“Maybe I should go call your father.

“Hes on his honeymoon, she said instead of denying anything.

“Not forever. Ill wait until he gets back.

“Go ahead. He wont believe you. Hes only nice to you because of Lisa.

“Your Uncle Nick will believe me. He knows about the other two notes.

Her arms fell to her sides. “You told him? she cried as if Delaney was the person whod done something wrong.

“Yep, and hell believe me. She conveyed a certainty she didnt at all feel. “Hes not going to like it when I tell him youre the one leaving the threatening notes.

Sophie shook her head. “You cant tell him.

“Tell me why youve been sneaking around trying to scare me, and I might not call Nick.

Sophie stared at her for few long moments then took several steps backward. “Go ahead and call him then. Ill just deny it.

Delaney watched the girl disappear from the parking lot, then she turned and entered her salon. She couldnt let Sophie get away with what shed done, but the problem was, she didnt know what to do about it. She had no experience with children, and she didnt want to drop something like this on Lisa when she arrived back from her honeymoon. Also, she suspected Lisa might have her own problems with Sophie, and she didnt want to add to them. That left Nick. She wondered if hed believe her.

She was still wondering the next afternoon when Sophie walked into the salon at three-thirty. Delaney looked up from Mrs. Stokesberrys wig and spotted the girl hovering near the front door. She’d clipped the sides of her thick hair into flower barrettes, and her dark eyes were huge in her small face. She looked like a scared little girl in a big puffy coat. “I’ll be with you in a minute,” she called to her, then turned her attention to her client. She fit the white wig on the older woman, then handed her a black helmet of hair stuck on a Styrofoam head. She gave Mrs. Stokesberry her senior citizen discount, then helped her out the door.

Delaney turned her attention to Sophie and waited for the girl to speak. After a moment of hesitation Sophie said, “You didnt call Uncle Nick last night.

“Maybe I did and you just dont know yet.

“You didnt because Im staying with him until Dad and Lisa get back.

“Youre right. I didnt call him.

“Have you talked to him today?

“No.

“When are you going to?

“I dont know yet.

A deep furrow settled between her brows. “Are you trying to torture me?

Delaney hadnt thought about the agony the thirteen-year-old must be going through waiting for the bomb to drop. “Yes. She smiled. “Youre never going to know when or where Im going to say something.

“Okay, you win. I wanted to scare you so youd leave town. Sophie folded her arms over her chest and looked at a point somewhere behind Delaneys head. “Sorry.

She didnt sound sorry. “Whyd you do it?

“Because then my uncle would get everything that you always took from him. His father gave you everything and he had to wear holey jeans and T-shirts.

Delaney didnt remember Nick wearing anything holey. “I was Henrys stepdaughter, do you think I should have gone naked because my mother married Nicks father? Do you really think what Nick wore was my fault?

“Well, if your mother hadnt married Henry then—

“Then he would have become a great dad? Delaney interrupted. “He would have loved Nick and bought him anything he wanted? Married your grandmother? She could see by the look on Sophies face that was exactly what she thought. “It wouldnt have happened. Nick was ten when I moved to Truly, and in those ten years his father never acknowledged him. Never said one nice word.

“He might have.

“Yes, and monkeys might have flown out his butt, but the chances werent good. She shook her head. “Take off your coat and come on back, she ordered. She didnt think she could look at Sophies split ends for another minute.

“Why?

“Im going to wash your hair.

“I washed it this morning before school.

“Im also going to trim those dead ends for you. Delaney stopped by the sink and stared toward the front of the salon. Sophie hadnt budged. “Im still not sure I shouldnt call Nick and tell him about the notes youve been leaving.

With her scowl back in place, the girl shrugged out of her coat and walked to the back. “I dont want my hair cut. I like it long.

“Itll still be long. It just wont look like a frayed rope. Delaney used a mild shampoo and conditioner, then moved the girl to the salon chair. She combed and clipped, and if all that glorious dark hair had been attached to another head besides the girl frowning at her through the mirror, she might have been in stylist heaven. “You might not believe this, but your Uncle Nick doesnt want what Henry left me in his will. And I certainly dont want what he got.

“Then why are you always hanging around him, dancing and kissing and making him take you home when you get sick? I know all about the will, and I saw you staring at him. Grandma has seen it, too. You want him to be your boyfriend.

Had she really looked at him in that way? “Nick and I are friends, she said, as she sniped two inches of dried split hair. But were they? She didnt know how she really felt about him and was afraid of what he might feel for her. Afraid he might feel nothing one way or the other. “Dont you have boys who are just friends?

“A few, but thats different.

They both fell silent and Delaney thought about Nick and what she felt about him. Jealousy for sure. The thought of him with another woman made her stomach knot. Anxious, wondering when she might see him again, and disappointment at knowing it was probably best if she didnt.

She let down the remainder of Sophies hair and slightly beveled the ends so it would curl under easily at her shoulders. She grabbed a big round brush and blew it dry. Mostly Delaney felt confused.

“Why are you being nice?

“How do you know I am? You havent seen the back of your hair yet. She gave Sophie a hand mirror and spun her around.

Relief flooded the girls eyes when she saw her hair hadnt been butchered. “I dont have money to pay you.

“I dont want your money. Delaney removed the cape and neck strip and lowered the chair. “When someone asks you where you got your hair cut, you tell them at the Cutting Edge, but if you go home and start washing your beautiful hair with something harsh and it starts looking like hell again, you tell everyone you got it cut at Helens Hair Hut. She thought she detected a slight smile but wasnt quite sure. “No more notes, and Ill accept your apology when you really mean it.

Stone-faced, Sophie studied her reflection. Her eyes met Delaneys, then she walked to the front of the salon and grabbed her coat. After she walked out the door, Delaney watched her move down the sidewalk. Sophie waited half a block before she ran her fingers through her hair and tossed her head. Delaney smiled. She recognized the signs of a pleased customer.

She turned from the window and wondered what Sophies family would think.

The next morning she found out as she decorated her salon for the Christmas season. Nick walked into the front door of her salon wearing his leather jacket and platinum Oakleys. Delaney had just started coffee brewing and was preparing for her nine-thirty appointment. She had a half an hour before Wannetta Van Damme teetered in for her monthly finger wave.

“Sophie told me you cut her hair.

Delaney set a roll of clear tape and a string of green garland on her styling station counter. Her heart hitched a beat and she placed a hand on her stomach. “Yes, I did.

He reached for his sunglasses and slid his gaze down her black turtleneck and short kilt skirt to her black riding boots. “How much do I owe you? he asked as he shoved his Oakleys in his jacket pocket and pulled out a checkbook.