My hair was dyed, cut, and styled. My body had been exfoliated, waxed, massaged, and spray-tanned. My lashes were full, and my eyebrows were tinted. My makeup was perfectly done, lighter than I had asked for, but I trusted Jenny’s advice to go for a subtler daytime look. My fingernails were drying, Keisha was working on my pedicure, and I had switched from champagne to white wine. I was thoroughly buzzed and feeling extremely beautiful and confident, something I hadn’t felt in a while.
Jenny and Keisha delivered as usual, and by midafternoon we were talking about the divorce. I never intended to, but there’s something about salons and booze that bring out the truth in you. Mix them together and you’ll spill your guts. They were both understanding and supportive, asking all the right questions and dishing out all the right compliments and all the much-needed man-bashing remarks.
“Now that you’re single, has anyone caught your eye?” Keisha pried.
“A lady never tells,” I said with a laugh and a hiccup.
“Oh, girl!” Keisha fluttered her eyelashes and switched to painting my other set of toes.
“It’s nothing like that,” I said, flicking my wrist. “I still love Bryce, and I have hope that we’ll get back together one day.”
Keisha and Jenny looked at one another and drew their brows together. I knew they thought I was crazy to say that, but even with everything Bryce had put me through, I still loved him. We were good together. He was just having a midlife crisis, a very long midlife crisis. Jenny leaned against her salon station. Her forehead wrinkled. I knew she wanted to ask me something, but Jenny was always so careful, never wanting to offend anyone.
“Oh, just say it, Jenny,” I said with a huff. She walked over to me and topped off my wineglass with more Chardonnay. Between the champagne and the wine, I was nearly two bottles deep. My words were coming out freely with a southern drawl on the end.
“Do you really think Bryce will come back to you? He remarried,” she said.
“He divorced once before. He can do it again,” I said matter-of-factly.
Keisha and Jenny nodded. I know they didn’t agree and probably thought I was delusional. But they’d see. They would all see. Bryce hadn’t been interested in me when I first pursued him fourteen years ago. He was too focused on his career. But I changed his mind, and I could do it again. Throughout our marriage, I had always warned him that I’d be the worst ex-wife he’d ever have, because I never forget and I never let things go, including ex-husbands.
“They say if you love someone, let them go, and if they don’t come back, go and get that asshole yourself.” I chuckled.
Keisha laughed, and Jenny gave me a look of pity but quickly turned it into a small smile.
“Got any plans for the evening?” Jenny changed the subject.
“I have to finish prepping for the gala next week, turn in some expense reports and whatnot. I missed a couple of committee meetings, but regardless, this event is going to be incredible. It has to be. I haven’t been able to get ahold of any of the board members today to finalize some details. Speaking of them, has Olivia been in here?”
She had been dodging my calls for months now. I didn’t quite understand it, but I hadn’t been able to wrangle her in to figure out what her deal was.
“She was in yesterday,” Jenny said.
“Did she mention me?”
“Nope,” Jenny answered quickly as she tidied up around the salon.
I had the feeling she wasn’t telling the truth, but I didn’t press her. Jenny thought it was her job to keep the peace, and I understood where she was coming from. It must be hard to be at the center of all of Buckhead’s gossip. Before the divorce, I had always thought I was the most powerful woman in this town, but deep down I knew it was Jenny. Knowledge was power, and Jenny had all of it. I took another sip of wine.
“You know? I almost canceled my membership here,” I confessed.
Jenny’s eyes went a little wide before she turned her customer service face on, neutral with a small smile. “Really? Well, I guess I’d understand with the divorce and all.”
“Oh, no. Not because of money. The alimony is strong.” My lip perked up. “I wasn’t sure if the new wife would be a client of yours as well.”
Jenny opened her mouth and then closed it, hesitating for a moment. “Well, Bryce did give me a call yesterday. So, full disclosure, I accepted her as a client, but I’ll make sure to stagger your appointments.”
“Very good.” I nodded.
“Besides, I don’t think we’ll see her for a while. From what Olivia has told me, Crystal isn’t into the whole beauty thing,” Jenny explained, but not in a judgmental way, just like she was reading from a teleprompter.
I raised my eyebrows and took another sip. A woman who isn’t into keeping up appearances. I let out a laugh. Bryce surely wouldn’t keep her around for long. He needed someone like me beside him, not some down-on-the-farm little country girl. Knowing that gave me hope that Bryce and I would reunite again.
“All finished.” Keisha propped both my feet up. My toenails were all perfectly polished a midnight-blue shade. “Give them ten minutes to dry.”
“Thank you both! I feel beautiful and buzzed.” I raised my glass. “What a perfect day!”
It was perfect because it was the first day in a long time where I didn’t feel the pain of my life falling apart, the loneliness of a divorcée, and the embarrassment of losing my husband to a younger woman. But that was probably just the effects of the alcohol.
The front door chimed. “Hello,” a meek, country voice from the front said.
“Do you have someone?” Keisha asked Jenny. She shook her head.
“Mary’s on lunch. I’ll take care of it.” Jenny disappeared behind the black curtains.
I heard faint whispers. “Can you come back in ten minutes?”
“Who is it?” I called out.
Jenny peeked her head through the curtains. “It’s Crystal.”
“Oh, lovely. Don’t let me be a bother. Go right ahead. Have her come on back,” I said, trying to keep my speech intact, but I ended up slurring every other word.
Jenny disappeared behind the curtain again. More whispering ensued.
I took another drink and held out my glass. Keisha immediately refilled it, and then she took a big gulp from the bottle herself. Clearly, she was not looking forward to being a part of this meet and greet.
“What’s taking so long?” I called out. More whispers. I could hear Jenny asking Crystal to come back. I got up from my chair and balanced myself.
“Your toenails are still wet,” Keisha warned.
I waved a hand at her dismissively. I raised my toes in their oversize pedicure flip-flops and took one big step and then another and then another, trying to keep myself upright with my arms outstretched for balance. The foam flip-flops slapped hard with each labored step.
When I reached the curtain, I tugged hard to open it in a dramatic fashion, “Come on back, Crystal. I’m dying to meet you.” The alcohol seemed to have numbed my legs too, because I lost my balance. I pulled down one side of the curtain, tumbling to the ground, wrapping and entangling myself in it.
“Shhhit,” I called out from inside the velvet cocoon. This was not how I had intended to meet the woman who stole my husband. I had imagined it’d be more like when a commoner (Crystal) meets the Queen of England (me). Crystal would bend the knee, and I’d whack her head off with a sword. The royal treatment! Okay, perhaps not that graphic. But my fantasy did not look like this.
“Oh my God,” Keisha shrieked as she ran toward me. She unwrapped me and helped me up. I immediately shuffled back to my pedicure chair, avoiding eye contact with Crystal. Keisha and Jenny hung the curtain back up and Crystal stayed on the other side of it. I quickly fixed myself, caught my breath, tapered my embarrassment, and smoothed out my hair. Holding the champagne glass between my fingertips as elegantly as possible, I waited for Crystal to walk in. I looked down at my toes and saw they were covered in nail polish. Damn it.
There were more whispers.