Olivia went to the walk in closet and sorted through George's clothing before picking out a light blue dress shirt. She held it in her hands and pressed it against her face to relive the lovemaking through his scent. Olivia put on the shirt and went into the living room, where she sprawled out across the sofa. Now this has been a day to write home about, she thought, not only do I pass my boards, but I land the guy of my dreams. How could it possibly get any better? As Olivia started to doze off, she was thinking about going back to work the next morning, but not really dreading it, either, as she had over the course of the past year. She didn't feel like she'd slept her way up; she meant what she told George before she made love to him. However, if this afternoon's little romp brought her nicer treatment on the job, she wasn't about to turn that down, either. Olivia fell asleep with the television on, and dreamed of George's return and their night together.
* * * * *
Olivia walked into Bitter Cuts about thirty minutes before the salon opened. “Alexis, I'm so sorry I'm late. I'll get to cleaning right away.”
“We've got someone else to do that now, I'm sorry to say,” sighed Alexis, as she headed towards the back office.
Olivia was confused, “Someone else?” she asked, as she followed her into the back part of the salon and found George waiting for the two of them. “George, what's going on? Am I out of a job?”
“No, sweetie, I am,” replied Alexis. “Seems like my brother's decided to give you my job. Now how did that ever happen, as if I couldn't figure that one out for myself.”
“That'll be enough, Alexis,” said George, sternly. “Olivia, as the new manager and head stylist of Bitter Cuts, you kind of need to know a little bit about what's going on. In exchange for me not pursuing criminal or debt collection charges, Theo has agreed to take over your duties, and will release his shares of this company to me. Furthermore, … Alexis, don't you have something to add here?”
Alexis rolled her eyes, but could see that George's patience with her was running thin, so she composed herself and straightened up. “You've been promoted, and I'm signing my shares over to you,” she said, handing a portfolio to Olivia. “You're not just a manager and a stylist – you're part owner now.”
Olivia looked through the papers briefly and then looked over at George and smiled. “Thank you,” she whispered in his ear, and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. Olivia looked back at Alexis and extended her hand. “I'll take good care of the place, Alexis,” she said.
Alexis didn't want to accept it at first, but after sensing George's disapproval, she shook Olivia's hand. “I know the place will be taken well care of, that's the important thing. Good luck, Olivia,” she said, as she took a box into her arms and left the back office.
Olivia smiled at George and sat down behind her new desk. “You must trust me an awful lot to let me run your salon.”
“Well, it's part yours now, and yes, I do trust you,” he replied. “Besides, if you screw around with my money, I'll hunt you down like a dog.”
Olivia burst into laughter before jumping up and giving George a great big hug. “You're not just a hero anymore,” she said, “You're a dreamweaver and a dream come true.”
George and Olivia kissed deeply. “So, you think I could drop by and take you to dinner tonight?” asked George.
“Don't you think we're past the asking for a date part?” replied Olivia.
“Just trying to do this the right way,” he said.
“You have been out of the game a while, haven't you?” she asked. “I'd say you're doing a pretty decent job so far.”
“Then I'll see you after work?”
“I'll see you then,” she said, waving goodbye to him. She sat back down for a minute and leaned back in the chair, looking up at the ceiling, thinking about her wonderful new beginning in the same place she'd wanted to leave behind only a couple of days ago. Looks like I've got some work to do before things get busy, she said to herself, as she went out into the main part of the salon. Olivia caught only a glimpse of Alexis walking out the door as she made her way to the front desk.
T-Man approached Olivia's workspace, and Olivia braced herself for one of his usual bitchy remarks. “We're not going to have problems with this new arrangement, are we?” asked Olivia, going on the defensive.
“Olivia,” he replied, “I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I've been a real asshole to you all this time. Sometimes … most of the time … when Alexis and I get paired up, she tends to bring out a side of me which isn't so good. I just want to apologize for anything I've said or done to hurt you.”
Olivia was taken back by his words, as they were quite humbling and very unexpected. “Thanks,” she told him, patting him on the shoulder, “I really appreciate that, T-Man.”
“It's Theo now,” he replied. “Kind of has a better ring to it, don't you think?”
“It does, Theo,” she told him. “I think it's one of the smartest decisions you've made in a long time.”
Theo smiled and was silent for a minute. “I've got to get to work,” he told Olivia. “There's a lot of towels backed up from yesterday.”
“Wait a minute … let me help you out,” Olivia replied, walking up to Theo. The two of them headed to the laundry room. “At least until business starts picking up today.”
“Thanks,” he replied. “You know, maybe we could get coffee sometime, kind of start things over a bit?”
“I think we could do something like that,” she said with a smile. “That's really nice of you to offer.”
“Well, by the looks of things, you and I might be family one of these days.”
Olivia looked down and blushed before breaking into a huge smile. “You're not yet allowed to embarrass your boss,” she told him. “Come on, Theo, let's get to work. If you do a really good job, and are super sweet to me, Santa might just bring you a hot farm boy for Christmas.”
* * * * *
As Olivia was doing the books one night, she closed her laptop and began to reminisce on what a wild and crazy ride the last two years had been. She was now running the shop, and the salon had exploded with success, bringing in four times the money after Alexis was gone, and about ten times as much when word got out that the shop was under new management. George was so impressed with her management and styling skills that he eventually signed over his shares to her, making her full owner and proprietor of the salon. It was even rumored among Hollywood's finest that Bitter Cuts was the place to go to get a great style and hide from the paparazzi. Olivia even saw some of her work walking down the red carpet at Grauman's Chinese Theater during film premieres.
Theo was eventually allowed to return to the floor as a stylist, and he was a kinder and better one, having had a dose of humility in his life. His penance was paid in full when he showed the ropes to the new assistant at the shop, and helped her study for and pass her cosmetology boards. While women liked Theo when he played the bitchy, catty gay friend role, they really fell in love with him as he developed and nurtured his kinder, gentler side. And so did Noah, that cute little waiter and aspiring actor, who just happened to hail from a little town south of Boise, Idaho.
Alexis quickly found work again after her departure; Jenna opened up a little place in East Los Angeles that catered to a more, well, culturally diverse crowd than perhaps Alexis was used to. She worked there for a while, but sadly, she wasn't as open to life lessons as her twin brother, and the little snob quickly ran back home to Minnesota, and started working at her father's company. Olivia heard she was doing pretty well for herself, and figured a rat always finds its way back to the top of the sewers.
Olivia found Zack and Susan online, and began to keep in touch with her childhood pals a little more. The couple from Wisconsin came out to L.A. one summer to visit George and Olivia; they had been dying to go to Disneyland. During the visit, Zack and Olivia got some closure on their past, and became friends again. He told Olivia although he was crushed when she turned his proposal down, if it wasn't for
that, he'd have never met the most beautiful woman God ever put on the face of this earth – his daughter.
As for George and Olivia, their relationship continued to go strong, and the two spent many happy nights with one another. Olivia was still a free spirit, and though her soul could never be caged, she found herself pretty comfortable living in George's condo, and the more contented she became in her settled life, the more she started to think about marriage and family, especially after meeting Zack and Susan and their little one. When she'd drop little hints to George, she could see it was in the back of his mind as well. She figured people can be taken out of the Midwest, but the Midwest could never be taken from those raised there. And that wasn't such a bad thing after all.
George was doing pretty well for himself, too. After he handed the salon to Olivia, he went back to school to pursue his Master's in Psychology; he still had that yearning inside to give to others, and he felt he could best help his fellow veterans by serving them as a counselor, one who knew exactly what they were going through. Olivia was the working partner in their home, but of course, they had more than enough to make ends meet.
What a great life, thought Olivia, as she leaned back in her chair a little more and smiled. She actually felt grateful for the treatment she received when she first stepped on California soil, and thought about how, if it wasn't for the hard times, she would have never found the job of her dreams, nor the man of her wildest fantasies. She smiled and pondered the irony of how sometimes the most bitter of cuts in your life can also turn out to be the sweetest ones of all. Olivia turned off her computer, walked out to the front of the salon, turned the lights off for the night, and drove home, where her man was waiting for her with open arms.
* * * * *
About the author:
Serena L'Amour was born and raised in Albuquerque, NM. She enjoys dogs, walking, disc golf, inappropriate humor, menthol cigarettes, light beer with limes and multiple orgasms. She currently resides somewhere in the woods of Northern Michigan.
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Bitter Cuts Page 4
