some bleach-blond tramp fresh out of beauty school.”
Star bit her lip, casting her eyes over her mother’s own peroxide-fried locks.
“What am I going to do?” Roxie paced, cigarette loose in her hand. Mesmerized, Star watched the ash tip grow, grow, grow.
“You could always quit. There are plenty of other salons.”
“Quit? Quit! Are you out of your effing little head? Where’m I gonna find work at my age? Mel’s good to work for. I got a good spot by the door, and the other girls mind their own business. I can’t quit.”
Star breathed in, breathed out, trying to count the breaths as she filled her lungs. One-two-three, she chanted inside her head. Four-five-six.
Roxie whirled on Star, slapped her again, this time on the other cheek. “What were you thinking, biting him like that?”
Star winced, but planted her feet. If Roxie tasted her pain, she’d just keep slapping. “I was thinking, Roxie, that maybe I’d be safe in my own home. Thinking that your boss wouldn’t try to—to—you know what he tried to do!”
“Luanne warned me this was going to happen. She knew you were going to come on to him one of these days. Dammit. She was right.”
As she watched the cigarette tip glow, a cool calmness swept over Star. Or maybe it was just hopelessness. Maybe they felt the same. She didn’t know anymore.
She licked her lips, tasted blood from where Roxie’s ring had cut her. “It’s not my fault.”
Roxie shook her head in disgust. “He said he was just kidding around with you. You take everything so damn seriously.”
“You saw what he was trying to do. You saw.”
Roxie’s hand shook a little bit as she tapped the ash into the sink. “I don’t know what I saw.”
“Bullshit.”
“Don’t talk like that, young lady. You know better. What man’s gonna want a trashy mouth like that?”
“Apparently your slimy boss, Roxie.”
Another slap, another wince.
“Get out of here. I don’t want to see your face. You’ve probably just cost me my job.” Roxie pulled open the creaky fridge, grabbed a beer, cracked it open. “Luanne’s coming over. Get the hell out of here, Star. Go see that punk boyfriend of yours. Maybe you can get busy with him instead of trying to seduce my damn boss.”
Hours later, curled up in Billy’s backseat, his tattooed arms wrapped tightly around her, Star finally let her tears fall. “It’s okay,” he said. “I’ll take care of you. It’s just you and me, baby. You and me. You don’t need nobody else. I’ll be good to you, baby.”
—
“Jess? Hey, Jess? You still in there?” Fifteen minutes after Jess had fled Ma’s kitchen, Hayley knocked on her cabin door, calling through the screen window beside it. Jess jumped, startled by the light rapping. She blew out a couple of breaths, trying to shake the memories crowding her mind, then pushed herself off the couch, knowing Hayley wouldn’t go away if she didn’t answer.
She walked through the tiny kitchen, manufacturing her brightest smile as she opened the door. “What’s up? It’s not time to go into town yet, is it?” She cleared her throat, trying to get the shake out of her voice.
“Just playing delivery girl. There was another envelope in the mail. I didn’t see it the first time around.”
Jess’s stomach lurched at the sight of the normal-sized, perfectly benign-looking envelope in Hayley’s hand.
“You look like you think it’s going to bite.” Hayley let herself in, not waiting for an invitation. She walked straight through the tiny kitchen and into the living room, sitting down on the recliner.
“Please. Come right in.” Jess followed her, scooping the attorney’s papers off the coffee table before Hayley could get a glimpse.
“Before I give you this envelope, I have a confession. I opened it.”
“You what?” Jess felt her eyes go wide.
“I opened it. It was in the pile with all of the wedding cards, and I just opened it without realizing it was addressed to you. And then I found this inside.”
She pulled out another envelope and flipped it over, and Jess heard herself gasp as she caught sight of a familiar scrawl on the front.
“Jess? Who—who in the world is Star Smith?”
Chapter 18
“Heard my wife gave you an assignment.” Decker winked as he came through the spa door later that afternoon. “Convince her to stay yet?”
Cole shrugged noncommittally, even though he knew he probably couldn’t fool Decker anyway. “She’s a big girl. She’ll make her own decisions.”
“Right. So you just happened to head to the stable two minutes after she did