Chapter Twenty-Four

MAGNOLIA

I loved this suit when I bought it. I felt so confident in the fitting room, but the thought of parading around in it now has me almost hyperventilating. What I thought was a subtle neckline now feels daring, and the mesh-filled cutouts now seem tacky rather than tastefully sexy. What if Simon thinks I look like a whore? What if he laughs at me, or tells me I’m too big for something so revealing?

My panic bubbles and boils, and I feel like the room is spinning.

Simon knocks on the door. “You okay, Goldilocks?”

“I-I don’t f-feel so well.”

“What’s wrong?” he asks, concern lacing his tone.

“Um…” I hesitate, and it gives me away.

“Open the door, Magnolia. Please?” Slowly, I crack the door open, just wide enough to see him. “You gonna let me in?” he asks. I shake my head. “Why not?”

“What if you think…” My words are cut off by Simon stepping closer and pushing the door open.

“What if I think what?” he asks, his eyes flaring with heat as they rake over my body. “What if I think you’re the sexiest thing to ever walk this earth? What if I think you were made for me? What if I think seeing you in this swimsuit is one of the top five moments of my life? What if what?”

By the time he’s done, my smile is of the megawatt variety. While I hate that I let stupid doubts and old insecurities get to me, I’m so dang happy to have the love of Simon McAllister, and that outweighs it all.

“Sorry, I was bein’ silly.”

“Lemme tell you something, okay?” I nod. “You are perfect to me. There’s nothing you could do, say, or wear that would change the way I feel. Got it?”

“Yeah, Simon, I got it.”

“Good. Now, let’s go get wet.” I shoot him a dubious look. “In the gulf, Goldilocks. Get your mind outta the gutter.”

§

The past month has been nothing short of bliss. School is almost out for the year, and Simon has been saying he wants us to take a trip sometime over the summer, says he wants to go to Lookout Mountain in north Georgia. The thought of us alone together, tucked away from the rest of the world sounds magical.

That’s not to say spending time with the crew isn’t fun, but there’s something so appealing about spending time alone and uninterrupted with Simon. Hopefully I’ll be able to take the time off, though I doubt it’ll be a problem, seeing as summer is the slowest season for us at the salon.

It’s finally the end of my late day at work, and I’m scrolling through my appointment book on the computer at the front desk, killing time while a load of towels dry. I’m checking for a week I would be able to take off for our trip when Seraphine approaches me.

“Hey, Mags,” she says cautiously, like she’s worried about how I’ll react to whatever she’s about to say.

“What’s up?” I ask, glancing down at the time, shocked to see it’s almost seven o’clock.

Seraphine twiddles her thumbs. “You think you could ask Simon to pick you up tonight? Dad’s nurse just called from the hospital, said his blood pressure was really low.”

“Seraphine! Don’t even w-worry about me. Honestly, I think that protection order scared Grant off. It’s been well o-over a month with no word or creepy boxes from him. I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“I swear. I’ll shoot Simon a text and ask him to come get me, and Azalea’s still here finishing up a client. By the time I clean up and fold the towels, Simon will be here.”

“Okay, if you’re sure.”

“Super sure. Hug Uncle Dave for me.”

Seraphine heads out, and I grab my phone out of my apron pocket then rattle off a text to Simon before making my way back to my station to tidy up from my last appointment. We cut over a foot of hair off and gave her an entirely new color, so there’s a lot to clean up. God bless the girl, she was here for five hours, which explains why I’m still here long after the sun has set, but it was so worth it.

Azalea finishes her client just as I finish sweeping up the mountain of hair on the floor. “Want me to hang around and wait for you?” she asks.

Even though I’m slightly nervous about being here alone, I know I can’t keep living in fear of my past.

“I’ll be fine. Just gonna fold the towels while I wait for Simon.”

Azalea’s brows climb to her hairline. “You sure?”

“Yep. Promise.”

“Well, all right. Call me if you need me,” she says, like it’s the most normal thing, like she’s not actually saying, Call me if you get scared. I appreciate that Azalea tries not to baby me.

“Will do,” I chirp, trying my best to sound brave.

I know I just finished telling Seraphine I wasn’t scared of Grant anymore, and mostly, I’m not…but still. Being anywhere all alone stirs up those old, anxious feelings inside of me.

I watch Azalea walk out the door and lock it behind her before I turn and trudge back to the dispensary to fold the towels.

I’m almost finished folding when I hear a loud bang at the front of the salon. Forgetting to be scared, I run toward where the sound came from, shocked at the sight I’m met with.

The front window is completely destroyed, and glass covers the floor of our lobby. Panicking, I dial Simon. He answers immediately. “I’m almost there, pretty girl.”

“Hurry,” I shriek into the phone, breathing fast and hard.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, his voice edgy and anxious.

“S-someone b-busted our front w-window!”

“Are you okay?” Simon demands to know. I can hear the sound of him accelerating in the background.

“I think so.”

“Just hang tight. I’m almost there.”

I’m still rooted to the spot, clutching my phone, when someone bangs on the door. I start to scream, but Simon’s calm voice through the phone stops me. “It’s just me. Let me in, baby.”

I carefully skirt around the glass shards and unlock the door then he steps into the salon and looks around. “Jesus Christ. We’re gonna need to call the girls and the cops.” Simon glances from the mess on the floor to me before hugging me close. “Go sit down behind the desk and I’ll take care of this, okay?”

In no mood to argue, I do exactly as he said. I watch as he taps away on his phone before finally bringing it to his ear. “Yes, I’d like to report a crime.” He pauses. “Yes, ma’am. Property damage.” I listen as he gives her the address and agrees to stay on the line until the police arrive.