Free Stilettos & Scoundrels by Laina Turner Page A

things than rush into something , ” my mother added.
    “You always make excuses for him. It’s not fair.”
    “You have always had a plan , Presley, that’s just the way you are. He’s always been a dreamer. He’ll find his way , ” my mother replied.
    I didn’t disagree with my mother’s assessment of my brother ’ s personality , and he always got so fired up about his new careers that you couldn’t he lp but get excited with him. I just got jealous sometimes that it seemed like my parents had different expectations for him than for me . You had to love family dynamics.
    I took my dishes to the sink , rinsed them off, and put them in the di shwasher. This was the rule. My mother always cooked, but if you ate, you were responsible for cleaning up. It was a small price to pay for such great food.
    “What a re you two doing today?” I asked.
    “I have a garden club meeting. We are planning the annual summer show. I hope to have my roses in there this year. I skipped last year because they just weren’t where they needed to be. I still think I under fertilized in the spring , but it’s so hard to know,” my mother fretted. “Who knows what your father’s doing.”
    “Might go see if Bill needs any help. He’s restoring an old Corvette Stingray. Piece of junk now, but she’ll be cherry when she’s finished,” he replied. My dad loved old cars and was always helping his buddy , Bill , with his old clunkers. How they spent hours out there, I didn’t know. It didn’t always seem like they got a lot of work done for the amount of time they spent working. However, they did seem to have fun.
    “Wa ste of time, if you ask me,” my mother said. “If I’d known this was how you were going to spend your retirement, I would have made you keep working.”
    “Well, I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t ask you, Sue,” he replied. Oh, for the love of Pete, the y were at it again. This was my cue to exit . I could only take so much of this.
    After a quick shower, I dried my hair and threw on a pair of boot cut jeans and a black lightweight turtleneck, perfect for a cool spring day. Black boots with two-inch heels and matching silver necklace and earrings completed my outfit. Simple and casual. I called Tobey and confirmed my appointment at three p.m. with the Senator. Planning to come back to the house to change into something more professional looking before the interview, I headed into town to visit Katy’s Klassy Kuts . On the way, I thought about the past. Katy and I had been inseparable since second grade, but once I went to college and Katy sta yed here and opened her salon, we just drifted apart. Katy never understood why I liked the city so much. Katy preferred to be a big fish in a small pond. She always told me that the city was too busy and impersonal. I couldn’t see why Katy would want to stay here in this small town. It was , ironically , the same issue I had with Brian , but unlike with Brian , despite their differences and the distance, Katy and I still were great friends.
    Katy and I hadn’t seen each other in almost two years because I rarely came back home. My parents usually came to see me in the city, but I was beginning to wonder if maybe that was the wrong way of thinking. Good friends were hard to find ; I needed to make more of an effort with Katy . A friend who could remember who you were at thirteen was truly rare . Those were the friends who kept you grounded .. . o r at least helped you make fun of yourself.
    Boy is Katy going to be surprised , I thought as I pulled into the parking lot of the salon. The parking lot was full . Business must be booming . I walked through the door with my resolve to be a better friend and could hear the gossipy chatter of the salon. I smiled as I heard Katy’s voice over the noise of the dryers. Looking around, I was impressed. Remodeled since the last time I saw it , the salon was decorated simply in white and black with small splashes of