“Awful.” She made a face. “It’s almost all gone.”
“It’s a barbaric treatment…almost worse than the damned disease.” Joshie petted her wig. It was real human hair, a big luxury in wigs, especially one so long.
Someone like Emma had donated her hair for a wig like this, Rachel thought, leaning her head back against Joshie as he smoothed the hair over her shoulders. “Sometimes I think they might as well just use leeches.”
“Don’t say that.” She reached back and squeezed his hand. “I’m hoping it works.”
“I hope so too.” His smile was bright-too bright, and she knew it was for her benefit, a sort of fake optimism. But she didn’t blame him. It was hard to be truly hopeful in the face of mortality, your own or anyone else’s. “How many more treatments?”
“I’m done for this round.” Rachel sounded relieved, and she was. “Now it’s just wait and see.”
“Want me to give you a scalp treatment?” Joshie brightened, for real this time.
“Come on, no one’s here and our appointments are done for the night. It will do you some good. And you’ve got to be suffering under that thing.”
“I hate it.” Yet her wig was gorgeous, the envy of everyone who came into the salon. They all thought it was her real hair. Her deception was a good one.
“Then let’s get it off you.”
It took a lot for her to let him, but in the end, she trusted him enough to say yes.
Joshie applied adhesive remover under the edges of her wig and sat her down like a client in a chair with a magazine and brought her a cappuccino to wait for it to start to work while he mixed some sort of concoction in a tray.
“What is that?” she asked, sipping her coffee, glad she splurged for the good stuff for her clients.
“Lots of stuff that’s good for your skin.” Joshie looked like a mad scientist with bottles lined up on the counter. “My last boyfriend shaved his head and I used to do this for him once a week. Made his head soft as a baby’s bottom.”
“You must have enjoyed that.”
Joshie grinned. “You have no idea.”
“You said we didn’t have any more appointments.” Rachel put down her coffee and stood as the bell to the front door rang.
“We don’t.” Joshie looked up. “Must be a walk-in…”
“Oh no.” Rachel recognized him immediately-that dark curly mane of hair and mischievous smile-but she put on a professional face, walking past a stunned and rooted-to-the-floor Joshie, already greeting them as she reached the lobby, “Hi Mr.
Malden. Emma! Good to see you. Who’s your friend?”
There were three of them this time, Jake standing just behind the two young girls.
Emma introduced her friend, although Rachel would have guessed, just from the colorful scarf tied around her head. “This is Liv.”
“You can’t be here for a haircut,” Rachel remarked. She heard Joshie coming up behind her, recovered from his shock. “You just had one.”
“Actually, we are.” Emma reached over and grabbed Liv’s hand. “I want to get my head shaved.”
“Ummmm…” Rachel glanced at Jake, incredulous. He shrugged. Just looking at him made her knees feel weak and she chided herself, focusing her attention back on Emma. “Are you sure about that?”
“Liv wants to get her head shaved too,” Emma explained.
“We’re gonna go all Britney Spears together.” Liv spoke up for the first time, doing something so brave it took Rachel’s breath away. She pulled the scarf off her head to reveal the typical cancer-treatment hairdo with little tufts of fine blond hair sticking up on her scalp.
“Completely bald?” Rachel managed to ask, finding breath left somewhere in her lungs.
“Completely.” Emma’s face was resolute.
Rachel looked over at Jake. “How do you feel about that?”
“I’m fine with it.” Jake ruffled Emma’s hair. It was short, yes-but it wasn’t gone.
That was something Rachel wasn’t sure Emma was prepared for. It was one thing to donate a length of your hair to charity. It was another thing altogether to shave your head completely bald.
Rachel took a different tact. “How did your mom react to you getting your hair cut for Locks of Love?”
“She went crackers.” Emma grinned. “I got grounded for a month.” Rachel sighed and said gently, “I’m not sure this is such a good idea.”
“I can do it with a parent’s permission, right?” Emma’s jaw tightened as she nodded toward Jake. “Well this parent says I can do it.” Rachel tried to let her down gently. “Cutting your hair was one thing, sweetie, but shaving your head…”
“I’ll do it,” Joshie chimed in. Rachel glared at him and he grinned. “Go ahead, fire me.”
“Joshie…”
He was already putting an arm around their shoulders, ushering them into the back. “Come on, girls, let’s get out the clippers and go wild.” Rachel stared after them, sure she should stop him, but not saying anything.
Instead, she turned to Jake and asked, “Are you sure about this?”
“I’m sure it’s what Emma wants, and she’s a little like her mother in that regard. If she wants it, she’s going to get it.” Jake shrugged and then looked at her with eyes so hungry the man might have been starving. “Besides, it gave me a good excuse to come see you.”
Rachel felt heat filling her face. The way he looked at her, everything was out in the open, so raw and naked.
“Listen, Jake…”
He moved closer, not close enough to touch but close enough she could feel his heat and hear his whispered words, “I really want to kiss you right now.”
“Don’t…” she breathed, glancing over her shoulder. The girls were back at Joshie’s station around the corner and couldn’t see them, but she could hear them giggling.
“Oh, I won’t…but I want to.” He grinned. “My sixteen-year-old daughter would just tell us to go get a room. Which I am very tempted to do.”
“Might be more comfortable than a limo.” Now she was really blushing. She could feel it.
“Oh I don’t know.” He moved closer enough she could feel him, long and lean and solid. “I didn’t have too many complaints.”
“Me either.” She felt herself giving in and tried to fight it.
His breath was sweet and smelled wintergreen. “I was hoping you’d say that.” She tried again to distance herself, but only verbally. She didn’t step back. “It’s not you, Jake…”