“Okay,” I told him. “Get your ass over to the sink and let’s get you washed up.”
“I’m going to grab a beer, that okay?”
“Sure, get one for me,” I told him as I ducked into the bathroom to grab some shampoo.
“Just one,” he warned. “Don’t want you cutting off my ear.”
I heard the pop of a beer cap coming off. Then he handed me a brown bottle. Taking a deep swig, I flipped on the hot water, which always took forever.
Blake pulled off his shirt and leaned over the basin, pretending to flinch when I started rinsing his hair.
“You’re such a baby,” I told him. “Stop whining, or I really will snip your ears.”
“Were you always a bitch like this? I remember you being nicer.”
“I’m taking lessons from Danielle.”
Blake laughed, and minutes later I had him washed and ready to go, wrapping a towel around his head to sop up the water. He flipped it expertly into a girl-style wrap around his head, then struck a “sexy” pose for me.
“How do I look?” he asked. “Fabulous?”
I shook my head and took another drink of beer.
“Sit your fabulous ass down in the chair. Otherwise you won’t have enough time for dinner.”
While he made himself comfortable, I turned on my little stereo. I’d bought it the day after Thanksgiving last year in Coeur d’Alene with Regina, when it was marked down to forty bucks. It had pretty good sound, though. Way better than you’d expect for the price.
“Okay, we doing the usual?” I asked, coming over to stand behind him, draping a second towel around his shoulders. It didn’t cover as much as a cape would, but I didn’t charge like a salon, either. Outside I heard the roar of bike pipes. Puck. Great. Why did he have to move in next to me?
“Yeah,” Blake said. “You know me—keep it simple.”
Simple it was. He liked his hair short, so short that he didn’t have to worry about it at all, which made my life easy. A few snips to shape the top, then the trimmer did most of the work for me. Ten minutes later we’d finished our beers and the cut, and Blake was back on his feet, brushing the loose hairs off his chest.
He stretched and looked at me, smiling.
“You know, if I wasn’t batshit crazy over Danielle I’d be all over you, Becca,” he said. I blinked, startled.
“What?”
“I think sometimes you don’t realize how special you are,” he said, casually grabbing his shirt and pulling it over his head. “Joe’s a decent guy, and he’d take good care of you. Maybe he’s not your one and only, but don’t ever settle, okay? You’re better than that.”
I gaped at him as he gave me a quick hug, opening his wallet to pull out a ten-dollar bill. It wasn’t much, but he always liked to leave me something. It’d be a big help, too. My power bill was due soon and I was still short.
“You don’t need to pay me,” I reminded him. “You always drive. I should be paying you for the gas.”
Blake rolled his eyes.
“I can’t let you drive,” he said, his voice soft with a hint of humor. “You know how I feel about women drivers. Not only that, you’re cheap. Costs me twice that much in town.”
“Wow, you almost got out the door without fucking up,” I said, flipping him off. He laughed and threw me a little salute as the door closed behind him.
Huh.
I’d been friends with Blake for close to a year now, but he still managed to surprise me.
—
I drank another beer as I swept up hair trimmings, then took a shower to wash off the day’s grime. I followed the shower with a pair of loose cotton pants and a tank top. I hadn’t been kidding about wanting to relax. Not even my Singer tempted me at this point . . .
Hungry, I opened my fridge to figure out food and had to laugh because it was full of beer. It always was, despite my poverty—another sign that I had good friends. My place was the most convenient for all of us to get together and I’d learned long ago that a few seed beers tended to replicate themselves as time went on. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had to actually buy alcohol, which was a damned good thing because I also couldn’t remember the last time I could afford it.
Twenty minutes later, I finished off my dinner of generic macaroni and cheese (nothing but the best in my house!) feeling pleasantly relaxed. It was nearly eight thirty and the sun had faded behind the hills. There would still be light for a long time but when you lived in the bottom of a valley, direct sun exposure is sadly limited . . .
Like most nights, I decided to climb out on the roof next door. I grabbed a blanket and threw it down, lying back and closing my eyes to ponder the situation with my mom.