Year of Living Blonde (Sweet Life in Seattle, Book 1) (17 page)

She heads back into the kitchen to finish the piping on a chocolate dome cake and wonders if Anthony is avoiding her.
Was I really that awful to him?
Unfortunately, the answer she keeps coming up with is yes.

By the time Friday rolls around and he still hasn’t shown, she decides to take action.

Natalie goes out to find Blair, who’s building a three-tiered cake with lace fondant. Ginger is helping her.

“Are you still seeing Graham?” Natalie asks.

Blair attaches candied white pearls to the side of the cake where the corners of the lace meet. “Still going strong.”

“Do you think you could ask him for Anthony’s cell phone number?”

Blair glances at her. “I suppose. Why do you want it? I’ll need to give him a reason.”

“I want to apologize. He hasn’t been in for a while and now I think he’s avoiding me.”

“I see.” Blair nods, considering things. “That’s probably a good idea. Let me finish this up and I’ll give him a call and see what he says.”

Later that afternoon Natalie is in the back office working on payroll when Carlos tells her there’s someone here to see her.

“Is it Anthony?”

“No, it’s some woman. I asked her if she wanted to order a cake, but she said she needed to talk to you.”

Natalie follows Carlos out front and is disturbed to see Lena standing near the pastry case. Her long, blonde hair falls in a cascade over her shoulders. She’s wearing a short beige raincoat that’s tied at the waist and high-heeled black boots.

Lena is examining the display, but looks up when Natalie approaches.

“It’s that lady over there,” Carlos motions toward Lena and heads back behind the counter.

Natalie can’t take her eyes from Lena. It’s like discovering there’s a shark swimming in your pool.

“What are you doing here?”

Lena gives her a phony smile. “You came to my place of business, so I thought it only fitting that I come to yours.”

“I know you’re not here to buy a cake, so what do you want?”

“There’s no reason for that tone.” Lena rearranges her features into what Natalie imagines is her life coach-yoga teacher face. “Peter told me about your phone call a couple days ago. I really want to help you move past all this anger.”

“I don’t want your help and I like my anger just the way it is.”

Lena shifts uncomfortably. “Do you mind if we have a seat and talk? My feet are killing me in these boots.”

“I’m actually kind of busy at the moment. Why don’t you come back another time? Like—never.”

“This will only take a minute.”

“Fine.” Natalie leads Lena over to a table in the corner, so no one overhears their conversation.

After they sit down, Carlos comes over and asks them if they’d like anything.

“I’d love some herbal tea,” says Lena. “Mint, if you have it.”

“Nothing for me, thanks.” She turns back to Lena after he leaves. “I thought this was only going to take a minute.”

Lena smiles and considers her. “You look different. Have you lost weight?”

Natalie shrugs. “A bit.”

“You should try yoga. It’s amazing for your health. Come by the studio sometime if you’re ever interested.”

“Is that why you came here? To get me to join your yoga studio?”

“No, I’m hoping we can talk woman to woman, Natalie.”

“About what?”

“The man we both love.”

Natalie blinks. Tries to hide the effect those words have on her. “I see.”

“Peter is really unhappy that you’re struggling so much with all these changes. And when he’s unhappy, I’m unhappy, too. What can we do to make it right?” Lena looks at her earnestly.

Carlos brings her the tea and Lena thanks him.

Natalie studies her as she pours the hot water into her cup and adds the tea ball. Lena’s fingernails are long and glossy, painted with a French tip. They’re very stylish. Her gold hoop earrings catch the light when she moves her head. Natalie has to admit she’s glamorous, and even though Lena is more than a decade older than her, she could probably have any guy she wanted.

“Why Peter?” Natalie finds herself asking. “Of all the men out there, why have you decided on being with Peter?”

Lena’s eyes widen with surprise, but then she smiles. “Many reasons. He’s fun and I enjoy spending time with him. He’s a good listener.”

“But why choose a married man who has a family?”

“I didn’t choose him,” she says, still smiling. “The universe chose him for me.”

“So the universe chose my husband to be your lover?”

Lena’s purses her lips and Natalie is happy to see that it ages her about ten years. “I see you only want to judge.” She takes a breath and closes her eyes. When she opens them again, the yoga teacher face is back. “But why not leave that behind? Look to your future and all the beautiful things that are waiting for you.”

My God, she actually talks in these silly platitudes.
Natalie knows it’s an act though and if she rattles her cage she’ll see the real Lena, the Lena who jumped her and tried to punch her in the face.

“What’s the reason you’re here?” Natalie asks.

“It’s just as I said earlier. I want to help you. I know you think I’m a bad person, but I’m not. I’m sure if we got to know each other better we might be friends. We even have things in common,” she motions around, “since we’re both small business owners.”

“I don’t want to be friends with you. You stole my husband.”

Lena smirks and slowly shakes her head. “Don’t be so naïve. Do you honestly think a man like Peter was going to stay faithful to someone like
you
forever? If it wasn’t me, it would have been someone else. At least I’m a decent person.”

“Someone like me?”

Lena looks at her from head to toe. “Let’s be frank. Peter is a handsome and successful man, and you’re, well . . . I wouldn’t say you’re ugly, but you’re kind of plain. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. We all have to be ourselves in this life.”

Natalie’s head snaps back as if she’s taken a blow.
So Lena is getting her punch in, after all.

“I’m just trying to be honest,” Lena continues. “Don’t worry, you’ll meet another man someday, someone who’s more . . . on your level.”

“On my . . . level?”

“Yes.” Lena nods.

“I’d like you to leave now,” Natalie says through gritted teeth. “This conversation is over.”

Lena leans forward, her thick blonde hair framing her face like a lion’s mane. “You’ll be happy again someday. Believe it or not, Peter and I want the best for you.”

Natalie is shaking. “Get out.”

Natalie is still upset when the weekend arrives and it’s time for her hair appointment. Blair picks her and Lindsay up in Isadora. It’s just the three of them, since Chloe is going to Peter’s this weekend. Natalie doesn’t tell anyone about her conversation with Lena. It’s too humiliating. And the worst part is, what Lena said was true—Peter has always been better looking than her. She knew he was out of her league when she married him.

“I thought I was just getting my hair trimmed. Why is my salon appointment three hours long?” Natalie adjusts her
Lord of the Rings
hoodie. Lindsay didn’t want her to wear it today, but Natalie insisted on being comfortable. “And what exactly is ‘The Works’?”

“A little of this and a little of that,” Lindsay says enigmatically.

“That’s not much of an answer.”

Blair looks over at Natalie. “Don’t worry. They won’t do anything without your permission.”

“Is that supposed to comfort me?”

They park the car in a garage and walk a block through the crowded shopping area in downtown Seattle. It’s early December, so the streets are busy with people getting ready for the holidays.

“I wish you hadn’t worn that hideous sweatshirt,” Lindsay gripes. “And thank God we’re going shopping. Those pants are practically falling off you. You look like an ass-less wonder.”

Natalie lets out a laugh. “In my dreams I look like an ass-less wonder.”

“Then your dreams have come true.”

They enter the salon and the front desk hands Natalie a robe and directs her to a dressing room. She hasn’t been to a salon in years. Nervous energy spirals through her.

Lindsay and Blair wait with her for the stylist, chatting about some of the stores they plan to go to while she’s having her hair done.

“We’ll put clothes on hold and you can come and try them on when you’re done here,” Lindsay tells her.

Finally, Natalie finds herself sitting in a chair in front of Marcus, Lindsay’s hairdresser. A group of people are gathered around her, examining her hair and consulting each other like scientists discussing a new lab specimen.

She can’t get that horrible conversation with Lena out of her mind. The way she arrogantly swung that blonde mane around, calling Natalie plain.
Plain.
She hates that word. It’s plagued her all her life.

“I want my hair blonde,” she suddenly announces to everyone. “Very blonde.”

They all stare at her.

“Really?” Lindsay asks. “Are you sure? That’s a drastic change.”

Natalie nods. “Yes, and I don’t want to cut it short. I want to keep it long.”

No one is going to call me plain ever again.

Marcus seems to be thinking it over. He studies her, pulling her hair back from her face and then letting it fall forward again. He smiles and nods. “I think I can work with that.”

In a clipped voice, Marcus starts ordering people around. Natalie bites her lip.
I hope I haven’t made a huge mistake.

Someone brings her a cup of tea and a stack of magazines. She thumbs though them and pretends everything is normal as she watches Marcus paint strands of her hair with colored goop and wrap them in foil.

“What is that stuff?”

“Mostly bleach.”

Bleach!
Natalie tries not to show her panic. She’s never lightened her hair before. Her only experience with color was the orange henna incident in high school. And this is clearly more radical than that.

While she’s under the dryer, a manicurist comes over and does her nails. Then another person plucks and smears more goop onto her eyebrows. When Natalie asks what’s happening, Marcus explains they’re shaping and lightening them to go with her hair.

“Don’t worry. When I’m finished, you’ll barely recognize yourself.”

Natalie squeaks.

At one point, Lindsay and Blair come back to check on her.

“We’re finding a lot of great sales. Is there anything in particular you want us to put aside for you?” Lindsay asks.

“I don’t know. Nothing too wild.”

“Okay, no leather bustier.”

“Wait.” Natalie grabs her arms before she leaves. “I want colors.”

“What do you mean?”

“I want to wear more colors. I’m sick of all the black.”

Lindsay raises an eyebrow. “Finally out of mourning, are we?”

Later, while her hair is being blown dry, Lindsay and Blair return from shopping. Marcus has Natalie facing away from the mirror and even though she wants to turn and look, she’s too nervous. Instead, she hopes she’ll be able to gauge the results from the reaction of the two of them.

“Oh, my God!” Lindsay shrieks when she sees her.

“Wow!” Blair’s mouth falls open as she stares at her in shock.

“
What?
” Natalie’s adrenaline skyrockets. “Do I look that
bad?
” She turns in a panic, straining to see herself in the mirror.

“Be still,” Marcus commands. “I’m almost done. You can wait a few more minutes.”

“No, it’s okay.” Lindsay smiles now. “It doesn’t look bad at all. You look amazing.”

“I do?”

Blair nods. “Totally gorgeous! I barely recognize you.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“You know what I mean. It’s a big change.”

Finally, Natalie decides she can’t stand it anymore and forces the chair around. For a moment, she’s disoriented. Her eyes widen as she takes in her own reflection.

I’m blonde.

Very
blonde
.

And it’s . . . stunning. It’s true what Blair said.

“My God,” Natalie murmurs. “I can’t believe it. I really do look like a different person.”

She swings her hair down. It’s long and shiny, falling over her shoulder in a shimmery cascade just like Lena’s.
Holy shit.
Leaning closer to the mirror, she sees her eyebrows are lighter and have been nicely shaped. The makeup artist did a wonderful job. Natalie told her how she seldom wore makeup and the amount is subtle, but effective. They also told her about some makeup that could withstand the heat of the kitchen.