Tryst (Take It Off #8)(16)
Author: Cambria Hebert

The next thing I knew, the sun was rising up above the ocean and making the blue waves glimmer like diamonds in a glass case. The second I sat up in bed, I noticed the scowling from the bedroom door.

“What are you looking at?” I asked the white cat.

He swished his tail and sauntered away after giving me an angry hiss.

Still wearing the shorts and T-shirt I wore driving in last night, I padded out to the kitchen to get the demon cat some food. Maybe once he realized I was here to take care of him, he would get some manners.

I poured some kitty chow into his bowl and set it on the floor. Then I gave him fresh water and set it beside the food and called out to him. “Here kitty, kitty, kitty!”

Seconds later, he sauntered across the tile. “Your breakfast is served,” I told him.

He reared back and swiped at me, scratching my leg. “Ow!” I yelled. “Bad kitty!”

He ignored me. I picked up my cell and punched in Claire’s number.

“What?” she growled sleepily into the phone.

“Why aren’t you up for work?”

“I’m off today.”

“This cat is a demon. It hates me.”

“Salty?” she asked.

“Please tell me there is only one cat in this house.”

She yawned loudly. “Just one. Salty hates everyone but Aunt Ruth.”

“And you didn’t think that would be good to mention?”

“He’s a little cat. How much trouble could he possibly be?”

“I’m bleeding, Claire,” I said, deadpan.

“Get a Band-Aid.” She yawned again.

“My car broke down on the side of the road last night.”

“Oh my God! Are you okay?”

“I didn’t wreck it,” I said. “I had to have it towed.”

“Ruth’s car is there, isn’t it? My dad drove her up here.”

“Yeah, it’s in the driveway.”

“Keys should be in the kitchen. You can use her car when you need to,” Claire replied.

“Thanks. I don’t plan on going anywhere except out for groceries.”

“Call me if the cat kills you.”

“If it kills me, I won’t be able to use the phone,” I said, exasperated.

She laughed and then the line went dead.

The cat was still eating, and I made a wide arc around him, then went toward the windows and looked out at the gorgeous, sun-drenched view. Man, the beach was stunning. There was this instant feeling of peace that washed over me every time I looked out over the vast blue sea at the rolling waves and surf.

The sun had just risen, and the space where the sky met the water was a deep shade of blush. Not quite pink, but not quite peach either. It was one of those colors you only saw when a new day was dawning. It filled me with a sense of hope. A sense of renewal. Life as I knew it might be ending, but something else was being born.

I sighed and with the slight movement, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the glass. Oh my word, I was frightening! No wonder the cat was so mean to me. I probably scared him silly walking around looking like this.

It was as if a flock of angry birds had turned my hair into a nest. When I said I didn’t care what I looked like and how many tangles I got, I meant it, but this… this was just uncalled for. A girl had to have her standards.

I abandoned the view (regrettably) and went into the bathroom. My little duffle with all my shower supplies was sitting on the floor, and I rummaged through it to pull out my brush and detangling spray. I set it on the counter and looked in the mirror.

Oh, it was really bad.

The only thing that would fix the mess I had going on was a hot shower and half a bottle of conditioner. After I found a towel in the linen closet and pulled out the rest of my needed items, I climbed under the spray and got to work.

It felt good to wash away the travel. The stinging cuts on my legs from rolling down the hill smarted under the spray, and it reminded me of last night.

More specifically, the man who stopped to help me.

Even in the dark, I knew he was attractive. Too bad his good looks (well, what I could see of him anyway) were ruined every time he opened his mouth. I felt bad for whoever had to put up with him on a daily basis.

But even his foul behavior couldn’t completely erase the memory of the sound of his voice and the way he rolled that lollipop around in his mouth. And the soft feel of his hands against my leg…

In one swift movement, I turned the water onto cold and blasted myself with frigid spray. Fantasizing about some man I literally met on the side of the road wasn’t going to happen. Men were off-limits to me. Period.

As if to punctuate my declaration further, I shut off the spray and began to dry off. The whole time I worked on my hair, I thought about the view I was missing. I laid down the comb with a frustrated sigh. My eyes noticed something on the counter.

A pair of scissors.

I glanced up at the wet blond hair hanging limply over my shoulders. I was tired of feeling heavy. I was tired of wearing my hair the way other people wanted me to wear it. I was going to be like the sun. I was going to embrace the new day.

I pulled my hair back into a low ponytail at the base of my neck and slid the band down a couple inches.

And then I chopped it off.

When I pulled my hand away, about six inches of hair bound together with a black tie came with it. I tossed it in the nearby trashcan and looked up. My hair hung above my shoulders now, some of the newly cut ends flipping outward. I ran my fingers through it with a smile. I felt lighter already.

Feeling empowered, I combed the front down over my face and cut in very long bangs. In fact, they were so long, I didn’t know if they even were bangs or just a long layer. I wasn’t a hair stylist. In fact, I was pretty sure I’d lost my ever-loving mind, but I didn’t care.

After I was done, I cleaned up the hair that had fallen in the sink and then worked a little mousse through the strands. I applied a layer of sunblock before standing back to study my handiwork. Not bad. It appeared even because I used the hair tie as a guide. The real test would be once it was dry.

I wasn’t about to blow-dry it. I wanted to get outside and enjoy the colors in the sky before the sun rose so high it was only blue.

In the kitchen, I rummaged for coffee, only to find there wasn’t any. What kind of human being had no coffee? A trip to the store would be a must later today. There was a little OJ in the fridge so I settled for that and carried it toward the back door.

On the way, Salty stared at me hatefully. I guess my fresh appearance didn’t make me any more likable.