Write to Me Page 3

  “Ever since you came in. You’ve been smiling, humming, practically floating around the place.” Desi leaned on the broom and gave her mother the once over. “What’s up?”

  Gloria’s thoughts once again circled to the handsome college professor who loved poetry, but she played it cool. “What, it’s that unusual for me to be in a good mood?”

  “You know what I mean.”

  She stepped out from behind the front desk and approached her daughter. “Why’d you have to cut your hair?” She finger combed Desi’s short locks, streaked with gold and caramel. “It’s so beautiful when it’s long. Remember when I used to brush it for you and you’d want me to braid it or put it up?”

  Desi ducked away from the impromptu styling. “I’m not ten years old anymore, Mami.”

  Gloria frowned. “Don’t remind me.” Desi had been a child when her father died, and for a long time, she and Gloria had only each other. But Desiree was a woman now, in love with and engaged to another young woman. Gloria knew she had to let her daughter go, but it wasn’t easy.

  Desi shifted and tittered uncomfortably. “Why are you staring at me?”

  “’Cause you’re so beautiful. And ’cause I can’t get over how much you look like your father.”

  Desi flushed and finished sweeping stray bits of hair into a dustpan. “I miss him. Even after all this time. It’s weird.”

  “Not weird, m’ija. You’ll be getting married soon. It’s no wonder you’re thinking of him.”

  “Yeah. He won’t be there to walk me down the aisle. But I have you.”

  “You know it.” Gloria came in for a hug, closing the gap between them. “I miss him, too,” she murmured as they embraced.

  “Ma. Why didn’t you ever get married again?” Desi asked as they pulled apart.

  Gloria’s face grew warm. She wanted to look away, but her daughter’s intense gaze wouldn’t let her. “No one could ever measure up to your father.”

  “I know you loved him. But weren’t you lonely?”

  “Sometimes. But I had you.”

  Desi gave her a let’s get real look. “Sure. But that’s not the same as having a romantic partner. A life partner.” She waited a moment. “I know there were men in your life.”

  “True.” Though she was a widow, Gloria hadn’t been celibate the last twelve years. She’d dated from time to time, had a few relationships. “Some of them were very nice men. But I wasn’t in love with any of them. And I wasn’t about to get married because I was afraid of being lonely.”

  Desi’s expression was clouded by guilt. “Was it because of me? Maybe you were worried about disrupting my life, bringing a new man into it.”

  “No, it wasn’t that, I promise. Listen, I believe each of us has a soul mate in our lives. You have Ashlynn. I had your father. I had the best. I could never love another man the way I loved him. So why settle for less?”

  “Don’t give up. There might be someone out there for you. Someone you could love. Maybe not the way you loved Papa. In a different way, but just as strong.” Her daughter’s lips turned up in a mischievous smile. “Look what happened to Blaise and Uncle Memo.”

  Blaise was Ashlynn’s mother, who’d also been a single mom. Through a series of events that Gloria still wasn’t clear on, Blaise had recently hooked up with Gloria’s brother Guillermo. They were now a couple.

  Gloria gave her daughter a narrow look. “I don’t think things will work out for me that neatly.”

  “You never know.”

  Time for a change of subject. “What are you doing after this? Going straight home?”

  Desi grabbed her purse from her workstation. “Meeting Ash at Bananas Foster for a drink. She’s working late tonight, too.” Ashlynn was a librarian at the local college. Gloria wondered if she knew of Bryan Dunn. Of course, she would. A college professor would surely be a frequent library visitor. And Professor Sexy wouldn’t fly under any woman’s radar.

  “You’re welcome to join us,” Desi offered.

  It was sweet of her to ask, but Gloria wasn’t about to horn in on the younger women’s date. “No thanks. You girls have fun.”

  Gloria picked up her keys and her purse and was just about to walk her daughter out when someone tapped on the glass door. Both women started. Gloria gasped. Bryan stood on the step outside.

  “We’re closed,” Desi said loudly, pointing to the clock on the wall behind the front desk.

  “Let him in,” Gloria told her. “I know him.”

  Desi gaped at her, then unlocked the door. “Hello?”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” Bryan glanced from Desi to Gloria. “I meant to come earlier.”

  “Come in, Bryan. This is my daughter, Desiree. Desi, this is Professor Dunn. He teaches…poetry at the college.”

  He nodded at Desi. “English Literature and World Lit. How do you do?”

  “Hello.” She gave her mother a wide-eyed stare as she stepped back and allowed Bryan into the salon. Her gaze travelled up and down his tall form. Behind Bryan’s back, she gave her mother a nod of approval and a thumb’s up. He’s hot, she mouthed.

  Gloria tried to tamp down the excitement skittering up her spine but couldn’t control the way her pulse spiked as Bryan neared. She was afraid she’d have slipped his mind, but he hadn’t forgotten her. Just as she couldn’t forget him. “This is unexpected.”

  He reached into his jacket pocket, the same jacket he wore earlier, and pulled out the letter. “I’m here because of this.”

  Gloria’s glance bounced from her daughter back to Bryan.

  “I still need your help.” His expression was so sincere, his tone so earnest. Did he really need her?

  “I don’t know what I can do—”

  “Help me write a letter to Courtney.”

  His statement punctured her hopes, letting the air out of them. He wanted her to help him win back his lover. She wanted to smack herself for feeling disappointed.

  Thinking about him all day had buoyed her mood. She’d told herself it was a chance meeting, a mild flirtation with a handsome stranger. Nothing would come of it. Had she been lying to herself, secretly hoping for more?

  How foolish. It was impossible. First of all, he was younger than she. She was forty-three while he couldn’t be more than thirty-five. At least an eight-year difference right there.

  More than that, he was in love with another woman. Courtney.

  “Who’s Courtney?” Desi’s voice bounced off the walls, surprisingly loud in the quiet of the salon.

  Gloria clenched her teeth. “Don’t you have to meet Ashlynn, m’ija? Don’t let us keep you.”

  Desi waved the warning away and leaned against the door jamb, ready to watch the show. All she needed was a bowl of popcorn. “I’m good. I’m fine.”

  With Bryan and Desiree both watching her, Gloria felt like a specimen under the microscope. Just a few minutes ago, she’d been telling her daughter how no man would ever measure up to Emilio. Now this man showed up, one she’d known for only a few hours, and she was a tangle-tongued ball of confusion.

  Suddenly feeling she had something to prove, if only to herself, Gloria heard herself say, “Yes. I’ll help you.”

  Something flashed in Bryan’s eyes. It came and went so quickly, she might have imagined it. But for an instant, she could have sworn it was triumph.

  A whoosh sounded, and Desi checked her phone, muttering under her breath. “It’s Ash. She’s at Bananas Foster already.”

  “Then go,” Gloria said. “Don’t keep her waiting.”

  For a moment, her daughter looked like a little girl afraid to leave her mommy. “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely. Bryan and I will be fine.”

  After one more doubtful glance her mother’s way, Desi left but not before saying, “Text me when you get home.” Quite the reversal. Usually it was Gloria who issued that request.

  Bryan turned to her when they were alone. “I hope I didn’t spoil your plans thi
s evening.”

  “Not at all.” Her confidence was returning. This was her salon, her world. And he had come to her. “But I’m wondering why you chose to show up here instead of just calling. It’d be easy enough to find the phone number.”

  “Yes.” He took a step toward her. “But it’s easier to refuse someone over the phone than it is face to face.”

  “I see.” He had it all figured out, didn’t he? Well, maybe she could throw him a curve and surprise him. “Why don’t you have a seat?”

  He was about to sit in one of the straight back chairs in the waiting area when she gestured to the stylist’s chair at Desi’s station. “I mean right there.”

  His eyebrows lifted, but he followed her directions. Once he sat, Gloria whipped a styling cape around him, twirling it the way a magician might unfurl his cape for an audience’s delight. She tied it neatly behind his neck. Bryan sat up straight, about to bolt, but she placed a hand on his shoulder and gently urged him down. He went still as she threaded her fingers through his shaggy mop. “How long since you’ve had a trim?”

  He hesitated. “It’s been a while.”

  She tsked. “Too long a while. Let me clean it up for you.”

  “I—”

  “It’s too late to work on the letter now. But since you’ve come all the way here tonight, it shouldn’t be a wasted trip.”

  She ran her fingers through his hair again, and he sank back in the chair, like a dog rolling onto its back to invite a belly rub.

  She tapped his shoulder. “Come.”

  He sank onto one of the shampoo chairs lined up to the sinks along the wall and reclined as she directed. His eyes closed, and he sighed as she rinsed his hair under the warm water before applying the shampoo.

  He inhaled deeply as she rubbed the shampoo into his hair. “Smells good. Coconut?”

  “Yes.” She lathered him up, massaging his scalp with the pads of her fingers. His expression was one of pure bliss. She understood completely. There was something so deliciously sensual about having one’s hair shampooed. The touch was intimate but not sexual.

  Bryan kept his eyes closed, and Gloria took advantage by gazing her fill at him. God, what a beautiful man. It was hard to believe some mistake hadn’t been made in heaven when looks were being passed out. Had Bryan received double the rightful amount while some other poor soul missed out?

  While she admired him, alternating between massaging his scalp in small circles and rubbing vigorously, he moaned. That decadent sound thrilled her down to her toes and made her want to moan, too, as she imagined other ways to delight him. Ways that might involve warm water and probing fingers but had nothing to do with coconut shampoo.

  Stop it, Gloria. Remember, you’re a professional.

  Quickly and efficiently, she finished the job—rinsing out the shampoo, adding conditioner, rinsing again. She squeezed out the excess water, then wrapped his head in a towel. “This way, please.”

  Better. Pretend he’s just another client. That’ll keep you out of trouble.

  When she had him seated, it was all business. She combed out his damp hair, then picked up her scissors. She took her time snipping and shaping, enjoying the smooth texture of his hair. It wasn’t fine, nor was it too coarse, and she was delighted to find it had a bit of a wave.

  When she finished, Gloria took a step back. “What do you think?”

  He surveyed himself briefly, then glanced upward so their gazes connected in the mirror. “What do you think?”

  “I think you look very handsome. And professional. Like a professor.” She gave him a hand mirror so he could check the back. When he nodded in approval, she brushed bits of hair from his shoulders and untied the cape.

  “I shudder to think what I looked like before.” He stood and reached for his wallet. “How much do I owe you?”

  She waved the offer away. “Not a thing. It was my pleasure.” Desi had left the broom leaning in the corner. Gloria took it and swept up, making a mental note to remind her daughter not to leave items out in the salon. It looked messy.

  “Well then, let me take you for a drink,” Bryan said.

  She gathered the sweepings into a dustpan and deposited them into the trash. “I’m sorry, I can’t. I’m supposed to come in early tomorrow.”

  “We’ll make it a short one,” he countered quickly.

  She shook her head. “I really need to get home.”

  That wasn’t the complete truth. Yes, she was scheduled for the morning, but nothing stopped her from going for a quick drink. Nothing except the dangerous attraction she felt for this man. She’d agreed to help him and wouldn’t go back on that promise. But tonight she had to keep her distance.

  His expression shadowed with what seemed disappointment. Or was that simply wishful thinking on her part? “When can I see you again? Can we meet tomorrow? Or sometime this weekend?” Then he added, “I don’t want to wait too long to get back to the letter.”

  The letter. Of course, that was why he was so eager to meet with her again. She wanted to laugh at herself for imagining it was because Bryan wanted to be with her.

  “That won’t work. I’m pretty busy this weekend.” She and Blaise were hosting a wedding shower for their daughters on Sunday. Saturday would be a blur of errands, shopping, and preparation, and by late Sunday, she’d sorely need some down time to recover from the festivities.

  More than that, she needed some down time from Bryan. Surely, a week would give her enough time to dismiss this foolish attraction, to erect an imaginary fence to remind herself that he was strictly off limits.

  “Why don’t we say next Thursday?” she said. “We’re both free during the day. We can meet at the fountain in the park.”

  He opened his mouth as if to argue, then closed his lips in a flat unhappy line. “If that’s the best we can do.”

  “Blame our busy schedules.” She put the broom and dustpan in the closet where they belonged, slung the strap of her purse over her shoulder, and turned to him with a smile. Impulsively, she reached out and ran her fingers through his shorter, neater hair. “I like this. Now if only you’d do something about the scruff on your face.”

  He winced. “Ouch.”

  “Sorry. I’m sure the co-eds love it, though.”

  “But you don’t?”

  She’d already said too much. “Walk me to my car?”

  She turned out the lights and locked up. He escorted her to the small parking lot behind the salon, walking just a step behind. When she reached her car, she turned to say goodbye and found him staring at her intently. For a moment, she forgot to breathe, mesmerized by his dark gaze.

  “Good night.” It took her a few tries to get the words out.

  “Good night, Gloria.” His voice was raspy.

  She fumbled the keys, almost dropped them before unlocking the driver’s side door. He opened it for her, and she felt the heat of his body as she slipped past him and into the seat.

  Before closing the door, he leaned down to her. “See you Thursday.”

  She nodded as her voice had deserted her.

  He waited while she turned on the ignition and watched her pull out of the lot. She had a whole week to get her house in order, to put her feelings for him into perspective. She only prayed a week would be long enough.

  Chapter Four

  Desiree and her fiancée Ashlynn invited Gloria out to breakfast on Saturday.

  “Well, this is a nice treat,” she commented as she slid into a red vinyl booth in their favorite diner. She took a deep breath, inhaling the combined aromas of coffee and sizzling bacon. Glancing at Ashlynn, she asked, “Will your mom be joining us?”

  Ashlynn and Desi exchanged a look. “Uh, no. She’s, uh—”

  “No, we wanted you all to ourselves this morning.” Desi’s smile was a little too bright, her voice a tad too perky.

  Gloria’s mom alarm jangled. “All right, what’s happening?”

  “Can’t your favorite daughter and daughter-in-l
aw-to-be ask you out without something happening?” Desi flapped open her menu. “What looks good? They’ve got awesome French toast here.”

  “Desiree.”

  Desi shifted impatiently, then slapped the menu back onto the table. She nodded to Ashlynn. “Go on, tell her.”

  Ashlynn responded with a pleading Don’t make me look. “I don’t even know if it’s true.”

  Gloria and Desi spoke at the same time. “If what’s true?”

  “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” That was Desi. Then, insistently, “Tell her.”

  Ashlynn sighed. “Desi said that you’ve…gotten friendly with Professor Dunn.”

  “Ash knows him,” Desi put in quickly. “He’s in the library all the time, isn’t he, Ash?”

  “That’s not surprising,” Gloria said. They went silent when the server appeared at the table with coffee, then began talking again when their cups were full.

  “I don’t know him well,” Ashlynn said. “We’ve spoken several times. He’s always been nice. He’s very personable…”

  “Personable.” Desi rolled her eyes. “Tell her what else. Go on.”

  “Well…”

  “He’s a player!” Desi blurted, her eyes snapping with indignation.

  Ashlynn gave an exasperated huff. “I never said that. I just said that a lot of the girls kind of throw themselves at him. I mean, he is a hottie.”

  An unpleasant chill crawled up the back of Gloria’s neck. “These girls who throw themselves. Does Professor Dunn ever catch any of them?”

  “He doesn’t go with students,” Ashlynn answered. “That’s what everyone says.”

  At those words, Gloria felt herself relax.

  “But everyone else is fair game,” Desi said. “He’s one of those love ’em and leave ’em types.”

  “He gets around,” Ashlynn admitted. “He’s dated several women who work on campus. And I guess there’ve been plenty of others. The rumor is he’s broken a lot of hearts.”

  Gloria shrugged, keeping a poker face to hide her disappointment at this tidbit, though it didn’t surprise her. “He’s dated a lot of women. He’s young. He’s attractive. Unattached. What’s unusual about that?”