Homicide and Halo-Halo (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery #2)(48)

“Lila, I’m so glad you finally made an appointment with me! I’ve been dying to get my hands on your gorgeous hair.” Winnie ran her hands through it, then picked up a lock to examine my split ends. “Hmm, let’s get you washed and conditioned, then we can discuss style options.”

Winnie sat me down, draped a towel around my neck and a black cape around my front to protect my clothes. “Now lean back. Just like that, yes.”

She turned on the hose and ran it over my scalp. “How’s the water? Too hot?”

“No, it’s perfect.”

After she soaked my hair, she worked in some shampoo, her strong hands and the cherry almond scent of the cleanser making me sink into the chair in bliss. “Oh my gulay, that feels so good.”

She laughed. “I have clients that love my head massages so much, they come in weekly just for a shampoo and blow-dry. Let me know if you’re interested, we can work something out.”

Paying someone to wash my hair every week sounded ridiculously decadent, but if it made me feel this good, maybe it was time to fit it into my budget. Self-care and all that.

After she’d rinsed out the shampoo and conditioned the bottom half of my hair, she wrapped a towel around my sopping wet strands and led me to her workstation.

“So what are you in for today? Cut? Color? Conditioning? All of the above?” Winnie asked as she combed out the tangles in my waist-length hair.

I took a deep breath as I realized why I’d really come there that day. What I needed to do. “I’m thinking a major chop. Maybe up to here?” I said, indicating my collarbone.

She held up a lock of hair and inspected it. “Have you been straightening your hair this whole time?”

I nodded. “My mom used to straighten it every day for me as a kid. Guess I got used to it.”

She grinned. “Considering all the heat-styling, I can’t believe it’s so healthy. Would you mind donating it? I’d be happy to send it to Locks of Love or a similar organization for you.”

I smiled, glad my beloved hair was going to a good cause. “I’d love that. Thanks for the suggestion.”

Winnie braided my hair, humming as she did so. Before she picked up her scissors she said, “This is a big cut. Are you sure you want to do this?”

I squeezed my eyes tight and nodded. “It’s time.”

“All right, I’m just going to cut straight across first and then clean up the style after. Any idea what you want other than the length?”

Since I was already making such a big change, why not go all the way with it? “How about adding a couple highlights? Nothing too colorful, but something to really contrast against the black.”

She whistled as she ran her hands through my hair. “You’re really going for it, huh? I know just the style for you. Will you trust me?”

Absolutely not, I wanted to scream. “Uh, sure.”

“Close your eyes. This is going to be so much fun!”

I obeyed her instructions, stomach churning at giving up so much control, and as she got to work, I racked my brain for how to lead the conversation in the direction I wanted.

The chemical scent of bleach and hair dye filled my nose as I heard Winnie opening bottles and mixing the concoction she was going to paint on my hair. “So how’ve you been? Got a lot going on with your new shop and pageant duties and everything else.”

She hesitated over that last part, giving me the perfect in.

“Yeah, it’s definitely been a stressful couple of weeks, that’s for sure. I mean, opening my own business is hectic enough but this thing with Rob is . . . I don’t even know.”

Her hands stilled and I heard her take a deep breath before she resumed applying the dye on the hair framing my face. “It’s scary, that’s what it is. If Katie didn’t need that scholarship so badly, I’d pull her out of the pageant. Not that she’d let me. She loves it, even begged me to let her continue.”

“I’m glad you have your daughter’s safety in mind. Really hoping it was just a one-off thing though. I’d hate to think anyone was targeting the pageant, you know?”

Winnie laughed. “I’m a single mother. Everything I do is with Katie in mind. She’s not going to end up like me, that’s for sure.”

I started to gesture around the salon, then realized excessive movements when someone was wielding scissors and hair dye around me was a bad idea. “You seem to be doing pretty well for yourself. This place is way nicer than the salon I remember back in high school.”

She wrapped foil around the dye-covered hair and swiveled the chair around. “You can open your eyes now. I’m going to grab the heat lamp and you’ll need to sit under it for about thirty minutes. Be right back.”

She switched her soiled gloves for clean ones, then hurried to the back and came out dragging what looked like a bunch of spotlights glued together. She plugged it in and directed all the lights at my hair. “Better make yourself nice and comfortable, Lila. Do you want a drink while you wait? We got coffee, tea, wine, and mimosas.”

Might as well go full-on Treat Yo’ Self. “I’ll have a mimosa, please.”

“Coming right up. Katie!” she called. “We need a mimosa over here.”

“Isn’t Katie underage? You let her serve the alcohol?”