13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Sean

"Do you have space open for an appointment?" I'm on the phone with the local salon, walking briskly toward the next house where the bane of my existence lives.

"Unfortunately not," Ana, the hairstylist, responds politely. "We usually take bookings ahead of time. I'm sorry."

"Is there anything you can do to help?" I ask, silently cursing my oversight. Tomorrow is the speed dating event, and in the process of planning, I forgot the makeover I'd planned for Jessica. I must do it today. I've been on the phone with several hairstylists, but I've been unable to get an appointment. Ana is the fifth stylist, and I'm already at my breaking point.

"I'm sorry, sir," Ana answers again with a tired sigh. I've kept her on the phone for almost ten minutes now, so I understand why she's frustrated, but she's my only hope. "I really wish I could help."

I stop in front of Jessica's door but don't knock. "What's the regular price for a haircut and a blowout?" I ask.

Ana responds with what she charges.

"Okay." I'm not one to bribe, but this is my last option and I'm desperate. "How about I pay double the price?"

There's a pause on the other end of the line, followed by another soft sigh. "Mr. O'Connell–"

"Sean, please," I tell her. "I understand this is not your usual arrangement, but please, I need this favor. Make it work."

She sighs again, but it's different this time, and I know I've got her. Excitement and relief flood through me.

"Okay, Sean. When do you plan on coming in? It's Friday, so I close early."

"I'm leaving now." I impatiently tap on Jessica's door. "I'll be there in half an hour or less. Thank you so much Ana. You are saving my life!"

"Okay, I'll see you soon."

As I hang up the phone, the door opens to reveal Jessica in a lovely two-piece pajama set.

"What are you doing here so early?" She asks, squinting against the rays of afternoon sunlight behind me.

"It's almost one, Jess." I push my way into the house. "Please get dressed. We're going somewhere." I glimpse Jessica's open laptop on the kitchen island. She's obviously been working.

"I'm busy, Sean," she says, folding her arms stubbornly. "I have to write. What do you want to do? Where are we going?"

"There's no time," I answer, pushing her toward the stairway. "Get dressed, Jessica."

She stands there glaring at me, and I start to wonder if she's going to protest again. To my relief, she doesn't argue. Instead, she groans and jogs up the stairs, complaining loudly as she goes.

"Hurry," I shout after her. We can't miss this appointment. Jessica is naturally beautiful, but a little touch-up doesn't hurt anyone. She's down again in five minutes, wearing jean shorts and a blue silk blouse, with her hair packed in a messy ponytail. I catch my breath. She looks breathtaking.

I walk to the door while Jessica walks to the island to power off her laptop and close the lid. Then she chugs down the water in the cup next to the device and hurries out after me.

"Oh, the sun is blinding me," she whines, following me to my garage. I help her into the passenger seat before finding my way across the car to the driver's side.

Jessica doesn't speak again until we're driving down the road. "Where are we off to?" she asks with a slight annoyance to her tone.

"The hairstylist," I finally tell her.

"What? No!" Her eyes widen, and she shakes her head. "What's wrong with my hair?"

"Nothing," I say genuinely. "But it'll be nice to try a different look, won't it?"

She looks like she has a lot to say, but eventually, she takes a deep breath, clenches her jaw and swallows whatever words she had been thinking before deciding on the ones that come out. "I'm not sure I'm too keen on this idea, but I already agreed to participate, so I'll go with your plan."

"Come on." I nudge her playfully. "It can't be that bad."

"I just don't like messing with my hair," she says, getting a little irritable.

"Ana comes highly recommended, and when I checked her online, she had many great reviews. I'm sure she'll do a great job."

Jessica glares at me. "She better. Otherwise it's your butt on the line."

Jessica can be so difficult sometimes and I know she means what she says about coming after me if her hair gets messed up.

After some uncomfortable silence I ask, "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

To my complete shock, she giggles. It's the cutest thing I've ever seen or heard in my entire life. If I weren't driving, I would've been content to stare at her for hours, rewinding the giggle all over again.

"What's there to get ready for?" She asks, oblivious to my reaction to her laugh. She's completely unaware of my attraction to her, which is for the best.

"It's just to meet people, interact with them, and try to have fun," she says.

"And to meet a potential boyfriend," I respond. Even as I say that, a slight pain jabs my heart, but I ignore it.

"True, but if it doesn't happen that's fine," she says with an absentminded shrug. "I have no intention of being anyone but myself and If I don't find anyone that likes me, I'm okay with that."

"You're right." I pull the car into a parking spot in front of the stylist's shop. "But I'm sure with all of the ones that Jamie and I carefully selected, you'll find someone. Keep an open mind."

She shrugs again. "You seem to have a lot of faith in finding me a boyfriend. I still don't know what's in it for you."

I don't respond. Instead, I get out of the car and Jessica follows me to the salon. What's in it for me? A lot. Most significantly, I must prove to myself that my feelings for Jessica are fleeting.

A lady greets us as soon as we walk in, and I'm confident it's Ana.

"Hello." Her smile is warm and welcoming. "I'm Ana. You must be Sean?" She takes my outstretched hand and shakes it.

"Nice to meet you, Ana and thank you so much for squeezing us in. This is Jessica." I introduce the ladies to each other. "She's the one I told you about. She has a big night tomorrow."

"Oh a big night, huh? Then we need to make sure that you look gorgeous, Jessica." She leads Jess to a chair. "Please sit down. Tell me exactly what you want."

After almost an hour of Jessica protesting and not wanting to touch her hair, Jessica finally let Ana work her magic. But now that it's done, Jessica can't stop staring at her reflection. The tapered cut with heavy layers frames her face in a way that highlights her features perfectly.

"This is beautiful," she says for the umpteenth time. "I love it!"

"I knew you would," I gush, unable to take my eyes off her. She isn't the only one who loves her new hair. There's me, who's trying to keep my eyes off her and keep my mouth from hanging open. There's a way the cut frames Jessica's face, with one lock falling over her left eye to lend her an air of mystery. This might be my new favorite look of hers.

She turns to me, a crooked smile on her face. "Thank you, Sean."

My heart flips and then starts to pound. I know why she's thanking me, and her appreciation makes me want to jump in excitement. Jessica isn't one to do spontaneous things or try out new ideas, so she balked at trying this cut at first. Now, she's happy that I was able to convince her. I settle the bill, thank Ana again, and leave the shop with Jessica.

"Are we going home now?" She asks. "I'm starving."

"No, we're not going home," I answer, but rush to add that we'll stop for lunch when she gives me a stare that would intimidate someone less familiar with her. I just smile. She then proceeds to stomp out of the salon.

We get into the car, and Jessica turns to me, a frown still on her face. "Where are we going after lunch?" She looks like her normal grumpy self, but there is an undertone that tells me she's faking it rather than truly annoyed.

"To get you an outfit for tomorrow." I drive down the road, looking out for anywhere to stop for a quick lunch.

"I have lots of outfits," she says. "We don't need to spend money on that."

"We're getting you new outfits," I respond. "I want you to have a new look to match your new hair. Something that you look and feel amazing in, something different."

She gently touches her hair and a small smile crosses her face, my heart jumps.

"I won't wear anything revealing," she warns, her eyes narrowing.

I shake my head at her. "Can't you give me just a little bit of credit? Do you really think I would let you go out in public wearing something inappropriate, Jess?"

Our gazes meet, my heart stutters and the tension in the small space skyrockets. As if in sync, we break eye contact and look away from each other. Little by little, the tension dissipates.

"Oh, there's a good place to stop for lunch." I spot a nice restaurant across the street and pull the car over.

The hostess seats us right away at a table with a checkered tablecloth and fresh white tulips.

"What would you like to eat?"

Jess contemplates for a few seconds while looking over the menu. "Broccoli and cheddar soup," she decides. "With a Caesar side salad."

I leave Jessica sitting at the table as I head over to the counter to place our orders. I head back to where she's sitting and hear her humming. I don't think I've ever heard her hum.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" She asks, meeting my gaze.

I thought I was being discreet in my assessment of her and her calling me out catches me off guard. "How did you know I was staring?"

"Sean…"

"Okay, fine." I raise my arms in surrender. "Your humming surprised me."

She chuckles softly, not taking her eyes off me. "I prefer to hum," she says. "Because my singing is terrible."

"Really?" I laugh with her and smirk. "I honestly can't imagine you singing. It's such a happy thing to do."

"What?" She gapes. "Do you think I frown and grumble all over the house when I'm alone?" There's amusement in her eyes, and it spurs me on to continue. Jessica has always fascinated me, but this side of her is new, and I can't stop myself from wanting to get to know her better.

"Well, what do you do at home all day?"

She thinks for a moment. "Nothing, now that I think about it. I mostly write, but when I run out of ideas, I take a break and try to find inspiration by singing and dancing in my living room."

"Oh, to be a fly on the wall."

I've hung out with Jessica and Jamie for years, but have never seen this side of her. She's relaxed, unbridled, and completely at ease with me. While I love the daring and stubborn side of Jessica because it keeps me on my toes, I'm realizing that I enjoy this part even more. It's soft, silky, and funny. I could talk to her like this all day.

"Here's your lunch." A waitress appears with a tray and a smile. I smile and thank her. Her gaze lingers on me, and I look away and focus on Jessica, hoping that is a clear enough indication that I'm not interested. Jessica is oblivious to the exchange, and digs into her food. I breathe a sigh of relief as the waitress leaves with a simple, "Enjoy."

"I haven't had anything to eat since last night," Jessica says as she wolfs down the food. "If this food had arrived a second later, I would've collapsed from starvation."

"Dramatic, much?" I shake my head at her, delving into my lunch. We finish eating quickly, but decide to relax for a few more minutes before leaving.

"I don't know why you think I need new clothes," Jessica snaps at me after I outline a game plan of shops we should hit in the afternoon. Her good mood from lunch has passed quickly. "I have some dresses I haven't even worn in my closet."

I shake my head. "Let them stay in your closet."

Jessica's head whips in my direction. "I think I get what's going on here," she narrows her eyes and crosses her arms over her stomach. "You think my outfits are terrible. You think you can do a better job picking out my clothes then I can. That's why you want to choose an outfit for me."

I don't think Jessica's outfits are terrible. She's beautiful and always looks gorgeous in whatever she wears, but the truth is Jessica dresses to blend in. That isn't a bad thing, but for tomorrow, I want her to stand out. It's a speed dating event, and other women will be there. I want her to be the center of attention. When she enters the room, I want heads to turn and people to notice her. I can't tell her all that, so I shrug.

"Tomorrow is a special occasion, and I just want to make sure you have a new outfit for it."

I can tell from the scowl on her face she doesn't believe me, and a roll of her eyes solidifies that. We leave the restaurant and drive straight to one of the clothes shops in town. I already have a vision of what I want to see Jessica in, and as soon as we arrive, I start to search the racks for it. She makes a show of huffing and sprawling out on the sofas, but I catch a gleam in her eyes when I show her an outfit. We spend another hour before I take her home, with three outfits in her shopping bag. We're prepared for tomorrow, and I can't wait to see her dressed up.