'Til There Was You - Jerry Cole Page 0,29

shared in a moment of silent laughter as Steffan the hairdresser fumed but kept at it.

“In all my years...” he muttered to himself. “I don’t get paid enough for...”

Austin was getting his hair cut. He was also getting his beard shaved. He was also having his face scrubbed, his nails done, his lashes plucked, and everything else done to him under the sun that would fix his “sixties folk singer look,” as Finn had amusingly described it. It was the first step toward a better Austin, and already Austin could feel his self-esteem improving.

The day had started at Austin’s apartment, with Finn coming over first thing to pick him up. When Austin had signed Finn up to be his life coach, he had expected classrooms, and assigned readings, and all other manner of things that would make him a more complete, presentable human-being. But that wasn’t what this was at all.

“A classroom?” Finn had balked with amusement when Austin had told him what he’d expected. The two had been in Finn’s car, headed toward the hairdresser. “No, not even – why would you think that?”

“I don’t know,” Austin had responded sheepishly. “Isn’t this like a self-improvement thing? I thought I’d be learning about... whatever. I don’t know.”

“You have no idea what a life coach does, do you?” Finn laughed.

“I can’t wait to find out,” Austin had admitted.

It hadn’t taken much convincing for Austin to call up Finn and book himself in for some sessions. Again, he’d had no idea what a life coach did or how it would help. All he had known was that his life had derailed itself long ago and was in desperate need of a realignment. According to Finn, he could provide this. And even if only half of what he had said was true, it would still be something.

“Not like you can’t afford it,” Cassidy had exclaimed when Austin had told him about Finn’s visit. “Or rather, not like your parents can’t afford it.”

“I know... but still...” Austin had hesitated. He didn’t know why, but he was also embarrassed, as if admitting what he had done was a final admittance that he truly was as hopeless as everyone else seemed to think he was.

Cassidy had then snatched the card from Austin’s fingers. “Look, either you call him, or I will. From what you told me, the price is a steal when considering you get to spend all day long with the stud. Yummmmm!” Cassidy had then licked his lips seductively. “Actually, come to think of it, I might call and—”

“Fine!” Austin had grabbed at the card. “I’ll do it. Not like I have anything to lose.”

“And who knows. You might even get a good cocking out of it,” Cassidy finished rightly, without even a hint that he was joking.

And so, Austin had called up Finn the day after his surprise visit, and ended in booking what amounted to one month’s worth of life coach lessons. This first month was what Finn referred to as the ‘base package,’ with the option of adding more lessons once they got started. According to Finn, most of his clients hired him for three to six months, depending on their needs. And when pressed, Finn predicted Austin would be needing at least six.

Again, the money wasn’t an issue for Austin. Nor was the time it would take out of his not-so-busy schedule. The only real concern that Austin had was what exactly Finn, the life coach, would be doing. That was why he had asked about classes and tests, and that was when Finn had laughed in his face.

“The process is different for everyone,” Finn explained as he drove Austin to... well, Austin had no idea at the time where they were headed. Finn had turned up, told Austin to get in his car and that was it. “Depending on their goals.”

“Goals?” Austin had then pressed. “You mean like... how I want to get back with my ex,” he finished sheepishly. He was still embarrassed by how much he fawned over Freddy and for some reason he got the sense that Finn would judge him for it.

“Not at all.” Finn drove with one hand steering, and the other resting on the open windowsill. Seriously, the guy was just cool. Like, so effortlessly cool. Austin wondered if there was anything that wasn’t perfectly aligned in Finn’s life and doubted it. He was the kind of guy that just didn’t seem to need to worry. “Let me explain...”

Finn went on to explain