Love Gently Falling (9 page)

“Great.” Rita nodded. “There's not much you can do yet, but by the end of this week…into the weekend. How are you at painting?”

He shrugged. “I'll give it my best.”

“That's all I can ask for.”

As Rita drove her mom's car over to the mall, she couldn't help but feel relieved. As if she'd dodged a bullet. Cleaning a nasty storage room and reinventing an outdated hair salon was one thing; playing nursemaid was another. Although she would do it for her mother. For the time being she was thankful to let the men play the caretakers.

Rita was surprised
to see that all three beauticians had clients in their chairs. All three patrons were elderly, and the middle-aged woman in the waiting area explained that they were from a nearby retirement home. “Do you mind if I ask what made them choose Hair and Now?” Rita said to the woman.

The woman looked slightly uncomfortable. “The truth?”

“Please, I'd like to know.”

“Well, the location is handy, but more than that this place never seems very busy. It's nice that I can bring three at once, even on short notice. That saves me some time.”

“Thank you for your honesty.” Rita smiled. “So if this place was more busy, but we were still able to handle three of your ladies at once, would you still bring clients to us?”

“Sure, why not.” She held up her hand. “And another thing. I like that you're on the lower level and that Donna lets us park in back and use the back entrance.”

“Good to know.”

“Do you plan on becoming busier in the future?” The woman frowned at the salon as if she had her doubts.

“I'm doing some renovations and marketing that I hope will bring in new patrons. But even if we do get busier, I'd like to accommodate your ladies. Maybe we could have a senior day with discounts. Maybe offer treats and make it a fun social time.”

“That sounds great.”

Rita wrote this down in the idea section of her notebook. Then she turned back to today's list and remembered her promise to call Vivienne at Roberto's.

“We miss you around here,” Vivienne said after Rita gave her the update on her mom's condition. “But I understand your desire to help with your mother's little salon and you can take that third week, although your vacation time will be used up at two weeks.”

“Thanks, Vivienne. I appreciate it.” Now Rita told her about the lime green chairs. “They're so cute. I can wait to see how the whole thing turns out.”

“Send us photos,” Vivienne said. “Before and after.”

“Good idea.”

“Hey, while I have you on the line, are you interested in our discontinued line of PBG product?”

Rita looked at the shelf she'd recently emptied. “We desperately need product and I love PBG, but we can't really afford it—not with all the other expenses of renovating.”

“Can you afford to cover the postage?”

“Seriously?”

“Yes. If you pay shipping, you can have it all.”

“Oh, Vivienne. That would be fabulous.”

“Great. It's just taking up space in the storeroom. Email me your shipping address and we'll get it out of here by tomorrow.”

Next Rita called Aubrey, giving her the latest updates on her mom and the news that she was extending her visit by another week. And then, since Aubrey was being chatty, Rita decided to mention a certain janitor. “He works for a company called Jolly Janitors. Can you believe it?”

“Kind of like Merry Maids?”

Rita laughed. “I guess…”

“So…you're having a little romance then,” Aubrey said with interest.

“No, it's not a romance. I'm just saying he's kind of interesting. I can't even imagine what Margot would say about it. By the way, please don't tell her.”

Aubrey just laughed. “Sure, it's okay for Margot to tease me about my plumber guy, but you're going to keep your Jolly Janitor under wraps.”

“That's right.”

“Fine. But I say if he's a nice guy, go for it. You're way overdue for a nice guy, Rita.”

Now Rita wished she hadn't said anything. What was she thinking? “I can't really go for it, Aubrey. I've got work to do here, and then it'll be time to get back there. No time for romance.”

“Maybe you could bring your Jolly Janitor back here with you. Maxwell has been talking about hiring an assistant. That might be a step up for Johnny.” She giggled. “Johnny…such a cute name.”

As much as Rita loved Aubrey, she really wished she'd kept her mouth closed about Johnny. For some reason it felt wrong to talk about him like this—and very juvenile. “Tell Margot hi for me,” she said before they hung up.

For the rest of the afternoon, Rita focused on the computer. She'd already downloaded a user-friendly program that should streamline the paperwork for everyone, but she wanted to familiarize herself with it enough to teach the others how to use it. And when the salon was empty of customers, she locked the front door and called an impromptu staff meeting.

First she gave them a quick introductory computer class. “It's super easy,” she told them. “And until there's enough business to require a receptionist, it will be a real time saver for everyone.” She also told them about the week's upcoming schedule and how they would be closed for business from Saturday through Tuesday. “I've already rescheduled what few appointments we had. And if you guys want to help out, with painting or cleaning or whatever, that would be great. I can only pay minimum wage, but I can have pizza delivered.” Charlene promised to help out during the weekend and, to Rita's surprise, both Yolanda and Jillian volunteered to come in on Monday and Tuesday. Finally, she told them about some of the promotions she was planning, including a grand reopening that would coincide with the reopening of the ice-skating rink. “Just in time for Valentine's Day,” she said. “If all goes well anyway.”

Rita felt hopeful as her mom's employees left at five o'clock. They'd all seemed happy about the upcoming changes, showing more enthusiasm than she thought they were capable of. As usual, she planned to keep the salon open until the usual closing time. But she used this time to clean out the cutting stations that hadn't been needed in recent years, and finally, as she was taping a sign on the front window announcing the dates they'd be closed for renovations, a customer walked in.

“Dr. Wright?” She set the Scotch tape on the reception desk and stared at him in wonder. “What're you doing here?” A wave of panic rushed through her. “Is something wrong with my mom?”

“No, no—not that I know of anyway. I thought she was discharged today.”

“She was.” Rita pushed a strand of hair away from her face.

He smiled. “So, how is she doing?”

“She's fine…as far as I know. She was glad to get home…but tired.” Rita peered curiously at him. “Did you come in for a haircut?”

“As a matter of fact, I probably could use one, don't you think?”

She studied his dishwater blond hair. It did look like it could use some help. “I suppose so.”

“Do you have time?”

She glanced at her watch. “Well, we close at seven. But I could probably finish you up by then.”

“Great.” He removed his parka. And Rita, feeling a bit awkward, led him over to the shampoo station. Something about this felt slightly off, but what could she do?

“I'll warn you, men's cuts are not my specialty,” she said as she vigorously scrubbed his head.

“I trust you.”

Before long, he was seated at her mom's cutting station, and she was combing and snipping and eventually pulling out the clippers to clean up the collar line. Finally, she brushed the hair away from his neck, whipped off the cape, and proclaimed, “Voilà!”

He looked in the mirror and smiled. “Very nice. Thank you.”

She was just removing a missed clipping of hair from his shoulder when she heard the door opening again. “We're closed,” she called out as she turned around. But there, to her stunned surprise, was Johnny. Dressed in his red and white janitor jacket and blue jeans, he looked as if he was here to clean up. But why hadn't he come in through the back door?

“Sorry to intrude.” His brow creased as he stood in the reception area. “But I'm not here for a haircut.”

“Sorry. Come on in, Johnny.” She made a nervous smile. “I just finished up with Dr. Wright and I was about to close shop.”

“Not until I settle up with you.” Dr. Wright pulled out his wallet. “And not until you stop calling me Dr. Wright, Rita. I have a first name, you know.” He handed her his credit card.

“I see that you do.” She read his name from the card as if she didn't already know it. “Winston D. Wright.” As she went to the register she casually introduced the two men, explaining to Johnny that Winston had been one of her mom's physicians at Jackson Park. “But Mom went home today,” she told Johnny. “And Dr. Wright—I mean
Winston
—came in for a haircut.” Feeling a bit silly for overexplaining, she handed Winston his receipt. She waited for him to sign and tried not to frown at what seemed a slightly miserly tip, considering how she'd stayed open late for him. But she simply thanked him and walked him to the door.

“I wanted to ask you—”

“Closing time,” she cheerfully interrupted him, jingling her keys as she handed him his jacket and opened the door. “Sorry to throw you out, but rules are rules.”

Winston frowned, jerking his thumb to where Johnny was still leaning against the reception desk. “What about him?”

“Oh, Johnny?” She shrugged. “He's with our cleaning service. Jolly Janitors.”

“
Jolly
Janitors?” Winston chuckled. “Do they tell jokes while they mop? Or whistle while they work?”

“Sometimes we do,” Johnny responded good-naturedly.

“See you around, Winston.” Rita gently put her hand on his shoulder, guiding the slightly bewildered man out the door, before she closed and locked it.

“Didn't mean to scare the good doctor away,” Johnny said.

Rita went to the cutting station and picking up the broom began to sweep the hair from the floor. “You didn't scare him away. It was time for him to go.”

He took the broom from her. “Why not let Jolly Janitors sweep your troubles away.” And now he started to whistle as he swept.

She couldn't help but laugh as she sat down at the cutting station across from him. “Why didn't you use the back door?” she asked. “I mean, if you're here to clean, although it seems a little early.”

“I'm not here to clean.” He swept the hair into the dustbin and frowned down at it. “Your doctor friend has some gray hairs.”

She chuckled. “I noticed.”

He dumped the hair into the trash then turned to look at her. “Is it a serious relationship?”

“Me and Dr. Wright?” She gave him a funny look.

“Don't you mean
Winston
?”

“Yes…Winston. And, no, it is not a serious relationship. I couldn't have been more surprised when he showed up just now.”

“But you gave him a haircut?”

She stood and shrugged. “This is a hair salon, Johnny. It's what we do.”

“But it was closing time.”

“Not quite.” She cleaned the scissors and dropped the comb into the sterile solution. “And I can't really afford to turn away business.” She tipped her head to one side. “So, if you're not here to clean, why are you here?”

“I stopped by to let you know that Mason and Drew want to help with your renovations. I just need to let them know when exactly.”

She told him her plans and how she'd extended her visit a week. “But I'd really like to get it totally wrapped up by next Tuesday. That will give us a couple of days to get up to speed. And I'm getting postcards to send out to our list of clientele, inviting them to stop by for a sneak peek and goodies on Friday afternoon. Plus, I've bought ad space, announcing the grand reopening on Valentine's Day weekend.”

“Sounds like a good plan.” He looked around the salon. “And assuming you're not changing anything as far as electric and plumbing goes, it should be doable.”

“Yes, the cutting stations and shampoo area will all be in the same places.”

“I was curious as to whether you've got the tools you'll need. You know, things like drills and hammers and paintbrushes and ladders and drop cloths. That can all add up when you're trying to stay on budget.”

“My dad has a few things I can probably use, but he's not really much of a tool guy. I mean, besides the automotive stuff. He's not a real handyman.”

“That's the other reason I stopped by. I thought you might want to borrow a few things.”

“Really? You've got those kinds of tools? That you can lend me?”

He nodded. “And I have the evening off if you'd like to go pick some things out. Then I can bring them over here on Friday night—to be sure that it's all ready for your team on Saturday.”

“That'd be fabulous.”

“How about if I drive around back while you lock up?”

Rita rushed around turning off lights and throwing wet towels from the washer into the dryer, and even taking time to retouch her hair and makeup. She was just pulling on her coat when Johnny came in. “Ready to rock and roll?” he asked as he led her out to his pickup.

“This is so generous of you,” she said as he opened the door, letting her in.