The Look of Love (19 page)

“Because it’s true. A mother always knows. I knew it when you lost your virginity.” She tapped the nurse on her side. “He skipped through my house like he had ants in his pants.”

The nurse giggled and split her attention between the machine calculating Queen’s blood pressure and Gunnar.

“I really don’t think this is an appropriate conversation to have right now.”

His mother pulled on the nurse’s arm to bring her down closer to her face. When she bent over, Elizabeth said in a not-so-quiet whisper, “Did you notice he didn’t deny it?”

The nurse burst into laughter. Gunnar sat on the couch that doubled as a bed.

His mother at least waited until the nurse walked out of the room before she continued with her questioning.

“So?” She sat up in her bed and pressed a button to bring her head up even more.

Gunnar waited for the whirring sound to end before he answered her. “So what?”

“Don’t be cute. Did you have sex with Eboni?”

“You know this is an awkward conversation for an adult man to have with his mother, right?” He leaned back on the couch and stretched his feet in front of him.

Elizabeth sighed. “You’re really not going to tell me anything, are you?”

“Wasn’t it you who told all of us that it’s impolite to talk about our intimate relationships in public?”

“Did you take her to Amoré?”

His mother’s fishing expedition had no end.

“Yes. I took her there for dinner.” Before his mother could ask, Gunnar quickly supplied, “And we talked about everything in the past. I think that’s all resolved now.”

“Really?” His mother gave him a quizzical look.

He nodded to reassure her. “Yes. We agreed to remain friends.”

“Then you took her back to the house and had sex.”

Gunnar laughed. “I love you, Mom.”

“Did you at least use protection?”

“I love you.”

“Did you tell her you love her?”

Gunnar didn’t have time to answer that question before the doctor came in the room. He wanted to kiss the petite Indian woman for the intrusion.

“Queen Elizabeth, how are you feeling today?” The doctor nodded to Gunnar and then turned to his mother.

“Much better. Looks like I might be missing some excitement at my house.” Elizabeth winked at Gunnar.

Gunnar sprang to his feet. “Nothing exciting happening at her house. She’s kidding. Can my mother go home today?”

“Yes. She can change and we’ll be sending her home today. The discharge nurse will come in to give instructions on what she needs to do when she’s at home. Hopefully, they’ll set up the schedule for your surgery today. If not today, we’ll call you at home when a date and time has been set up.”

The joy drained from Elizabeth’s face. Gunnar held her hand and smiled as he nodded at her to try and reassure her.

“Of course, if anything changes when she’s at home, please don’t hesitate to bring her back here.”

“Thanks so much. I appreciate everything you’ve done for her.” Gunnar shook the doctor’s hand before she left.

He noticed after the doctor walked out and closed the door that his mother squeezed his hand.

“I’m scared, son.”

Gunnar embraced her without a word. If he could give her a part of his physical strength, he would. “I’m here for you. Gideon and Thane will be here for you, too. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“Thank you, baby.” As soon as Gunnar pulled back from her, Elizabeth said, “You smell like you’ve just had sex. Did you do it before you came here?”

“Mom.”

“You did foreplay, right? I told you about how it takes a woman a while to get her engine going.” Elizabeth even chugged her arms like a train to illustrate her point.

“Mom,” Gunnar said more sternly.

“You didn’t spank her, did you? I don’t know who came up with that. It’s never okay to strike a lady.”

“
Mom
. Will you please stop it?”

Elizabeth smiled. “I’m going to miss teasing you like this.”

“No, you won’t. You’ll be here. You dealt with three businesses, three ornery boys and an ex-husband not worth mentioning. You’ll outlive all of us.”

A tear managed to escape her eye. Queen Elizabeth quickly wiped it away before she finally nodded to agree with her son.

“If anything ever happens to me--”

“Mom.”

“No. Hear me out. If anything happens to me, promise me you’ll keep the family together.”

Gunnar would give his mother anything. Corralling Thane into the mix would be the hardest thing. His baby brother had a way of dodging his calls.

Gunnar smiled at his mother. “I promise.”

She sniffed. “Hand me my makeup bag, please. I need to fix my face before I leave.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

If Gunnar could trade hearts and arteries with his mother, he would. The woman had given him the world. She’d given him an opportunity when no one else would. He would move heaven and earth to do the same for her.

Eboni acted like she didn’t notice when Gunnar arrived to work around ten in the morning.

“Sorry I’m late.” He put his coat in the office and came back out. “Great news, everyone. Our beloved Queen Elizabeth has been discharged from the hospital and is resting comfortably at home.”

The staff and clients all applauded and whistled their excitement over the news.

“She wanted me to bring her here today, but the doctor said no stress.” Gunnar glanced at Shay who still wore her sunglasses.

“Why did you look at me?” Shay pointed her curling iron toward Gunnar.

“Because you’re a handful, that’s why,” Gunnar shot back.

“You know that’s right,” Monica said and laughed.

“Forget you.” She pointed to Gunnar. “And forget you.” She pointed at Monica. “I’m nothing but positivity and light.”

Tisha even giggled at that one.

“And forget you, Mouse.” Shay pointed to Tisha.

“Don’t call me that,” Tisha said.

“Barely hear a peep out of you until you want to laugh at someone.” Shay continued styling her client’s hair.

As soon as she finished her client, Tisha ran to the back room.

“Tisha--” Eboni started to go, but Gunnar stopped her.

“You have a client in a chair. I’ll go.” Gunnar ducked into the back room.

* * * *

Gunnar found Tisha standing in a corner. When she spotted Gunnar, she turned her back on him.

“Hey, come on out, Tisha. You know Shay didn’t mean it.” Gunnar kept a safe distance away from her but remained in the room until he could gain her trust.

“Yes, she did. Shay hates me.” She gradually turned around and kept a guarded stare on Gunnar.

“To be fair, I think Shay hates everyone.” Gunnar smiled to calm her.

It must have worked. Tisha took a step out of the darkened corner toward him. “I hate when people call me mouse or squeak or Tinker Bell.”

“I know what you mean.”

She shook her head. “No, you don’t. No one teases you.”

“Are you kidding? I’ve been called a beast, a wall, a bully, and Thor because of my size and how I look. It used to bother me.”

“It did?”

Gunnar nodded.

“What did you do?”

“Fight.”

Tisha blinked. “I can’t fight.”

“And you shouldn’t have to. Shut people up with your skills.” Gunnar sat at the break-room table. He hoped Tisha would join him.

She pulled out a chair across from him and sat down. “You really were teased?”

“Yep. All my life. I bet you if you go online and pull up videos and websites about me, you’ll find that people post the nastiest things about me. They’ll call me a loser or a cheater or old or mean.”

“How do you deal with that?” Tisha nibbled on her thumbnail as she waited for his answer.

“I pay no attention to it. Those people don’t know me. The only reason people tease you is because they’re insecure.” It felt strange spouting the same speech his mother had given him when he kept fighting other boys in school who had made fun of him and his family.

“Shay is tall, thin and beautiful. What does she have to be insecure about?”

Gunnar shrugged. “I don’t know. But I’m sure she has something. The trick is to not worry about what she says about you. You worry about being your best. From what I can see, you’re an amazing stylist. I’ve watched your work since I’ve been here. You do great hair.”

Tisha smiled and pushed her glasses up her nose. “Thanks. My mom calls me the hair whisperer.” She giggled with a snort. “Your mom took a chance on me. I came in here fresh from cosmetology school with my certificate. She allowed me to style hair in the chair by the window.”

Even Gunnar had to blink at that bit of news. He knew what it meant for a stylist to get the window chair. His mom must have seen something special in Tisha.

“My mom is an amazing woman.” Gunnar glanced to the side and noticed a postcard on the refrigerator being held up by a pizza delivery magnet. “Have you thought about going to a hair show?”

“To watch it? Yes, I love going to hair shows. They’re so informative and theatrical at the same time.”

“No.” Gunnar stood and removed the postcard. “I mean participate. You could represent Press ’N Curl at the next hair show in Atlanta. Do you want to? I’ll pay for you to go and I’ll foot the bill for the registration.”

Tisha’s mouth hung open until she shook her head and lowered her gaze. “I can’t do that.”

“Why not? I’m not asking you to win. I just want you to have the experience.”

“I can’t go alone.”

Gunnar looked down at the date. With the event being two months away, he didn’t know if he would be in town to be able to go. “Who would you want to go with you?”

Tisha thought for a moment. “Eboni. She’s so organized and smart.”

Tisha left out sexy, but he knew she wouldn’t say that.

“I would also like Tillman to go with me.”

“Another good choice.” Gunnar nodded.

“He’s so cute. I want him to ask me out, but I don’t think I’m his type.”

Tisha had no idea.

“It might not be a good idea to date your coworker.” Gunnar tried defusing the situation before feelings got hurt. “If things don’t work out between the two of you, it’ll make working together awkward.”

“Oh, yeah, I guess you’re right.” Tisha lowered her gaze.

“Besides, you don’t have to keep your romantic choices confined to this salon. Go out and meet people. Live a little.” He held up the postcard. “Go to the hair show.”

Tisha took the card from his hand and stared at it.

“Let me know if you’re interested.” He stood and headed back out to the main salon.

Before he could cross the threshold into the main area, he heard Tisha say, “I want to go.”

Gunnar glanced back at her.

“This butterfly needs to spread her wings.”

“Very good. After work, I’ll register you and see if anyone else would like to go.” He held the curtain open for her. “Ready to get back to work?”

Tisha stood and stuffed the postcard in her oversized sweater pocket. “Yes, sir.” As she walked by him, she stopped and hugged him around his waist.

He glanced over at Eboni, who cut him a strange look before attending to her client.

“Shay, you owe Tisha an apology for hurting her feelings.” Gunnar stood in between the two women’s stations.

“She doesn’t have to say anything.” Tisha shook her head vigorously and turned her back on Shay as she cleaned her station.

“Yeah, she knows it was a joke. All we have here in the salon is jokes.” Shay pumped up the chair that her client sat in and turned the woman around to style her hair.

“She didn’t find it funny. Apologize.” Gunnar crossed his arms over his chest as he faced Shay.

“You can’t be serious.”

“I am. Apologize now or go home.”

Shay shook her head. “Damn crybaby. I’m sorry, Tisha, that you can’t take a joke.”

“Did that hurt?” Gunnar went over to the shampoo station.

“Yes, it did. This is what I meant about you messing up the flow in here. We women can’t be women in here. We should be able to tease each other and talk about things like S-E-X.” She licked her lips.

“I don’t care if you talk about sex, so long as there aren’t any kids around.”

“Okay.” Shay scanned the area. With a waiting area filled with women and no visible children around, she continued. “So, Big Guns, do you have one?”

Gunnar called over a client to the bowl. “One what?”

“You know.” Shay bounced up and down and simulated having something large between her legs. “Do you have a big gun, and I’m not talking the one with bullets either.”

Several women laughed, including the one who came over to his bowl to get her hair washed. The client sitting at Eboni’s chair screamed in pain.

“You burned me!” the woman said as she rubbed the back of her head.

“Sorry.” Eboni glanced at Gunnar and turned her back on him.

He still caught her looking at him in her mirror. “None of your business. Whatever happened to you women saying it’s not the size of the ship but the motion in the ocean?”

“Honey, we only say that to guys who are like this.” She held up her hand and placed her thumbnail against the upper section of her pinkie finger. “That way we don’t hurt their little feelings, and I do mean little feelings.”

The women in the salon laughed.

Gunnar wrapped a towel around his client’s shoulders and lowered her to the bowl. “If you love someone, size shouldn’t make a difference.”

“Says a man who saves himself for his wedding night and reveals his tiny package to his new wife.” Shay put her hands in prayer form and bent her knees. “Please, honey. Don’t mind my little dick. I love you.” She pushed air through her lips. “I’m used to working with long, hard things.” She held up her curling iron. “I can’t go from this to tweezers.”

The women in the salon erupted in laughter.

“Hold on. Eboni, you said you and Mr. Guns here had a thing back in the day. Tell us. Was he packing or pretending?”

Eboni glanced at Gunnar before she looked at Shay. “I’m not talking about that here. It’s not right.”

“That’s code for a little winky.” Shay waved at Gunnar with her pinkie finger. “Or you can prove me wrong and join me for a drink.”