“We’re women of the new millennium, Cindy. It’s okay for us to do the asking.”
Cindy was aware that her outdated expectations came straight from her asshole father, who’d told his daughters never to be “forward” with men lest they be branded sluts. And yes, he’d used that word. She shook off that unpleasant memory to keep her focus on Mallory as she inspected her dry hair for uneven edges. Satisfied, she grabbed her hand mirror to show Mallory the back. “Everything look okay?”
“It looks great, as always. Thank you so much.”
Cindy removed the cape that had protected Mallory’s clothing. “My pleasure. Nice to see you, and thanks again for the muffin.”
Mallory gave her a quick hug. “You, too, and you’re welcome. Ask that man out. The worst that can happen is he says no—and I doubt he will.”
“I hear you.”
After Mallory had paid and set up her next appointment, Cindy waved her off, while thinking about what Mallory had said. If Cindy asked Jace out and he said no, that’d make everything between them so awkward, she might feel that she couldn’t hang out at the Beachcomber anymore. Since that had become her favorite part of the day, she’d hate to risk messing that up.
But the more time she spent with him, the more time she wanted to spend with him.
If only she knew if he felt the same way about her.
Ugh, this was like high school all over again—and that was bad enough the first time around. The last thing she needed was to mess up a nice friendship. If she’d learned anything in her life, it was to leave well enough alone.