A Hairy Mishap

The newest Suamalie Islands book is here! My friend Chautona Havig just released Trust Fall. To celebrate, we are doing a series of blog posts on a theme Chautona chose, Accompanying the posts is a giveaway! Here’s Chautona’s prompt:

Life is full of hairy experiences, and then you have just “hair” ones. In Trust Fall, Kensi ends up cutting her hair in a rash move and regrets it… at first. Share a story about a hair mishap or how a hairy experience turned out good in the end. Bonus points if it’s both!

One of my earliest memories is of a “hairy experience.” I think I was only three—maybe four—at the time, but I remember it vividly. I was playing with my friend, Stacy, who lived a couple of houses down from mine. We were playing in her front yard when we decided to play “wedding.” We pretended that I was getting married. Of course, everyone knows that before you get married, you need a haircut. Stacy went inside the house and retrieved a pair of scissors. Then she proceeded to chop off my healthy fringe of 80’s bangs almost to my scalp. I must have looked so beautiful.

Then, with a squeak of the screen door, Stacy’s mom came out to the front porch. She looked at me and said, “I think you need to go home now.” Somehow, she didn’t sound too happy about my new look.

I said goodbye to Stacy and hurried to my house. My mom was horrified. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a whole lot she could do to fix a head of hair with just the bangs chopped. She couldn’t cut the rest of my hair to match, and there was nothing left to cut! Soon after that incident, my family moved, and I don’t think I ever played with Stacy ever again. But to this day, I remember that haircut and the rationale behind it.

And I think some good came out of it. My hair grew back, though I eventually opted out of the bangs look. More importantly, when it came time for me to get married in real life, I’d learned my lesson. I didn’t get a haircut.

Trust Fall by Chautona Havig

Protecting her without her knowledge might get them both killed.

Grief has held Eve “Kensi” Kensington captive long enough. Determined to move on after the death of her fiancé six years ago, Kensi moves to St. Alyn to help Ezra with the new boat book business. That there’s a great therapist on the island is just a bonus.

When the West Coast Agency learns that the former fiancée of a deceased informant is under the radar, Simon Garver is tasked to protect her—without her knowledge, if possible. Great. Listening in on her therapy sessions might be the worst thing he’s ever had to do as an agent.

Nope… scrap that. Falling for his client takes the cake.

When Kensi learns Simon has been keeping secrets from her, she’s done. Too bad the arrival of a guy sent to “take care of her” means she needs him. She’ll cooperate until she’s safe, toss the trust exercises her therapist has insisted on in the trash, and get back to her job on Ezra’s boat.

If only her heart would listen to the plan…

Take a trip to the Suamalie Islands where palm trees sway, the sand and sea pulse with life, and the people will steal your heart.