Side Parting

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SIX

Clipper Hell“What the hell are you doing?” Kit’s cry pierced the airwaves until they tingled in the resulting silence. She catapulted her handbag onto the sofa and fixed her hands over her hips. Jackson had dropped her back at her vehicle with a warning about the outstanding infringements, and she’d driven home with another lead weight added to the growing pile in the pit of her stomach.

“You’re early.” Jerry’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. Langdon sat on a stool in the middle of the kitchen, and Jerry waved a set of hair clippers over the top of his head. “Our usual barber retired last month. The verger commented we both looked a little too shaggy for the bishop’s visit to the morning service.” Jerry pursed his lips and frowned. The ex-lawyer held Kit’s gaze and knew when to stop talking. He’d need to take up sprinting when Langdon attempted his next preening session because half the vicar’s head revealed an awful lot of pink scalp.

“Wow.” Kit’s knees buckled, and she slumped onto the sofa next to her bag. “Just wow.”

“You like it?” Langdon shook his head in a motion which usually gave his blond hair a ruffled flick. The right side swished as normal, but only his ear waggled on the left. “I wanted to ask you to cut it once you finished your training, but Jerry figured you’d get busy quite fast. So, he offered.” Langdon’s left hand rose, and Jerry’s eyes bugged. He slapped the fingers a millisecond before Langdon contacted the bald spot above his ear.

“It’s not ready yet!” he snapped.

Kit swallowed and enjoyed watching the unflappable Jerry flounder. An unusual sight, it offered much needed entertainment after a horrible day. Jerry mouthed something behind Langdon’s head and jabbed his finger at the blade-end of the clippers. As though Kit couldn’t already tell for herself that he’d forgotten to use the guard before starting, he picked it up and slotted it on and off again. Then he spread his hands in mute appeal. Kit rose. “Ah well,” she said at the same time as releasing an exaggerated yawn. “I’ll leave you to it.”

Langdon gave a cheery wave as she grabbed her bag and headed for the stairs. Jerry choked, and Langdon continued his moment of benevolence. “I’ll make you a hot chocolate as soon as we’re done,” he said with a smile.

“Not my circus, not my monkey,” Kit whispered to herself as she reached the top of the landing.

Raki’s bedroom door stood open, and Kit peeked in as she passed. She wished she hadn’t, unable to unsee the sight of Raki’s backside sticking into the air and his legs wound around his torso like a pretzel. “Night, Raki,” she called with a yawn.

“Hey Kit.” His voice sounded muffled. “Jerry said I could join him and Langdon next time they do hot yoga. I’m trying it without the hot.”

“Nice.” Kit released a sigh and closed her bedroom door behind her. She flicked on the bedside lamp, and a yellow glow blossomed from the energy bulb. Her earlier tidying rewarded her in the shape of clean sheets and the scent of floral furniture polish. Despite the early hour, Kit donned her pyjamas, cleaned her teeth and climbed into bed. She snuggled under the covers with a murder mystery her mother had presented to her as a birthday gift. Reminded of Marian, she lifted her phone and dialled her mother’s number.

“Kit darling, I was just thinking about you.” Her mother’s gentle tone lulled her into a false sense of security.

“That’s nice, Mum. Thank you for coming to the awards ceremony last night. I’m glad you got the opportunity to see how I spent your loan.” She gave a fake laugh to hide how much Marian’s generosity still hung like a weight around her neck. Especially since her hasty resignation from WWC had detonated her chances of launching a business and repaying it. She’d never needed a new Curly group more than she did right then.

“I’m so proud of you,” Marian cooed. “My crocheting group wanted to know every last detail.” She released a dramatic sigh, which created a whooshing sound in Kit’s ear. “Your little face when the Queen of Curl called out your name, I thought I would just die.”

Kit bit her bottom lip, but her proud smile still sneaked free. She drew her knees up to her chest and grinned into the phone. “Mum, do you think Dad would have been proud of me, too? He assumed I’d become a lawyer.”

“Your father wanted you to be happy,” Marian soothed. “He didn’t care how you went about it as long as you stayed on the right side of the law.”

“Thanks, Mum.” Kit exhaled. “Do you think Kenny might do a favour for me?”

“Why don’t you ask him?” A series of bumps and a serious clatter gave way to the sound of Kenny hawking something syrupy from the back of his throat. Kit winced and pulled the phone away from her ear. She jabbed the screen to activate the speaker and set the device on the bedspread.

“Kit?” Kenny’s voice bellowed into the room. “Is that you?”

“Hi.” Kit kept her tone civil. “How’s your new job going?”

“Yeah, good.” Her stepfather gave a guttural cough. “The boss says I fit right in with the crowd. We finish early on a Friday and drink beer.”

“Great.” Kit swallowed and considered the needs of her temperamental Volkswagen Beetle. “I’m pleased for you.” The idea of handing over the Bug to a group of beer swilling mechanics didn’t bode well. So, she made small talk with her stepfather before ending the call. He seemed pleased she’d rung, and she thrust aside the guilt for not congratulating him earlier. She admitted to herself that perhaps some of her issues with the infamous Kenny Rogers started with her own attitude.

Her phone buzzed with a text as she cradled her knees and listened to the argument break out downstairs as Langdon looked in the mirror. She held her breath and read it.

‘I forgot to mention that one of my friends would like to explore becoming a Curly. Apparently, she’s been straightening since 1987. I’ve given her your number. You’ve put Kenny in such a good mood. Talk soon.’

“1987,” Kit breathed. She exhaled. “Trust my mother to bring the impossible challenge.” She muted her phone and snuggled back into bed with her novel. A warmth spread out from the centre of her chest and gave her a sense of wholeness. She’d made Marian proud enough to recommend her services to a friend and accidentally enriched her relationship with her stepfather. For a little while at least, it caused her other issues to pale in significance and allowed her to drop to sleep with a smile on her lips.