Howl at the Moon Read Online Free Page B

question, Coco.”
    “Missy, don’t get smart with me. I came to help you. Have a little faith. You went running out of my store crying a storm. In my book, that means you need help. Has the world gotten so bad people can’t look out for one another anymore? You want to frisk me for weapons?”
    * * * *
    “Oh, good one, darling.”
    “Shut up, Lea, I’m trying to work here.”
    “But you’re doing such a good job.”
    “I don’t have a choice, remember.”
    “Ah, so you didn’t mean those things you said?”
    “Of course not.”
    “I think you did. Deep down inside. I think you did. Let me know if I have to bespell her.”
    “Bespell her?”
    “Yeah, help her to think you are the best friends in the world.”
    “You can do that? Why didn’t you do it first!”
    “It’s better this way. Trust me, Coco.”
    “Then why say anything.”
    “’Cause.” Lea winked out of her mind.
    * * * *
    “Bitch,” Coco muttered.
    “What?” Tatiana asked, frowning.
    “Nothing.”
    “I suppose it’s hard to hide weapons with the way you’re dressed.”
    “Have a little faith, Tatiana.”
    Breathing deeply Tatiana looked at the woman before her. In a way, she was right. Tatiana didn’t have many friends. Even the ones she worked with her would get on her for even taking a chance on Clyde in the first place. She already knew what they would say. That was, if they even had time after dealing with their own problems. Sylvia was newly a single mom after her ex-husband decided he wanted the maid instead of her. Joyce was so career-oriented, most times the girls wondered if she even knew she had female parts or not. Lana had lost the only man she ever loved to Operation Iraqi Freedom just a few short years ago, and Reese…well Reese was Reese. She was the wallflower. She was the one who relied on them to protect her, especially after a playboy had broken her heart. A hard family life growing up made her painfully shy around anyone else, really. Tatiana could call any of them, but why would she? They were best friends, but this, she was too embarrassed to share, even with them. She sighed, she supposed she’d seen weirder things. Done weirder things, if earlier today was anything to go by.
    “My bathroom is the second door on the right if you turn down that hallway on your left.”
    “Second question: Got any alcohol?”
    “Do I look that bad?”
    “Honestly? Yes, but pain does that. One thing at a time.”
    “Yes. I got the fixings for amaretto sours in the fridge.”
    “Let’s make a jug then, get some ice and some cherries, and then you can tell Coco what’s wrong.”
    “Okay.” So commanded, Tatiana made the amaretto sours with Coco in record time it seemed, amid scoops of ice cream and chuckles, before being marched, with a very big glass to drink, to the bathroom.
    “Now, for the messy bun, it’s a little of an art. Don’t try to make it messy. Let it be messy. Your hair is braids at the top so it is going to look a little different but the free hair will make it look good.” Coco let Tatiana’s hair down fall around her shoulders and turned her to the mirror, standing behind her as she talked. “Now. Let’s put it back into a ponytail, leaving some braids out. Plug in your curling iron.” Tatiana did as she asked, leaving some out for bangs and at the nape of her neck.
    “Good. Now, I’m going to separate the hair into four sections in your ponytail and curl those. Then I’m going to wrap that around your bun individually, letting some braids fall down in some curls.”
    The curling iron clipped and steamed around her hair haphazardly. There was no real design to the style. Just steps to make something look messy that actually took time to create. Tatiana felt herself relaxing into Coco’s hands. She let the stress of the day melt away under alcohol and the simple pastime of getting her hair done. Tatiana wasn’t sure why she felt so relaxed but she did. In no time, Coco had her hair spiral