at me. So once again, my big brother is lying to save my skin.”
Peculiar, but plausible, because essentially I was doing the same thing with Dani and Tyson. “You haven’t dated anyone?”
She shook her head. “I’ve been too busy bartending, designing business concepts, implementing makeovers and avoiding the ghosts of my past. Literally.” She shivered. “Good lord. Talk about being a Debbie Downer.”
“No worries. Gabi has her own tale of woe. She was recently dumped. For her younger sister, no less.”
Thanks for that, Lids.
“What? Gabi that’s awful. Are you close to your sister?”
“Yes.”
“Then that’s even worse. Did you cry for days?” She held up her hand. “Wait. You’re more the ‘take his stuff into the parking lot and set it on fire’ kind of chick.”
“Now I wish I would’ve gone the gas-and-match route.”
“What did you do to get back at him? Sleep with his brother? Throw a dead skunk in his car?”
“Not our Gabi. She’s too bloody nice,” Liddy complained. “She didn’t even get a ‘you’re shagging my sister I’ll prove I’m hotter than her’ makeover.”
Dallas blinked at me. “You didn’t?”
“No.”
“Not even a bikini wax for all that hot rebound sex?”
“Nope.”
“Eyebrow threading after a facial?”
I shook my head.
“Mani-pedi . . . ?”
“Big fat no on that too.”
She gasped and stood. “Then this is the celestial sign!”
“Uh . . . okay. The sign for what?”
“Of why I made my famous margaritas. I only whip them up when the mood strikes me and usually it’s a sign from the universe that I need to take action.”
“Take action on what?”
“Take action on you.”
That’s when I realized Dallas was studying me like a lab rat. I mustered a smile. “While I appreciate your help—”
“A highlight will release that gray ring of gloom around your aura.” She squeezed my shoulder. “Trust me. No drastic changes. Just a little cosmic fine-tuning, yes?”
Say no.
But I always played it safe. What would it hurt to mix it up?
Not a damn thing.
I smiled at her. “You’re on.”
“Yay!” Dallas jumped up and clapped her hands. “I’ll just run to my place and get my supplies.”
And she was gone.
Liddy stood. “I’ll make more margaritas.” After she’d reached the kitchen, she popped her head back out to say, “I’d change into grubby clothes, if I were you. Celestial signs can be messy.”
Since I had a break, I sent Nolan a quick text.
ME: Getting my drink on with your cousin.
NL: Tell her hi.
ME: No. I’m warning you not to text me the next few hours so I don’t have to explain.
NL: Explain what?
ME: Why you and I are texting.
NL: Embarrassed about that, Welk?
ME: Ha.
NL: Besides, we haven’t been texting as much this week.
ME: True. I’m still kicking your ass in FF this week though.
NL: Also true. Everything okay?
ME: Just busy. You?
NL: Same.
ME: That’s what I figured. Anyway, I’m headed out of town tomorrow for a hockey camp.
NL: Feel free to forfeit FF if you don’t have time to devote to it.
ME: You wish. Later.
Dallas returned with an IKEA shopping bag of “accoutrements”—her word, which she murdered in a bad French accent that sent us into fits of giggles.
We were an odd threesome, proper English Liddy, ghost and aura seer Dallas and me, but I couldn’t remember the last time I’d laughed so hard.
My nerves reappeared when it came time to reveal the results of the goop Dallas had slathered all over my hair. I wasn’t allowed to look—not even at the reflection in the sliding glass door—until Dallas had dried, combed and fluffed me properly. I managed to keep my eyes closed even after I heard the snip snip of scissors.
Liddy and Dallas herded me into the bathroom between them and said, “Ta-da!” in unison.
I opened my eyes.
At first glance I didn’t see any differences besides the lighter sections framing my face. But when I tossed my head, I noticed the variances in color. The boring brown was slightly darker . . . and yet shone a coppery blond beneath the lights. She’d chopped maybe an inch off all around, but now the ends curved in the front, toward my face.
“Well? What do you think?” Dallas demanded.
“It’s exactly what you promised. Me . . . but better. I love it!”
She and Liddy bumped fists. “Now let’s celebrate with gelato.”
After I’d suggested a movie to go with our popcorn, we didn’t part until nearly one A.M.
As I’d lain in bed, I felt that maybe the universe had intervened tonight. I’d never been a lone wolf. From my earliest memories I’d always been surrounded