She shivered.Must be the disgust. It definitely wasn’t a reaction to thinking about that kiss. Again. She’d already spent far too long last night dissecting every moment of it and all she’d been able to conclude was that everything with her dad and then Tyler had clearly made her snap and do things she wouldnevernormally do. Case in point: box dye in a gas station and kissing Luke Pointer.
Kathy sucked in a breath and April looked up in alarm, finding a dampness to her mom’s cheeks that hadn’t been there a second ago.
“What is it?” She moved closer, wrapping an arm around her mom’s shoulders and following her line of sight to a photograph that had fallen down behind theback of a box her dad had been using. It was cold in her hands, but through the fine layer of dust she could easily make out her dad’s face. It was the first time she’d allowed herself to look at his photo since he’d died and a lump sat in her throat, growing larger as she carefully brushed away the dust.
“I took this one. It was his first day in the bar.” Kathy smiled, blinking away her tears as April pored over the photo. “You made the right decision in taking it on. It should stay in the family. Martin would be proud.”
April swallowed twice and her voice still sounded husky when she spoke. “Thank you, Mom.” They stared at the picture for a little longer before April forced herself to take a deep breath. “Hey, I think we’ve done pretty well for one day. What do you say we treat ourselves?”
Kathy grinned. “I’m listening.”
“Cake and the salon?” April held open the door and ushered her mom through it. “I think I’m ready to be blonde again.”
“I’ve heard they have more fun.”
April rolled her eyes. “God knows we need it.”
CHAPTER NINE
“I have a surprise for you!” Emma squealed when April opened the door and found her and Izzy waiting there. “You’re going to love it.”
Curiosity piqued, April hugged each of her friends before stepping back to let them inside. Her mom had gone out about a half-hour ago, heading into town for the weekly support group she attended at the church for people who had lost their spouses. She wouldn’t be back till early evening, so April had the afternoon clear to enjoy her time with the girls.
Apparently the support group was helping a lot, and April was grateful her mom had had people she’d felt she could talk to these past six months. If anything, she was a tiny bit jealous. When her dad had first died, she’d had Tyler to lean on—or so she’d thought, anyway. But now? Well, she had Em and Izzy, but it wasn’t the same as having a partner to talk things through with.
“I see we’ve ditched the green hair,” Izzy said as they toed off their shoes by the door.
“It wasblue,” April said instinctively, before nodding.“But yeah, I think blonde is more my speed. I’ve brought enough color back into my life with my new clothes, so it felt like my hair could go back to normal.”
“Totally agree,” Emma said as she directed Izzy and April into the kitchen rather than the living room. “It works so well with your undertones.”
They each took a seat at the table—Izzy and April on the bench against the back wall and Emma opposite them with her back to the kitchen, practically vibrating with excitement.
Sunlight poured through the window above the sink, making the room come alive. April had bought her mom a cute sun-catcher that she’d seen in a boutique in town and it spun lazily in the air with the breeze they’d stirred up when they’d walked into the room. It was in the shape of a lily, her mom’s favorite flower, and the light refracted out and off of the edges of the stained-glass petals and stem in a rainbow shimmer that made April smile. Slowly but surely, they were doing their best to breathe life back into the house again, and the first proper sunny day they’d had since she’d been back home also helped.
“You’ve been super tight-lipped about what went down with you and Luke,” Emma said suddenly and April narrowed her eyes, realizing she’d been cornered into dishing details.
Izzy reached over and touched the hand April had placed on the table. “Whatever happened, you can tell us.”
God, did they think he’d hurt her or something? April squeezed Izzy’s hand and smiled reassuringly at her friends as she glanced between them. “It’s OK. It was just embarrassing, is all. I thought we were going on a date; he thought we were meeting to discuss my dad’s bar.”
Izzy winced. “Ah.”
“Yep.” April laughed. “I chewed him out in the restaurant and then stormed away. He followed me to explain and then dropped me home.”
Emma sighed, pouting her full lips dramatically. “That’s it?”
One brow raised, April eyed her friend. “You wanted more?”
“Just a little anti-climactic, is all.”
April struggled to keep her face blank as she lifted a shoulder and let it drop. If only they knew the truth—that the kiss with Luke had been anything but anti-climactic. Emma would lose her shit.
“Does that mean youwantedit to be a date?” Izzy probed and April knew they weren’t going to let this go easily. “I know you thought it was too soon after Tyler but …”
“The best way to get over someone is by getting under someone else,” Emma finished, nodding as if this was sage advice. “And I don’t know why, but I’ve always thought that Luke has BDE.”
April wasn’t sure she wanted to ask. “BDE?”