Grooming Mr. Right

by Tonya Kappes

  Shoo wee…that was a lot to take in under one breath.

  “Who is Charlie?” Dad asked.

  “You mean to tell me I inform you that my life is crumbling and all you heard was Charlie’s name?” I didn’t realize I had said Charlie’s name during my volcanic spew regarding my history of the last forty-eight hours, but I started to backpedal. “He was someone who had a car handy at two a.m., no one important.”

  Not important to you anyway. I wasn’t going to say anything else about Charlie.

  Lucia picked up her glass and raised an eyebrow to Dad. It was their way of communicating without talking, thinking they were on the down low when really everyone knew what that meant—check out the Charlie character.

  “Why did you get fired?” My dad was the sensible one.

  “I told you not to get that degree and move to New York.” Lucia was not the sensible one. She only wanted to be right…all of the time.

  “Did you try to negotiate to stay?” Dad’s questions were firing faster than an AK-47 and I was doing my darndest to dodge them by immersing myself in my big mug of coffee.

  “Where are all your clothes?” Lucia asked.

  There was no way I was going to tell her I had sold every single piece of clothing so I could afford to eat and live.

  “At least I’m not selling off your grandchildren like Birdie.” I took a sip of my coffee before I got off the stool to go let Iggy outside for a potty break. “I thought I was up for this big promotion, because I had turned in my designs when they were looking for fresh ideas. I had never gotten my sketchbook back and they were making the big announcement this week. I just assumed I won after Pete, my boss, asked me to come in early. Little did I know they were downsizing and I was low man on the totem pole.”

  “You are home with no job and no clothes?” Lucia asked. Her delicate hands wrapped around the glass.

  “I’m home because I’m broke and need to figure out what to do with my life.” I didn’t dare turn around. I continued to stare out the back door as Iggy did number two in the middle of Lucia’s lavender bush. “So I figured the annual SPCA and Homeless event was coming up and I could help out with that while I worked to save money.”

  “That’s my girl. Always thinking.” Dad held his Buffalo Trace whiskey and Coke in the air to show me his nod of approval.

  “Thinking? What do you mean?” Lucia drew back in her chair. The liquor in her glass swished against the clinking ice as she waved the glass in the air. “What is she going to do in Kentucky with a fashion degree? You are just going to have to go back to school.”

  “I am.” I let Iggy back in the door. I wanted to see Lucia’s face when I told her my plans. I faced her, drew in a breath and said, “I’m going to be a dog groomer.”

  “A what?” Her mouth fell to the ground. I almost had the pleasure of picking it up before she started to choke.

  “Oh, dear. Stop it. Luvie will figure it all out.” Dad reached over and patted her on the leg. “I think it’s a fantastic idea for her to help out with the fundraiser. Like a co-chair. And it will look good on her resume.”

  Oh, I had never thought about using the fundraiser on my resume. That wasn’t a bad idea. My plan would be to get a couple of grooming jobs a week to save some money, look for jobs either in Kentucky or maybe New York, and by the end of the month have something solid.

  “Fine.” Lucia stood up. Her lounging robe shimmered down her thin frame. The hem stopped and hung perfectly around her ankles. She went over to the oven and pulled out her famous homemade lasagna. The steam rolled out when she lifted the foil lid, releasing the aroma of homemade sauce, made fresh from veggies in her garden. “I made your favorite.”

  “You do love me!” I ran over and wrapped my arms around her, giving her a big squeeze before heading to the family room to watch a little reality TV before dinner—but not before I called out, “Mom.”

  Chapter Nine

  “That was the best dinner. Ever.” I brushed my napkin across my lips. There had to be some remaining pasta sauce in the corners of my mouth from me stuffing my face with Lucia’s famous lasagna. I did briefly stop to take a few bites of the garlic bread sticks. My stomach was protruding from underneath my shirt. I patted my belly. “I’m stuffed.”

  I looked up. Lucia and Dad were staring at me with their mouths wide open. Dad’s brows were raised. He and Lucia looked into each other’s eyes.

  “What?” I asked looking between the two of them.

  When their gazes separated Lucia said, “We haven’t seen you eat like that before.”

  “Have you been eating?” Dad pushed his chair back from the table and cocked his ankle across his other leg before he crossed his arms.

  I threw my head back in laughter. “Yes. It’s just that I never cook and a good home-cooked meal tastes great.”

  I lied.

  Of course, I hadn’t eaten very well over the past few months. I was so busy working on the portfolio to turn in at Sasha Designs I had little time for anything in my life. Sleep. Food. Men. Nothing.

  “Oh,” Lucia gasped with delight. She stood up and put her arms around me. “I don’t think I have ever heard you compliment my food.”

  “Mom, I love your food.” I patted her hands that were resting on my collarbones. “And I’m happy to be home to eat some.”

  “Fabulous!” There was a little giddy-up in Lucia’s lounging slippers as she took my plate into the kitchen.

  “I can get my own dishes.” I got up to help clear the table.

  “No,” she hollered back into the dining room. “You can go enjoy yourself tonight.”

  “Yes!” Vivian opened the kitchen door and walked in just in time to join our conversation. “We are going to go see Millie.”

  She walked in the dining room with her hair pulled out of her ponytail. She had changed from her dirty jeans and plaid shirt into a pair of black yoga pants and a t-bone tight black spandex top. Barefoot of course.

  Millicent Gamble, or Millie as we called her, was our third Musketeer. She moved here from California when we were in middle school, and her sun-kissed blond hair and mahogany eyes mesmerized Vivian and me. We became thick as thieves.

  “Dressed like that?” I questioned.

  “Yep. Millie owns the new store in town.” Vivian curled up on her toes and threw her arms into a stretch over her head before she descended down to touch her toes. “Yolo Yoga.”

  “What?” My brows arched into triangles. “Yolo Yoga?”

  The last thing Millie ever did was exercise.

  “You know that phrase, you only live once.” Vivian grabbed a piece of bread out of the bread basket before Lucia took it off the table.

  “It’s all the rage,” Lucia said. “Millie is doing very well. So are you Vivian.” Lucia drew her lips into a tight smile.

  I wasn’t certain, but I thought Lucia’s comments about Millie and Vivian’s success were a direct bomb in my direction.

  “Let’s go.” Vivian tugged on my sleeve. “You can get some clothes there.”

  “She has clothes for her clients?” Millie was surprising me left and right.

  “Yolo Yoga has everything you need right there.” Vivian wasn’t going to take no for an answer. And I needed to get out of the house anyway.

  “It will be good for you,” Dad warned.

  “Fine.” I got up and ran upstairs to throw on my old sneakers that were still in my closet.

  With a quick bye to Dad and Lucia, I was in Vivian’s old work truck heading to downtown Lexington near Triangle Park.

  “I love how there is no traffic here.” Vivian pulled into a spot near Victoria’s Square, a downtown shopping area right across from Rupp Arena.

  “Was that a snarky comment toward New York City?” I laughed.

  Vivian put the old truck in park and turned off the ignition. Her seat groaned when she turned toward me.

  “I really want to you stay in Lexington and not think about going back to the city.” Vi
vian knew me very well. “I can read that little brain of yours.”

  “I have a lot to think about.” It was true. I did want to go back to New York. I loved being in the bustling city. I loved designing. It was a passion I wasn’t sure I could ever give up.

  “Think long and hard.” Vivian reached over and touched me. “Now, be nice to Millie.”

  “What does that mean?” I drew back. There was never a time I wasn’t nice to Millie.

  “When I told her you were in town and I was going to bring you to Yolo, she was a little hesitant.” She pulled her mouth in at the corners. “She thinks you are going to say that New York yoga studios are much better.”

  “I’ve never been to yoga, so I’d never say that.” I hated when people assumed I was better than they were since I had lived in New York. How fabulous was the city was the question I was constantly asked when I came home for Christmas.

  The city was great, but being home was great too and I was happy for Millie.

  “She’s following her passion and not getting fired like me.” I reminded Vivian. “I don’t have any room to criticize anyone. Especially someone who owns their own business.”

  “I knew you wouldn’t, but I thought I had better tell you how she’s feeling.” Vivian jumped out of the truck.

  We walked down Main Street. I stopped and looked over at Triangle Park. The fountains were turned on and shooting water up into the night sky. The lights made it look so beautiful. Peaceful.

  There weren’t any rushing cars. The only sounds were those of the fountain and they were very soothing. No wonder Millie opened her shop near them.

  “This way.” Vivian tossed her head to the side and I followed her.

  There was a portrait stand on the outside of Yolo Yoga with a chalkboard in a gold picture frame. The message on the chalkboard was written in a bright yellow chalk that read Begin and end your day with a smile ~ Millie.

  Reading those words put a smile on my face and in my soul.

  “Luvie!” Millie threw her hands in the air when we walked through the door. She rushed over and embraced me with her long lean arms. She squeezed. I squeezed back. “I’m so glad you are home. Though I’m sad—if you are sad—about your job.”

  She pulled back, with her hands still on my arms, and took a good look at me.

  “I’m fine.” I lied. “I’ll be fine.” That was the truth. “After all, the three musketeers are back together.”

  “You are right.” Millie let go and walked over to the counter. She handed me some clothes. “Here. Go change. I closed the shop down so we could have a girls’ yoga gab session.” She winked and pointed me to the changing room.

  Yolo Yoga was pretty amazing. I wasn’t going to lie. I was feeling a little jealous of the two of them. Vivian was living her dream of training horses and Millie was living her dream of owning her own yoga studio.

  The studio was beautiful. The front room was a wall of windows that overlooked Triangle Square. The wooden floors were nice and shiny, and the brick interior walls were the perfect cozy touch to make it feel serene and welcoming like a yoga studio should. There was a white rounded-top counter on one wall, where all the administrative work took place with all the sign-ups for classes, and on the other side of the room was a small yoga shop where you could purchase Yolo merchandise.

  The dressing room was painted a pale blue that reminded me of the famous Tiffany boxes. White lockers lined one side of the wall and three dressing rooms with blue curtains as doors were on the opposite wall. There was a long wooden bench down the middle of the room.

  It was a beautiful studio.

  Quickly, I changed into the cutest pair of flowered yoga pants with a hot pink top. The colors went with my red hair and skin tone perfectly. Millie knew exactly how to treat a new client.

  “You look gorg!” Millie came back over and ran her hand down the outer seem of the pants. “I knew you would fit perfectly in this outfit.” She stood back and looked at me. “When I saw that in the catalog, it immediately reminded me of you. When Vivian texted me to tell me you were in town and you hadn’t called me because your phone isn’t working, I pulled this out and knew you had to have it.”

  “I have to admit that I love the colors, and it’s so comfortable.” I pretended to do a couple of stretches. I had no idea how to do yoga.

  “Are we ready?” Vivian was in a back bend that made me hurt just looking at her.

  “Yes.” Millie gestured for us to follow the leader. Like good students, Vivian and I followed Millie into a large room. The wooden floors and brick wall interior extended into the large room. There were wooden shelves along one wall with different items needed for yoga: mats, rolled towels, blocks, cords and many more things I had no idea what they were used for. Millie and Vivian each took a towel, so I played follow-the-leader.

  Three orange yoga mats were already rolled out at the front of the room. We each stood on one with our legs spread comfortably apart. Millie instructed us on what to do and explained what pose we were doing. I was in awe at how limber the two of them were—but not me.

  “I’ve been sitting at a design table for too long.” I laughed when Millie tried to lift my derriere into a yoga pose she called Uttanasana.

  “This will help you reduce fatigue and anxiety.” She was gentle in propping up my hips. “I’m sure you haven’t slept well because you are worried about your future.”

  “I am,” I admitted for the first time. It was hard trying to be strong. I felt like everyone expected me to be this major designer once I had made the move to New York. “I never thought I’d be moving back home with my tail between my legs.”

  I rolled up on my toes and sat down. Vivian and Millie sat on their mats.

  “You didn’t fail.” Vivian smiled one of those sympathy smiles that I didn’t want.

  “You just have a change in plans.” Millie took her towel and wiped the sweat from her brow.

  “You need to take a break from the hustle and bustle. Do a little yoga and meditate on what you really want to do with your life.” Millie made a good point. “Vivian said that Gloria was going to help you with a dog grooming business. I think that’s great. Gloria is so fabulous. I teach a class at the retirement community because of her.”

  “Really?” Why hadn’t Granny told me any of this?

  I stared at my two best friends as they encouraged me to slow down, groom the dogs and take it easy.

  “You might even find a boyfriend.” Millie was good at playing matchmaker. “Not that I can talk. None of us really has had time to focus on romance. But if we aren’t careful, we are going to be old maids.”

  “We can be old maids together.” I laughed and lay back on the mat.

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Maybe there was something good about being home. Maybe it was time I slowed down to see exactly what direction my life needed to go in. After all, there wasn’t anything pressing I had to do.

  Chapter Ten

  “You have to get a decent job!” It was way too early for Lucia to be shouting from the top of her lungs. Voices echoed off the hollow entryway and she knew it would reach my ears if she yelled loud enough. I was getting ready for Granny to come get me and take me to the retirement home to groom her friends’ dogs.

  I looked in the mirror after I put a little concealer under my eyes and noticed that most of the puffiness was gone. I was surprised how well I had slept in my childhood bed. Maybe it was Millie’s yoga techniques that helped me to sleep so well.

  “I do have a decent job!” I hollered back down to her. I buttoned up the hot-pink collared shirt that I had found in Lucia’s closest, and then tossed my hair into a ponytail.

  “Oh my God!” Mom squealed, echoing all over the house.

  Quickly, I swiped her Sephora lip gloss across my lips before darting off to see why Lucia was OMG-ing. I grabbed my notes from my YouTube videos and rushed down the steps.

  “You cannot be serious!” Lucia stood with her hands on
her hips with her mouth gaping open while looking out the front door. “Leonard! Leonard! Get in here and see what Luvie has done!”

  “Me?” I stood behind her and watched Granny and Charlie pulling up in the RV.

  Dad wasn’t budging from the kitchen table where he was doing exactly what he wanted. He had the TV on “Fox and Friends”, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times stretched out in front of him, along with his coffee and healthy egg-white sandwich that Lillian had made.

  Lucia turned around so fast she nearly knocked me down. Lillian hurried over to take a look at all the commotion.

  “Lillian, where is Leonard?” Lucia didn’t wait for Lillian to answer, but pushed past her, prancing like a quarter horse in her high-heeled shoes looking everywhere for Dad. “Leonard!”

  “What have you done now?” Lillian smiled as she leaned up against the front door.

  “I told her I was going to be grooming dogs until I figured out what to do with my life and I guess she’s just now getting it.” I couldn’t contain my smile when Charlie put the RV in park in the circular driveway. It wasn’t just any RV; it was Charlie’s RV painted hot pink. The graffiti symbols had been replaced with a silhouette of a girl with a long high ponytail (resembling me), holding some scissors and standing near the silhouette of a big poodle, with the words Primp My Pet printed on the side with my cell phone number for the world to see.

  “That’s a long way from being a hot-shot fashion designer from New York,” Lillian stated the fact, but not without giggling. “Wait until Vivian sees this.”

  Lillian and I stood in awe over the vehicle. Give Granny an inch, and she would always take more than a mile.