Page 28 of A Curvy Carol
“Ready for the best manicure you’ve ever had?” Carolynn asked with a familiar smile.
More like the only manicure I’d ever had.
“Ready,” I replied with a firm voice and a salute. That made her laugh, which I liked. I had a feeling my days would become dull without her.
I followed Carolynn inside.
It was a really nice place. Every surface shined, and Christmas decorations filled every corner.
Ladies sat in a long row of chairs getting their nails done. In another corner, one lady sat back with a thick red robe on and two thin slices of cucumber over her eyes. “I bet my mom would love this place,” I told Carolynn.
“Sounds like you need to bring her,” she said as we walked up to the front desk. A woman greeted us with a warm smile. “Welcome to Vixen’s. Do you have an appointment?”
“Uh…” I began.
“Yes, we do,” Carolynn stepped in expertly. “Ten o’clock for Carolynn.”
“Ah, yes, two deluxe manicures. Follow me, please.”
She led us to a table with two spots. We took a seat. “Can I bring you a beverage?” she asked.
A minute later, she was back with some juice and even some cookies.
“I could get used to this,” I told Carolynn. Breakfast had only been a couple of hours ago, but suddenly, I was starving.
She grinned. “I bet you could.”
In no time, a Vixen employee wearing a bright green apron sat down in front of us. She took my hands.
“What are we doing today?” she asked. She wasn’t my mom’s age, but she wasn’t our age either. Probably somewhere in between.
Carolynn jumped in. “Snowflakes,” she said. “Over clear polish.”
The woman nodded approvingly. “Matching snowflakes it is.”
Another employee joined her, and in no time, I had white delicate snowflakes painted on my nails. When they were done, they left us at our seats, saying we should let our nails dry for a few minutes under tiny fans.
“I knew you’d pull those off perfectly,” Carolynn told me.
I grinned. “Thanks. Although I’m surprised you’d be caught dead with Christmas stuff on you.”
She fought a smile. “What do you think?” Carolynn asked. “Have you ever been in a salon or spa before?”
“Actually,” I replied, “yeah. My mom’s big on self-care, so she has me and Dad accompany her all the time to get pedicures.”
“I like your mom already,” Carolynn said.
A few minutes later, we walked out of the salon. I noticed Carolynn kept looking at her nails, seeming pretty pleased. Maybe she was warming up to Christmas after all.
“Where to next?” I asked her.
She pulled the list out of her jeans pocket. “Let’s see.” She glanced at it. “Oh, yes. The Nutcracker. You’ll like it there.”
She took my hand. “Come on.”
When she let go of my hand a minute later, she didn’t say anything and neither did I, although I definitely wanted to reach back out for her hand.
We walked into The Nutcracker a minute later. It wasn’t too far from a bar called Make it Schnappy, which made me chuckle to myself. Garland had the best names for places.