Grave Homecoming (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 1) (3 page)

Maddie stopped outside Cuts & Curls, the local beauty parlor, and sucked in a breath. She never thought she’d be here again. She knew the local parlor was gossip central for Blackstone Bay, but she desperately needed a trim. Her hair was raggedy, and six months of neglect was making her feel self-conscious. Since the town only had one parlor, she had two options: Suck it up, or drive forty miles out of her way. She was tired of running from this town – and its denizens.

When she entered Cuts & Curls, she wasn’t surprised to see the same fading wallpaper and vinyl chairs. There’s comfort in simplicity, and Cuts & Curls wasn’t trying to be fancy.

Maddie walked up to the front counter, refusing to scan the various women in the shop (even though she could feel their eyes boring into her), and waited. Finally, a woman with flame-red hair piled on top of her head – messy curls spilling out in every direction – bounced up to the counter. “Can I help you?”

“Um, yeah, I just need a trim,” Maddie said. “I don’t have an appointment, but I’m willing to wait. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. I don’t need a wash or anything.”

The woman across the counter studied Maddie for a moment, and then her face broke into a wide grin. “Maddie Graves?”

Maddie faltered. “Yeah.”

“It’s me,” the woman said, patting her ample chest. “Christy Ford.”

Memories swirled in Maddie’s head. Christy Ford? The only Christy Ford she could remember had been a rotund girl with a bright smile and an infectious laugh. Maddie didn’t have a lot of friends in high school, Nick notwithstanding, but Christy had been an ally in a sea of mean girls. “Christy?” Maddie studied her more intently. The girl she remembered had been blessed with a round face, emerald green eyes, and bland brown hair. The brown hair was gone, and the round face had narrowed some, but the green eyes were still there.

“Holy crap, girl,” Christy said, bounding around the counter and enveloping Maddie in an invasive hug. “You look amazing!”

Maddie gasped for breath. “You do, too.”

“Oh, don’t lie,” Christy said, smiling. “I look like a big raspberry. You, though, you could be a model.”

Christy was always the first one to utter a compliment, even if it was completely untrue. “How have you been?”

“Good,” Christy said, gesturing to the open spot closest to the front counter. “Come on. I can give you a trim.”

Maddie settled in the chair, letting Christy cover her with a frock without complaint or further comment. Christy studied her hair for a few minutes, poking at her roots and then focusing on Maddie’s face in the mirror. “Is this your natural color?”

Maddie nodded. “I know it’s kind of … flat.”

“Flat? Girl, people would kill for this color. It’s amazing,” Christy said. She reached for the bottle of water on the counter and started spraying. “Do you want any length off?”

“Not really,” Maddie said. She’d never really focused on her hair. People noticed it, so she figured it was one of her few attractive attributes. “Just cut an inch or so off the ends.”

“The form is good,” Christy said, running her hands down Maddie’s head. “The natural highlights are gorgeous. The ends are kind of split, though.”

“I haven’t had it cut in six months,” Maddie admitted.

“I’ll have it looking great in fifteen minutes,” Christy said, reaching for a pair of scissors. “So, what are you doing back in town?”

“I’m taking over my mom’s store.”

Christy faltered. “I was really sorry to hear about Olivia,” she said. “I always liked her. She read my cards once a month. She always told me great things.”

Maddie’s mom told everyone great things. If she saw any hardship in the cards, which she was capable of doing (that was part of the “peculiarity”), she always left it out. People don’t want to hear bad things. That’s what she’d always told Maddie anyway.

“She was a good woman,” Maddie said, fighting to keep her voice even.

“She was,” Christy said, happily snipping at the ends of Maddie’s hair. “So, have you seen Nick?”

Maddie shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah. Why?”

“I just always thought you two were a couple,” Christy said. “It didn’t occur to me that you weren’t until you left him high and dry and went to college.”

“That’s not really what happened,” Maddie mumbled.

“It’s none of my business,” Christy said. “So, how does it feel to be back?”

“Weird,” Maddie admitted. “Nothing has changed, and yet it feels like everything has changed.”

“Because of your mom?” Christy was sage. Maddie had forgotten that. She had a natural ability to read people.

“I miss her.”

“Of course you do,” Christy said, her eyes narrowing sympathetically. “She was the only family you had.”

“I have Granny.”

“You do have her,” Christy agreed, laughing. “She comes in once a month. She was suspicious for six months after I bought the place, but now she lets me set her hair without threatening to set my house on fire.”

“Oh, you bought the salon?” Maddie was surprised. “Granny never told me that.”

“Well, I always did love this place,” Christy said. “I never had wandering thoughts, so I never wanted to leave. When I decided what I wanted to do with my life, this was what I pictured. So I went to that beauticians’ school over in Traverse City, and then I came back here.

“I worked here for five years, and then when Louise wanted to retire, she agreed to sell it to me,” she continued. “I’ve been the owner for three years now. I love it.”

Maddie admired her. She knew what she wanted, and she’d gone after it. Her aims weren’t high. She knew what would make her happy, though. Maddie had never known what would make her happy. She’d followed the dream she thought she was supposed to, and been miserable the whole time.

“So, what are you doing for fun since you came back?” Christy asked, oblivious to the heavy thoughts plundering Maddie’s mind.

“Well, I had to pick Granny up after she rear-ended Harriet yesterday.”

Christy barked out a laugh. “I heard about that. It was quite the town gossip.”

“It certainly was.”

Maddie froze when she heard the voice. She recognized it … from her nightmares. “Marla Proctor,” Maddie said, keeping her voice even.

“Maddie Graves.” Marla’s face appeared in the mirror behind Christy.

She still looked the same, Maddie mused. Her dark hair was long, and flat. There was no “bounce” to it. There never had been. Marla’s features were narrow and pleasing – if you liked the “ferret” look. She’d been popular in high school, nabbing every boy she’d ever set her sights on – except for Nick. That had been the major bone of contention between Marla and Maddie, from their middle-school years onward. Nick Winters was the prize, and Marla just couldn’t claim him.

“How are you?” Maddie asked, refusing to lower herself to a dirty argument.

“I’m great,” Marla said. “Well, I was great until I heard you came back to town.”

“Marla, I won’t take any of your nonsense,” Christy warned. “Maddie is a paying customer here.”

“I pay you every week when I come in,” Marla countered.

“And, as long as you don’t attack any of my other clients, you’re welcome,” Christy said. “That doesn’t mean I like you.”

Maddie stilled. She wasn’t the only person Marla had terrorized in high school. She’d almost forgotten. Christy had been another victim of the malicious guttersnipe.

“Now, Christy, you know I’ve apologized for any … misunderstandings … in high school,” Marla soothed.

“You call them misunderstandings,” Christy countered. “I remember the actual events.”

“But … .”

Christy raised the scissors in warning. “Don’t push me, Marla. I will ban you.”

“Oh, so you’re taking ‘Greasy Graves’ side?”

Maddie’s stomach twisted. That had been her slur in high school. Marla was one of those girls who got off on making others feel like dirt. Some things never change.

“Okay,” Christy said, her tone clipped. “You can leave now. You don’t have to pay your bill, but you’re done.”

Marla’s hands raised to her hair, her face mutinous. “I haven’t gotten my set yet. I have a date tonight.”

“You should have thought about that before you insulted Maddie,” Christy replied, nonplussed. “I told you the rules when I took this place over. It’s not my fault you can’t follow them.”

“You can’t do this,” Marla screeched. “I’m a paying customer.”

“You can be a paying customer in another town,” Christy said. “The money isn’t worth the hassle of putting up with you.”

“You listen to me, Christy Ford,” Marla said, waving a finger around haphazardly. “If you toss me out of this place, I’ll tell everyone to stop coming here.”

“Go ahead,” Christy said, not phased in the least. “I’ve been turning away people every week. Losing you and that little gaggle of harpies you run around with isn’t going to hurt me. In fact, it will probably make this place more popular.”

“You can’t do this!”

“I just did,” Christy said, her eyes focused on Maddie’s hair. “Get out.”

Marla scanned the salon for sympathetic faces. Finding none, she mustered whatever dignity she could find, gathered her purse, and then flounced out of the salon. “You’ll be sorry.”

“Bye,” Christy said, not bothering to look up.

Once Marla left, the assembled women in the salon broke out into spontaneous applause. Maddie’s face was flushed when she met Christy’s eyes in the mirror. “You didn’t have to do that. I could’ve just left.”

“Oh, Maddie,” Christy said, running her hands down the sides of the blonde woman’s hair. “I’d much rather have you here than her. You just need to learn how to stand up for yourself. Marla Proctor is nothing more than a bully. She’s always been a bully, and she’ll always be a bully. There’s only one way to deal with a bully.”

“And what way is that?”

“You bully them right back,” Christy said, smiling. “Your hair is really beautiful.”

Maddie fought the urge to cry. “Thank you.”

Maddie caught a hint of movement out of the corner of her eye. She stiffened involuntarily when a woman – a young one with extraordinary brown waves and expressive green eyes – approached her nervously. She was wearing a smock, which meant she’d been there to witness the verbal sparring with Marla. Maddie was on edge.

“Hey, Cassidy,” Christy said, not breaking stride as she snipped the ends of Maddie’s hair. “Is something wrong?”

“No,” Cassidy replied, unsure.

Maddie wracked her brain. She didn’t remember anyone named Cassidy from high school. The woman looked to be about the same age as she and Christy. She braced herself for a verbal onslaught.

“Are you really Maddie Graves?”

Maddie met Christy’s eyes, confused. “Yes.”

“I’m Cassidy Dunham,” she said, extending her hand. “I just wanted to meet you. I never thought I would get to. I’m just really excited.” She smoothed the smock covering her clothes. “You’re a legend around here.”

Maddie looked to Christy for help. Christy took pity on her. “Cassidy has been in town for about two years now,” she said.

“I’m a school teacher,” Cassidy supplied helpfully.

“Oh, well, great,” Maddie said, confused. “It’s really nice to meet you.”

Christy licked her lips. “She’s also Nick Winters’ girlfriend.”

Maddie wasn’t sure, but she felt as if her heart had just exploded. “Oh, well … .”

“I know you and Nick were close in school,” Cassidy said, her face guileless. “There’s just this weird … hype … around Blackstone Bay where you two are concerned.”

Maddie felt like she was caught in quicksand. “I’m not sure what to say to that.”

“Oh, I’m making you uncomfortable,” Cassidy said, running her hand over her peaches-and-cream cheek worriedly. “I’m so sorry. This is not the way I wanted to meet you.”

Maddie searched Christy’s face for answers. Finding none, she turned to Cassidy. “You wanted to meet me?” This was all so … surreal.

“Of course,” Cassidy said. “You knew my Nick when he was a small boy. I want to know all of the stories.”

“Your … Nick?” Maddie almost choked on the words.

“We’ve been together for six months now,” Cassidy said. “He’s just so … wonderful.”

“He’s a good guy,” Maddie said, lowering her gaze.

“He tells me such fun stories,” Cassidy enthused. “You’re in all of them.”

“We spent a lot of time together as kids,” Maddie hedged.

Cassidy clapped her hands together excitedly. “I know. We should all go to lunch together.”

Maddie’s eyebrows flew up her forehead. “What?”

“You need to get your hair finished,” Cassidy said, running her hand down the back of her own hair. “I do, too. We can’t talk properly. We need to go to lunch when we’re finished up here. I have so many questions I want to ask.”

“I don’t know … .”

“Christy will come, too, won’t you?”

Christy looked caught. “I’d love to,” she said, patting Maddie’s shoulder in a comforting manner. “We’ll all go to lunch together.”