Page 10 of The Sasquatch and the Hairdresser

“For real, is everyone in this town seriously this nice?”

“You won’t find a better bunch of folks than here in Mystic Hollow,” I say proudly. “Who else have you met so far?”

Skylar sucks on his lozenge and the tension in his body eases slightly. “I grabbed coffee and met Cumar earlier.”

A quiet hum escapes me, and I nod. “He’s a stand-up guy. Makes the best coffee around too.”

Skylar hesitates for a second. “I also met an honest-to-goodness dragon goddess. Can you believe it?”

My eyes widen. “Astraea?”

“You know her?”

I beam at him. “She’s staying at my B&B. Isn’t she wonderful?”

Skylar’s expression softens. “Yeah. I think she just may have saved my life.” He gives me a nervous shrug. “She’s helping me get a small business loan to open a hair salon in town.”

My eyes go wide. “Really? How perfect! We certainly need one. I’m sure you’ll have plenty of business fast.”

“Let’s hope so. Otherwise, I’m up shit creek without a paddle.”

His stomach suddenly growls so loudly that we both freeze in surprise.

Then my instincts kick in. “Oh dear! You must be hungry.” I reach into my apron again and pull out another plastic baggie, this one full of homemade trail mix. “Do you have any allergies? I made this myself. It has nuts, dried fruit, granola, and chocolate chips. I always carry some around in case I get peckish.”

Skylar blinks at me a few times and then, to my surprise, his eyes fill with tears.

“Fucking hell. Are you… for real?”

Flustered by his sudden tears, I reach back into my apron—the huge pockets are so very handy—and pull out a packet of tissues, which I hand to him.

I take a pinch of granola from the baggie and munch on it. “Again, totally safe, I promise. I make it for my best friend, Ryder, on a regular basis. He’s also human and a writer. He often forgets to eat proper meals, so having stuff at hand that’s easy to munch on while he’s working keeps him from inadvertently starving himself,” I say, clucking my tongue at the thought.

Skylar chuckles wetly and wipes his eyes, smudging his eyeliner a bit. “Thanks. Sorry I got so emotional all of a sudden. Today has just been… a lot more than I expected.”

“I find my emotions can be a bit unpredictable when I let myself get too hungry. Eat up and you’ll feel better.”

He finally takes the bag of trail mix and his lips quirk as he looks me up and down. “What else have you got stashed in that apron of yours? It’s almost as amazing as my grandma’s bottomless purse used to be. She had everything in that bag.” He breaks out into a full grin that gives me heart palpitations on the spot. “Love the design by the way.”

I flush as I glance down at my beige apron with the human-inspired Bigfoot silhouette and the words Don’t Sass the Squatch or the Cook. I swallow and let out a nervous chuckle when I return my gaze to Skylar.

“Uh… that is… thanks. My abundance of body hair means I don’t need to wear much when I go out in public, but aprons work the best. Lots of pockets for the essentials.”

Before he can respond to my super awkward and unnecessary explanation, a beeping sound interrupts us. He pulls a cell phone from his pocket, his smile fading as he stares at the screen.

My stomach clenches with worry. “Is everything okay?”

He forces a smile, but it’s a pale imitation of the one from only moments ago.

“Fine. I gotta go though. They’ve finished reviewing my business plan and want me back at the bank. Fingers crossed this goes well.” He peers up at me. “Good to meet you, Hal. Thanks again for”—he holds up the tissues, lozenges, and trail mix—“everything. I owe you.”

With that, he turns and hurries out of the store.

For a long time, I stand in a daze, clutching my shopping basket, unable to stop thinking about how his hand felt in mine—and the sadness emanating from his beautiful sea-green eyes.

CHAPTER THREE

Dear Journal (NOT a fucking diary!),