those wet golden locks. Marvin winked at me when I glanced

over at him. I forced myself then to pay attention to the job at

hand, which lasted until Hailey moved into his chair.

Hailey gestured, holding her hand up to her jawline. I watched

in terror as Marvin held his hands on either side of her face. He

looked at me in the mirror, and I shook my head. Hailey was

the type of woman who could’ve rocked a crew cut, but I loved

that golden mane, the way it flowed down her back. Marvin said

something and turned Hailey’s chair around to where it faced me.

He walked over and toyed with my hair. His fingers came to rest

just below my shoulders. The muscles in my stomach clenched as

Hailey shook her head and motioned toward her collar.

I wanted to hang up on my customer and protest as Hailey

and Marvin discussed a much shorter length. When Marvin

positioned his scissors right at Hailey’s shoulder, I lost it. “No!

It’s too gorgeous, don’t cut it off.”

Marvin and Hailey stared back at me in the mirror with

shocked expressions. Actually, everyone in the salon did. “No,

Mrs. Ronson, I’m sorry, of course you can come in for a cut.

I’m sorry for yelling in your ear.” I sat back down red-faced as I

scheduled her appointment.

When I ended the call, Marvin was standing at my desk with

a bemused smile. “Hailey would like to know exactly how you

want her hair done.”

I looked around Marvin to Hailey, who sat looking at me like

I was insane. “I’m sorry. You’d be lovely no matter what you did

with your hair. It’s just so gorgeous I can’t stand to see you cut it

off.” A couple of customers in the waiting area agreed. I shrugged

and pointed at them as though their opinions should weigh in.

Something in Hailey’s eyes glimmered. She nodded and smiled

at me. The warmth of it turned my insides to jelly.

Marvin took off two inches. Hailey’s wet hair hung down to

the bottom of her shoulder blades. The weight of those two inches

made her hair look thicker. I was mesmerized at how ringlets

formed around her face as her hair began to dry on its own.

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Robin Alexander

“Lunch break.” Blitz came to stand beside me. “Take as long

as you want. You’re still the boss.”

I felt like shackles fell off my hands and feet as I passed her

the headset. I’d been freed, but I still stood at the counter and

watched as Marvin dried Hailey’s hair. My fingers twitched with

envy as he ran his through those golden stands, making the curls

loosen and flow.

“Her cut is on the house,” I whispered so only Blitz could

hear. She nodded and deleted the appointment without hesitation.

I watched as Hailey hugged and tipped Marvin.

She walked over to the counter with her wallet in her hand. I

discreetly pushed it away. “My treat,” I said as she looked at me

in question. “Especially since you let me intervene.”

She ran a hand through her hair. “You like it?” she asked

shyly.

“Yes, I do.” Her shyness became contagious. I looked away as

I said, “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you. Why are you working here today?”

I looked back at her then and felt my knees go weak. “Some

of the staff is out with the flu. I had to fill in.”

Hailey nodded as she stuffed her wallet back into her purse.

She reached over and touched my arm. “I have to get back to the

office, but it was really nice to see you.” She smiled, and for a

second, I saw something in her eye that filled me with sadness.

I imagined that she saw the same thing when I looked at her—

longing, regret.

I watched her put on her coat and slip out the door, taking my

heart along with her.

14

Pitifully Ugly

Chapter 24

No good deed…you know the rest.

I spent an entire week at the salon and developed a twitch

every time the phone rang at home, a tiny dose of post-war

syndrome. By Monday the following week, I was in bed with

a fever and coughing up things that looked like Yoda. Marvin

took pity on me and went grocery shopping. He showed up at my

apartment wearing a face mask with two sacks in his arms.

“I brought you chicken noodle soup from the deli down the

street,” he said, keeping a distance. “I’ve never had it, but Alicia

swears by it. Some oranges and orange juice. A pint of bourbon,

lemon, and honey for toddies, and a gun in case you want to shoot

yourself.”

“You eat the soup, give me the bourbon and the gun.” I lay on

the couch feeling weak and puny.

Marvin put his hand to my head and looked at me with a

worried expression. “Caliente,” he said, shaking his hand. “You’re

very pale. Have you gone to the doctor?”

“Nope, I’m gonna ride it out.” I shivered and pulled my robe

tighter around my body. “My throat feels like it’s on fire. Be

a friend and hit me over the head with something. I wanna be

unconscious.”

“Shannon,” Marvin said. No honey or baby. He was all

business. “I can’t leave you like this.”

“Can I have some juice? It hurts to talk, and I think you’re

gonna make me argue,” I said miserably.

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Robin Alexander

Marvin poured me a glass of juice and pushed it into my

hands. “I’ll be back in a flash.”

He took off before I could ask where he was going. I drank the

juice and winced when it hit the back of my throat. I was lying on

the sofa trying to remember the last time I took Tylenol and if the

Valium I still had left would send me into orbit. Hailey appeared

like a dream, except she was wearing a mask like Marvin’s.

“We’re going for a ride,” Marvin said cheerfully. “What are

you wearing under that robe?”

“Nothing and no.” I shook my head and wanted to cry from

the pain it caused.

Hailey pressed the back of her hand to my forehead. “Oh, yes,

you are. Come with me.” I was too weak to put up a fight and let

her pull me up with a whimper. “We’ll be back in a minute,” she

said to Marvin as she steered me to the bedroom.

Hailey sat me on the bed as she fished out clothes from my

file cabinet-slash-dresser. She laid a pair of underwear and sweats

on the bed next to me. “As much as I’d like to see you naked,” she

began with a smile, “I will do my best to preserve your dignity.

You turn your back to me and dress and I’ll steady you.”

The trip to the bedroom wore me out. I stood wearily and

pulled on my underwear and pants. Hailey slipped my robe off

my shoulders. The feel of her hands grazing my back added to my

fever, and if I hadn’t felt like someone dropped a blow torch down

my throat, I might’ve swooned. She helped me into my shirt and

called for Marvin.

“I’m going to need your help. She’s swaying all over the

place.” I felt them hanging a coat over my shoulders and leading

me to the door. They stood on either side of me in the elevator

holding me up. I think I may’ve fallen asleep because the next

thing I noticed was Marvin sitting in the backseat of Hailey’s

SUV as she pulled out of the garage.

“Hospital or doc in a box?” Hailey looked at Marvin in the

rearview.

“There’s an after-hours clinic two blocks down on the right.”

Marvin looked at me. “She’s looking kind of green. Let’s try there

first.”

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Pitifully Ugly

Marvin knew half of the people in the waiting room. He

sauntered around in his mask like he was at a social while I

leaned heavily against Hailey. She stroked my hair and back as

we watched Marvin flirt with some guy who looked as bad as I

did. When my name was called, Hailey went back with me. I was

too sick to protest.

The first thing I did after they weighed me was throw up. My

eyes teared partly from embarrassment but more from the pain.

That was actually a good thing because someone came in minutes

later and jabbed me in the throat with a swab. I had nothing left

in my stomach, but I did gag like a cat with a hairball long after

the nurse left the room. All the while Hailey petted and stroked,

whispering words of comfort. Despite all the embarrassment, I

was glad she was there.

After my blood pressure and temperature had been taken, a

doctor whisked into the room. He bent sideways and smiled at me

cheerily. “I have good news and bad news,” he said as he stuck

something in one of my ears, then the other. “You don’t have the

flu, but you do have a nasty case of strep.”

“Yippee,” I said with as much enthusiasm as I could.

“Will you be taking care of her?” he asked Hailey.

“Yes,” she said without hesitation.

I listened as he explained the antibiotics that I assured him I

wasn’t allergic to. My entire body stiffened as he explained next

that they were going to give me a shot for the nausea. My eyes