The Beauty Within (12 page)

though she hadn’t shed another tear. “I had a really good time today, Tyler.”

“You did?”

He smiled. “Yeah. You’re one of the best students I’ve ever had. And then

you feed me? What can be better than that?”

She smiled as well, growing warm at his compliment. “You know, I never

did pay you.”

“We’ll keep a running tab. Only fair since I have one at the barbershop,

no?”

Tyler snorted, but the smile never left her face. “I guess so.”

Gunnar’s chuckles faded, and his face grew contemplative. Slowly, as if to

give Tyler time to register what he was doing, his mouth lowered until it

touched her forehead softly. Tyler’s entire body sighed and she leaned into the

kiss, her hands coming up to grasp Gunnar’s wrists. She became breathless

when his mouth lowered, and for a few heart-stopping moments, she thought

he would kiss her, but his lips brushed her cheek instead.

“Have a good night, Tyler.”

“You as well. Goodnight.”

With a final caress of his thumbs, Gunnar dropped his hands and left. Ty-

ler stayed at the door long after his taillights had been swallowed up by the

night.

Seven

“He is not Quincy.”

Tyler groaned and shook her head, clutching a pillow to her chest as she

and her sister sat on the couch in their childhood home. Tyler had just finished

telling Wendy about the day before and her personal training session, then the

dinner and all the confusing feelings Tyler had been experiencing throughout

the day.

Well, less confusing and more problematic, because the last thing she

needed was romance.

“Why are you even bringing him up?”

“Because, Tyler Marie, you’ve not looked like that
since
Quincy Lucas, and

you need to realize not all men are jackasses like Quincy Lucas, either.”

“But Gunnar was a model—”

“
Was
—”

“I could never compare—”

“Of course you can’t. You’re ten times better than any woman Gunnar

could’ve ever been with. You’re a Carver, girl! We’re one of a kind!’

Tyler smiled sadly and shrugged. “I wasn’t the kind Quincy wanted,

though. I don’t…I really loved him, Wendy.”

Older sister grasped younger sister’s hand and squeezed. “I know you did,

baby, but don’t miss out on possibilities because the past has hurts and haunts.

We all have those, you know. True, Quincy was a bootleg bastard, but don’t let

his
whackness shadow
your
greatness. He’ll win if you let him do that.”

Tyler knew Wendy spoke truth. Hell, she’d given herself that pep talk

multiple times during the past six years, but some days it still was hard to

reconcile the fact Quincy had dumped her because of law firm politics. He

hadn’t even the decency to do it to her face, rather he had behaved like a punk

The Beauty Within

and had broken up with her on the phone, knowing she was home making

funeral arrangements for her father.

Yet even still, she couldn’t turn off the tender feelings he had inspired

within her. He’d been her first true best friend outside of Wendy, her first

serious crush…her first love. She couldn’t forget that, no matter how badly he’d

done her at the end of it. He’d been the first and only man outside her father to

make her feel beautiful; how ironic that it was he who had ended things with

her because his firm had apparently decided she wasn’t slim enough, sleek

enough…beautiful enough.

Since when did a lawyer’s significant other determine whether he would

be an effective attorney, anyway? Perhaps the break up had been good timing,

because she hadn’t had the mental capacity to focus on the completely ludicr-

ous notion while dealing with the aftermath of her father’s death; but in the

years since, it had always been in the back of her mind.

How had she gone from beautiful to liability in Quincy’s eyes? She hadn’t

changed from the time he’d met her, except for maybe ten extra pounds, but

they had been happy. Quincy had supported her, had even given her his

business when she would’ve cut his hair for free. She’d made sure he remained

healthy when he’d studied for his LSATs and had gone to law school. Then

when he’d gotten an internship at one of Raleigh’s top law firms, she’d been his

loudest cheerleader. And what had all that gotten her? The curb.

“Jackass.”

Tyler snickered as her sister’s voice echoed her own thoughts. “Yeah, but

he was a fine jackass, wasn’t he?”

Wendy’s smile turned wicked. “Girl! Man…All tall and mahogany…I

couldn’t be mad at that—until he did you dirty. Then I was spittin’!”

“And what
killed
me is he was like, ‘Baby this is only temporary.’
What
? He

thinks he’s the only man who could ever want me?”

“Clearly not!”

“I may not be model thin or look like you, but I think I’m pretty enough—”

“You can’t compare yourself to me or anyone else, Ty—”

“That’s easy for you to say—”

“Is it? I know I may have the more ‘standard preferred’ body, but I’ve al-

ways said you were gorgeous, a knockout. I couldn’t understand why boys

couldn’t see that for themselves, but I figured better a man who could appre-

ciate it than someone who couldn’t. Enter Quincy, and like you, I thought boy

was the second comin’, but then he went and pulled that mess…you can’t
tell

me a law firm told him to do you like that. You know I think he was cheating

on you.”

Tyler nodded and sighed. Even now, she couldn’t go there with it, despite

the fact that was the most logical scenario. Would it make her feel better or

worse if he’d been? Did it even matter? He had already played her for a fool;

why not drive the proverbial nail in the coffin?

66

Savannah J. Frierson

“Do you think I’m angrier that he made me look like an idiot or that I fell in

love with one?”

Wendy looked at her for a beat before bursting out in laughter. Tyler

blushed, but joined her when Wendy enveloped her in a huge hug. “Golly, I

love you, girl!”

“That’s good. I appreciate it.”

Wendy shoved her slightly as they broke the hug. “So when you gon’ let

Gunnar dip his cream in yo’ coffee?”

Tyler gasped, then hit her sister with the pillow she held. “You goin’ to

hell!”

“Ain’t like you ain’t in the passenger seat with me!” Wendy said, adjusting

so she could face Tyler fully. “Let a sista know! Man, if I didn’t have scruples…”

Tyler laughed. “This is a discussion you should have with Damon.”

“Nope. Y’all might not be
together
, but y’all together. Even Damon sees it.”

“Damon.”

“Apparently he’s given Gunnar ‘the talk’.”

“Why?”

Wendy rolled her eyes. “Because he’s not trying to have a Quincy repeat,

either. You know you his girl!”

Tyler smiled and nodded. Damon was a great older brother figure. She

wondered when he would make it official with Wendy. “It’s a bit odd he’s so

angry over someone he’s never met.”

“He doesn’t need to know Quincy. He knows you, so clearly any man who

thinks you aren’t good enough doesn’t
deserve
you and should be treated like

the dumbass he so clearly is.”

Tyler stood and grabbed Wendy’s hand, tugging her sister up. “Enough of

Quincy Lucas. Aren’t I supposed to be doing your hair for some special func-

tion?”

“Valentine’s Day!”

Tyler’s scowl was automatic. “Already? When is that?”

“Wednesday!”

“So why are you here on a Sunday?”

“I have
work
and
plans
on Wednesday.”

“Rub it in,” Tyler groused. She hated the pink holiday with a passion.

“Don’t hate. Participate! It’s not like you don’t have some very yummy

prospects—”

“We’re friends—”

“Best foundation for a relationship if you ask me!”

“Quincy had been my friend before he became my love too.”

Wendy’s face fell and she sucked her teeth. “Quincy Lucas doesn’t count,

and how many times I gotta remind you Gunnar Daniels
is not
Quincy Lucas?”

Tyler gave a noncommittal shrug and led Wendy to the kitchen. “Come on.

Let’s get this hair did.”

The Beauty Within

67

Leave it to Wendy to complicate things even further for her, for that Sun-

day discussion had rattled around in her mind all week. By the time Wednes-

day arrived, Tyler was glad for the rare influx of business, for it kept her from

thinking about the day’s significance or the fact she really wished she had a

particular significant other with whom to share it.

“Thank you, Ty, for squeezin’ us in. I know you probably wanna get on

outta here to celebrate the holiday yourself…”

Tyler grinned absently as she pulled the clippers through the young boy’s

hair. Loretta Banks had been one of her first customers since before she’d taken

over Soul Cuts, and she’d been doing her son’s hair since he was old enough to

sit in the chair. At the moment he was coloring with one hand and eating

chocolate Kisses with the other as he sat like a good boy and got his hair cut.

“Girl, no problem. Will here is so well behaved, aren’t you?”

“Yup!” the first grader agreed, breaking his focus briefly to answer.

“I’ve been meanin’ to come in for weeks, but work’s been so busy at the

dental office. I decided to take a chance and bring him along with my appoint-

ment. Jason’s taking me to dinner and salsa dancin’ tonight! We leavin’ Will

with Jason’s mama and she said she’ll take him to school for us the next day.”

“That sounds like fun!” Tyler said sincerely, setting down the clippers and

picking up the shears. “I bet you got a cute dress and everything.”

“Girl, I’mma be lookin’ too fine! I went to the mall the other day and saw it

right as I walked into Penney’s…like it was callin’ my name!”

The women’s laughter was punctuated by Will’s demand that they look at

his artwork. Tyler and Loretta were praising his expertise when the door

dinged open, signaling another customer.

“Hi, may I help…you?”

Gunnar grinned and nodded to them, shrugging out his leather jacket and

sitting in the chairs along the wall. “Evening.”

“Well, all right, now!”

Tyler gave Loretta a soft glare before turning her attention to Gunnar. “Are

you here for a cut?”

“If that’s all right. I know it’s close to closing but…it shouldn’t take long?”

he asked, brushing a hand over his already-short hair.

“Um…” Tyler said, going back to Will’s hair and ignoring the knowing look

Loretta was giving her. “No, it shouldn’t, although I don’t know why you’d

want to cut it. It looks short enough.”

“Just a trim, actually.”

“Oh…”

“Mama, I added purple. See?”

“That’s nice, baby,” Loretta murmured, giving the drawing a cursory glance

in favor of watching Gunnar. He was flipping through another hairstyle

magazine, just as intrigued as he’d been the first time.

“What he doin’ here?”

68

Savannah J. Frierson

“He works with Damon. He’s a referral.”

“Damon, huh? I ain’t know they made white men like that—!”

“Loretta!”

“He come here before? You act like you know him—”

Gunnar coughed, and Tyler bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing. Lo-

retta wasn’t known for tact or discretion, and her whisper was about as soft as

a jet engine. Tyler was very glad she was almost finished with Will’s haircut, or

Loretta would squeeze out Gunnar’s life story and those of his unborn children

should she get the chance!

“Yes,” Tyler said, putting down the shears and picking up a soft bristle

brush for Will’s hair.

“You know him?”

“He’s come here before,” Tyler evaded. She put down the brush and kissed

the top of Will’s head. “All done, sweetie.”

“Thank you, Miss Tyler,” Will said, turning on his knees and kissing Ty-

ler’s cheek, heedless of his book and crayons falling on the floor. “I give you a

kiss!”

He dropped a half-melted chocolate Kiss into her palm and slid off the seat,

grabbing his belongings carefully.

“You are too precious,” Tyler said, touched by Will’s consideration.

“That’s my baby,” Loretta said proudly. She put three twenties in Tyler’s

smock pocket. “You know I’mma need the 411 when I see you again, girl!”

Loretta eyed Gunnar, and Tyler saw the sly smile on his face. She would not

hear the end of it once they were alone.

“You want information about a haircut?” Tyler asked. Gunnar coughed

again.

“You need a cough drop, Mister?” Will asked Gunnar as he came back to

the women and put on his coat. “I have one…” He began checking his pockets,

the empty sleeve flopping wildly.

Tyler muffled a giggle behind her hand and Loretta rolled her eyes, kneel-

ing to help her son. “Lord, let me get outta here. Last thing I need is Jason

gettin’ mad ’cause I’m late. You have a good one, Tyler. Come on, Little Man.”

She righted the coat on him.

“Bye Miss Tyler! Bye Mister!” Will chirped, and mother and son left the

establishment. Gunnar and Tyler stared at each other for a moment before both