and a great smoky eye greeted her. “Hello. Are you here for an appointment?” She frowned as she looked down at an open planner in front of her, as if she was trying to figure out where Sydney belonged in her schedule.
“I’d like to see if Ramon has any openings today. I’d love if he could squeeze me in.”
The receptionist burst out laughing. “I’m sorry,” she quickly apologized, trying to replace her amused expression. “No stylist here could see you today. Or for a month. Ramon is booked for months.”
Sydney’s heart sank. “I’m really desperate.”
The woman stared at her judgmentally. “Aren’t we all?” She tapped her pencil on the desk in thought. “I can put you on the waiting list.”
It was late March. Maybe she should put it on her Christmas list.
“What do you need done?” a voice asked.
Sydney looked back and saw the phone scroller place her phone in her purse. The woman stood and came over to her. She had copper hair and kind, blue eyes with a slight dusting of freckles across the nose of her pale complexion.
“I’m here for a cut,” the woman said. “If that’s all you need, why don’t you take my appointment?”
“You’d do that? For a stranger?” Sydney asked.
The redhead smiled. “You sounded pretty desperate. I’ve been there and totally understand.”
“I wish I could take you up on your generous offer but I’m afraid I’ll need a lot longer than your slot. I want my original hair color back and that might take some doing but thanks for volunteering. That’s really sweet of you.”
“Ah, mio caro, are you ready?”
Sydney recognized Ramon’s rich voice. She turned and saw that he hadn’t changed a bit. Maybe a few more laugh lines but he still had a head of thick black hair and was pencil-thin.
He gave her a puzzled look and then awareness dawned on his face. “Bellissimo!” He rushed to her and kissed both cheeks. “What have you done to your beautiful hair?” he wailed as he ran his fingers through the strands, lifting pieces of it and rubbing them between his fingers. “Ghastly,” he proclaimed, his nose wrinkling in disgust.
“That’s why I’m here, Ramon. I need to be fixed.” She indicated the woman standing nearby. “This lovely lady was willing to give me her appointment but I think I’ll need a bigger chunk of your time.”
Ramon smiled sweetly at the woman. “You’re too generous, as always, Cassie.”
“Wait!” Sydney cried, making the connection. She could picture the smiling redhead on Rhett Corrigan’s arm, being interviewed by E! reporters. She might have stopped watching movies because of her busy life but she’d always made time for the Oscar’s red carpet night each year. “Cassie? As in Cassie Corrigan?”
“Yes. Have we met?”
“No, but let me introduce myself. I’m Sydney Revere. My dad is Monty Revere. I’m going to be storyboarding No Regrets for him. I was going to call you today to talk about the script before I started working on my grids.” She thought a moment. “Maybe we could visit while Ramon is doing your cut.”
A smiling Cassie shook hands with her. “It’s nice meeting you, Sydney. Your dad’s terrific.”
Ramon interrupted. “There’s no time for the movie business now. Only time for your hair.” He looked at Sydney. “I will spend all day working on you, caro. For old times’ sake and for your lovely mother. It will take time but it can be done. I will strip this drugstore color and try to get as close to your natural auburn as I can. With a special shampoo and conditioner, we can prevent fading and protect it. I’ll glaze it after to intensify the shine and prolong the color. Then, we can see how it grows out. Eventually, we’ll get your natural color back.”
Sydney grinned. Ramon looked very pleased with himself already and they hadn’t even begun.
“I’ll do all of this in-between my other clients so no talk for you two.”
“Then we need to make a lunch or coffee date,” Sydney told Cassie.
“Actually, when I leave here I’m headed out to a place in Malibu we leased a few days ago. Rhett’s just wrapped a film and he wants to take the summer off. I wanted to stay closer in case Monty needed me for anything. Maybe you’d like to come out there for the day?”
Sydney laughed. “I’m going out to Dad’s house in Malibu myself once I’m done here. I thought it would be a great place to work without interruption. Are you free tomorrow?”