Devil in Texass(57)

It was actually very liberating to be living such a simple life. She’d saved five-

hundred-and-ninety-dollars-plus-tip on hair care. At least a hundred dollars on lingerie.

The rent she’d paid on the cottage was a quarter of what her apartment had cost in

Manhattan. And Ruby had bought her lunch yesterday. That put her a few steps ahead

of the game.

Smiling as she shut off the water, she towel-dried her hair, then wrapped the

material around her body. She swiped a hand over the mirror that hung above the

vanity.

And screamed bloody murder at the vision before her.

143

Calista Fox

Holy shit!

What had she done?

Liza stared at her reflection—and the vibrant copper streaks that ruined her six-

hundred-dollar hairdo.

She gasped again.

“No, no, no!” she cried, wiping away more of the steam on the mirror and staring

closer at the mess that once was a very chic coif. “Oh. My. God!”

Her so-called highlights weren’t the warm golden color the box had promised. They

were a glowing copper that made her look like a punk rock star!

“Fuck!”

She tossed the box and its second application into the trash.

She was totally screwed. Because the only one who could help her correct this

horrific mistake was the one woman in town who loathed her.

Lydia Bain.

Damn it!

Grumbling as she reached for the blow dryer and brush, she cursed Lydia’s name

over and over again. How could her luck be so bad that her nemesis was Wilder’s

Queen of the Coif and… She doesn’t like me!

After drying the wildly mismatched hair, she had no choice but to pull it up into a

high ponytail in order to hide most of the highlighted strands that made her look like a rebellious teenager. Several thick streaks of copper still showed and there wasn’t a damn thing more she could do about it.

She dressed and left the cottage. She drove into town and pulled up in front of the

flower shop just as Jess was climbing out of her sedan.

“Hi,” Jess said with a cheery smile. She didn’t seem to take note of Liza’s hideous

do-it-yourself highlighting job, for which Liza was grateful.

“Good morning.” She followed Jess into the shop, excited about what the day in the

Land of Flora might hold for her, despite her debacled ‘do. “So what are we working

on?”

Jess gave a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness you’re so enthusiastic. I was kind of

worried. I mean…” She shrugged as she rolled her hazel eyes. “I thought you were just being nice last night when you expressed interest in the job.”

Liza’s heart plummeted. “You do still want me, right?”

“Of course!”

“Oh!” she said, the excitement coming back full force. “Then tell me what to do!”

Jess really did look relieved. “I asked George after we left the saloon if I’d somehow inadvertently pushed you into agreeing to help me.”

“Not at all.”

144

Devil in Texas

“Good. Because I really would love to work with you. I bet you’ll have some

incredibly creative ideas for the shop.”

“Well,” Liza said, suddenly a little overwhelmed by her new employer’s great

expectations. “I don’t have any floral experience, remember?”

“Yes, but I imagine you can think on a grander scale than me. I inherited this place

several years ago and, I’m sure Jack told you, it was in the hole.”

She crossed the display area, where she had floor plants and coolers full of

elaborate arrangements available for immediate purchase, and moved past the service

desk and computer on the left to the work area on the right.

An enormous workbench surrounded by tools of the trade awaited them as Jess

came to a halt by the table.

“Luckily,” she said, “I’m the only florist in town.”

Liza’s stomach sank. That likely meant Lydia was the only hairstylist in town.

“So I’ve got the monopoly on business in the area,” Jess continued. “But I only get

so many orders from the townsfolk, as you can imagine. I mean, I do get a lot of special requests,” she was quick to add. “Like the Junior League’s monthly luncheon and

several of the other meetings our town organizations hold. Funerals, of course.

Birthdays, baby and bridal showers and the like. But everyday orders?” She shook her

head.

“Not a lot of romance in Wilder?”

“Not so much,” she said on a sigh.

“We’ll have to do something about that.”

She smiled, then pointed to a pallet that housed a dozen or so potted plants with

flowers Liza couldn’t even begin to identify.

“Orchids,” Jess said, as though reading the confused look on her face. “A favorite of the Junior League. What I do is wrap the pots in this colored foil and tie a satin bow around them.” She demonstrated and it didn’t look too difficult. “Also, there are

centerpieces in the cooler that go on the table at the Elks Lodge. I have the white linen tablecloths and napkins all packed up. You can take the van out back in the alley.” She handed over a set of keys. “George had these made this morning. They go to the front

and back doors and to the vehicle.”

She was just handing them over like that? This would never happen in New York.

“Um, okay. What else do you need?”

“Are you kidding?” Jess laughed. “This is such a huge help. Really!” She spared a

glance at the clock on the wall. “I’ve got to run so I’m not late for the pre-service greeting. You can have everything to the Elks Lodge by ten, set up and be ready for the ladies to arrive at noon, right?”

“I think I can manage.” How many dinner parties had she thrown for doctors and

their wives, after all?

145

Calista Fox

“Great! I’ll meet you at the Lodge as soon as I’m done at church.” She positively

glowed, as though having this big chore off her chest so she could enjoy Sunday service was a huge deal. Liza considered it her contribution to those who worshipped.

“Go,” she said. “I can handle this.”

Jess rushed out the front door and Liza eyed the work station before her.

Hmm.

There were four large rolls of colored foil wrapping mounted in the middle of the

table, which split the space in half, length-wise, so that two people could design

arrangements on either side of each other. She eyed the dozen-plus potted orchids, all in assorted varieties, and then debated how she was going to match the four foiled

colors to the different orchid colors, so that she didn’t make anything clash.