A Fortunate Arrangement

“I haven’t had the pleasure. Kevin Clooney.” He offered his hand and Felicity pulled hers out from under the cape she’d been wearing while Maia cut her hair. Kevin held her hand a little too long, his eyes sweeping over her face and his mouth widening into a broad smile.

“Felicity Schafer,” she said. “I’m Maia’s neighbor.”

“Maia, babe, you’ve been holding out on me,” said Kevin. “I can’t believe you haven’t introduced us before now. I’m in love.”

Okay, bring it down a notch or two, bud. People are staring.

They were. The woman in the station next to Maia’s was alternately exchanging glances with Mark, her burly, bald, tattooed hairdresser, and grinning at Felicity and Kevin.

“Felicity is my model for a show tomorrow night,” Maia said, as she wet Kevin’s hair with water from a spray bottle and combed it through.

Kevin nodded. “You look gorgeous.”

Was he flirting with her? “Maia does good work.”

“It’s easy to do good work when you start with such a good canvas,” he said.

“True,” said Maia.

As much as Felicity hated it, she felt heat bloom in her cheeks. Doing her best to channel her inner Macks, she pushed her shoulders back, lifted her chin and looked him directly in the eyes. “You’re a flirt, aren’t you, Kevin?”

Maia snorted. Kevin laughed and so did Felicity.

“He might have been called that once or twice,” Maia said.

Kevin held up his hands in a show of surrender. “All I’m saying is that you two are going to own that hair show.”

“Yeah, we are,” Maia said, her scissors flying as she sheared fractions of an inch off Kevin’s hair.

Felicity was just about to say goodbye when Kevin asked, “Is this hair show industry only or is it open to the public?”

“Why?” Maia asked. “Do you want to go? I can get you a ticket if you do.”

He slanted a glance at Felicity. “I’d love to. Maybe the three of us could go out for drinks afterward.”

“It’s a date,” said Maia.

A date, huh? Felicity had a suspicious feeling she’d just been set up. Maia knew she’d be in the salon. She just happened to fit in Kevin for a haircut he didn’t really need.

But Kevin was cute, and he seemed fun. She could give him a chance. She didn’t have to marry the guy. If Austin was seeing Macks, maybe having drinks with a cute, fun guy was exactly what she needed.

* * *

Austin got to the office at a quarter to seven Monday morning. Felicity was already sitting at her desk working at her computer, as usual. As he walked by and grabbed the cup of coffee she had waiting for him on the corner of her desk, something made him do a double take and stop.

“May I help you?” She kept typing and didn’t look away from her computer. She had used her smart-alecky voice. The tone she took when she was about to point out the obvious after he’d been painfully obtuse about something. The voice that would soften later and allow them to laugh at whatever it was that needed correcting.

“Something’s different,” he said, studying her.

She lifted her brows at him and that’s when he realized she was wearing makeup. Or at least more makeup than she usually wore. Did she wear makeup? Was it politically correct to tell her he’d noticed?

“You cut your hair.” It was a statement. Not a judgment.

“I did.” She ran her fingers through the silky-looking strands.

Silky-looking. Now, admitting that might get him into trouble.

“What do you think?” she asked.

“If I say it looks nice, it won’t offend you or make you feel compromised or objectified, will it?”

Her eyes flashed and there was the briefest second before she burst out laughing.

“Austin, I asked you what you thought. I’m certainly not going to run and file a harassment charge with Human Resources.”

“Okay, then. I like your haircut. It looks nice. You look nice.”

She smiled and did that fingers-through-the-hair thing again. This time he noticed that her hair was shiny and that pieces that caught the light were the color of honey.

“Thank you, Austin. You, on the other hand, could use a haircut. You’re looking a little untamed there. Do you want me to schedule one for you?”