There Will Be Freedom

37. Personal Assets

Maddie's POV

I sat in the beauty salon chair and checked the clock on the wall for the fiftieth time.

"If you don't stop turning your head, I'm never going to get all these pins out," the hairdresser, Pierre, scolded me yet again.

"I'm sorry. I should have been home half an hour ago." I bit my lip.

"You can't rush beauty. I had to color, cut, layer, and blow-dry. That takes time. Your husband will understand."

"I'm not sure he will." I exhaled.

Justin was going to kill me. He had a very important meeting today at the house with a congressman. From what I understood, it was a lunch visit to discuss some rather significant business. I totally forgot until this morning when Justin brought it up over breakfast. He was agitated, to say the least, that I scheduled a hair appointment today, but I assured him I would be home in time. I guess I was wrong. Thankfully, Katy Nana had been texting me all afternoon and the congressman had yet to show up.

He would probably kill me when I walked in the door.

"Is there any way you could hurry this up?" I pleaded. "It looks fine."

"I won't have you walking out of my salon looking like a troll doll. Just sit still. I'm almost done."

Bridget, the foremost authority on fashion in Chicago, had suggested I use Pierre when I brought up the fact that I needed my hair done. She nearly jumped in the excitement that I was "finally doing something with my rat's nest." She thrust the phone in my hand and demanded I make an appointment.

I had been in this chair for hours, just praying that I would make it home. But I did have to admit that it felt nice to take a break and do nothing. Running a household the size of mine took up a lot of time, even with the extra help. This was nice.

"Okay, I'm through." Pierre fluffed out my newly darkened hair over my shoulders. "My best work yet."

"Thank you so much." I jumped up, barely having time to examine myself, and hugged him tightly.

I ran out of the salon like my ass was on fire. William was waiting at the curb with the door already opened.

"He's called twice in the past ten minutes."

"I know, I know," I groaned. "I'm so dead."

We made it to the house in record time. William took some very skeptical turns on the highway and didn't spare any time with slow drivers. He zipped through the traffic like I had never seen before.

"I'll get the door," he said when we parked in front of the house.

I beat him to it and stumbled up the front steps. As soon as I was inside, I went into the bedroom, ripping off clothes and searching through my newly organized closet for a dress.

I chose a snug sleeveless, casual, lunchtime white dress. It had a skinny black belt that I wrapped around my waist quickly, searching the floor for a pair of black pumps. They were high and boosted me up a couple of inches. I wobbled slightly before I caught myself.

"You're here!" Agata exclaimed, coming into the closet with a basket of laundry.

"Yes, I know I'm late." I spun around. "The congressman here yet?"

"No," she shook her head, "Mr. Justin is very upset about it."

"Problems?"

She blushed and didn't make eye contact with me. "I walked in on him in his office. He yelled at me for snooping."