The Weekday Brides 04 - Single by Saturday

by Catherine Bybee

  Karen felt Zach’s gaze before she confirmed with her own eyes that he was looking at her.

  Karen pulled her sticky shirt away from her body.

  “Yep, we gotta go. See ya later, girls.” Zach pulled away.

  She watched the car leave before turning to Judy. “What parade?”

  Chapter Nine

  “How was it after everyone left?” Zach asked Mike as they left Karen and her nearly bare shirt that acted as a second skin. He really did need to get this ridiculous attraction to his brother’s wife out of his system. He had a girlfriend for crying out loud. He’d suggested Tracey return to her house the night before instead of staying over with him at his. Zach told her that he anticipated Mike and Karen coming over that night and didn’t want to complicate matters. The excuse was lame, but it worked. He’d been dating Tracey for nearly six months. She lived in Monroe, the next town over, but nearly everyone knew her in Hilton before Zach started dating her.

  They got along well enough, liked the same movies, and laughed at the same jokes. Yet neither of them had ever suggested the other move in or elevate their relationship to anything more than what it was. He cared for her, but there wasn’t a zip of chemistry that ignited with a look.

  His mom had asked once if he saw himself settling down with Tracey long term. He hadn’t considered moving toward forever with Tracey. Somewhere in the back of Zach’s head, a tiny voice kept asking three little words. Is this it? Is this the kind of relationship one looks for all one’s life and can’t imagine living without?

  Zach knew his life wasn’t on track. He woke up an hour before he was scheduled to and stared at the ceiling in his room. He’d lain there and contemplated life as if he were a fucking poet or something. At thirty-one, he had the routines of a much older man. He went to work every day, traveled the same roads, and took predictable vacations with the same people year after year. After he returned from California, he hadn’t been the same. The drive alone across the desert on the back of a bike was enough of a James Dean moment to remind him of the days when he’d been young and felt as if the entire world was in front of him.

  Now he was taking his brother to his latest job site to show off his accomplishments as much as to relieve his brother of the confines of their childhood home.

  “Dad went to bed early.” Mike answered his question. “Mom tried to help Karen understand him.”

  Zach offered a joyless laugh. “We’ve known him our entire life and we barely understand the man. I wouldn’t expect Karen to understand the great and powerful Sawyer Gardner.”

  Mike’s gaze traveled to Zach’s side of the truck. “I always thought you got him more than any of us.”

  “Just because I worked with him more, doesn’t mean I get him.”

  “Karen has his number. She has this way of figuring out what makes someone tick within an hour. And then if pushed, she has no qualms with pushing that person against the wall with whatever bugs them most to get them to have a light-bulb moment.”

  Zach had noticed that about her. He’d felt a strangely proud moment when she told their father that she wasn’t sure if she liked him either. Rena had it right. Karen had balls. Zach heard the admiration in Mike’s voice when he spoke about his wife. His sexy, smart, and ballsy wife.

  Zach hated the itch inside him that made him acknowledge the deep roots of envy when it came to his brother. Never once had Zach begrudged Mike any of his success or his fame. He knew Mike worked his ass off, and Karen was right…he did it because he was taught to. Both of them had learned a strong work ethic from their dad, not a bad trait to have, unless it kept you from enjoying life.

  “Dad could have used a light-bulb moment long before now,” Zach said as he pulled onto the highway and headed toward the next town.

  “Does he still insist on staying at the hardware store like he’s the only one who can run it?”

  “Mom has him coming home for lunch most days, but yeah…he thinks he needs to open it up and close it down. Monroe has been expanding, bringing in more business. He can’t compete for the big jobs. The builders order from St. George and have their shit delivered.”

  “The store has never been a cash cow.”

  “More a means of survival,” Zach agreed.

  Mike stared out the window as Zach pulled off the highway only a few off-ramps from where they’d gotten on.

  “I’ve tried to give them money.” Mike blew out a sigh. “Dad won’t have it.”

  Zach thought as much. “Dad has a hard time if I’m buying lunch. Best way around that is to give them gifts.”

  “I don’t think Dad will drive the McLaren.”

  They both laughed at the thought.

  “You can always front Judy a little money. She’s always hitting them up for more at college. And Hannah will be out in a year. Putting all of us through college had to have taken a hit on their retirement.”

  “Does Hannah know where she wants to go?”

  “She’s aiming for Colorado. Judy wants her to go to Washington.”

  “But Judy will be graduating next year.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Is she behind in her credits?”

  “No. It’s not that. I think she’s considering a shift in her major.”

  “To what?”

  Zach shrugged. “I’m not sure. The last time we really talked, she said she wasn’t excited about going into business of any kind after college. The thought of moving back to Hilton to work with Dad was depressing her.”

  Mike glanced at Zach. “What did you tell her?”

  “I told her to use her next year of college to study what made her smile and screw what Dad thinks.”

  “Seriously?”

  It had pissed Zach off that Judy was afraid and lived her life as if she were still fifteen and in need of their parents’ approval to date a guy. If any of them understood what it felt like to be held down by family obligations, it was him.

  “Why didn’t you follow your own advice?” Mike asked quietly.

  The question stiffened Zach’s spine. “What makes you think I didn’t?” He couldn’t keep the defensive tone from his words. “Having a contractor’s license can take me anywhere.”

  “Yet you’re still in Hilton.”

  Instead of defending why he was still in Hilton, Zach decided to be honest with his brother. “I’m considering a move.” As the words escaped Zach’s mouth, he realized how much he liked them.

  A warm smile spread over Mike’s face.

  Hannah and Judy dragged Karen around town and introduced her to nearly everyone, or so Karen thought. Her mind fluttered with names and faces…none of which she remembered. Apparently, Sawyer Gardner had a sister who lived in Monroe, and she had a handful of children as well. Seemed everyone Karen met was someone’s cousin, aunt, or uncle.

  They were on their way to Petra’s, one of only two hairdressers in town. The short walk down Main Street brought out many new faces.

  Have you met Mike’s wife? This is Mike’s wife…Mike got married last year. This is his wife…

  Karen was sure that no one in town would know her as Karen. No one here called Mike, Michael, and no one in Hollywood called Michael, Mike. Occasionally Hannah would use the pet name Mikey. The name had brought a smile to Michael’s face the night before.

  After several sets of introductions, Karen leaned into Judy’s side and asked in a whisper, “What’s with the wedge haircuts?” Every other woman they’d approached had a short bob haircut with the dramatic wedge in the back. The style had been popular a decade or so before, but very few women had kept with it. To Karen, the cut looked like someone screwed up, and she for one was happy to see hairstyles take a different turn. Not that she ever paid attention to new hair fashions. She kept her shoulder-length hair simple so she could easily put it up into a French twist or ponytail.

  “It’s awful, isn’t it?” Judy laughed and they both attempted not to giggle when yet one more woman with the awful cut walked by. �
��Brianna is the other hairstylist in town. She returned from some hair show in Salt Lake in March and told all her clients that this was the new look of the year.”

  Hannah jumped into the conversation. “It’s better than the perms she was giving everyone last year.”

  Karen wasn’t so sure. “I take it you two don’t use Brianna very often.”

  They looked horrified. “Never. Petra cuts as fast as she talks but she’d never cut your hair in a way that makes you look stupid. Even if you tell her to,” Hannah insisted.

  “And she doesn’t gossip,” Judy added.

  “Isn’t gossip a favorite pastime in a small town?” Karen asked. Next to bartenders, hair salons were notorious for clients unloading their emotional garbage on the stylist. Must have something to do with sitting in a chair and being told not to move for hours on end to bring out all of one’s problems to a near stranger.

  “It’s the only pastime in a small town,” Judy told her. “Unless you knit.”

  Petra’s salon housed the familiar smell of hair chemicals and shampoo. There wasn’t a hair salon in the world that didn’t have the same distinct odor. Hospitals and salons…you’d know where you were if you were blind and in a different country just by the smell.

  Much like any small salon, there were two workstations with swiveling chairs. A hair-washing sink sat off to one side where clients could lie back and tuck their necks into the most uncomfortable position ever.

  “Oh, good, you’re on time.” The woman Karen assumed was Petra waved from over the head of a young woman who sat in the chair. “I thought you’d get sidetracked showing Mike’s wife around town.”

  “I told you two o’clock,” Hannah said. “Hi Becky.” She waved at the girl in the chair. Becky looked to be Hannah’s age. Her soft brown hair had been blown dry and was floating around her face like a cloud.

  “Hi Hannah. Hi Judy. Home for the summer?” Becky asked.

  “Can’t avoid it,” Judy told the girl. “Petra, Becky, this is Mike’s wife, Karen.”

  Karen waved at the other women. “Hi.”

  Hannah approached her friend and lifted a strand of her hair. “I like the little bit of color.”

  Becky blushed at the compliment and looked at herself in the mirror. “I like it too.”

  “Like it?” Petra asked with a laugh. “It’s perfect for you. Look at your eyes sparkle.”

  Hannah giggled, showing her age. “You sure that’s not Nolan putting that sparkle in your eye?”

  From Becky’s shoulders, Petra removed the plastic smock that kept the bits of falling hair from soiling her clothing.

  “You’re dating Nolan Parker?” Judy asked with interest.

  Becky stood and let her eyes slide to the floor.

  Hannah gave Judy’s arm a playful push. “He took her to prom.”

  While the girls talked and giggled about what was obviously an exciting subject, Karen sat back and observed as she often did while at the club. She could learn a lot about the kids by watching them interact. There was always a pecking order among teens. The popular girls tended to lead the pack and the conversations. In this trio, it seemed that Hannah had the upper hand with Becky, but Judy was obviously a rival. Probably because of her age.

  When Becky stepped out of the chair, she leaned forward to catch a hair clip before it hit the floor. When she did, the shirt she wore gapped at her waist. An angry red welt mark peeked below her shirt, which she quickly tucked down as she stood.

  Karen skirted her gaze away from the girls, who didn’t seem to notice, and over to Petra, who had noticed the mark as well.

  “I can’t believe your parents are letting you date Nolan.”

  Becky’s shy smile fell. “Daddy doesn’t like him.”

  “Because he’s not Mormon?”

  Becky shrugged.

  Karen felt her insides start to twist. How much did Daddy dislike Nolan?

  “That’s stupid,” Judy said. “Nolan’s a good kid. Best employee my dad’s ever had.”

  Petra moved around her shop and listened, something that struck Karen as strange. Didn’t Judy say that Petra talked obsessively? Seemed she was doing a lot of listening.

  Becky placed an unconscious hand to her abdomen and offered a coy smile. “My dad isn’t going to like anyone I date.”

  “Dads are like that.”

  “Who’s first?” Petra asked as their conversation started to fade.

  Judy stepped forward. “I am. I can’t find anyone in Washington to do my hair right.”

  Karen sat in a chair and picked up one of those gossip magazines that always seemed to litter the baskets in salons. Between those and magazines dedicated to hairstyles, hair salons were well-known for ten-minute reading material. Though she pretended to read the latest Hollywood gossip, she watched Becky from the corner of her eyes. She rubbed her stomach several times, and when she reached for her purse, Karen noted another mark on her upper arm.

  It killed her to watch the girl leave the salon. Alarms were going off in her head and blaring loud enough to keep her from hearing what Judy and Hannah were talking about after the other girl left.

  “Nolan, really?” Judy asked Hannah after Becky walked away.

  “Someone caught him kissing her after the Homecoming game. After that, they were always holding hands in the halls at school.”

  “I bet her dad is pissed.”

  Hannah practically fell into the chair at Karen’s side. “Probably. She’s really come out of her shell since she hooked up with Nolan. He’s good for her.”

  Out of her shell? Becky seemed as shy as they came.

  “He always said he was leaving this shit town when he graduated, but he didn’t. I think it’s because of Becky.” Hannah turned to Karen and clarified. “Nolan graduated this year.”

  “Oh.”

  “I bet they run off together after Becky’s out of school.”

  Judy lay back in the salon torture chair with her head in the sink.

  “Are you good friends with Becky?” asked Petra.

  “We’ve been friends since third grade. But we don’t hang out very much.” Again, Hannah turned to Karen to explain. “Her family is Mormon and they don’t like it when Becky hangs out with those of us who aren’t.”

  “You’re making it sound like a cult,” Judy chastised.

  “It’s true. Did you ever get invited to your Mormon friends’ slumber parties?”

  Judy didn’t comment.

  “Exactly. Becky and I hang out at school.”

  “And she’s dating one of your dad’s employees?” Karen asked while flipping the pages of People magazine.

  “Nolan Parker. He’s supersexy. Becky ’bout died when he started flirting with her in chemistry. The whole school was talking about them most of the year.”

  The desire to learn more about Nolan Parker and Becky’s family was a constant pull. Karen had seen her share of scared teenage girls. Though Becky wasn’t crying and visibly frightened, there were a few unmistakable signs that she was in some sort of trouble. Girls held their stomachs for two reasons, and Becky didn’t seem sick to Karen.

  “Oh my God, that’s you.” Hannah grabbed the magazine from Karen’s lap and twisted it around to Judy and Petra. “And that’s Mike and Zach. Wow, how cool.”

  “Let me see that.”

  Sure enough, the magazine had a picture of her sandwiched between the Gardner brothers the night of her anniversary party. Michael was glaring at the camera, Zach had his hand on her arm, and they were looking at each other. The hair on Karen’s arms stood up. They looked good together.

  “It must be cool always being in magazines like this.”

  Karen rubbed her forehead. “It’s highly overrated. Your brothers had to chase that guy out of Michael’s backyard.”

  Hannah sent a puzzled look. “Don’t you mean your backyard?”

  “Isn’t that what I said?”

  “No. You said Michael’s backyard.”

  Karen s
wallowed. “Well, you know what I mean.”

  Hannah returned her eyes to the magazine and searched through it again. This time asking who Karen had met within the pages.

  Petra had gone silent again. Only this time she eyed Karen.

  Damn.

  Chapter Ten

  Apparently, Petra went from stealth information gathering mode to I’m the queen of this salon and you will do what I say mode.

  Petra was originally from Germany. She’d moved to the States when she met and married a military man. As Karen learned after a brief and to the point explanation, Petra’s husband had gotten a stomach bug and ended up at the VA hospital shortly after she’d given birth to their son. The stomach bug had turned out to be cancer and he died six months after his diagnosis.

  “What was I to do?”

  Before Karen could answer, Petra went on. “Richard’s family was here, and they wanted to help me with Alec. My English wasn’t good back then.”

  “Back then?”

  “It’s been eighteen years now.”

  “Wow, that’s really sad.”

  “It was awful. But I survived. Alec was a pain in his teens. So wild my boy.”

  Now this was the fast-talking woman Judy and Hannah described. She had Hannah’s hair in one hand, the scissors in the other, and she snipped, pointed into the mirror, and combed. It was as if she had three hands.

  Judy sat off to the side with her new do. Although if Karen had to guess, it was her old do just redone.

  Apparently happy with the cutting, Petra tossed her scissors aside, picked up the bottle of mousse, and sprayed the white foam in her palm before rubbing it all over Hannah’s head.

  “Alec wasn’t that bad,” Judy said from behind her magazine.

  “For a single mother, he was awful. Stayed out late, didn’t call. Gave me a heart attack when he told me he wanted to leave town and not graduate.”

  “Did he graduate?” Karen asked.

  “Nope. Moved to Florida.”

  “How did that work out?”

  Petra turned on the hair dryer and picked up a brush. She talked over the noise. “He’s OK now. Got his GED and joined the coast guard. I visit him a couple times of year in Key West.”