Nowhere but Home A Novel - By Liza Palmer Page 0,85

as she compares how she looks with the state I’m in fills me with glee.

“Hey, Peggy,” I say, my voice calm and sweet.

“Oh, hey,” she says, sitting up straight in her chair, trying to minimize some of the damage.

“You look amazing!” Fawn says to me, coming out from behind the front desk. She twirls me around as Dee gives an excited little clap. Merry Carole finishes with the last of Peggy’s tinfoils and walks her over to the hair dryers. She asks if she can get her anything, Peggy snorts a quick no and Merry Carole lowers the dryer. Merry Carole sets the timer for twenty minutes and pats Peggy on the leg with a smile. Peggy smiles. Merry Carole is walking over to the front of the salon, so she doesn’t see it, but I watch Peggy wipe off the spot on her pants, as if to disinfect it, that Merry Carole patted. My blood boils as I try to contain myself.

“Don’t even. I know exactly what she did. She thinks in a salon filled with mirrors she can get away with doing crazy things like that. Now, let’s talk about how pretty you look,” Merry Carole says, her face lighting up at the sight of me. She smoothes my hair down a bit, curling a tress under with her fingers. She slicks my bangs down as I inhale the rose water and Aqua Net that wafts around her.

“Why does she come in here then?” I ask, as she pulls the shoulder of the sundress straight across my shoulders.

“Because I’m the best,” Merry Carole says.

“They’re all nothing if not vain,” Fawn adds under her breath.

“I love that they have to come here,” I say.

“Oh absolutely. You can talk smack all you want, but if you want your hair to look its best, you’ve got to do some groveling,” Merry Carole whispers, through her giggles.

“Funny how there’s always a bit of a wait whenever they’re trying to make those appointments,” Fawn says.

Merry Carole’s eyes widen, and I know without having to look that Hudson has pulled up in front of the salon. My stomach drops. I feel nauseated. No. Remember. I feel invigorated . . . and nauseated.

“I am excited,” I say, my voice robotic.

“You need to get it together, is what you need to do,” Merry Carole says, her hand on my shoulder grounding me.

“Holy shit, Queen Elizabeth,” Fawn says. I turn to see Hudson walking toward the salon.

He’s parked his dark gray Audi and is beeping it locked as he hops up on the curb, his pace quickening. He’s wearing a dark blue polo tucked absently into the front of a pair of khakis, his leather belt visible. His black hair is still wet from the shower and it looks like he hasn’t shaved in a few days, the black stubble outlining his ridiculous jawline all the more.

“Everett who,” Dee whispers, her mouth hanging open.

“Okay, let’s all get it together,” Merry Carole says, walking over to the front desk as if on urgent business. She just stands there, not knowing what to do with herself. She flips the appointment book open with a flourish. Fawn and Dee look around the salon, not unlike a couple of kids looking for a hiding place. I don’t take my eyes off Hudson, but I can feel Piggy Peggy watching this entire scene from under her hair dryer. Hudson opens the door and bursts into the salon.

We are all staring right at him when he enters.

“I know my hair needs a trim, but . . .” Hudson runs his hand through his damp hair. I can smell the shampoo from here.

“No, no . . . ,” I say, laughing. I walk up to him and usher him into the salon. Piggy Peggy’s dryer whirs on in the background. I continue, “Hudson Bishop, this is my sister, Merry Carole Wake. This is Fawn Briggs. And this is Dee Richter,” I say, introducing each of the women. They shake hands and I can see them all blush a bit as he greets them.

“So you guys all know about Delfina’s then?” Hudson asks, stuffing his hands in his pockets. I can’t stop smiling.

“That sounds an awful lot like you’re looking for confirmation that such a place even exists,” Fawn says, her husky voice adding to the allure.

Hudson laughs, nodding in agreement. We say our good-byes and just as we’re leaving I turn to see Piggy Peggy, staring. Her entire face filled with amazement and disbelief.