It's About Time (Hunt Family #5) Read Online Free PDF Page A

me.
    "It was," I said. "Do you need me to do something?"
    "If you don't mind," she said.
    There were a couple of booths back to back in our break room, and I had been sitting in the corner of one of them, reading a book on my phone. Mia sat across from me, smiling like she was about to ask a favor.
    "Do you want me to help you stock the shelves?" I asked before she could get her question out.
    "No," she said. "My brother needs a haircut, and I told him I'd keep an eye out for a cancelation today."
    Mia only had two brothers, Cody and Evan. Cody's wife was also a stylist and owned the salon where I worked. I had never (and probably would never) cut Cody's hair, as that was a job for his wife.
    "Cody?" I asked, even though I had already answered that question in my mind.
    "Evan," she said. She rolled her eyes. "He's leaving for California in the morning, and he put off coming in for a trim." She paused and regarded me with a pleading expression. "He really needs it," she said. "He'll pay your commission, and he'll tip you good," she added, as if that was what I was worried about.
    "Evan?" I asked. I felt breathless at the thought, and couldn't help but ask another obvious question to buy some time.
    "Yes," she said. "He's leaving in the morning to go back west."
    "Doesn't he have people out there who cut it a certain way or whatever?" I asked, feeling too intimidated to agree right away.
    She shrugged. "He text me this morning asking me to try to fit him in. I guess he'll feel better heading back there with a fresh haircut."
    "He doesn't want to cut it short, does he?" I asked since I certainly wasn't up for a major transformation on someone like him.
    "I don't think so," she said, shaking her head. "I think he just wants a trim. Maybe we can get him in for a shave if Kevin has time."
    I looked at the clock on the microwave, which read 4:22. "I have a haircut coming in at six," I said.
    She smiled. "He can be here in like ten minutes."
    I felt a buzzing sensation in my chest like there were a bunch of bees flying around in there. My whole upper-body turned into a big beehive the instant it sunk in that I would be cutting Evan Hunt's hair. How in the world had I gotten myself into this?
    "So, yes?" Mia asked with a hopeful smile.
    I nodded and returned her smile. "Sure, no problem," I said, since there was no use letting her in on how nervous I was about it. I did not want some hotshot, Hollywood stylist going through, checking my work while they styled his hair for some hotshot photo shoot. I had this and other similar thoughts as I smiled while Mia thanked me and got up to leave.
    "I'm gonna text him right now," she said. "He'll be here in ten or fifteen minutes."
    I took in a deep breath and let it out of my mouth in a slow, long, calming way as I sat there feeling stunned. One of the other girls in the room had overheard our conversation and glanced at me to gauge my reaction. I smiled at her like I gave models haircuts every day, and she smiled back before going on with her conversation. They were talking about a color correction one of them had done earlier that day, but it just vaguely sounded like a bunch of noise coming out of their mouths.
    I was normally a confident hairstylist. I knew I could give Evan a quality haircut. So why did I suddenly feel like I was about to go on stage in front of a huge audience and dance a big solo? Why was it such a big deal? He's just a normal guy, after all. He's Mia's brother and Paige's brother-in-law. He was basically family. I told myself he was just a normal guy for the next twenty minutes until Evan arrived.
    I could see the front of the salon from my station, so I noticed when he came in.
    "Basically family," I whispered to myself before I walked to the front to greet him. "Just a normal guy. Just Mia's brother. Normal guy."
    "I was just coming to get you," Amanda said when she caught sight of me walking up to the reception area. She gestured at Evan. "Your client's here."
    "Is