Page 12 of The Sasquatch and the Hairdresser

Before coming to Mystic Hollow, I’d met very few decent folks who wanted to give me a hand, let alone a sasquatch and a dragon goddess who seem too good to be true and, for whatever reason, like having me around.

In fact, everyone I’ve met in Mystic Hollow has welcomed me with warm and open hearts. The town’s residents appear happy to have me here, and quite a few have stopped me when I’m working to set up the salon to tell me how much they are looking forward to when I open. Legit, I’ve never felt so wanted and appreciated in my damn life.

My kindhearted host has also shown me more genuine care and concern than any human I’ve ever known. It’s been real nice but also fucking confusing. I made a massive mistake before, thinking someone actually cared for me, only to realize I was being manipulated for Damien’s own benefit.

Fucker.

Thankfully, Hal’s given me my space since I moved in. He’s not forcing a friendship and he isn’t trying to dig into my past either. Instead, I’ve been able to take my time to adjust to my new situation over the last few weeks. Hal isn’t intrusive, but he’s also always available and ready to lend me a hand anytime I need it. With every interaction we have, I relax a little more and start to believe I can trust him.

I wolf down my scrambled eggs cooked to perfection and savor the bacon, using the toasted homemade bread as a chaser. Even I’m surprised I still have room to eat the yogurt and granola too. It’s become clear to me that I’d lost a lot of weight in the past year. Partly, I found I had no appetite some days. But now that seems to have passed. It certainly helps that Hal’s a fantastic cook.

A guy could really get used to this kind of treatment.

I know I can’t stay at the B&B forever, though, so I’m trying not to take any of Hal’s generosity for granted.

It also didn’t take me long to figure out the gentle giant is a complete romantic at heart. Most of the bookshelves all over the house are lined with romance novels, many of them from the town’s own celebrity author, Ryder St. James, who was a resident at the B&B before I moved in and turns out to be Hal’s best friend. Now it’s just me and Astraea staying here, which is fine with me. I’m not big on crowds much.

It’s hard for me to understand how he’s single. It’s obvious Hal would love to have a partner from the way he looks at Ryder and Vash when they video chat, and I’d say he’s a real catch. A gentle, caring guy is better than a toxic wannabe alpha male any day.

I shudder as my ex’s face pops into my head like the unsolicited dick pic it truly is.

Damien was bad-boy handsome, that’s for sure, but he was also a cocky asshole with a dark side I didn’t find out about until I was in way too deep. In the end, his looks didn’t make up for the rotten personality and cruel behavior.

Fuckin’ quit that shit, brain! He doesn’t deserve to take up space in my life anymore.

Hal finishes his food and leans back in his chair. The furniture in the house is oversized to accommodate him and similar Otherkind guests whose bodies are on the larger side, which makes total sense, but sometimes it makes me feel a bit like Goldilocks in a house with only Papa Bear’s furniture.

Hal’s still cautious with how he moves his body around me though. I almost get the impression he’s worried I’m a scared rabbit who might run off if he startles me. It’s kind of sweet, truth be told. He seems to worry about me, and I don’t know what to think about that.

“When is opening day at the salon?” Astraea asks, breaking my reverie.

I haven’t had a lot to smile about in far too long, but now I can’t hold back a grin. “Three weeks from Friday. I’ve got almost everything set up and ready to go, just waiting on our final order of product and the hair sinks to get installed.”

Astraea steeples her hands in front of her, clicking her long electric blue nails together. “Excellent. In fact, I’d like to be one of your first appointments, if I may. I’m loving this braid you’ve come up with, but I need to refresh my overall look. After all, this color’s at least a couple of millennia old,” she offers with a mischievous wink.

The thought still blows my mind. As a being from the Celestial Realm and the mother of all dragons, Astraea is an actual force of nature and has been around for what sounds like nearly forever. I can’t even imagine what that must be like.

From what I’ve learned in my short time here, though, this is one of her first trips to our realm in many years. I’m not entirely sure why, but she’s not often able to leave the Celestial Realm for extended periods of time, and she’s told me that her time here in Mystic Hollow is rapidly coming to an end.

I’m already bracing myself for the day she moves on. She was my very first connection here, and I owe her so damn much. From helping guide me through the small business loan process to pointing me toward the perfect place for my salon, she’s been front and center in every aspect of my dream becoming reality.

Most of all, she’s shown me how magical Mystic Hollow really is, and I’m ready to give back to the town as much as I possibly can.

“I keep telling you, Main Street is long overdue for a hair salon,” Astraea murmurs as she sips her coffee.

Hal sips his coffee too and nods enthusiastically. “So true. There used to be an old troll who acted as the town barber, but he retired several years before I arrived ten years ago. No one has even attempted to fill that void until now.” He gives me a bashful smile, then looks away.

Every time I’m around Hal, I can’t help but think he’s a big, adorable teddy bear who desperately needs a cuddle. Maybe that Papa Bear analogy was not all that far off…

Scratch that. I don’t really see Hal as a father figure. No, he makes me all warm and fluttery inside in ways I don’t want to look at too closely.

“Your salon will be an instant hit, Skylar,” Astraea says. “I’m sure you’ll have plenty of clients from day one.”

“I sure as hell hope so,” I mutter, gnawing at my bottom lip and wishing I had a cigarette. “A lot of people have stopped by to tell me how excited they are about it. I hope it lives up to their hopes too.”

I pop one of the lozenges Hal makes for me—which I now call Hal’s Craving Crushers—into my mouth, and after sucking on it for a while, the craving starts to go away. Taking out the small business loan was a huge gamble, and all the town goodwill in the world doesn’t mean my salon will be a success.

And if it isn’t, I’m well and truly fucked in every way.