Hijinks Read online

  Hijinks

  By

  Debra Kayn

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Hijinks

  1st Digital release: Released under the title, Homemade Hijinks, Copyright© 2013 Debra Kayn

  2nd Digital release: Copyright© 2013 Debra Kayn

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  www.debrakayn.com

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Sneak Peek – Healing Trace by Debra Kayn

  Author Bio

  Debra Kayn's Backlist

  Dedication

  To my family—Your love and understanding amaze me. Thank you for the late hours, the one-sided conversations as I plotted, and most of all, your help in believing in a dream.

  Chapter 1

  The bells attached to the side door of the hairstyling shop jingled. “The air-conditioning is now on,” Domo, the voice of the computer running Shannon’s Smart House announced.

  Shannon Johansson whirled around with the scissors hanging from her fingers. “I swear, I’m going to move those bells when I’m done. Every time the vent kicks on, it scares me half to death when they ring. It’s not even hot in here.”

  Shannon shook her head on a sigh and continued to snip at her best friend, Linda Yager’s hair. “I think the holidays are messing with Domo’s brain. I’m going to call the tech to access the main computer after the holidays so he can figure out why Domo keeps telling me he’s lowering the lights on the second floor when I’ve shut them off myself. I’ve been waiting for the new system upgrade in February, but this is ridiculous. He’s never made mistakes before, and the random times he turns the AC on is costing me a fortune. I can’t even manually change the thermostat.”

  “Don’t you ever feel like hitting the main switch and having a normal house?” Linda moved aside the cape attached around her neck and brushed her pert nose with her hand. “Besides, it’s whacked. Only your parents would leave you a house that practically breathes and requires attention. Why couldn’t they give you a Porsche?”

  “I don’t need a fancy car when my old Chevy serves the purpose of taking me around town.” She spared Linda a glance. “I like my house. Besides, Domo keeps me company and gives me someone to talk to at night. A Porsche is just an accessory.”

  “That attitude is seriously unhealthy for a twenty-seven-year-old, single woman. Although, it will make it much easier for me to buy you a gift next year.” Linda grinned at Shannon’s reflection in the mirror.

  “You might as well tell me what you’re planning.” She paused and eyed the 35C warm brown shade newly applied to Linda’s hair. “You can’t keep a secret to save your life, and it’ll drive you crazy until you spill.”

  “A gift card good for two months of psychological therapy,” Linda said and laughed.

  Linda’s assessment of her life hit too close to home. Shannon smiled to cover her embarrassment. Her almost obsessive need to stay planted in Seaport, California, caused more heartache than healing.

  Her lack of friends growing up, and moving to different schools had stressed her out. But, no matter how many times she’d begged her parents to stay in one spot, they always uprooted her just when she finally started feeling secure. When she was eighteen, she put her foot down and refused to go on any more trips.

  Her absent parents bestowing their Smart House on her, that they used when visiting the states and letting her plant roots, brought a small amount of normalcy to her life she couldn’t explain to others. In fact, Domo had become such a big part of her life. He was her family.

  Deep down, she knew her contentment living in a fully functioning house was odd, so she tried not to think about it too often. “Save your money. I’d rather have one month of massages at Jolie’s Spa.”

  “Wouldn’t we all?” Linda fidgeted in the chair. “So, what are the plans for New Year’s Eve?”

  “I thought we were going to the town square with everyone else. It’s tradition. We haven’t missed welcoming in the New Year together in eight years.” She sectioned off Linda’s hair. “Did you hear the businesses around town raised enough money during the fundraiser to buy a short fireworks display for after the bells toll at midnight? Crazy Curls brought in almost five hundred dollars. I’m so proud of my customers.”

  “That’ll be the perfect way to celebrate. Since Alex came home this morning, we can all—”

  “What?” The scissors slipped from her hand and she stared in horror as the blades twirled through the air before plunging between her big toe and the one beside it, missing the plastic, fuchsia chrysanthemum on her flip-flop.

  “Oh my God.” Linda turned in the chair and shrieked. “Are you okay?”

  The scissors stuck straight up in the air. Shannon wiggled her toes, her heart pounding. “I’m fine.”

  Alex had come back to Seaport? Now? Why? She held on to the chair, afraid to move an inch. The last thing he’d told her after she broke their engagement was if he left, he was never coming back for her.

  “You could’ve lost a toe.” Linda grabbed her hands. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yeah.” No.

  Alex, her best friend’s older brother, the man who’d stolen her heart eight years ago, was right next door at this very second. A short walk away. She shook her head. Maybe Linda broke into the champagne early, and she was already tipsy. They told each other everything, and it wasn’t right that Linda would keep Alex coming back for a visit secret.

  Destined to be a high-powered family law attorney in New York, Alex flew out of town a year ago, the moment he passed the bar, for a faster pace of life. He’d told her many times he wanted to move beyond small-town living and experience the world.

  She thought their love would change his mind. Then when he asked her to marry him, she believed he’d quit his job and move back. They both hated the long distance relationship.

  Their engagement had created more problems. He’d expected her to move to New York, and because she wasn’t willing to move, she’d given his ring back. The room swayed, and she closed her eyes. She regretted losing him every moment of every day.

  Linda fell to her knees and plucked the scissors out of the foam of her flip-flop. “There. You can move now. Are you positive you’re feeling all right? You’re even paler than normal.”

  “I’m fine. See?” She stuck her leg out. “The scissors missed my foot completely. I can’t say the same for the shoes. They’re ruined, and this was my favorite pair too.”

  “I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.” Linda sighed. “I opened my big mouth without thinking. I told Alex he should’ve called and warned you. He knows I always let secrets slip.”

  She pressed the palm of her hand to her forehead. “He’s come back? Seriously?”

  “Until New Year’s Day. Mom and Dad tried to convince him to stay at the house, but he’s staying at the hotel.” Linda’s brow furrowed and she studied Shannon intently. “I’m sorry I kept it from you. He wanted to surprise everyone, and I promised him I’d try. You know how I am. Excitement takes over
and words come out of my mouth.”

  She loved her best friend dearly, but in two hours, the whole town would know how she almost killed herself over the return of Alex Yager. News traveled at lightning speed when it came to speculations. Even faster when the gossip came from Linda, but to keep the secret of Alex coming back to town hurt. How could Linda not tell her when she knew how much Alex meant to her?

  “We were meant to be sisters in-law.” Linda stuck her lower lip out in a pout. “Can’t you change your mind about moving?”

  “No,” she whispered. “You know how much I hated the way I grew up. Alex wants to branch out. First New York, then...who knows where he’ll go. He’s got his own dreams, and I’d never hold him back.”

  The urge to go outside and try to catch a glimpse of him next door was almost too strong to ignore. Goose bumps broke out on her legs. Perspiration made her skin clammy. Her whole stance on staying far, far away from Alex dwindled by the second.

  She directed Linda back in the chair. “Let me finish your hair. If you want to get lucky tonight with Jonathon, you’ll have to knock his socks off and take his focus off the big game on television.”

  Flustered, Shannon searched for any kind of distraction to get her mind off her new worry. She collected another pair of shears, took a new comb out of the drawer and stood behind the chair. Alex had moved on with his life, and she was perfectly fine by herself. She’d prove it.

  Her in-home business paid the bills and she lived comfortably within her budget. Her friends were here. Most of all, she thrived in the small-town atmosphere and promised herself she’d never move again.

  “Are you sure you’re okay to cut my hair?” Linda raised her shoulders almost to her earlobes.

  “Of course. There’s nothing to worry about, but I can’t cut your hair if you keep moving.” Shannon’s hands shook, and she turned the chair away from the mirror to keep Linda from watching her cut her hair. “Just relax and let me do my magic.”

  She couldn’t believe Alex was back. That whole out-of-sight-out-of-mind thing? Yeah, it didn’t work in her experience. Not if yearning for him every night before she fell asleep was any indication. After months apart, she still felt the pull, even in his absence. Her friends called her melodramatic. No one understood, but she lived it.

  She’d be making her bed in the morning and her mind would wander back to the man who stole her heart when he stood on the fountain in the town square in front of all his friends and asked her out on a date. She clipped a new section of Linda’s hair and went about styling the strands into an edgy bob.

  I will not ask. I will not ask. I will not—“Why did he come back?”

  “Alex?” Linda frowned. “I guess he finally found some free time to visit the family. He’s been busy if we go by the few phone calls he’s made home lately. You know, he leased a condominium in some fancy-smancy building about six months ago. He’s probably getting things set up there, and you know how he is about making sure everything is perfect.”

  She hadn’t known he’d settled down. Last she’d known, he was renting an apartment. Lately, anytime someone brought the topic of Alex up, she changed the subject. It was too painful to know she was the cause of his absence.

  She expected his family to blame her for driving him away, but they treated her with the same love and kindness they always did. They continued to open their door, their arms, and welcome her inside, no matter if she was seeing their son or not.

  The bells on the door tinkled again. She groaned, choosing to ignore the noise. She really needed to call the repair tech. She couldn’t be jumping every time the AC kicked on or Domo announced he was shutting off the lights. She’d make the appointment this week while she was on vacation.

  She had decided to close the beauty shop between Christmas and New Year’s, but today she’d agreed to give Linda a cut and style for her night out with Jonathon. There was no reason to work when all her routine customers were busy with family activities and visiting relatives for the holiday. She could open on the second of January, fully prepared to go back to her hectic schedule.

  She used the extra free days to submerge herself in baking and catching up on the odd jobs around the house she’d neglected the last couple of months. Staying busy kept her from feeling sorry for herself for having no family around.

  Alex was the closest thing she could call hers, and she’d let him go. Christmas and New Years weren’t the same, no matter how hard Linda’s parents tried to include her in all their festivities. It just reminded her of what she was missing.

  She lifted her gaze to the door. A familiar face stood in her salon, and she gasped in surprise. Her heartbeat went into overdrive and her pulse raced in her head, blocking out all sound. Just the thrum, shroom, thrum, shroom of her body coming alive filled the room.

  “Hello, Shannon.” Alex’s deep, husky voice curled around her.

  She stared, soaking him in and not believing he was here. “How did you get in? Domo had the door locked.”

  He looked neither angry nor happy to see her. His thick, black waves of hair skimmed the collar of his white dress shirt. She swallowed hard. He’d always rebelled against the short, manicured styles most lawyers thought of as fashionable. How many times had she practiced cutting his hair, and he always warned her to only take a smidge off?

  “Maybe Domo’s falling down on the job. The door was unlocked.” He slipped his large hands—hands she knew were calloused from the many sports he played in his spare time—into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “I thought I’d come by and say hi.”

  Tanned skin, broad shoulders those eyes... She added a final touch of mousse to Linda’s hair, fluffed, and removed the cape. “There you go. You’re all done.”

  Linda gave her a hug and slipped money in her hand. She glared and tried to hand the cash back. “Linda—”

  “Just take it and don’t argue.” Linda kissed her cheek. “I’ve got to run. Jonathon is picking me up soon, and I want to go add makeup to highlight my new, fabulous haircut.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered, watching her friend desert her, when what she needed was Linda to run interference between her and Alex.

  Linda almost walked into the door that refused to open. Shannon cringed as Linda bounced back and waited to be let out. “Sorry. I don’t know what is up with him.”

  “He’s losing his smarts.” Linda snorted and grinned at Alex, who shook his head.

  “Domo. Open the door in the salon,” she said, thankful when the door clicked and opened for Linda.

  Alone with her ex-fiance, Shannon turned her attention to Alex. Despite the warmth of the day, he wore black slacks and a dress shirt as if he didn’t have time to change before stepping out of his office. Except, he’d left his shirttails untucked, his collar open and skipped the tie. She inhaled deeply, enjoying the sight of him. The desire in his eyes shined down on her.

  Maybe she was imagining that particular emotion coming from him. They’d broken up. He should hate her for what she’d done to them. She broke away from his gaze and grabbed the broom. They had nothing more to say to each other. Having him here only made her hurt more, but maybe punishing her was his intent.

  He walked across the room, spun the chair to face her and sat down, making himself at home. “How have you been?”

  “Great. Couldn’t be better.” She scooped the hair into the dustpan, carried it across the room and dumped it in the garbage. Hating how snippy she sounded, she added, “I’m sure your mom and dad are happy you came home.”

  “Yeah, you could say that. Mom’s being...well, Mom.” He leaned back and set his feet on the footrest. “You’ve changed the place since I’ve been here. It looks great. Is that a new wall?”

  She glanced at the seven shelves lining the wall and nodded. “Bart Conrad, you remember him, right? He went to school with your older brother, I think. He built the wall, covered up the studs from the garage and built the shelves for the products I sell to my customers
. He gave me a great deal, and since he swore he could construct the wall without compromising the security, I hired him. I think it turned out wonderful.”

  He chuckled. “You should’ve had him disable the house while he was working.”

  Her back stiffened. His attitude toward her house hadn’t changed. “Not happening, and I don’t plan to ever shut Domo down as long as I’m living here. And seeing how I’ll never move, it’s a moot point, isn’t it?”

  “I suppose so.”

  They lapsed into silence. In the past, they could spend hours together not talking, content in each other’s company. Not today. Her gaze went back to him and an unexpected heat rolled through her.

  “Shan?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Are you coming to my parents’ party?” he asked.

  She hadn’t missed an After Christmas-Before New Year’s party at the Yager’s in eight years. “I was thinking of starting a new tradition this year. I’ve found a few recipes I want to try and...”

  She was a terrible liar. It wouldn’t be the same without joining the family who welcomed her into their home anytime she needed company. With her parents always gone, she had days if not weeks when they left her alone and she grew lonely. Charles and Talia Yager always had time for her, despite having three children of their own and both of them working full time.

  He shifted and slipped his hand into his pocket. “I found this the other day. Do you remember when I gave it to you?”

  She approached him and took the piece of paper he held out. Her fingers skimmed his hand, and she jerked away. Turning, she unfolded the paper, read the message and squeezed her eyes shut against the onslaught of pain. The hollowness she’d carried inside of her filled with unshed tears, threatening to choke her.

  How could he think she forgot the words he’d written the night they became engaged? Along with an engagement ring, he’d handed her a tiny silver bell with the note that read, Wherever you are, ring the bell, and I’ll come to you.

  She’d tested him the same night she’d received the gift. When she believed everyone next door slept, she’d stood on the porch and jingled the bell. Softly at first, afraid of waking his parents, and then louder when her courage grew bolder. She’d laughed when the door opened and he slipped outside to gather her in his arms.