Laura’s parents had been shocked when she’d gone gothic a few years ago. It had been another of Gareth’s ideas to have his staff dye their hair black, each with a splash of single colour. Hers had been purple and Spritzi’s green. They’d worn heavy make-up and black shirts and skirts to work, and she was sure they’d lost customers over it. Not that her mum had said much about her hair at the time but her dad had kept going on about how poorly it made her look. Deep down she’d agreed with him but she hadn’t let on.

She sucked in a breath and turned away from the mirror. By this hour in two nights’ time they would have seen the rainbow look. That would be one hurdle down but it was far more than the colour of her hair that troubled her. For the last year she’d been dragging herself to work. She’d lost her passion for it. Gareth was always coming up with the latest, often outrageous styles and colours. She detested them but was expected to sell them to clients. She was fed-up with his over-the-top expectations, which were more about her appearance or upselling rather than the quality of her cutting and styling. She’d done a lot of extra courses in her own time and at her own expense and received excellent feedback from her tutors, but somehow her heart wasn’t in it any more and the ending of her relationship with Kyle had sealed it. She needed to make changes to her life.

She just wasn’t sure how to tell her parents she’d quit her job. They’d probably be glad. She knew they’d wanted her to do something different to hairdressing after she left school. Her mum had been hoping the last of her daughters might be a teacher but her parents had supported her choice. Now they’d want to know what she was going to do next, which was something Laura herself didn’t know.

She slumped into the space on the couch Spritzi had vacated. She was in need of some sisterly advice. Not Bree. Her older sister would say Laura was making a mountain out of a molehill and just to get on with it. Kate was the oldest of the three and the one who’d be a reliable listening ear, take her side. Laura took up her mobile and selected the number.

The phone was about to go to voicemail when Kate answered.

“Hi, baby sis.”

“Hi. How’s your day been?”

“Busy.” Kate sighed. “I’ve been at the office since six this morning and every morning for the last week. Sean has been on the road.”

Laura had always envied her sister, marrying the gorgeous, rock-solid Sean Brock and moving to country Eyre Peninsula with him, but right now Kate sounded as jaded as Laura felt.