by Amber Crewes
Meghan glanced out at the gloomy night. The thick snow covering the town had melted into a gray mess, and the bitter winter sea gusts cut through Meghan’s coat every time she stepped outside. She longed for the mild winters of Los Angeles, the city she had lived in before moving to Sandy Bay, and even more, she desperately ached for the hot, humid winters of Texas, the state where she had grown up.
Suddenly, Meghan looked over at the bulletin board next to the rack of aprons and was struck with inspiration. Pinned to the board was a pamphlet from the salon in town, owned by her good friend, Jackie. Meghan remembered that Jackie was hosting late-night salon hours this week as a January special, and she grinned. She had sent her employees home hours ago, and after finishing her preparations for the next day, Meghan knew it was time to leave the bakery for the night. She looked down at her hands. Meghan’s palms were calloused from hours of kneading dough, her fingers had small abrasions from dicing fruit, and her cuticles were wild and overgrown. “I know what I’m going to do,” Meghan exclaimed as she examined her rough hands. “I’m going to get a manicure at Jackie’s. I’ll be right in time to catch her late night hours, and my hands could use some pampering. Everyone is gone for the night, my work is finished, and I think it’s time to take care of myself.
Twenty minutes later, Meghan skipped into the Sandy Bay salon owned by her good friend, Jackie. Meghan hadn’t dressed up and had hastily thrown her long, dark hair into a messy bun, unaware of how upscale Jackie’s clientele would be. It wasn’t until she looked down at the floor in the waiting area and saw designer bag after designer bag perched next to their glamorous owners.
“Maybe I should have showered before leaving the bakery,” Meghan thought as she peered at the other guests lounging in the waiting area. “That woman is dripping in jewelry, and that man over there has shoes that must have cost him a fortune. I hope I don’t embarrass Jackie with my messy hair and sweatpants; it looks like the people in here are way fancier than I expected.”
Meghan fidgeted in her seat as she surveyed the waiting area. The spacious room was lit by three sparkling chandeliers, and the white tile floors were covered with Persian rugs. A fountain in the corner held several large, exotic-looking fish, and the receptionist’s desk was made from what appeared to be crystal.
“Jackie never mentioned how nice this place has gotten,” Meghan grumbled as a lithe, blonde woman glided into the salon.
“Meghan!”
Meghan smiled weakly as Jackie appeared. “Thanks for squeezing me in, Jackie,” Meghan told her friend as Jackie kissed her on both cheeks. “The salon looks amazing, Jackie. When did it become so classy?”
Jackie shrugged. “My internet-based business coach, Donna, suggested that I spruce things up a little,” she explained to Meghan. “Donna thinks I should create an atmosphere for the clients I want, and the clients I want have a lot of money,” she whispered to Meghan. “During the holidays, I had some spare time, and I decided to do a little shopping to make this place shine.”
Meghan’s eyes widened. “It looks like you did more than a little shopping,” she laughed nervously as Jackie led her back to the manicure room. “This place looks so nice. I don’t think I’m dressed well enough to even breathe the air here, Jackie.”
Jackie shook her head. “Enough of that kind of talk, Meghan,” she chided. “You are a friend of mine, and you belong here. Come sit! I have just enough time to give you a fabulous new color and nail shape before my next appointment arrives. Oh, Meghan, I am so glad you called. I’ve been dying to get my hands on your nails.”
“This is just what I needed,” Meghan admitted as she settled into the plush red chair in front of the manicure station.
“Good,” Jackie agreed as she glanced down at her rose gold watch. “Yikes. Meghan, I have another client scheduled for eyelash extensions that I completely forgot about. I’m going to have my two assistants start taking care of you. Dolly? Polly?”
Two identical brunette girls appeared by Jackie’s side. They looked young--Meghan guessed they were in their early twenties--and Meghan could not tell them apart.
“Meghan, these are my assistants, Dolly and Polly. They are new to the salon, but I hope they give you the best experience. I know they will, right girls?”
The two girls nodded, and Meghan smiled warmly at them. “It’s fine,’ she told Jackie. “We’ll be fine.”
Jackie scurried off, and Dolly lifted Meghan’s left hand into a small silver bowl while Polly moved Meghan’s right hand into a matching silver bowl. They worked in sync, both moving and breathing at the same pace. Meghan was mesmerized by their precision, and she stared as the twins pampered her.
“Meghan? You doing okay?”
Meghan’s body jerked as she heard Jackie’s voice. She realized she had been sleeping; she was so relaxed as the twins did her nails that she had drifted off to sleep.
“I’m good,” she sleepily said to Jackie. “This is so cozy; the twins are doing a great job.”
“What color did you pick?” Jackie asked.
Polly held up a bottle of the Josie Posie polish. “She selected this Josie Posie pink,” Polly told Jackie.
“I think Jack will like it,” Meghan gushed. “He always compliments me when I wear pink.”
Jackie winked. “I think you’re right. Ugh, Meghan, I have to run. I have to get over to the other manicure station. One of my clients is being a little...demanding...so I am going to go relieve my other assistant. I just wanted to check on you.”
Meghan grinned. “Hey, I’m an easy client,” she joked with her friend. “Just let the twins take care of me, and I will float on out of here.”
Meghan smiled at the twins as Jackie flew away. “I really miss my boyfriend,” she confided in them. “He’s been gone a few days, and I’m a little lonely.”
Before the twins could respond, Meghan heard a screech. “Seriously? You seriously think it is acceptable to leave my nails looking like that? This color is atrocious. It looks like a circus clown stuck his hands into a tomato patch. I can’t believe this is the quality of the service here.”
Meghan looked over her shoulder to see Jackie forcing herself to smile. “Rosie, my assistant simply didn’t pair the color correctly. I am happy to give you a new color and comp it. My treat.”
Meghan raised an eyebrow. Rosie, the woman who had screeched, looked glamorous. She had sharp features, with a pointed nose and bold jawline, and white blonde hair cut bluntly just above her collarbone. She was dressed in white leather pants, a black cashmere turtleneck, and matching white heeled boots.
“I don’t have the time to wait for another color, Jackie,” Rosie complained. “I’m meeting my boss for dinner in twenty minutes.”
Meghan watched as Jackie bent down beside Rosie and began to work. “Just give me ten minutes, Rosie, and I’ll have you out of here.”
True to her word, ten minutes later, Rosie was beaming and kissing Jackie on the cheek as she rose from her chair and examined her nails. “Thank you, I owe you one,” Rosie cooed as Jackie grinned.
“It’s really no problem,” Jackie assured Rosie as she escorted her to the waiting area. “I apologize my assistant did not deliver on the color you desired.”
“Well, you fixed it so promptly that I have nearly forgotten all about it,” Rosie said with a wink. “But really, I owe you one, Jackie. I’ll see you next week for my appointment.”
As Rosie sashayed out the door of the salon, Meghan gestured for Jackie to come over. Meghan’s hands were deep in a dryer, and she was eager to hear about Jackie’s customer. “Who was that?” Meghan asked. “Is she local? I’ve never seen her in town before.”
Jackie rolled her eyes. “She’s the personal assistant to someone important...I have to admit though, I’ve always tuned her out whenever she starts bragging about her job.
Meghan nodded. “Got it. She seemed like a real piece of work,” she said.
Jackie laughed. “You have no idea.”
/> Later that evening, after Jackie closed up the salon, she asked Meghan if she would run some errands with her. “We haven’t gotten to catch up since New Year’s,” Jackie lamented. “Hop in my car and chat with me. I only have a few places to go, and it would be nice to have someone to talk with.”
Meghan agreed, and she accompanied Jackie on her errands. They visited the grocery, the pharmacy, and the library, happily chatting as they made their purchases.
“Can I ask you a question?” Jackie asked as they headed toward the post office.
“Of course,” Meghan replied.
Jackie took a deep breath. “How did you really get your business off of the ground, Meghan?”
Meghan cocked her head to the side. “What do you mean?”
Jackie bit her lip. “Well, things are on the up and up with the salon, but I want to really rock it. How did you do it with your bakery? Things were slow for you, and then they just took off.”
Meghan shrugged. “It was the corporate orders,” she admitted. “I love serving the people of Sandy Bay, but when I started catering for several of the big companies, I really saw the dollar pour in.”
Jackie nodded. “I’m hoping some slam dunk client wanders in sooner than later,” she sighed. “Someone rolling in the dough, you know?”
Jackie slammed on the brakes. “Hey!” she screamed, narrowly avoiding a pedestrian who had darted in front of the car. “Watch where you are going.”
Meghan’s heart was pounding. “What was she doing?”
Jackie glared as the female pedestrian scurried inside of the post office “People are so careless. She was probably on her phone, distracted.”
Both women unbuckled their seatbelts, Meghan’s heart still beating rapidly as Jackie turned off the car.
“Last stop,” Jackie declared. “This will be a quick stop, I promise.”
As Meghan and Jackie walked into the post office, Meghan gasped. “Jackie,” she whispered. “Isn’t that Rosie? From the salon?”
“Oh goodness,” Jackie muttered. “It is. We have to say hi, even though I don’t feel like dealing with her again.”
“Darling Jackie!”
Meghan watched Jackie paste a smile on her face as Rosie spotted Jackie.
“Hello, Rosie,” Jackie said. “Good to see you.”
Meghan noticed a woman in sunglasses behind Rosie. The woman had waist-length sandy hair, and wore a long pink coat. She was curvy, and her expensive outfit made her look womanly and beautiful. It was the same woman who had darted in front of Jackie’s car only moments before.
“Jackie, Jackie’s friend, this is the esteemed Mariah Cooper,” Rosie said as the woman in sunglasses nodded at them. “She is an artist, and my dearest friend.”
Meghan watched as Jackie’s jaw dropped. “Mariah Cooper? The Mariah Cooper?”
Mariah Cooper pushed her sunglasses atop her head and nodded. “Yes, Mariah Cooper,” she said coolly. “I believe you almost ran me over out there?”
“I...I….I’m so sorry,” Jackie sputtered. “I didn’t realize it was you.”
Meghan saw the desperation in Jackie’s face. Hoping to ease the tension, she smiled and reached out her hand. “Nice to meet you,” she said. “I’m Jackie’s friend, Meghan. Mariah, I hear you are a great painter and sculptor.”
Mariah turned up her nose as Rosie shook her head. “She isn’t just a great painter and sculptor,” Rosie informed Meghan. “Her work is iconic. She is only twenty-seven years old, and her work is being featured at the Winter Olympics next year. She is internationally acclaimed.”
Meghan playfully shrugged. “Does she ever speak for herself?”
Rosie’s jaw dropped. “I don’t think you understand,” she said dismissively. “Mariah doesn’t just talk to anyone. She is famous.”
Jackie gently pushed Meghan behind her. “Meghan is just being silly,” she said apologetically. “She is a jokester. Anyway, Rosie, Mariah, it was a pleasure. We must be going.”
As Jackie and Meghan walked out of the post office, Jackie hissed at Meghan. “You could have jeopardized my business with Rosie with your sass.”
Meghan bit her lip. “I was just trying to get them to get over themselves,” she said. “I know that type, and they seemed so stuck up.”
Jackie scowled. “That wasn’t your place. You should just play it good next time, Meghan, if you know what’s good for you. Mariah Cooper could be that slam dunk client I’ve been hoping for!”
2
The next morning, Jackie called Meghan on her cell phone. Meghan felt nervous when she saw Jackie’s name on the screen, but she knew they needed to talk; Meghan felt bad about embarrassing Jackie in front of Rosie and Mariah, and she wanted to make things up to her friend.
“It’s me,” Jackie said as Meghan answered the phone. “I have some amazing news. I had to tell you!”
Meghan sighed in relief, thankful that Jackie was not angry with her. “What’s up, Jackie?”
“Last night, after I dropped you off, Rosie texted me,” she explained breathlessly. “She was telling me more about Mariah’s Olympic display--bragging really--and she asked if I could arrange a day of pampering for everyone involved with her last exhibition! Rosie said that Mariah wants to thank everyone who helped her win the Olympics gig, and she thinks that my salon could be a perfect place for Mariah’s entourage to spend the day.”
“That’s incredible,” Meghan told her friend. “What a boost for business.”
“That’s the thing,” she squealed. “Rosie gave me an estimate for what they plan to pay, and Meghan, it’s more than I’ve made in the last two years...for just a day of work. Can you believe it? I could go to London, or Paris, or Rome, or Maui with that kind of money. I haven’t been on a trip forever...oh, Meghan! If this contract with them goes through, promise me we’ll splurge on some sort of big girls’ trip?”
Meghan thought for a moment. She was happy for Jackie; Jackie had been through a lot in the last few years, and Meghan wanted nothing more than for her good friend to succeed, but she also wanted Jackie to be wise about who she worked with, and how she spent her money. Meghan knew that Jackie had struggled to open her salon, and with the major redecorations she had done over the holidays, Meghan wondered if perhaps Jackie was being careless with her money.
“Hello? Meghan? Come on! Rosie said she’ll send over the contract this week, and after I sign it, I’ll get a signing bonus. Let’s at least use that for a little weekend getaway soon. I hear Miami is so much fun in the winter.”
Meghan bit her lip, unsure of what to say to her friend. Jackie had just been fretting about her finances over the holidays, and Meghan wanted to gently remind her that saving the large sum of money from Mariah Cooper could be beneficial in the long run.
“You know, I love the idea of going on a trip together,” she began. “But have you thought of investing that money? You could look into the stock markets, or even take some of it to invest in your business.”
“What do you mean?” Jackie asked. “Why wouldn’t I treat myself? I work so hard, and my clients can be so demanding. Why wouldn’t I spend a week, or two, or five sunning myself on a beach in Portugal? If Rosie is really going to arrange for me to get paid as much as they offered, I think it will be okay.”
Meghan frowned. Her own business had been a little slow over the last two weeks; with the holidays ending and many people in Sandy Bay starting diets at the beginning of January, Meghan’s numbers at the bakery had slightly dropped, and she was feeling sensitive about money as she spoke with Jackie.
“Am I just jealous of Jackie?” she thought to herself as she tried to come up with the right words to say. “My last few corporate orders were not as lucrative as I had hoped…maybe I’m just envious of her success. We’re both small business owners, and this deal would be huge. I guess her finances aren’t my business. If she wants to use the money from this major deal and go to Timbuktu, then that’s her business, if she can afford it.”
> “Meghan?”
“I’m so happy for you,” she said to Jackie. “I have a meeting in ten minutes and I need to get ready, but can we talk more about this later?”
“Who are you meeting with? It’s pretty early for a meeting, isn’t it?”
“It’s earlier than my taste,” she admitted. “But it is important. I’m meeting with Ron Thomas, the graphic designer. He’s helping me do some rebranding work for the bakery, and this was the only time we could meet.”
