Page 10 of Lightning Angel
“Oh, okay—” Daphne sounded as desperate as she was, to rescue her from her misery. “Oh, oh, oh…books!”
“I canceled my KU subscription and haven’t renewed it yet.” Alexa glanced at the wooden shelf on the corner stacked with her favorite books. She ran a hand through her hair in frustration. “And the books in my shelf are the ones I’ve read at least two times. I want something new.”
“Go to the bookstore. Go, go, go! Just don’t stay inyour house until Cassie returns. Ugh, why did my parents plan the extended family get-togethertoday?” Daphne groaned. “I wish I was there with you instead. Will be you all right? Or, would you like to come here? My parents won’t mind! You know they love having you here.”
“That’s so…youof you, Daph, but no. I’ll survive. I definitely don’t want to intrude on a family dinner.”
“You won’t—”
“You know what, I’ll just go to the salon and get my hair done. It’s been a while. Then, I’ll go to the bookstore with a to-go coffee and read until Cassie returns. How does that sound?”
Daphne sighed. “As long as you don’t wanna tear apart anything, it’s perfect. But, are you sure?”
“Positive.” Alexa nodded at her reflection in the mirror. “Besides, I’ve been planning a salon trip for a while now; just never been in the mood before. Perhaps I’ll get highlights this time.”
“Ooh, I know! Cut your hair short and dye it blond with blue highlights! Besties with matching hairstyles. We could be trendsetters!” Daphne laughed at her own ridiculous suggestion.
Alexa shook her head with a smile. “I’m pretty sure short and blond won’t match me.”
“You’ll never know unless you’ve tried it.” Alexa imagined her rolling her eyes. “So, what’s on your mind?”
“How about I surprise you at school tomorrow?”
“Sounds good. But, Lex?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re over the breakup, aren’t you? Honestly?”
“Yeah, why’d you ask?” she asked, wringing her handsat her reflection. “I have, and I’m not going to waste a tear on him.”
“Just looking out for you, Lex,” Daphne said softly, just before her voice rose, “because I’m going to throw a punch into Jude White’s face when I see him at school tomorrow. We’re going toshowthat deceitful snake that you’re completely over him and haven’t wasted a tear. And changing your hairstyle might be the best start, so go for a unique look no one’s ever seen on you before.”
Alexa smiled, and the slender girl of average height in the mirror with waist-length straight hair that hadn’t touched a scissor in five months, smiled back at her.
“Aye, aye, captain.”
* * *
Alexa decided to go with a butterfly-cut and red highlights.
She looked herself in the mirror of the salon and snapped a shot, and sent it to Cassie. Her sister immediately responded with a few GIFs, one sayinggorgeous, another with a jaw-dropping girl, and the last one sayinghow dare you go alone. She chuckled and almost sent the photo to Daphne as well, then remembered she wanted to surprise her at school.
Alexa walked from the salon to the café she worked as a barista every day after school, the best in their small town of Harmony Hills, and grabbed a cappuccino before heading straight to her favorite bookstore. Not that there were many bookstores in Harmony Hills or that she hada particular favorite; Alexa loved every place that sold books. This one though, it had her sister’s books on their shelves.
The five-minute walk to the bookstore made her miss her SUV. Alexa sighed. She didn’t want to regret her choice, it was for the best, but she did. The car had been her dad’s gift on her sixteenth birthday, and Alexa had only driven it for a year and a half before she had to give it up.
They’d had no other way to see to the expenses of the funeral and pay the hospital bill; selling her car was the only option, and Alexa had been willing to sacrifice it, as much as it hurt her to let go of what she counted as a piece of herself and her beloved dad.
Cassie wouldn’t let them take Alexa’s college fund, and Alexa wouldn’t let Cassie sellhercar; she needed it to go to her work more than Alexa needed hers to go to her school. In the end, they agreed to sell Alexa’s SUV, and Dr. Knight had jumped in to buy it from them as soon as he heard it. He also paid them more than the fair amount, leaving no room for argument.
The kind man had said the car was for his son. Alexa hadn’t even known he was a married man until then, as she had seen no ring on his finger; but to know that her precious car would be in familiar hands gave her a slight relief. She might even be able to see it one day. Dr. Knight was an old friend of their dad, after all, and whenever he had time off duty, he called to check in on them, and had promised to visit as well.
Alexa walked into the bookstore.
The familiar air greeted her like a cozy embrace. Almost out of habit, she ventured off toward the shelveswhere her sister’s books were. Not to her surprise, half of them were already sold out. Alexa brimmed with pride for her sister, and the feeling was as new as she felt it when Cassie published her first fantasy romance,Out of the Sea.
She moved on to the young adult section and began taking out titles she had never read before. She read the blurb of a few and chose one that piqued her interest before taking out her phone and googling to see if it was a spice-free romance.