now that Chloe was married to Royce, and Royce owned part of Kennedy Construction with his father and sister, and Kennedy Construction was partners with their husbands, she felt like it was an open market to find out more about anyone they thought could be good setups.

“We know enough,” Diane said. “He’s single. He and his ex get along and co-parent the kids. He’s a doctor and very good-looking. We know that Chloe has made comments about her mother wanting Dane to find someone else.”

“I’m not talking to Doreen,” she said. “Not about this. She didn’t like that we set up Chloe. ”

“She’s thanking us now,” Diane said. “She’s thrilled with another granddaughter and they love Royce.”

“That’s true,” Carolyn said. “Let me think about it. I have to admit they might make a striking couple.”

“We need to work on someone else,” Diane said. “We’ve had Dane on our mind since Chloe’s wedding two months ago. Between him and Zander, I feel as if we are shooting blanks and that isn’t like us.”

“You’ve got a point. We’ve been good at coming up with matches for so many people, but these two are making it difficult.”

“I’ve got an idea for Zander,” Diane said. “I’ve been thinking about this for a bit.”

“Fill me in,” she said. “And why are you just telling me now?”

“I wasn’t sure it’d work. I’m still not sure. The bigger question is how do we get Dane and Sloane to meet each other?” Diane asked.

“Another good question. Guess we need to get our thinking caps on. If anyone can do this, we can.”