Stowaway by Emma Bennett Read Free Book Online Page B

bench outside. She looks angry when she
sees me. I guess she has been waiting a while.
    “I thought you
were meeting me here at eight?” she says. Then she looks at Luke. “I see. Well,
at least he’s cute, except for the scraggly hair and beard, so you’re forgiven
darling. Let’s go.”
    Luke looks uncertain
now, and I look back at him helplessly as Rose grips my arm and leads me toward
the salon door. Then, she gives Luke a once-over and
wrinkles her nose.
    “You are welcome
to come too along, dear. It looks like you could benefit from an appointment
here as much as we can. No sense getting our girl pretty, if we can’t hang her
on a handsome arm. Do I know you?”
    Luke shakes his
head no to answer her question, then quickly catches up and holds the door for
the two of us. Inside, Rose and I sit side-by-side reading magazines. She is
having her usual once-a-week style set and her hair dresser is already at work
before I tell my mine what I want. Basically, I request the exact opposite of
what I have. I’m exchanging my long, dark curls for a sleek, blonde bob.
    Luke is cornered
on the other end as two stylists argue with what to do with his rat’s nest.
Clearly, he has never set foot in here before. From their increasing volume, I
can’t decide if they want to toss him out or take him on as an artistic
challenge. Finally, he yells at them to stop hovering and sits down in a chair.
I can’t hear what else he tells them in a low tone as they huddle around, but
they look at each other with unsure glances and both grab scissors. I don’t
have time to watch the progress, because just them, my own stylist comes back
and gets to work.
    An hour later,
Rose looks exactly the same, just fresher. Sir Chipperley has a new sky blue bow on his head and painted toe nails to match.
    I, on the other
hand, look like a new person. It’s exactly what I was going for. I am now a
sleek platinum blonde with a straight bob, which is a big difference from the
mousy belt-length frizzy curls I had before. I usually only cut my hair when my
brush snags on the split ends and I can’t stand it any longer. Of course, I
almost break into tears when I see myself in the mirror. This look is not me at
all, but that’s the point. So, I decide to embrace and love it. Once I do, I
can’t stop flipping it around and touching the silky strands, which magically
fall perfectly back into place.
    When Luke’s
stylists finally turn him around, he is unrecognizable. His hair is cropped
ultra-short and his mountain man beard has given way to a clean-shaven face.
Everyone in the salon is silently staring at Luke, except my stylist. She is
still fluffing my hair with a few finishing touches when she notices the hush. Seeing
what everyone is looking at, she does a double-take and drops her comb. It is
so quiet that I hear the plastic tool clatter its way down my metal chair and hit
the wood floor.
    “Wow, there’s a
fine-looking gent under there!” Rose finally says. “He could be a movie star or
something !“
    Luke’s stylists
look pleased with themselves , and he looks calm in the
eye of the storm. He must be in shock. He’ll get used to it. But I still feel
the need to ease his mind. I lean close, so I can whisper to him.
    “Luke, it’s a
perfect cover. You look totally different.”
    “Yeah, I haven’t
had my hair this short since before I joined the crew,” he finally says. “I
haven’t looked anything like this since…. Well, for a long time.”
    Then, he turns on
his heel, swipes his ID card and strides out. I want to follow him, but I have
to figure out how to pay for my hair now.

 
      Chapter 6

 
    “Rose? I just
realized I forgot my card. If I pay you cash, will you put it on your tab?”
    “Of
course!”
    I hand her a wad
of my casino cash, give her a quick thank-you and bolt after Luke. I finally
find him, staring into the reflecting pool in the center of the promenade. He
has purchased an ugly lime green trucker cap and