Sanctuary(50)

"You stay out of here, Lex," Jo shouted. "Kate, I'm not sixteen years old."

"No, you're not." Kate gave a decisive nod, the little gold drops in her ears bobbing at the movement. "You're a grown woman, and a lovely one. It's long past time you took some pride in it. Now, you're going, and you're going to put some effort into your appearance, and I won't take any sass about it. Damn kids, fighting me every which way," she muttered and swung into Jo's bathroom. "Not even a wand of mascara in here. You want to be a nun, enter a convent. Lipstick is not a tool of Satan."

With a blolisc slung over her shoulder and a ease of hot rollers in her hand, Lexy came in. Her mood was up in anticipation of the night ahead, so she grinned and wiggled her eyebrows at Jo. "On one of her rampages?"

"Big-time one. I don't want my hair curled."

"Oh, loosen up, Jo Ellen." Lexy dumped the rollers on the dresser, then checked out her own appearance in the mirror. she'd kept the makeup subtle to suit the casual event. In any case, firelight was terrifically flattering. Most would be wearing jeans, she knew, so her long, flowing skirt covered with red poppies would make an interesting contrast.

"And I'm not wearing your clothes."

"Suit yourself." Lexy turned, pursed her lips, and gave her sister the once-over. she was feeling just good enough to be companionable. "Hmm. Frills aren't your style."

"Now there's news. just let me note that down."

Lexy let the sarcasm roll off her perfumed shoulders and walked a slow circle around her sister. "Got a plain black T-shirt that isn't so baggy two of you could slide into it?"

Wary, Jo nodded. "Probably."

"Black jeans?" At Jo's assenting shrug, Lexy tapped her finger to her Rps. "That's the way we'll go then. Sleek and hip. Maybe some dangles at the ears and a good belt to accessorize, but that's all. No curls, either."

"No curls?"

"Nope, but you need a new do." Lexy continued to tap her finger, her eyes narrowing, her head nodding. "I can fix that. A little snip here, a little snip there."

"Snip?" Jo put both hands to her hair in defense. "What do you mean, snip? I'm not letting you cut my hair."

"What do you care? It's just hanging there anyway."

"Exactly." Kate breezed back in. "Lexy's got a nice touch with hair. she trims mine up if I can't get over to the mainland. Go wash it, Jo. Lexy, go get your scissors."

"Fine." Defeated, Jo threw up her hands. "just fine. If she scalps me I won't have to go sit on the sand with a bunch of fools half the night listening to somebody sing 'Icum Ba yah." "

Fifteen minutes later, she found herself sitting with a towel bibbed around her and bits of hair falling. "Jesus." Jo squeezed her eyes tight. "I have lost my mind. It's now official."

"Stop squirming," Lexy ordered, but there was a laugh in the order rather than a sting. "I've barely done anything. Yet. And think how long this is going to keep Cousin Kate off your back."

"Yeah." Jo forced her shoulders to relax. "Yeah, there is that."

"You've got great hair, Jo. Good body, a nice natural wave." she pouted a little, studying her own wildly spiraling mane in the mirror. "Don't know why I have to pay such money for curl, myself My hair's straight as a pin."

With a shrug for life's vagaries, she concentrated again on the job at hand. "A decent cut's all you need. What I'm doing is giving you one that you won't have to do a thing with."

"I already don't do a thing."

"And it tooks it. This won't."

"just don't cut off too . . ." Jo's eyes went huge, her throat closed as she watched three inches of hair flop into her lap. "Christ! Oh, Christ! What have you done?"

"Relax, I'm giving you bangs, that's all."

"Bangs? Bangs? I didn't ask for bangs."

"Well, you're getting them. A nice fringe to the eyebrow. Your eyes are your best feature. This will highlight them, and it's a nice, casual look that suits you." she continued to comb and snip, stood back, scowled and snipped some more. "I like it. Yes, I like it."

"Good for you," Jo muttered. "You wear it."

"You're going to owe me an apology." Lexy squirted some gel in her palm, rubbed her hands together, then slicked them through Jo's damp hair. "You only need a little of this, about the size of a dime."

Jo scowled at the tube. "I don't use hair gunk."

"You're going to. just a little," she repeated, then switched on her blow-dryer. "You can air-dry it too, but this'll give it a little more volume. Won't take you more than ten minutes in the morning to fuss with it."