Beyond the Storm: Quilts of Love Series Read Online Free PDF Page A

soaked! I don’t know if you’ve been down to the Rawston High Football field lately, but there is precious little shade, okay? And you know what, I—”
    “Look, lady. I can see you’re getting a little hot under the collar.”
    Lady?
He’d interrupted her to call her . . .
Lady
? It might have been the humidity. It might have been a touch of sleep deprivation. Then again, it might have been a pinch of PMS. Whatever the cause, Abigail was in no mood for this clown. “You bet I am, buddy! This whole thing got dumped on me, and it’s been a pain in my neck since day one, okay? Last week, it was the salsa guy, recalling the salsa because of
e-coli
! Before that it was the price of—”
    “Okay. I can see we’re not gonna get anywhere over the phone.”
    Again
, with the interrupting! Abigail’s lips screwed into a wad of agitation. Was he even
listening
to her? Shocking herself—as well as him, she suspected—Abigail slammed the phone down. She snatched her shears off the lobby table and welcomed Guadalupe Lopez to follow her back to her chair. Eyes wide, Guadalupe folded her magazine and stood. “You’re not going to take your frustration out on my hair, are you?”
     

     
    “Phone ringing,” Isuzu called from where she bent over Kaylee Johnson’s bridal nails.
    “Don’t answer it.” A glance at caller I.D. told Abigail it was one Mr. Justin Girard calling, and she was too embarrassed to pick up, so she smiled in the mirror at Guadalupe Lopez instead. “What are we doing for you today?”
    “Something short, but stylish. My daughter, Elsa, wants you to make me look like a glamour puss, okay?”
    Abigail gave her the thumbs up. T
his would be distracting
. Guadalupe was short, stocky, middle-aged and just this side of frumpy. “You’ll be ready for your close-up.”
    Guadalupe jiggled when she giggled.
No wonder Aunt Selma loved working with her at Quilty Pleasure
, Abigail mused. She had this wonderful, huge laugh that made Abigail smile. And today? That was saying something.
     

     
    Justin fumed as he spun the screwdriver in circles on his desktop and waited for the crazy Ms. Durham to pick up. He had no idea who this broad was, but she must have had a bowl of rusty nails for breakfast.
“Hello, this is Abigail Durham at the Doo Drop-In Hair Salon. I’m with a customer right now, so if you’ll leave your name, number, and the best time to call, I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
    He hung up and hit redial. Message machine. Again. This was a business. She could hardly take her phone off the hook. So, fine. Two could play this game. He’d just keep calling until she went berserk. Or answered the phone. Either way was fine with him.
     

     
    “Phone ringing.” There was irritation in Isuzu’s tone.
    “Don’t answer it.”
    “Okay.” Abigail could hear Isuzu’s heels tap in irritation across the room where she picked up the phone. “Doo Drop-In and Zu-Zu Nail. I help you?”
    “Zuzu! I said don’t!” Abby hissed.
    “Easy on the hair.” Guadalupe giggled. “My daughter just won concert tickets on the radio, and she’s taking me out next Saturday night. So . . . I’ll need hair.”
    Isuzu’s voice took on a distinctive purr. “Oh, yes. I remember you. Yes. Yes, she very sorry and want to speak to you right now. Abby, Mr. Girard on line one.” The light on the phone in her hair cubicle began to flash. She’d kill Isuzu later. Finger aloft, Abigail smiled at Guadalupe. “One moment,” she whispered and winked.
    Guadalupe held up both hands. “Take your time. All the time you need.”
    Abigail snatched the phone from the cradle, and growled, “Hello?”
    “So, I have about an hour this afternoon to sit down with you, show you what the inspector said, and give you some ideas I have for getting around the whole awnings issue.” The fact that she could tell he was grinning only served to agitate her more.
    “Where?” she asked, tone clipped.
    “Why don’t you meet