Love in a Fix (14 page)

“Nothing.” Her hand reached for him, but she withdrew, as though afraid he’d turn her away. “You have been the ideal husband and father. If I could go back and rephrase my words in a way that didn’t hurt you, I would.”

They’d lost something between them last night. He didn’t know where to find it, but he also didn’t want the strife in his marriage. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s just move on and forget what happened.”

He dropped a kiss on her forehead and stood, left the room before she had a chance to read his eyes.

The rigid plastic chair produced a squeak just loud enough to elicit a glance from the only other patient in the waiting room at the doctor’s office. The woman smiled, then continued reading her magazine.

While Lyndsey waited her turn to check out and settle her bill, she thought about what the doctor had said. If it was true, what would Shep think? A strain still pulled their relationship a week after their argument.

Shep wouldn’t admit it, continually told her they were fine, and he wasn’t upset, but his actions spoke volumes. Every morning this week, he’d left before she was out of bed. She’d confronted him yesterday, but he’d explained it away by a heavy workload. In the evenings, when he had  previously sat by her on the couch, he played with Josh instead. They built forts out of blankets and castles out of the blocks. How was she supposed to question that?
Hey, stop playing with our son and pay attention to me?
Then came the nights. He never reached for her—hadn’t touched her since their argument except for brief kisses on the cheek when he came home in the evenings.

Even when they talked, the words didn’t flow. Their conversations were robotic, unnatural, and stiff. A typical night after dinner may as well have been a game of how many ways could they ask ‘how was your day’ which was more painful than hours of silence.

If she could only find a way to make him understand it was a gross miscommunication. She took full responsibility for getting upset—she was wrong to question him for disciplining Josh in an appropriate manner—and she knew how personally he’d taken it when she told him he wasn’t Josh’s parent. She’d never—never—meant to suggest that he was less of a dad because he was the stepfather and not there for Josh’s entire life. Unfortunately for both of them, she’d not chosen her words wisely.

Still, her own frustration with Shep grew, driven by a need to correct the broken line of their relationship. What else could she do but apologize and show him five times over how much she loved and appreciated him. He’d always been a reasonable man, and his response told her she’d wounded him deeply, which made her feel that much worse.

A loud sigh slipped from her, provoking another glance from the woman four chairs down. All she could do was pray for the situation.

The receptionist, Erin, slid open the glass window. “Mrs. Patterson.”

Lyndsey slipped the strap of her purse over her shoulder and withdrew her wallet as she walked.

Erin handed her a clipboard with two papers stapled together. “Here’s a summary of your visit today, and you should receive a call by tomorrow night with your results.”

“Thank you.” She removed the papers and gave back the clipboard. “What do I owe?”

“You don’t have any payment due today, other than your copay, which we took care of when you arrived. Your insurance covers the tests we ran, but if anything comes back, we’ll send you a bill in the mail.”

“That’s a nice surprise.”

Erin laughed. “Patients are always happy when we tell them no money is due. Have a good day, Mrs. Patterson.”

“You too.”

The rest of the day belonged to her. Because of the great variation in appointment lengths—they could run anywhere from half hour, a rarity, to three hours, depending on the number of patients ahead of her and how in-depth the visits—she’d kept the day free. Today the visit, from time out and back into her car, lasted forty-five minutes, a number which pleased her.

She could pick up Josh early, but the preschool was hosting a special petting zoo event in the afternoon, and he’d be disappointed if he missed the fun. She could go to the salon and get her hair done. Mrs. Tisdale gave her a gift card for Christmas and she’d not had the opportunity to use it until now.

The idea grew on her. When was the last time she’d gone to a salon? Probably not since before she married Mark years ago. A little pampering would be good for her, get her mind off her problems with Shep and the results of the bloodwork.

As she drove across town, she thought of Valentine’s Day. She hadn’t bought a present for Shep yet, didn’t have any idea what to get him. Would they celebrate the romantic holiday or would Shep still be upset? He had until Saturday, two days away. What if he had planned something and went through the holiday acting as he had been? In that case, she’d rather not celebrate at all.

When she pulled into the parking lot of the salon, she changed her thought pattern. For the next two hours, she’d indulge and enjoy girl time.

A woman who looked the same age as her stood at the front desk. She had her hair styled in an inverted bob, blonde on top and a rich brown on the bottom. “Do you have an appointment?”

“No, it’s a spur of the moment decision.”

“What services do you need today?”

“Color, cut, and style.”

“You’re in luck. Cassie’s next appointment cancelled fifteen minutes ago.” The woman smiled, showing a perfect line of sparkling white teeth. “Have a seat and she’ll be with you shortly. There are magazines on the table if you need ideas. Can I get you a bottle of water?”

“No thanks.”

She sat in a plush chair of supple leather that formed to her—a one-eighty turnaround for the uncomfortable seats at the doctor. The entire atmosphere was different as was to be expected. Whereas the doctor’s office had a sterile, medical tone with posters advertising certain drugs and boasting few items of décor, the salon had a chic, welcoming air.

Three modern shelving units held hair products and cardboard signage. Multiple plants, including three that reminded Lyndsey of Bonsai trees, sat in art nouveau pots through the salon.

“Lyndsey?” A young woman, twenty if a day, came from the back area, her hair pulled into a basic ponytail.

“That’s me.” She set down the magazine she hadn’t had time to open and stood.

“I’m Cassie, your stylist today. Follow me and we’ll get started.”

Ten booths, five on each side, filled the rear space of the business, and eight of them were occupied. Cassie’s station was the third in a row, right in the center.

Lyndsey lowered herself into the beauty chair. Cassie spun her around until she faced the mirror. Frowning, she noticed the circles under her eyes, even after applying foundation that morning. Her hair was limp, the color dull. The entire reflection alarmed her. “Time for a change.”

Cassie laughed. “Famous last words of my clients. Renee said we’re doing a color, cut and style. What did you have in mind?”

“Anything but the mom style I’ve had for years.”
I want to wow my husband, bring him back to me.
Like a new hairstyle would do that, but couldn’t a girl hope?

“Do you want highlights or all-over color?”

“Highlights. What’s your professional opinion?”

Running her hands through Lyndsey’s hair, Cassie’s faced scrunched, smiled, frowned, and contorted. “I’d like to do blonde highlights all over, and add cinnamon lowlights on the bottom.” She pulled a book from the drawer and pointed to two samples. “These are the shades I had in mind.”

“I’ll trust your expertise.”

“Give me a few minutes to mix the colors and I’ll be right back.” Cassie grabbed the color book and disappeared into another room.

Lyndsey pulled her purse to her stomach.
Not again.
The smell of chemicals nauseated her. She took a deep breath, then focused on the conversation around her as a distraction.

The stylist beside Lyndsey chatted to her client and anyone who would listen. “Jimmy’s taking me away next weekend.”

“How sweet. Is it a special occasion?” The client lowered the book in her hand.

“Our first anniversary.”

“Congratulations. Where are you going?” The lady sitting in booth five chimed in to the conversation.

“Quilted Pines.”

Memories of her own special weekend shared with Shep at Quilted Pines surfaced. Lyndsey’s heart lurched. So did her stomach. Maybe she should leave before Cassie started the foils and it was too late.

“Are you okay, ma’am?” The stylist to her right in booth two gave her a concerned appraisal. “You got real pale all of a sudden.”

“I’m not feeling so good.” She jumped up. “Where’s the bathroom?”

Several people pointed in the same direction, and Lyndsey sprinted, relieved to find the restroom empty. Her muscles convulsed, trying to expel contents from an empty stomach. An eternity passed before she was confident the bout was over. She rinsed her mouth with cold water from the sink and splashed a handful on her face.

To her disappointment, she knew she couldn’t stay. She’d have to come back another day when the nausea was gone for good. Embarrassed, she returned to the work area, receiving sympathetic looks from the ladies.

Cassie stood by the chair.

“I can’t stay.” She swallowed, assaulted again by the offensive scents. When she saw the mixed colors, she felt even worse. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t you worry about it.” Cassie gave her a sideways hug. “The ladies told me what happened.”

“I’ll pay for the cost of mixing the colors.”

“Absolutely not. Life happens, and you need to take care of yourself.” Offering a sympathetic smile, Cassie grabbed a business card. “When you get to feeling better, come see me. My hours are on the card, and you can call or go online to schedule an appointment.”

“Thank you.” Lyndsey grabbed the card and slid it into her wallet before pulling out several bills. She placed them into Cassie’s hand. “Take these for your time, if nothing else.”

The younger girl tried to refuse, but reluctantly shoved the bills into her tip jar. “Feel better Lyndsey, and thank you.”

Lyndsey left and sat in her car for ten minutes before heading home. After the incident inside the salon, she wasn’t risking going anywhere else, except picking up Josh. Until then, she’d go home and take a nap

A much needed, much anticipated nap.

***

“When will Daddy be home?” Josh lay in bed with the covers pulled to his chin.

“Soon.” She sat on the edge of his bed after listening to his prayers.

“Can I stay awake until then? I want to see him.”

“It’s already past your bedtime. You need to go to sleep.” Bending over, she swept the hair from his forehead and gave him a kiss.

“Will you read me another story?” 

Who could resist those puppy dog eyes? “A short one.”

Josh fell asleep by the end of the story. She kissed his cheek and tucked the covers around him once more. “Good night.”

She went downstairs and curled up in the recliner with a book she’d started to read after coming home from the salon fiasco. For every page she read, she checked her phone for a message from Shep, hoping for an update. She hadn’t heard from him since shortly before five when he’d called to tell her he’d be late. He hadn’t specified a time.

At ten o’clock she called his cell. No answer and straight to voicemail.

Where is he?
If he’d been in an accident, surely she’d have heard by now. Flashbacks of Mark tormented her.

“Shep is fine. His phone probably died and he can’t call.” Saying the words out loud made their impact on her stronger as if verbalizing them made them true.

There had to be a similar explanation if not that one. Despite the fact he’d not been acting himself, she unequivocally knew Shep wouldn’t purposely make her worry. Considering her background—both of her parents and then Mark’s death in a car accident—that would be cruel, and Shep didn’t have a mean bone in his body. Stubborn, yes. Unkind, no.

At ten thirty, she heard a key in the door. After jumping up, she tripped over the blanket she’d knocked off her lap, but regained her balance and ran to the door.

Shep opened the door, rubbing his eyes as he walked through. “Hi. I didn’t know if you’d still be up.”

“I was worried about you. I wouldn’t have been able to sleep until you were home.”

Remorse flickered in his eyes. “I’m sorry for making you worry. My phone died and there was an accident that caused a long backup. I pulled off twice to call you, but the stations were closed and there weren’t any pay phones.”

A speck of hope ignited. The special consideration he’d tried to show touched her. “You’re home now. That’s what matters.”

He shrugged his coat off his shoulders and hung it in the closet. “Do you have a few minutes? I wanted to get your thoughts on an opportunity.”

“Sure. Did you eat yet? I can heat the leftovers for you.”

“I’m good, but thanks.” He took her hand, led her to the living room.

Her stomach fluttered. The simple contact was more than they’d had in days. Still, they sat on opposite sides of the couch. “What’s going on?”

“I spent the day in Hillside with Lawton. He offered me the contract for the apartments, but there’s a catch.” He sat sideways and propped an arm on the top of the couch. “He wants me to start right away. The other company he’d wanted to co-manage the project backed out, so I’d have to hire a small team to assist the men I already have.”

“What does all that mean?”

“I’ll spend a week in Hillside organizing the project, and then, by my estimates, it will take a month to complete.”