Bad Hair Day 4 - Body Wave Read Online Free PDF Page B

and ask for Waterford.

"Marla, Andrea is here!" called Giorgio's voice.

"Okay, I'm coming."

Hours passed before she was able to conduct further research. At five o'clock Marla was finally free. Her last client had canceled, and she was finished for the day. She had meant to catch up on ordering supplies and dealing with the leak in the laundry room, but those chores were shuffled aside when Stanley Kaufman strode through the front door of her salon.

"Marla!" he cried, marching purposefully toward her. From his moist hair, clean-shaven jaw, and freshly laundered shirt, she could tell he'd gone home and showered.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded. Stan had never set foot in Cut 'N Dye before.

He planted himself in front of her, oblivious to the sudden hushed silence in the room. His intent gaze bored into hers. "We need to talk. I have information for you."

Oh, yeah. The nurse's aide position. Conscious of her staff's attention, she gestured to him. "I'm done here. Let me get my purse from the back room, then I'll join you. Nicole, would you mind locking up?"

Nicole's bright grin made her jaw clench. By now, her staff regarded Marla as a source of ongoing entertainment. Last month it was her fake engagement to Arnie. Before that, she'd had a relationship with a killer. Now Stan complicated matters. All she needed was for Vail to walk through the door!

_Be careful what you wish for, girl_.

In the storeroom, she scribbled down the phone numbers for the different air-conditioning businesses in Dania and added Waterford's home number. She'd reach him either way, unless Stan wanted her to call off the hunt. Maybe that's why he was here. Marla felt a brief stab of disappointment. She hadn't realized how much she'd anticipated another challenge.

"Want to grab something to eat?" she asked him once they were outside. The cold air hit her like a freezer blast, and she buttoned her brown suede jacket, wishing she'd brought a scarf. The weak afternoon sun added little warmth. Darkness would come swiftly. She'd prefer to be home by then, and Spooks needed to go out. Hopefully, they'd make this fast.

"Nice salon you set up for yourself with my money," Stanley remarked, brushing a piece of imaginary lint off his shirt. The cold temperature didn't seem to bother him, probably because he was so full of hot air.

"Thanks to our divorce settlement," Marla retorted, "I was able to achieve something worthwhile in my life, which is more than I can say for our marriage."

"That's your fault. You should've been happy being married to a rich attorney. I gave you everything you wanted."

"You didn't give me respect. You made me feel I owed everything to you, which I did at the start. That's the only reason I'm helping you now. But you refused to let me grow when I needed to become someone better. It's clear you never truly understood me."

A pained expression entered his hazel eyes. "Yes I did, babe. And I still do. You're trying to erase your guilt over Tammy's death. If you'd have been a proper wife, you might have redeemed yourself by giving me a family."

"Leah gave you a family, and where did it leave her? You let that woman seduce you."

His face purpled. "Don't speak of Kimberly in that manner."

"She used you, Stan, just as you use everyone to satisfy your ego." Uncertain if she still wanted to help Stan, she decided to hear what he had to say before making any hasty decisions. "Shall we go to Bagel Busters?" she snapped. Arnie Hartman, the proprietor, was a special friend. She relied on his concern in times of trouble. _So how come I let him act protective, but I can't tolerate that attitude in Dalton Vail?_

"Good enough for me," Stanley muttered. Taking her elbow, he meant to steer her in that direction, but she shook him off. "My God, you're touchy." The look he gave her could have shriveled a snake.

"Keep your hands off me." How had she ever let him talk her into this? The schmuck didn't deserve her