I bent down to meet his denim-blue eyes. “You and Nash are big boys now like your other brothers. You’ll start getting your hair cut like them. Ain’t that cool?” I lifted my eyebrows and smiled, a slight nod of my head hoping to coerce one from him.

“I don’t wanna.” The little guy’s voice broke and that always made my chest pinch.

“How about I go first?”

Knox sniffed, wiped under his nose, and nodded.

I straightened and saw that Walynn was already removing the seat riser. I plopped in the chair and in a blink there was a cape being snapped around my neck. “Just a good trimming please.”

“You got it, honey.” Walynn took a comb to my hair but it struggled against the knots. She gave up on the comb and sprayed my hair with something that smelled like coconut. After that the comb glided through with little effort. “These natural highlights are gorgeous. I’d kill for them.”

I glanced in the big mirror behind her station and eyed the chemically bleached-out blonde. Nothing natural about it. She caught me staring in the mirror and winked. Thankfully, the trimming only took a few minutes and soon Knox and I traded spots.

My fingers had a mind of their own and kept combing through my newly silky-smooth hair. If I didn’t have such an aversion to the woman, I’d inquire what she used, but that was too conversational and my desire to keep her at a distance had my mouth firmly clamped shut.

The door jangled just as a man in a business suit entered the beauty shop and started in our direction. I swung around and caught Walynn grimacing at the side of Knox’s head. Her comb froze in midair.

“Oh, shoot. I forgot I have an appointment with Mr. Kaden. Y’all gonna have to come back tomorrow or another day.”

Before I could protest, Walynn had the cape whipped off and was helping Knox down out of her chair.

“But we’re already here. Can’t that man wait his turn?” Peg spoke up.

“No can do, sugar. He was scheduled. Y’all weren’t.” She gave us an apologetic smile that did nothing to provoke forgiveness.

“But Pa said we were scheduled,” I protested, cheeks warming with anger.

“No, he said y’all would try to stop in today. No official appointment.” Walynn sprayed some cleaner on her chair, her back turned dismissively.

“Well, Pa ain’t gonna take kindly to how you treatin’ us.” Peg was nearly shouting, so I grabbed his arm and began pulling him toward the door with the others following. “Who you think you are?”

“Hush, Peg. You’re making a scene,” I whispered on a hiss. “Pa sure won’t take kindly to that.”