She nodded helplessly.
“Well it can’t be you,” he insisted, searching her eyes with his. “Because you, Ms.
Rapunzel, are pure perfection.”
She knew he was going to kiss her and she didn’t stop him. His lips were warm and soft and just as sweet as she remembered.
She gasped when they parted, pleading for mercy. “Jake…”
“And if it’s not me…” He kissed the corner of her mouth. “And it’s not you…” Another kiss, this one at her jaw line. “Then what could it possibly be?” Fiery kisses rained down over her throat and she moaned softly, her lust for him already igniting in her core. Joshie had been right. This was the reason she hadn’t answered his phone calls, she admitted to herself, feeling his thigh sliding between hers, his hands moving at the small of her back. She couldn’t help herself. She wanted him.
“Hey Rachel, where’s our body paint?” Joshie called from around the corner.
They broke apart and Rachel straightened her skirt and checked her wig reflexively, realizing the adhesive remover was working. It was very loose.
“Our…what?” She gave Joshie a startled response as he came around the corner. Jake took a guilty step back but she could still feel his heat and it made her breath come too fast.
Joshie rifled through the drawers under the cash register. “They left some here last month, for the model shoot they did for Vogue remember?”
“It’s…” Rachel slipped in beside him, opening the bottom drawer, the catch-all, the salon’s version of a junk drawer. “Here it is.” It was a little kit, including brushes. She handed it over, frowning. “What are you going to do with body paint?” Joshie grinned. “Come see.”
Jake and Rachel found the two girls sitting in chairs next to each other, both of them shaved completely, shockingly bald, as promised. The sight paralyzed Rachel with emotion-fear, sadness, pride. Her eyes brimmed with tears and she willed them not to fall.
“Oh Em…” Jake took a step toward his daughter and then stopped. He seemed paralyzed too.
Emma perked up when she saw her father. “Isn’t it awesome?”
“Totally awesome,” Jake said finally, his voice a little hoarse.
“Time to unleash my inner artist.” Joshie opened the body art kit and was doing something with one of the brushes. “Are you girls ready?”
“He’s going to paint our heads for the party, Daddy,” Emma explained as Joshie’s brush began to move over the girl’s scalp. She had a lovely-shaped head, round and smooth.
“What a great idea.” Jake gave Joshie an approving smile.
“You two are going to be the belles of the ball.” Joshie returned the smile and then focused his efforts back on his work.
“There’s a class party tonight,” Liv chimed in, watching her friend get her scalp painted. “I was too scared, but Emma decided we were both going to shave our heads and make a big entrance.”
“I think that’s a great idea.” Rachel sat down in the chair beside Liv, blinking back her tears. She wanted to touch the girl’s smooth scalp and restrained herself. Liv was smiling, probably more happy than she’d been in a long time, and Rachel was glad she had a friend like Emma. Nina Malden’s determination had clearly been harnessed in her daughter for a good purpose. She’d never seen anyone do something so selfless, so courageous, so kind.
“You know what, Joshie?” Rachel reached up, feeling her wig slip as she touched it. The adhesive had worn completely off. She glanced over at Jake, feeling her stomach clench. She had tried to tell him, but maybe it would be easier this way. She could just show him instead. She slipped the wig off her head and let it fall into her lap, revealing her own chemo-hairdo. “Let’s paint the town red.” The girls gaped. Rachel didn’t have the courage to look over at Jake to see his reaction. Liv seemed to know right away, making the connection faster than Emma did.
“What kind?” Liv asked, her eyes soft and wet.
“Same as yours,” Rachel replied softly. “Leukemia. We can be twins.”
“I’m so sorry.” Emma’s eyes filled with tears and then all three of them were crying-and then laughing, and then hugging in a big circle.
Joshie tsked and cooed and ushered them back into their seats so he could finish his work. He painted all three to perfection-purple paisley for Emma and blue bird’s wings for Liv and orange and black tiger stripes for Rachel. In the end, they all had so much fun Rachel hadn’t realized Jake slipped out until his daughter called for him.
“Daddy! Come see!”
Rachel touched her head self-consciously, glancing into the mirror. She looked strange, foreign, her eyes bigger and rounder in her face. The tiger stripes made her look wild, feral. What was Jake going to say? And then, as Emma called for him, wandering toward the lobby, Rachel realized he was gone. He had found out she was sick and had left, unable to handle the news.
“Hey.” Joshie read her mind. “Stop it.”
“It’s okay.” Rachel put on a smile, sliding an arm around Liv’s shoulder. “Ready for your party, beautiful?”
Liv’s smile was so bright, it could have powered a small third-world country. That alone made it worth it. They walked toward the lobby, where Emma was peering out the front glass door, frowning.
“I don’t understand where he could have gone.” Emma turned to Rachel. “Did he say anything to you?”
Rachel shook her head, not trusting her voice.
“There he is.” Liv pointed toward the door and they all looked as Jake walked toward the salon, holding the handles of a small bag swinging at his hip.
“Where did you go?” Emma protested as he opened the door, his eyes widening.
They must have been quite a sight, Rachel realized, the three of them standing there with their bald, painted heads.
“I thought the three of you could use a little bling.” Jake put the bag down on a chair, reaching in and pulling out a blue box Rachel recognized immediately. There was a Tiffany’s right around the corner on North Michigan Avenue. He handed the first one to Liv. Her jaw dropped when she opened the little box to find a pair of heart-shaped diamond earrings inside.
“Mr. Malden…” Her voice shook
“Shh.” He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “You’re like my own daughter. You know I love you.”
Emma squealed when she opened her tear-drop diamond earrings, hugging her father and quickly grabbing Liv’s arm and dragging her over to one of the salon mirrors so the girls could try on their jewelry. Joshie went with them, exclaiming over the sparkly treasures, and Jake pulled out another blue box from the bag, this one long and thin.
“Jake…” Rachel took a step back, swallowing hard as he held the box out in front of him. “No…”
“Yes.” He pressed the box into her hand. “It’s yours. Open it.”
“I can’t.” Her hands were trembling too much. “You do it.” She handed it back to him and he obliged, taking the necklace out and tenting it in his fingers.
“Do you like it?”
“It’s lovely,” she whispered, looking at the bird-shaped diamond pendant. “A dove?”
He shrugged, undoing the clasp. “They didn’t have any hockey sticks.” She laughed. “I really shouldn’t accept this.”
“Yes you should.” He lifted the chain over her head as she turned, doing the clasp up behind her neck. “Beautiful.”
There was no hair to lift out the way as he kissed the nape of her neck, his breath warm, and murmured, “Hope is a thing with feathers…”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” she whispered, her back still to him.