Emma frowned, looking over at her dad. “Are you sure that’s enough?”

“Ten inches is the minimum,” Rachel explained, this time looking at Emma’s father. She wondered what kind of hot water he was going to be in when his wife found out he’d taken their daughter to cut off most of her hair. Well, that was his business, right? Besides, it was for a good cause. “You’ve got plenty to spare.”

“That’s almost double, Em,” Emma’s father offered, nudging her. “That’s a lot of hair.”

“Okay, let’s do it.” Emma stood, swinging the dark curtain of hair over her shoulder, possibly for the last time.

“Come on back.” Rachel put them at a station up front but around the corner, out of the way. Somewhere they were unlikely to run into Nina, unless they had the unfortunate synchronicity to pass on the way out. Of course, having them all there together was a bit of coincidence to begin with. Joshie was two stations down with the supermodel and he waved at her and winked.

“So your mom doesn’t want you to get a haircut, huh?” Rachel opened the bottom drawer and took out a packet. Inside was a certificate from the Locks of Love organization and a long red ribbon they used to tie the hair.

Emma’s father had followed them back and he stood leaning against the wall behind her, arms crossed, just watching. Rachel nodded to the empty chair at the station beside her. “You can have a seat, Mr. Malden.”

“Jake.” He took her up on her offer, sitting down and swiveling the chair in a circle so he was facing his daughter. “And you are…wait, let me guess. You’re Rapunzel.”

“For all intents and purposes,” she agreed, combing Emma’s thick tresses into her hand and then tying the length of it off with the ribbon. Glancing up at Jake, she saw his teasing smile. His words and expression seemed genuine, but the man had a sharp, rich look about him that most of her clients-and her client’s husbands-exuded. She wasn’t surprised he was Nina Malden’s husband.