DISCLAIMER: Women's Murder Club and its characters are the property of James Patterson, 20th Century Fox Television and ABC. No infringement intended.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Betaed by Melissa. Thank you!
Color and Courage
By Demeter
"As nice as this is, I gotta go. I've got a date with Matt."
Cindy surveyed the table littered with fresh croissants and fruit, coffee and juice and the empty champagne glasses with some believable regret.
"Who's Matt?" The words were out of Lindsay's mouth before she could stop them, and their intent, she could tell by the way Jill politely hid her grin behind a napkin, just as obvious.
Cindy's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Oh, just the best hairdresser in the city. Ever. The gayest, too, if that's of any consolation for you."
What the real consolation for Lindsay was that she wasn't the only one whose tongue had been loosened by the champagne they had with breakfast. But that meant... Cindy's next words distracted her well enough from any attempt of interpretation.
"I'm overdue for some fresh color," she said, tugging on a strand of hair.
"Wait, that means you aren't--"
The moment to shut up would be... Right now, Lindsay?
Jill snickered openly now. "You don't have to be so disappointed. You didn't think I was born with this color either, huh? Then again, you know."
"And I want to assume you mean that you showed her pictures of younger years," Claire said pointedly, while Cindy's face had taken just about the color she was going to have refreshed.
Lindsay felt like it had become very warm in the room all of a sudden. "I'm not disappointed. I was just wondering..." She groaned. "You know what I mean."
"We do," Jill and Claire said in unison which was all but reassuring.
Cindy shrugged into her jacket and picked up her purse. "See you all later." Before she got up, she leaned close to Lindsay to whisper so only she could hear.
As the door of Papa Joe's fell shut, Lindsay sat contemplating the options that had been laid out in front of her with an absent-minded smile, while Jill praised the therapeutic value of gay hairdressers. "They're good listeners, and they make you beaufitul. Now that's even better than any therapist."
"This one obviously did more that just listen," Claire assumed, and the two of them laughed.
In her mind, Lindsay replayed Cindy's whispered words that had only be for her, "You're always welcome to find out." And that couldn't possibly be misinterpreted.
She couldn't wait for that moment to come.
The End