Chapter Fourteen
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Tanya said.
Ellen turned to stare at the other woman. She wasn’t at all what Ellen had been expecting. Tanya looked to be no older than twenty max with a sort of rocker chick vibe. She had brown hair with a red streak on one side, a few tattoos on her arm, and a nose ring.
Whatever else she might have thought, Tanya didn’t at all look like she was Zane’s type. Given how little else he changed the last few years, she doubted that sort of thing would be different.
Not to mention he gave Ellen a kiss before stepping out.
She still couldn’t wrap her mind around that. Zane had pretty much shut her out after they’d had basically the best sex ever, and he’d stayed the same all that morning. She’d busied herself with cleaning the kitchen and a quick call to work so they knew she would be out sick the next few days.
Good thing she did, too. Apparently, some men had come in asking about her. She could only guess who that was.
She had basically resolved that whatever had happened between them was just adrenaline, and she shouldn’t expect a repeat.
Then, bam! Out of nowhere he gives her the sweetest kiss possible. She just couldn’t make heads or tails out of him.
Though, they hadn’t used protection. It might have been that Zane didn’t mind a little one-night stand, but was worried about fathering a child.
Of course, just because they hadn’t used protection didn’t mean she was pregnant. She’d have to talk to him about it later, once everything was over. Neither of them could afford to be distracted by extra stress, not when they were planning to jump feet first into the lion’s den.
Tanya eyed Ellen. “So the big guy said you wanted to try a change but don’t want to go to your normal salon because you didn’t want them fucking up your hair.”
Ellen nodded. That actually sounded just about right.
The other woman patted a salon chair. “Well, take a seat and let’s take a look at what we’ve got.”
Ellen stepped over to the maroon chair and sat down. For the first time, she took in the surroundings. It wasn’t a big shop. Four chairs with two wash stations. There were two dryers and various products lined the walls.
She smiled as she looked at all the postcards on the walls. Thailand, Egypt, the UK, Japan, France, Australia, and Mexico, among others.
“Did you visit all those places?” she asked, nodding to the cards on the wall.
Tanya got a sort of far-off smile on her face. “My dad,” she said softly.
The way she said it made Ellen think of how she talked about her mom. “I’m sorry.”
Tanya shook her head and shrugged. “They are from when he was in the Navy. Used to send mom cards from all over,” she said. “He’s been gone a while though. It’s just nice to have a piece of him here.”
Ellen nodded. She pulled a locket off her neck. “My mom,” she said. “It was her mother’s and now it’s mine.” She opened the locket, revealing a picture of her mother.
Tanya stared at the little picture and grinned. “Your mom was a hottie.”
Ellen chuckled a little. Her mom would have liked that.
“Unfortunately, my sister got all her good genes.” Ellen frowned at herself in the mirror.
Tanya turned the chair and stared directly at Ellen’s face. She pulled out a few strands of hair tucked behind Ellen’s ears and held them out a bit, her eyes narrowed, her expression intense.
A small but firm hand held Ellen’s face and tilted it from side to side. After a moment, Tanya stood back with an amazingly bright smile. “I’ve got it.”
Ellen stared at her skeptically. Although she liked the other woman’s hair, it was a bit out there for her.
“Auburn,” she said. “Something a little deeper than usual. You’ve got the skin tone for it, and if we darken your brows a bit, it will look all sorts of natural.”
Red? She’d never really thought about that before. Not that she had much a choice really. She needed to change her look, and that would definitely be a change. She doubted she’d even recognize herself in the mirror at first.
“We’ll go chin length with some bangs,” Tanya said. “You’ll look deadly sharp. Zane will be practically creaming his pants over it.”
Ellen stiffened a little.
“Relax,” Tanya said from behind her. “That’s a good thing. A serious guy like that needs to be tossed off his game every now and again. And judging by that kiss he just gave you, I’d say you’re well on the way there.”
Her heart sped up a little. The idea of throwing Zane off his game was exciting, especially considering she could never come close to doing it before.
Tanya started spritzing Ellen’s hair with water and combing out the ends. “So how do you know Zane?”
Ellen nibbled her lip. He never said if she should talk about their past, but she figured it wouldn’t hurt them. After all, he said she’d be safe there.
“We knew each other as kids,” she said. “He and my brother Dean were best friends before Dean went off to the military.”
“You have a brother in the military?”
“Yes. He’s a Marine.”
A wicked grin crossed Tanya’s face. “Tell me all about this outrageously handsome Marine brother you have.” She grinned. “Like most importantly, is he single?”
Ellen grinned back. It was fun having girl talk. It wasn’t something she had gotten much of over the years. College, job, and then her mother.
There just never seemed to be enough time to keep many friends, and after work she just wanted to get away from the rest of the staff. She couldn’t even remember the last time she went out.
“Yes, Dean’s single, and he is pretty handsome, but I think sisters have to say that.”
The door jingled open, startling both women.
Ellen’s breath caught, as two large men stepped into the room, one younger, probably around Zane’s age, the other middle-aged. Had the Russians found her?
Tanya crossed her arms. “You most certainly don’t have to say that about brothers.”
The younger of the two men held his hands up as if she were pointing a gun at him.
“What don’t you have to say about brothers?” he asked.
His gaze darted over to Ellen. A slow smile spread on his face.
“That they’re good for much of anything,” Tanya said.
He placed a hand over his heart like he’d been wounded. “You know words hurt, right?”
Tanya huffed loudly and turned away from him.
Ellen could see in the mirror the small smile that played on the corner of Tanya’s mouth. It was the same one she often got around Dean.
“And who might this lovely lady be?” the man asked. The easy-going man stepped forward while the other man stayed where he was near the door.
Tanya slapped him against the chest with the comb she had been using.
“Back the fuck up, Reece,” she said. “This isn’t your hunting ground.” She snorted. “Besides, Ellen’s Zane’s woman.”
Both men stared at her in shock, and Ellen couldn’t help the warmth that rose to heat her cheeks.
“I’m not really his woman,” she said quietly.
“I know what I saw.” Tanya gave the same smirk she’d used with Zane. “And somehow I don’t think he kisses all his old friends that way.”
Tanya was right. Zane might have been a little distant, but the kiss he gave was more than just passion or pity. She was sure of it.
Ellen tried to ignore the flip in her stomach, but it was hard not to have just a little hope. Sure, last night they both should have used a little more thought, but it wasn’t the end of the world. A little Zane running around would be a dream.
“Zane?” Reece said.
The expression on his face suggested he was having a hard time wrapping his mind around the idea. She could only guess that this wasn’t something that happened often with Zane.
Ellen wasn’t sure whether that should make her happy or worried.
“Yup,” Tanya said. “Asked me to help fix her up for some secret fancy party tonight.”
This time both men seemed a little more focused as they stared at her in the mirror, their brows both furrowed.
“Zane is going to a fancy party?” Reece said.
Ellen nodded but stopped when Tanya placed a hand on her chin to still the motion. The snip of the scissors followed.
“First we cut, then we color.”
Ellen could barely see the two men exchange glances.
“So you’re getting a makeover for this party,” Reece said. “Must be special.”
Ellen shrugged. Again, Tanya placed her hand on Ellen to keep her from moving.
Then she glared at the men. “Bryce, will you take my idiot brother out of here before I stab him with these scissors? I’m trying to do my job here.”
The older man cleared his throat. “I think she’s serious,” he said to Reece.
The siblings scowled at one another for a bit before Reece dropped his stare.
“Fine,” he said. He frowned and stormed out of the shop.
Bryce stared for a few moments longer before heading to the door. “Like the new streak Tanya,” he said before stepping outside.
When the door was closed behind them, it was Tanya, not Ellen, who let out a sigh.
“He always works my nerves a little when he’s around.”
Ellen smiled. “I get the same way with Dean.”
Tanya glanced at her in the mirror, her cheeks tinting just the faintest bit pink.
“Yeah, Reece is always a pain in the ass, but…”
Ellen raised her brows in surprise. It wasn’t Reece but Bryce who worked her nerves. She wondered if there were feelings between the two. It wasn’t unheard of, that sort of age difference, but there were still stigmas attached.
“Okay,” Tanya said, snapping herself back into action. “We’ve only got a short amount of time to make you pants-creaming worthy.”
Ellen opened her mouth to protest but closed it.
There was a secret part of her that hoped she would become what Tanya said, and that Zane wouldn’t be able to resist the new look.
She smiled in the mirror at the younger woman. “I’m in your hands.”
Tanya cackled. “Oh, this is going to be good.”