Irrepressible You Read Online Free PDF Page B

a matter of weeks. Mel would ask for her job back and Amy would say yes.
    As much as Amy knew she shouldn’t forgive and forget, she would. Besides being a sweetheart, Mel was her only member of staff who could do decent weaves for Perth’s growing community of African immigrants, and Amy was losing customers without her. Just once though, Amy wished it could be Kate who quit instead. Kate had only been with Amy for two years and, despite being adored by Perth’s diva set, she was a pain in the arse and temperamental at the best of times.
    Luckily, it was the first day of the winter school holidays and the next two weeks would be quiet. The only appointments due in the salon this morning were Jody and a performing arts student, Lilly, who was probably foregoing food for the next month to have an expensive style and colour done by Amy’s junior stylist, Roslynn.
    The barbershop was another matter.
    The thug from the bar was the only nine o’clock appointment she had scheduled and someone was definitely waiting next door. No matter how much she’d told herself she was used to dealing with difficult people–her industry practically invited it–he left her unsettled. His apparent celebrity status just made her anxiety worse.
    ‘Kate, can you take care of Jody for me?’ Amy said finally, when Kate continued gazing out the shop window.
    Kate heaved an overly dramatic sigh. ‘Yeah, alright.’
    ‘Thanks,’ Amy chirped with forced cheer for her client’s sake. She gave Jody’s brawny shoulder, hewn on the hockey pitch, a gentle pat. ‘I’ll see you next time, toots. I’ve got a customer in the barbershop.’
    ‘Catcha, Amy,’ Jody said with an endearingly shy smile as she watched Kate’s approach. Her crush was painfully obvious, and she only ever booked an appointment when Kate was temporarily single.
    Amy felt a pang of sympathy over Jody’s futile infatuation. She knew what it was like to be looking for love in the wrong places and, in crushing on a beautiful snob like Kate, Jody had picked the worst spot possible to park her heart. Amy just hoped she’d be strong enough to pick herself up when she realised that her affections weren’t returned. Lord knew, Amy had had to do as much over the years.
    Giving Jody one last smile, she braced herself to see to her first barbershop customer for the day.
    Ben jolted awake at the sound of a door opening at the back of the barbershop. He stifled a yawn. He had no idea how long he’d been sleeping. All he knew was that he now had company. Chatty company.
    A slightly breathless, melodic female voice pervaded Ben’s consciousness. ‘Good morning. Sorry to keep you waiting, Ben. It was Ben, right? I was just finishing up with a customer next door. I’ve brought you some homemade chocolate cake to make up for being late. Are we having coffee this morning?’
    ‘I just woke up. What do you think?’ Ben grumbled, rubbing his hands over his eyes.
    ‘I think you’re one of those.’
    The blonde, Amy if he remembered correctly, approached and placed a tray bearing a steaming mug of black coffee, a small jug of cream and a tiny pot of sugar cubes along with a large slice of chocolate cake on a small inbuilt ledge in front of his chair.
    ‘Thank you.’ Ben looked up into a pair of brilliant china-doll blue eyes that were watching him warily, despite the smile stretching her fuchsia-painted lips. He paused momentarily to collect his thoughts. The woman was truly a polished piece of work, spectacular in fact.
    The fifties pin-up thing was obviously an ongoing theme. Today, her platinum hair was styled in a high, soft ponytail with loose C-shaped curls framing her cute features. The rest of her wasn’t so much cute as ridiculously sexy: a frilly, long-sleeved white blouse tucked into a navy below-the-knee pencil skirt that cupped her curvy little rump lovingly. Ben couldn’t help but notice what her impossibly high red heels did for her calves as she walked away from him