As it was, there was already a good possibility that Ashley was zipping around Capital City with the convertible top retracted, the latest
American Idol
soundtrack booming through the car's powerful speakers, and her blond hair held in check by a costly designer scarf. And since she believed that most women dressed their best every day of their lives (with the exception of her own family members), she wouldn't have the foggiest notion that her beauty would attract unnecessary attention. But Cooper knew that once the Capital City employees clocked out and headed to their cars to enjoy the remainder of the perfect spring day, it would be difficult not to notice a lovely blond in a sleek and expensive sports car.
After parking the van, Cooper went inside the office, spent a few minutes cleaning her tools, and then changed out of her uniform into a pair of jeans and a paprika-colored T-shirt, just in case Cindi should choose to get her nails done that very afternoon. As she was rinsing out her coffee mug in the employee kitchen, Ben limped in, sighing and groaning as though he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.
"Rough workout at the gym?" Cooper inquired, seeing how he favored his left leg.
Ben blinked, as though surprised not to find himself alone in the room. "You could say that," he muttered and removed a canned protein shake from the fridge. He popped the can open and began to drink in loud, desperate gulps.
While he was drinking, Cooper examined Ben's thin frame. He didn't look like he had put on much weight over the past few months, but his arms did seem more developed than they had over the winter.
"I think you're bulking up a bit, Ben," she complimented him in hopes of making him smile.
It didn't work. He dunked his empty shake can into the garbage with unnecessary force and wiped his lips with a paper towel. Cooper noticed that his hands seemed to be shaking slightly.
"You going to the gym now?" she asked as he turned away.
"Anywhere but home. There's no room for anyone there if his name ain't Jim Beam or Johnnie Walker." And with that, Ben stalked out of the break room.
Cooper was still trying to digest what was behind Ben's remark when her cell phone rang. It was Ashley.
"I did it!" she shouted exuberantly. "Cindi was
so
easy to spot. I mean, she's got good taste in clothes, but she just doesn't know how to put the pieces together! She was wearing chartreuse and black, which is a great combination, but with these beige slingback pumps and an off-white hobo purse. If she had only--"
"Ashley!" Cooper interjected before her sister could launch into an in-depth analysis of Cindi Rolf ng's outfit. "Did you get a chance to speak to her?"
"I sure did. She only went to one store, a place called Wine Lovers off Ridgef eld. She spent a long while picking out a Pinot Noir. I broke the ice by recommending a bottle of Castle Rock. I remember you telling me she was a single mom so I figured she wouldn't want to spend more than twenty dollars, so I was mighty surprised when she decided on a bottle of Acacia for more than twice the price of the Castle Rock."
Cooper fought to contain her impatience as Ashley rambled on about how Lincoln had helped her develop a more sophisticated palate. "The nails, Ashley?"
"Oh, I'm just having a bit of fun, Cooper." Ashley was capable of injecting a fat-lipped pout into her voice when she wanted to. "I thought you might be interested in the fact that her clothes, her wine, and that two-thousand-dollar Tiffany bracelet she's wearing seem doggone fancy for a secretary."
"I told you about her and the married man," Cooper reminded her.
"Well,
he
must be doing all right, that's for sure," Ashley stated with a trace of admiration. "Anyway, that's the end of my little story. Cindi uses a really nice nail place in Short Pump Mall, right near Macy's. She's got an appointment at five thirty tomorrow for a full set." She paused. "Go on, tell me that I'm a genius!"
Cooper frowned. "What's a full set? Trish mentioned it the other day and I have no idea what that means."
"Oh, for goodness' sake, Coop. Do you live under a rock beneath a layer of concrete? A full set refers to having acrylic nails applied over your natural nails. They're resilient and polish lasts
much
longer on them." Cooper could hear Ashley's garage door creaking open. "Personally, I prefer to get weekly manicures and show off the healthy state of my own nails, but
I'm
very dedicated when it comes to applying cuticle cream and taking vitamin E and keratin pills every day.
Some
people don't spend as much time as they need to on their appearance."
Annoyed, Cooper took the bait. "
Some
people have jobs." She immediately relented. "Listen, thank you, Ashley. You found out exactly what we needed to know. Now Trish can do her thing."
"You're welcome. And I'd volunteer to come along, but it would look kind of strange if I showed up at the salon when Cindi does. Plus, I've got my Roofs Overhead committee meeting. My committee is holding a black-tie fundraiser to buy a home in Church Hill for a needy family. That means another dress for me!" Ashley turned off her car engine. "I'm home, Coop, but let me give you a teeny piece of advice before you get a pedicure tomorrow."
Cooper's stomach lurched at the thought. "What?"
"Shave your legs," Ashley ordered. "People at the salon are going to see them all the way to your knobby knees, so don't gross them out."
"I shave my legs, Ashley. Regularly, in fact," Cooper responded crossly.
"Small miracles
do
happen," Ashley retorted, giggling. "I can't wait to hear what color you pick. There's a really nice OPI rose shade called Aphrodite's Pink Nightie. Might get you in the right mood for your next encounter with Nathan."
"I think I can handle picking out my own polish, thanks," Cooper muttered, though the last time she had used polish on her toes had to be three summer ago. It had only taken two days for it to chip off beneath her work boots so she hadn't bothered to paint her toes since, and she had never had a pedicure at a professional nail salon.
Over the phone, Cooper could hear Ashley enter her house and dump her car keys on a table. "If you're really feeling daring, there's the Australia collection. You can get Tasmanian Devil Made Me Do It. Who knows? You might want to drive right over to Nathan's, show him your toes, and some
other
body parts."
"Good-bye, Ashley!" Cooper shouted and hung up to the sound of her sister's laughter.
"Finally, I can
do
something useful to help!" Trish exclaimed when Cooper phoned her at home to tell her about Cindi's nail appointment. "Ever since Wesley was jailed, I've been listening and puzzling, but not performing any
real
service. I can't wait to use my people skills on this little lamb."
"I'd consider Cindi more wolf than sheep," Cooper cautioned. "And I'm glad I won't be in your shoes, 'cause I don't think it's going to be easy to get information out of her."
"Leave it to me," Trish stated with confidence. "I'll expect to see you in one of the pedicure chairs by the time Cindi and I arrive at five thirty."
Cooper saluted the phone. "Yes, ma'am!"
At five ten that Wednesday afternoon, Cooper stepped inside the nail salon and was welcomed by the soft instrumental music of flutes blended with recordings of waves breaking. A group of lovely young Asian women immediately looked up from their work and said, "Hello!" while an older woman, who was likely the only worker in the room weighing over one hundred and ten pounds, approached the tidy reception podium and smiled.
"Can I help you?"
Cooper nodded. "I have an appointment for a pedicure for five fifteen."
The woman traced a crimson nail down the length of an appointment book. Her finger came to rest on an indiscernible scribble. Without asking for Cooper's name, she said, "Yes. Come this way, please."
"Minnie will do your pedicure," the older Asian woman informed Cooper, pointing to a petite Asian girl who looked no older than seventeen. Minnie gave a low bow and began to fill the pedicure tub with water. She then sprinkled some green powder into the bath and put a hand on a padded leather seat attached to the tub unit, indicating that Cooper should sit down. Slightly embarrassed by her footwear, Cooper removed her work shoes and thick, white ankle socks and climbed into the luxurious chair.
"Water okay?" Minnie asked her.
"Great," Cooper answered, her feet pleasantly shocked by the bubbles churning up the water.
"You pick a color?" Minnie looked around, frowning.
Cooper shook her head. She hadn't realized that she needed to choose a shade before the pedicure began. "Would you choose one for me?"
Minnie nodded, pleased. She gathered her shining cascade of blue-black hair, twisted it fiercely in one hand, and pinned it up with a clip using the other hand. "You soak," she directed, turned off the tap, and then pointed at a neat stack of magazines alongside Cooper's chair. "We got new
People
. All about Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise daughter. She so cute," she added and then walked off toward the chrome wall shelf containing dozens of shades of nail polish.
Cooper decided that having a magazine available to obscure her face from Cindi's view was a good idea, so she selected the most recent edition of
Vogue
from the thick pile of fashion magazines. Taking note of the gorgeous brunette on the cover, modeling one of summer's trendy strapless tank dresses, Cooper flipped the magazine open to a page issuing advice to women on recovering from an unexpected breakup. She read a few lines of the advice, satisfied that she had already followed several of the writer's sensible suggestions, including creating a fresh circle of friends. However, Cooper was too distracted by the perfume ad on the opposite page to read any further.
The ad for Bondage showed a woman draped along the length of a couch clad in a gold dress so clingy and sheer that she might as well have worn nothing at all. She also wore a thick gold necklace resembling a collar and a bracelet that reminded Cooper of a manacle. Her hair was a glossy dark brown and her eyes were a frosty blue. A white tiger knelt at her feet, wearing a gold collar similar to the model's necklace. Its fangs were bared and its blue eyes were almost the same shade as her mistress's. A man dressed in nothing but a white towel knelt by the woman's head, offering her a bottle of perfume on a gilt tray. His muscular body was hairless and glistened, as though he had rolled in cooking oil before the shoot. He too wore a gold collar that matched the tiger's, but his eyes were closed, as though in a state of worship.
For a moment, Cooper saw the male model as Drew, who offered her a glass of champagne as she lounged on a sofa, listening to him repeatedly beg for forgiveness and profess his love. But Drew's face wavered, only to be replaced by Nathan's. Her pulse immediately quickened and Cooper fantasized about him pulling her body against his for a passionate kiss. With eyes closed, she took a deep sniff of the perfumed strip enclosed in the magazine and instantly recoiled. To her, Bondage smelled like some of the natural pesticides she and her father used in their garden.
"You no like color?" Minnie sounded hurt.
Cooper shut the magazine and flushed. "Sorry. I didn't know you were back." She took the bottle of polish Minnie held out in her childlike hand. It was a brownish pink called Dulce de Leche. "It's perfect," Cooper told Minnie. "Thank you."
Offering a tiny bow and smile, Minnie returned to her black stool by Cooper's feet and pulled a wheeled tray closer to her side. Nervously, Cooper noted an assortment of sharp metal objects lying on the tray. The only non-threatening tool she saw was a fat emery board.
Minnie raised a pair of clippers and prepared to clip Cooper's big toe, but the second the metal connected with Cooper's body, she jerked her foot away. Minnie looked up at her in surprise. "You no want cut down?"
"It tickles!" Cooper laughed. "Sorry, this is my first time. I'll try to sit still."
Minnie smiled. "Oh, you like it. It no hurt. I take good care of you."
"I'm sure you will." Relaxing, Cooper reopened the magazine and glanced at her watch. Ten minutes to go until Cindi would appear. Cooper wondered if it had been a good idea to show up five minutes early for her appointment. What if Minnie finished before Cindi and Trish even arrived? Why did the Lees always have to be five minutes early for everything, she wondered to herself.
Cooper winced as Minnie removed the dead skin around her toes with sharp cuticle nippers. Unintentionally, Cooper's foot twitched and squirmed as the aggressive metal tool took little nibbles of flesh from her toes.
"Is okay." Minnie withheld her tools for a moment. "Nobody likes this part."
Next, Minnie pulled Cooper's foot off the padded bench at the end of the pedicure tub and retrieved another tool that closely resembled a torture device belonging to a dentist or perhaps a government spy. "What's that?" Cooper asked with a trace of alarm as Minnie pivoted the tool and pointed at the razor blade fastened to the handle.
"Take off thick skin. Ah...what you call calluses," Minnie explained. "It no hurt." She began to stroke the bottom of Cooper's foot.
Cooper fidgeted in her chair. "That tickles too!" she declared, laughing out loud.
Just as Minnie took a firmer hold of Cooper's foot, Cindi walked through the door. Cooper could see that Trish was only seconds behind the secretary. In fact, Cindi had to hold the door open for her. Trish thanked Cindi and then immediately asked her where she had purchased her handbag. By the time they were seated side-by-side, the two women were in the midst of an animated exchange regarding their favorite Richmond boutiques.
