Chapter 10

I pulled the door closed with a loud bang. For a moment I just stood in the hallway, my heart racing.

His bedroom door was closed so I had assumed he was in his room. And who takes a shower without closing the door all the way?

I groaned, remembering the smug look on his face when he caught me staring at his junk. Such a cocky asshole. How did he know I wasn't looking because it was crooked or something?

If only. But no, the universe wasn't that kind. Hendrix Evers had the face of an angel and a body made for sin. He'd filled out over the years in all the right places. That was the body of a man who did physical labor on a routine basis. The kind who would have rough hands. I shivered at the thought.

Then I shook my head.

No. No. No.

We are not thinking about stupid Hendrix or his stupid, rough man hands.

He was clearly just trying to embarrass me, and I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.

When the bathroom door finally opened, Rix was thankfully dressed.

"Maybe we need to be clearer about the rules," I yelled.

He scoffed. "What did I do? You're the one who just invaded my privacy, remember? Maybe I don't feel safe. Maybe you're trying to steal my virtue."

Oh my god.

I wanted to strangle him.

"You left the door open on purpose."

He gave me the cocky smirk that always made me want to scratch his eyes out. "I closed the door. I remember because I had to lean hard to get it to latch. It was definitely closed, Charlie."

I held up a hand and marched around him. The bathroom door was hanging open, so I pulled the knob and sure enough, it got stuck when I tried to pull it closed. Rix leaned on the wall next to me. I ignored him but it was impossible not to notice him cross his arms as he watched me wrestle with the door. Finally, I yanked hard and it closed with a bang.

"Just because it sticks doesn't prove your point. If anything, it works against you. If it's this hard to get it to close, then it would have been hard for me to open, too."

He clicked his tongue against his teeth. "I wasn't listening to how hard it was for you to open the door. I was a little busy being naked."

"Busy playing with your dick, you mean."

"What was that?" He leaned closer, bringing with him that fresh clean scent that would forever remind me of what he looked like dripping with water.

"Nothing. It doesn't matter. The door has a lock!"

Just then, the door popped open. Startled, we both looked down at the same time.

"Did that just–"

Rix ran his hand up the wood frame. "The door frame is warped. I figured that was why the door was sticking. Apparently, it's worse than I thought."

As his fingers traced over the wood, I swear I could almost feel those fingers tracing up my spine. "Uh huh."

"If I replace the frame that might fix it, but there's a chance I might need to move the hinges," he muttered to himself under his breath as he examined the door, seemingly no longer aware that I was even there.

Hopefully I nodded at the right places because in my mind all I could hear was white noise as my eyes followed the movement of his lips as he spoke. Then he looked at me suddenly, his brow furrowed as he noticed where I was staring.

I spun around. "I need to go."

He blinked. "Okay."

"Okay." Without another word, I crossed the hall to my room and closed the door.

I seriously needed to get out of the house.

After a brief debate I threw on a pair of jeans and a pretty flowered blouse. It was high time I visited Tana's salon. While she wasn't a formal person, she'd always had her own unique style. Instead of my usual pair of Chucks, I pulled out a fun pair of strappy sandals.

There. That was probably as good as it was going to get. Better than my usual jeans and white T-shirt, anyway.

At the last minute I grabbed a tote bag. Tana had curly hair too so she'd always carried a large selection of products geared to ethnic hair types. I might as well grab some more shampoo and conditioner while I was there.

When I emerged, the first thing I saw was Rix's back as he squatted next to a toolbox.

He turned around holding a drill in his hand. "This should be done by the end of the day. Hopefully I won't scare you again."

"Who said I was scared?"

He just smiled and turned the drill on. I scowled before looping the tote bag over my shoulder. Maybe I should ask Tana if she had anything to wash the smell of a cocky but handsome man out of your hair.

Not that I could tell Tana about any of this. Despite their childhood history of annoying each other, the Evers siblings were solid as rock. If she ever found out I'd seen him naked, things could only go two ways.

She'd be excited about the possibility of us being together, which would only end in disappointment since Rix was hardly husband material.

Or she'd think it was weird and that would make things awkward between us.

Now that I was finally back in town and living the life I'd dreamed of, nothing was going to stand in my way. Still, I figured it was best if she found out about our new living situation directly. I didn't want her to think I was hiding anything.

Downstairs, I grabbed a towel and then quickly took Meatball out for a walk so he could empty his never-ending bladder before settling him into the passenger seat of my car. Normally I would just walk into town, but I figured it was smart to have a means of quick escape in case he wasn't in the mood to behave today.

"We're going to visit one of my favorite people, so I need you to be nice for a few hours. Don't bite anyone. Deal?"

Meatball grumbled which I took to mean, I'm making no promises. I made sure to tuck the edge of the towel around my car's seat just in case he got any ideas.

I'd had enough of men flashing their junk for one day.

* * *

Hair Me Out sat on the very end of First Avenue, one of the older sections of town. Most of the buildings here were in bad shape and quite a few of the spaces were empty. The shop's colorful awning stood out like a ray of sunshine in a storm. I grinned up at the sign I'd previously only seen on Instagram.

As children we'd shared our dreams in the completely guileless way you only can before the world breaks your heart. I knew what it meant to Tana to create a welcoming place for all that was a safe harbor for creativity. The only other salon in town was owned by an older lady named Irma who thought that highlights were scandalous.

As I entered the shop, I shifted Meatball to my other side, being sure to keep a good grip on his little belly. A bell chimed as I pushed the door open and multiple heads turned our way.

"Hi. I'm looking for Tana," I said to the woman behind the reception desk.

She had an angular black bob sharp enough to cut glass and when she tossed her head, the swing of her hair revealed that the underside was a bright magenta.

I instantly felt so plain in comparison.

Now that I was there, I realized I probably should have called first. This was almost fancy. Everything in the shop was white or black but all the display cases were neon pink. It had a retro 80s vibe that somehow felt completely modern but also expensive.

Looking around at the sleek interior of the shop, my heart filled with an inexplicable burst of pride.

Tana had created something really special.

"Do you have an appointment?" The woman leaned over the computer and started clicking with her mouse.

"Um, no. I probably should come back. You guys look really busy."

A squeal from the back of the shop had every head turning that direction. Tana stood in the back of the salon wearing all black covered with a neon pink apron. Her colorful hair was bundled up into a bun that looked sexy and cool with pink highlighted pieces pulled out and artfully framing her face.

"Charlie! You actually came?"

She made her way through the salon, stopping to make a comment to one of the stylists. When she reached the front, she pulled me into a side-hug since she was carrying a box in her other arm.

"I had to come see your empire of style. Tana, this is even better than it looks online. It's amazing."

"Thank you. I still can't believe this is real sometimes," she said softly.

"Do you need me to pinch you?"

"Please do." She held out her arm. "I'm afraid I'll wake up and still be doing helmet hair in Irma's house of horrors."

I followed her to the back of the salon, averting my eyes from the women in the chairs in various stages of being washed, prepped, foiled and who knew what else. Personally, I'd always hated being on display in the salon, especially when a cute delivery driver would come in.

"So what's been going on? I meant to come by yesterday, but things got so busy at the shop. I had a walk-in who needed color correction for the brassy highlights she got while on vacation. And I'm using the word ‘highlights' loosely."

I followed her into a small office in the back. The room was painted the same pink as her apron and had sleek black furniture. A laptop was open on the desk.

"Funny you should ask. Your brother moved in yesterday."

She fumbled the box. "He did?"

"Just until he can find something else. Plus, he offered to help with a few repairs, too."

Tana watched me carefully for a moment. It took all my restraint not to fidget under her knowing gaze. It was completely foreign to edit my thoughts around Tana. For years, the hallmark of our unique friendship was complete and utter realness. We told each other everything, even things we probably shouldn't have. So it went against all of my natural instincts to keep a secret from her. I could feel the urge to confess rising in the back of my throat like vomit.

I saw your brother naked.

He's hung like a god.

I want to bang him despite hating his guts.

"My brother is living with you," she repeated, as if she needed to hear it again before she could believe it. "And he's still … alive?"

I chuckled at her bewilderment. "Hey, this was your idea. You're the one who sent him over."

"True, but even I didn't actually think either of you would go for it," she mused.

"Well, as it turns out having a handyman for a roommate is exactly what you need when you own a house that's falling apart."

She conceded the point with a nod. "I can see how that would be a point in his favor."

"Anyway, he's working on fixing some stuff today, so I figured I'd stay out of the way. I'd love to see the salon if you have time to show me around."

"Of course. Let me introduce you to everyone."

She gave me the five-dollar tour, showcasing the new ionic dryers that she bought earlier in the year that could set a style in half the time. I marveled over the wall of professional photographs of her clients and the incredible styles she'd created.

A stylist standing nearby waved when I mentioned them. Like Tana, her dark hair had highlights except she only had it on the tips, a different color for each layer. She looked like some kind of gorgeous unicorn.

Tana trotted to her side. "Meet my rising star. This is Piper Ross. Not only is she an amazing stylist but she's also a photographer. The shop's entire Instagram success has been because of her photos."

Piper took a little bow. "I do what I can."

"Your photos are stunning. Seriously, I could see these in a gallery in New York."

"Really? I'm hoping to do a big show one day. Probably not in a gallery but I'm thinking about going to this arts festival in the fall."

"You definitely should. You're really talented."

Tana pointed at the both of us. "While we're here, I've been meaning to organize a Girls" Night."

Piper perked up. "Ooh, another bonfire at the barn?"

I looked between the two of them. "The barn. Like, The Barn? No way. You guys still hang out there?"

"Yes, we still hang out there." Tana hip-checked me.

"I guess you're probably used to hanging out at really cool places in the city," Piper said, her tone of voice noticeably cooler.

"Oh no. I just realized how that sounded and that's not what I meant at all. I've been to some really exclusive bars and restaurants in New York, but do you want to know what usually happens there? The waitstaff silently judges your outfit before you even have a chance to sit down. A hot guy will buy you a drink, but then he'll proceed to talk about nothing but himself. Then if you don't want to go home with him, he leaves after calling you a bitch."

Piper laughed. "Wow, way to ruin the fantasy."

"Some of the best times I've ever had were at that barn. I just can't believe Mr. Donald hasn't figured out how to ban kids from his property yet."

Tana smiled. "Are you kidding? He loves it. Now that we're older, he's finally stopped pretending to be angry that we're there. He actually comes out and drinks with us sometimes now."

"Wait, what?"

"The first time it happened, I was sure we were in the end times. But I think he and his wife are kind of lonely out there by themselves. My parents have them over for dinner sometimes and I know Rix helps him maintain the property."

"He does?"

The thought of grumpy Hendrix going out of his way to help out two empty nesters softened my annoyance toward him considerably.

Damn him for being such an unexpectedly moral person. I guess that was a side effect of being an Evers though.

Luckily, Tana seemed oblivious to where my thoughts were. "He runs that huge mower and fixes stuff around the house. I know he doesn't charge him even half of what he should, but Mr. Donald gives him some moonshine in exchange, so I guess that's a fair deal."

Piper sighed. "I know you don't want to hear this boss lady, but your brother is ridiculously hot."

"Okay, I'm going back to work if you're going to be gross." Tana covered her ears playfully. "Actually, I need to get back to fighting with this stupid QuickBooks program. I accidentally deleted something, and I don't know what to do."

"You can put in a journal entry. That should fix it," I told her.

"A what?"

"I can show you if you want."

Meatball had perked up while we were talking and was now surveying the room with interest. When his little face popped over my shoulder, Piper held out her hands.

"I can hold him while you guys work."

"Are you sure? He can be a bit of a handful."

"Play with a puppy? You don't have to twist my arm." Piper took him and cuddled him close.

"Also, he pees randomly."

She chuckled. "Thanks for the warning."

For the next half hour, I helped Tana navigate her accounting software. She had a freelance bookkeeper who'd become increasingly unreliable and was trying to manage on her own until she could hire someone else.

Although I'd gotten my degree in Finance, I'd taken several accounting classes and was able to figure out how to do things pretty quickly. By the time we came back out, Meatball was being petted by one of the customers while Piper trimmed another client's hair.

"Good news. Charlie has fixed the accounting issues. Peace reigns in salon land!"

Cheers went up around the salon and I gave a little wave. It was silly but helping a friend with her small business was more fulfilling than any of the big corporate transactions I'd assisted with while working for Delacourt. Who cared if Fortune 500 company A merged with Fortune 500 company B?

Every project I'd worked on over the years had just been helping the rich get richer and I'd never felt like I was part of anything that really mattered.

But helping Tana meant helping a local business stay open and profitable so she could hire other local women. It was a revelation to look back at the life I'd once been so proud of and see it was completely empty.

After Piper finished with her client, she spun the woman's chair around so she could admire her new look.

"Thank you for fixing the money. Because I, for one, enjoy getting paid," Piper said.

Her client fluffed the ends of her hair before turning to face us. "Do you know how Etsy works? I need someone to help me set up my shop. I make jewelry. I've been selling at craft fairs but I'm ready to try selling online."

"I've never done that before but I'm sure I can find some tutorials online."

She beamed as she handed Piper her credit card. "Let me give you my number. I could use some help organizing my receipts also. I tried to put them in a spreadsheet, but I'm not so good with that part."

I cracked my knuckles playfully. "Spreadsheets are kind of my jam."

After she left, Tana hugged me. "You're going to have a business of your own soon if you keep this up."

My heart sped up as she walked away. A business of my own? That wasn't what I'd expected when I'd moved out here. I'd assumed I'd find something in a nearby city or start working for a company remotely once I was done renovating the house. However, the more I thought about it, the more right it seemed.

I'd never started a business before and had absolutely no idea what I was doing but for the first time I thought that maybe that was okay.