Courted by Trouble: A Courting Romance (In Hyacinth Book 3) Read Online Free PDF

though they were cutting off weight that had nothing to do with her hair. “He seems happy to go.”
    “He’s happy to go because you are,” Stephanie said with a smile. “He loves you. It’s kinda obvious.”
    Cami looked up and met her eyes in the mirror. “I know. And I know I’m one very lucky woman.” Reaching around, she hugged Stephanie before going back to cutting her hair. “Do you want bangs?”
    “What do you think?” Stephanie’s hair had been all one-length for so long, she never remembered having them.
    “I think they’d look cute.”
    “Then go ahead.”
    As Camille walked around in front of her and separated her hair, Stephanie said, “Cami, we need to go see Dora.”
    “I know. I feel so badly for not keeping in touch. Her dad died just after graduation and I was so deep in my funk that I didn’t know until months later. By then it was too late to say, ‘Oh, I’m sorry.’ Hey, why not on Saturday?”
    “What on Saturday?” Cami’s conversation directions could change at the drop of a hat and sometimes it was difficult to keep up with them.
    “Go find Dora. We could meet her at the Lava Lamp.”
    One tired little butterfly fluttered in her stomach as Stephanie wondered if the green-eyed man would be there. Probably not. It wasn’t like he sat at the coffee shop all day long. “I like that idea. Let’s do it.”
    The rest of the morning was spent with her hair in either foil or rollers and by the time she left, Stephanie had to admit her friend had changed her look entirely. Her shorter hair made it nice and bouncy and the added curls added a new definition to her face. Add in the green highlights and she thought she looked kind of amazing. Cami had bleached out small sections of her hair and then covered them in green hair dye. “What do you think?” Camille asked once she was done.
    “Perfect,” Stephanie said, staring at her reflection in the mirror. It was her and yet it wasn’t. As she wanted to make a new life for herself, the woman in the mirror said she could do it. Stephanie just hoped the woman inside had the guts to follow through.
     
    * * * * *
     
    As Dora still lived in the same house she had always lived in, finding her was easy. Stephanie and Cami made plans to meet up for coffee and Stephanie, after pacing back and forth in front of Dora’s house, finally got up the nerve to walk up to the door and knock. Dora was their quiet friend and she felt horrible that both of them had disappeared on her. Stephanie hoped she had found others to hang around with.
    The door opened and there she stood, Dora Jane Lexington with her shoulder-length brown hair, wide eyes, and a shocked expression on her face. “Stephanie? Stephie!” she shrieked, jumping forward and hugging Stephanie so tight she almost couldn’t breathe. “Oh, I’ve been worried. How are you? Are you okay? Back in town to stay?” she asked, rattling off questions almost as fast as Cami could.
    “Hey, Dora,” Stephanie said when she released her. “Got time for a horrible friend?”
    A small smile crossed Dora’s face and she nodded. “Come in and we can talk.”
    They walked into the living room and Stephanie stopped. “Wanna go for a coffee?” she asked knowing she needed to get Dora to the Lava Lamp where Cami would join them.
    “Uh, sure?” At first Dora looked confused and then she smiled again. “Let me get dressed and I’ll be ready.” She ran upstairs and a few minutes later came back down in jeans and a sweater. “I like what you’ve done with your hair,” she said as they stepped outside the door. “It’s bouncy.”
    Stephanie laughed softly as they walked down the street. “This was Cami’s idea. I told her I wanted a change and she came up with green highlights.”
    “How’s she doing? I hear she got engaged.”
    “Lots of things have happened in the last year,” Stephanie said quietly. “For all of us. I was sorry to hear about your dad.”
    Dora nodded, her normal