Marina blew out a breath. “What am I going to do? It’s not like there’s other options around here for employment for hairstylists. And I wouldn’t trust that old car of mine to make a commute anywhere, even if a position magically appeared in one of the neighboring towns.”

“I wouldn’t trust that car of yours to back out of my driveway,” Halcyon said. “What about doing hair out of your house?”

“You mean the fishing camp that is soon to be my residence?” Marina asked. “How many people are going to want to drive out to the boondocks to have their hair done? The road isn’t even paved. And I don’t have the equipment to do hair on my own or the room to install it there even if I did.”

Adelaide and Dottie exchanged worried looks.

“I’m sorry we sprang this on you,” Dottie said. “But we didn’t want you to be waylaid again. And we were afraid you might not have thought about that situation with everything else you have to deal with.”

“No, that’s fine,” Marina said, her mind racing with the possibility of being broke, relatively homeless, and unemployed. “I’m glad you told me. And you’re right—I hadn’t made it that far in my thinking. Apparently, I’m a step behind on everything lately.”

Halcyon slammed her fist down on the counter. “Someone needs to take the LeDoux down about ten notches.”

“Now you’re talking,” Adelaide said and lifted the vase.

“Preston is a cheater, his wife is a drunk, and his daughter is a sleaze, and yet this entire town seems to overlook everything,” Halcyon said. “I don’t get it. He can’t sue everyone.”

“It’s not just lawsuits,” Dottie said. “This probably won’t surprise you, but Preston’s grandfather was an unscrupulous sort. Back when oil crashed, he bought up a lot of commercial mortgages that were in default and made some loans to people to keep their businesses afloat.”

Marina closed her eyes and groaned as Dottie’s words brought everything about Preston and his attitude into focus.

“How many?” Marina asked.

Dottie shook her head. “Maybe half the town. Some turned things around and paid him off, and some just closed down or sold out, but he’s still got leverage on enough people to keep them from going against him. At least openly.”

“Those idiots better not vote for him when he runs for mayor,” Halcyon said. “That’s anonymous.”

“We can only hope they don’t chicken out at the polls,” Dottie agreed. “But unfortunately, anything Preston can see firsthand is probably off the table.”

“So no one will hire me and no one will rent me space, even if I had the money to open my own shop,” Marina said. “I might as well pack up and move. Well, technically, I’m already packed. One less thing.”

“No!” Halcyon said. “That piece of crap you married is not going to be the cause of you leaving your hometown. If you want to at some point, that’s an entirely different thing. But not like this. Not while I’m still breathing.”