Chapter 3
Joy gazed into the mirror as Roberta combed through her freshly washed hair. "Nervous?" she asked the younger woman, picking up on her anxiety.
Joy nodded. Silas was right about one thing though. It was really for the best that she got this over with before she could change her mind. "A little," she admitted.
"Well just say the word and I'll stop," Roberta said, pausing with the scissors in hand. "It's up to you … "
"No," Joy objected, her voice firm. "Do it. I … I need a fresh start."
Roberta gave her a sympathetic smile. "Let me guess … boy troubles?"
Joy frowned, taking a second to contemplate just how much Silas had told her about her breakup with Dallas. Luckily, she was saved from having to respond by a loud knock on the bathroom door.
"You two done yet?" Silas called out, beginning to turn the handle.
Leaping out from behind the mirror, Roberta turned the lock to stop him from entering. "Get lost," she called out. "You can't see her yet."
"What? Why?"
"Because I said so," Roberta retorted. "Now go make yourself busy. She'll be down soon."
Joy heard Silas let out an exasperated sigh from the other side of the door, but he didn't put up a fight. As soon as she was sure he was gone, Roberta returned behind her and resumed brushing through her hair. "Honestly, that boy … " she trailed off, making a ‘tsk' noise and shaking her head.
Joy smirked. "I know, right?"
Roberta smiled when she noticed that the young woman in front of her didn't sound nearly as depressed as she did a moment ago. "Now," she said, folding back a strand of her hair to demonstrate. "Is this about the length you were thinking?"
Joy leaned in closer to see her reflection more clearly. She was shocked by how much of her hair was already missing, but not in a bad way. "Yeah," she said, nodding. "It's perfect."
Satisfied, Roberta resumed cutting. "Oh, and Joy?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't worry too much about your boy troubles. I think a week here will do you some good."
"I hope so," Joy confided in her, wondering why it was so easy to talk to a woman she barely knew. There was just something about her personality that put her at ease.
Roberta squeezed her shoulders, giving her an encouraging smile in the mirror. "You'll see. I bet by the time you leave here, you'll be nice and ready to get back out there again."
Joy wasn't so sure about that, but as she watched the pile of hair on the floor get larger, she couldn't help but hope that she was right.
***
"Sir?"
Silas looked away from the television to find Vincent standing at the top of the stairwell. Walking over to it, he hesitated at the bottom step. "Yeah?"
"The young lady is ready."
"Oh yeah?" Silas challenged, his voice thick with sarcasm. "Does she have a ball gown on too?"
Vincent didn't so much as crack a smile. "No, Sir, she does not."
Silas sighed. Sometimes he couldn't believe the things that happened in his own house. "Look, just cut the formalities. Can't I just go up and see her already?"
"I'm afraid not. Roberta has requested that you remain downstairs," Vincent informed him. Silas swore he saw a smirk pass over his lips, and he was just about to call him out on it when the sound of a door opening quieted him.
"Turn around," Vincent instructed.
"What?"
"Roberta requests that you turn around until I announce the young lady's arrival," Vincent elaborated, looking every bit as bemused by this as Silas was. "She'd like for this to be a ‘proper reveal'."
"Ugh. It's just a haircut!" Silas sounded exasperated, but he did as he was told anyway. "There! I'm turned around!"
"Thank you, Sir," Vincent said, clearing his throat. Silas rolled his eyes and waited for him to continue. "Now presenting the new and improved Miss Joy Davis."
Silas was half tempted not to turn around just to spite him, but the temptation to see how Joy's new look ultimately got the better of him. Turning around, he fully prepared to give her an exaggerated reaction, but he was left void of any words when he found her smiling shyly at him from underneath perfectly side swept bangs. Her heart shaped face was framed nicely by pin straight black hair that barely reached her collarbone, and though he'd never admit it aloud, he really had to fight the urge to leap up the stairwell and swoop her into a kiss. That's how beautiful she looked.
Silas found his voice right about the same time Joy reached the bottom step. "See?" he told her, leading her into the living room. "I told you Roberta does good work."
Roberta joined Vincent at the top of the stairs. Together, they watched as Silas and Joy began discussing what movie they wanted to watch. "They remind me of us at their age," Vincent said, lacing his pale fingers through her much darker ones.
Roberta tore tore gaze from the young couple to look at him. "You think?"
"Yeah," Vincent said, pulling her against him, "Trust me, I've known that boy nearly his entire life and I've never seen him look at anyone like that."
***
Joy couldn't stop gawking at the lavish display of food spread out across the table in front of her. She didn't think she'd ever seen this much for so few people before in her life. Silas caught wind of this and grinned. "Get used to it," he whispered, leaning towards her. "Dad's a big fan of overdoing it."
It was at that precise moment that Peter rushed in, interrupting Joy before she could respond. "Joy, you look lovely," he told her, planting a soft kiss on her palm before taking a seat at the head of the table.
"Thanks," Joy said, giving him a polite smile. She knew this dinner would be somewhat awkward for her, which was why she hoped he and Silas had a lot of catching up to do so that she wouldn't have to talk much.
"How'd the meeting go?" Silas asked his father. Joy had a sneaking suspicion that he knew how she was feeling, and she couldn't help but feel grateful that he'd already begun the process of deflecting the conversation away from her.
"Great," Peter said, flattening his tie. "Better than I expected, anyway. I'm actually flying out to LA first thing tomorrow morning to meet with a few other guys from the label."
"Oh … so you won't be around much this week?" Joy swore she saw Silas's face fall, but it only took a moment for his usual confidence to reemerge in full force. "That's cool."
"Yeah, I know I said I'd spend your break with you, but I really need to get a jumpstart on this next album," Peter explained, not sounding the least bit apologetic. "Which reminds me … "
Standing up, he made his way into the living room and returned a few seconds later with a CD in hand. "I was wondering if you'd listen to this band and tell me what you think," he said, handing it to Silas. "Both of you, actually. I'd like a female perspective as well."
Silas flipped the CD case over to look at the back cover, trying his best to seem interested. "Who are they?"
"A relatively new group. They don't have a name yet, but they're from Europe, and they've got a real unique sound. I'm thinking I might sign them, but I want your opinion first. Just listen to it throughout the week and email me your thoughts when you get back to school."
"Yeah, sure," Silas said, not sounding the least bit enthusiastic.
Peter smiled anyway. "Thanks, son."
Dinner fell into an uncomfortable silence after that. Or at least, that's how Joy saw it anyway. Looking down at her steak, she couldn't help but feel a little bit sorry for Silas. The food looked like it had been cooked to perfection, but the change in mood more than killed the taste.
Chapter 4
"So … you ever game?"
Joy looked over at Silas, furrowing her brows. Her first thought was, ‘do I look like I do?', but she didn't say that at the risk of sounding condescending. Instead she settled on a simple, "not really."
"Oh..."
Joy looked over at Silas again. She knew this must have been weird for him. They hardly ever hung out just the two of them, and now they had an entire week to kill. She half wondered if he had a pool she could spend the next few days lounging by, but she dismissed the thought almost as soon as it popped inside her head. Silas was, for once, trying to be nice. The least she could do was show him the same decency.