The Yellow Rose Beauty Shop (Cadillac, Texas #3)(7)

It had been weeks since Nancy had plucked her eyebrows. Well, Ruby would have to take care of that, too. She had shaved her legs the night before so there shouldn’t be too much flak about that when the old gossips talked about her passing on at such a young age right there on the café porch.

Did her underbritches have holes in them? She couldn’t remember, so she discreetly pulled her shirt up and checked. They were the new ones with the good elastic, so yes, she could pass away right there on Main Street if she got too hot or too angry. She had on clean underpants, so not a single woman in town could fault her.

She’d cleaned her house and her oven the day before in case God answered prayers real quick like and Stella brought her new fiancé’s parents to visit on Sunday after church. So when the ladies came to mourn, they wouldn’t find a nasty oven to heat up the casseroles. She hoped they all brought corn casserole, because Stella hated it.

Just thinking her daughter’s name twisted her heart up into a hangman’s knot. She’d never liked fighting with Stella, not even when she went through that rebellious stage in high school and wore her skirts too tight and her makeup too thick.

Nancy took a deep breath, banished thoughts of caskets and weeping, and said aloud, “I’m not going to give Stella the satisfaction of me traipsing up to the pearly gates before God sends her a husband. I didn’t know they were going to publicize this damn thing, but she can just damn sure get ready to pick out a big white dress and look at wedding cakes.”

That’s when the tears broke the dam and flowed down her cheeks to mingle with the salty sweat on her neck. She put her hands over her eyes and let them come. Whether in anger at Heather or sorrow at fighting with her daughter or a mixture of the two, they didn’t do their job. When she wiped them away with the soggy tissue in her hand, she was still mad and sad at the same time.

She pushed out of the swing and with determination walked the last half block to Ruby’s. It had been Ella’s Beauty Shop until she retired and her younger sister took over the shop. A blast of cold air met her when she threw open the door, and she inhaled deeply only to start coughing when the pungent aroma of permanent solution and nail polish remover filled her lungs.

It was about half the size of the Yellow Rose, with only one styling station, two dryer chairs, a chair for pedicures, and a table for manicures. Folks who were waiting in line had a choice of one of four folding chairs pushed up under a little round table over in the corner.

“You better sit down,” Ruby said. “You look a little dewy, like you’re about to pass plumb out. Did you walk through a sprinkler? We heard that you and Stella got into it down at the Yellow Rose. Kids! They’re worse than husbands.”

“I did not walk through water, and yes, ma’am, kids can be trying, especially when they grow up and think they know everything. And this is not dew; it’s plain old sweat that comes from anger and heat. How did you know about Stella, anyway? I just came from there. Can you work me in for a haircut this morning?” she said in a rush, hoping her voice didn’t break.

Ruby’s honey-blonde hair showed gray at the roots. The bright-red lipstick on her mouth was long gone but that part on the edges had seeped into wrinkles. Her stretch capris bagged on her bony frame and varicose veins twisted down her legs from calves to toes. “We saw the sign and you stopped at the Yellow Rose this morning. It don’t take much to figure it out, especially with Stella’s temper. And yes, I’ve got time to cut your hair.”

“Need your nails done, too?” Kayla asked from her table.

“Not today,” Nancy answered.

Beulah tucked her chin down into her ample chest and picked up the hankie in her lap. It was a perfectly creased little square with no wrinkles, but the day was still young. “Was Stella really angry? Maybe we should take her off the list. Or maybe Heather shouldn’t have put up that sign.”

Nancy leaned her head back and pinched her nose with two fingers, trying to stop the raging headache. Heather had been at odds with Stella since the day she moved to Cadillac after marrying Quinn. She’d wanted Stella to give up playing the piano for the church so that she could have the job. When Stella refused, it brought out sarcasm and pure old bitchiness.

“Well, there is Heather now,” Beulah said. “We can talk to her about it.”

Heather slung open the door and smiled at everyone. She wore a floral silk skirt and a pink cotton sweater, and her jet-black hair was cut at chin level, which made her baby face look even rounder. Her brown eyes were set close together and were lost when she smiled. She was slightly overweight and sweat beaded up on her thick neck, but she still wore panty hose and pink high heels.

“Good morning, ladies. I trust you’ve all seen the church sign. We’re serious about our praying, aren’t we?” Heather flashed a tight little smile. “Ruby, I just need my nails done today, so don’t be looking at the appointment book. I don’t come in until next week for a cut.”

“Stella is pretty upset,” Beulah said.

“Most sinners get angry when they know they’re being prayed for,” Heather said.

“Stella is not a sinner, and you should have talked to me or at least to Jed before you put that sign up. It needs to come down right now,” Nancy said.

“Of course she is. We have all sinned and come short. It says so in the Bible. Brother Jed preached about it two weeks ago, remember. But we can pray and pray until God sees fit to send her a good husband like he did when he sent Quinn to me. He will hear our prayers and answer them if we ask believing. Beulah is here and I see Floy over there getting her nails done, so we should talk about our next step in the program.”