Robin Alexander - Pitifully Ugly

Kalen pinched the shit out of me with her toes. “Did you get

all tingly from that kiss?”

“Not in the least. It was all for show. Zoe didn’t bother me

again after that,” I said with a triumphant air.

Kalen looked at me with a serious expression. “Have you

kissed Hailey?”

I felt my smile slide from my face. “Yes.”

Kalen’s eyebrows rose. “Spark?”

“Fireworks.”

Kalen grabbed my leg and squeezed. “Is that all you did?”

“What can I say? Passion took control and we were rolling

around in the courtyard… No, I haven’t slept with her,” I said

when Kalen’s mouth dropped open. “Well, I did sleep with her,

but we didn’t have sex. The night you called me about Dad, I was

at her place.”

Kalen made a face like she didn’t believe me. “You slept

in the same bed but didn’t do anything, hmm. She didn’t try

anything?”

I rolled my eyes, earning myself another pinch. “I was worried

about Dad and she held me. That’s all that happened.”

Kalen rolled her eyes then. “Sweet.”

“She is sweet, jackass.” I pinched her on the wrist with my

toes until Kalen squealed.

“You could hurt the baby,” she said as she slapped me away.

“Rub my feet now, I need a nap.”

“Call Todd, I’m not touching those nasty things.”

“I just washed them with your loofah, they’re clean.” Kalen

threw her foot up on my chest. “Rub for five minutes, and I’ll

shut up.”

The five-minute rub was actually ten, five minutes each nasty

foot. Kalen was snoring when I pushed her foot off me. We dozed

for about an hour when I heard Kalen fooling with the pizza box.

I opened one eye and watched her inhale two slices before she

14

Robin Alexander

caught me watching her and informed me that I would be driving

her home.

When I pulled back into the garage, my headlights swept

over the back of Hailey’s SUV. A new Louisiana license plate

had taken the place of the Georgia tag. Apparently, she had plans

to stay in New Orleans. Part of me was pleased. The other part

sort of wished I didn’t have to run into her. The saying “absence

makes the heart grow fonder” was very true in my case.

14

Pitifully Ugly

Chapter 23

Duty cal s.

On Monday morning, my phone rang at five thirty. No one

called at that hour unless it was an emergency. “Hello, hello?”

I said into the alarm clock before I realized the phone was still

ringing. I managed to grab it just before the answering machine

picked up.

“Hey, what’re you doing?” Kalen said groggily.

“Are Mom and Dad okay? What’s wrong?” I scrambled out of

bed and fumbled around until I found the light switch.

“They’re fine. What’s wrong with you?”

My frantic search for clothes stopped. “What do you mean

what’s wrong with me? You called me at five thirty. I thought

there was an emergency.”

“Did you set your clock to Pacific time?” Kalen asked,

annoyance tempering her tone. “It’s seven thirty.”

I staggered into the living room as the adrenaline rush faded.

My cell phone confirmed what Kalen said—it was seven thirty.

“Our power went off and on last night, apparently yours did,

too.” Kalen yawned loudly. “Time to replace the backup battery

in your clock.”

“It’s still early. Why are you calling?” I asked as I set up the

coffeepot.

“The flu is going around, and my doctor says I need to avoid

sick people if I possibly can. We have three people out at the Canal

Street salon, and they need some help.”

14

Robin Alexander

I wanted to whine and complain, but I couldn’t. I knew that

Kalen would gladly step in and help if she could. “What do I need

to do?” I asked with a sinking feeling.

“Answer phones, wash a head or two. Blitz will help you

with anything you need.” Kalen yawned again. This time, she

apologized. “I’m sorry to ask this of you, sis, but I’m out of

options.”

“No need to apologize. I’ll hit the shower and be there for

opening.”

“Thank you. I owe you big.”

Blitz looked stunned when I walked in. She glanced down at

her watch and back up at me.

“Kalen asked me to come in and help,” I said. “Where do you

need me?”

She took in my black slacks and turtleneck sweater. “You’re

dressed too nice to clean tanning beds.” She shrugged her

shoulders. “Wanna be the receptionist for the day?”

“Sounds easy enough.” Something in the way Blitz arched an

eyebrow told me it was anything but.

She picked up a headset and cleaned it liberally with alcohol

before she handed it to me. “Bonnie has the flu,” Blitz said as she

went to work on the mouse and keyboard. “If I were you, I’d keep

a bottle of hand sanitizer close and use it often.” Blitz looked at

me skeptically. “Can you multi-task?”

“I can walk and chew gum at the same time.”

Blitz’s eyebrow arched again. From the look on her face, if I

were anyone else, I’d be out on the sidewalk at that moment. She

wiggled the mouse, and a colorful calendar appeared on the screen

in front of us. “Anything related to tanning or nails is transferred

to those departments. They handle their own scheduling. You’re

strictly hair.”

I nodded as I looked at the screen. Hailey Morgan at eleven

o’clock jumped out at me like a snake. Blitz looked at me oddly as

I recoiled. “Is that today?” I pointed at her name.

Blitz nodded. “You won’t have to do much with today’s

schedule unless someone calls to reschedule. Matter of fact, you

10

Pitifully Ugly

really don’t have to worry about Tuesday or Wednesday, we’re

booked. Don’t worry about trying to fill a slot if someone cancels.

We pack ’em in tight, and the stylists will be grateful for the

wiggle room.”

Blitz went on to explain how to use the computer program.

It seemed fairly easy to handle. My brain began to scramble as

she explained how to book each type of appointment. “Claire

and Sandra are new, so you can’t really load them up or they

get behind. Marvin, Jacob, and Sloan can handle anything you

throw at them, and they expect to stay hopping, so schedule them

tight.”

Each stylist’s name was in a color-coded bar. Marvin’s

was pink. I wondered for half a second if he had requested it

before Blitz moved on to the next topic. “Our regulars are in the

computer. All you have to do is print out a slip with their next

appointment date and time. It’s already set up in the system. For

other customers, you’ll have to schedule and print their slips. You

know how to use a credit card machine?”

“Yes.” I looked over at the phone and felt squeamish. It looked

like something I’d seen 11 operators use on TV.

Blitz explained the difference between park and hold in what

seemed like a heartbeat. “You may be tempted to use the mute

button on your headset, but I’d advise against it. Your sister made

a mistake with that once and cost us a customer. Use the hold

button.” Blitz squeezed a glob of hand sanitizer into her palm and

turned to me. “What can I get you to drink—coffee? Soda?”

“You don’t have to wait on me. I can get my own drinks.”

Blitz pursed her lips as her eyebrow rose again. I wondered