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twelve
BUT THERE’S NO SPARK.
Hudson
“You like the space then?” I ask Deuce, walking my fifth circle around the space. The floors are fake hardwood, but that’s probably best for a tattoo shop. Something easy to clean. The walls are painted black, the crown molding the same dark onyx.
Deuce nods. “And yeah, I do. It works nice for a parlor.”
I stop in the middle, glancing up at the pave and crystal chandelier centering the space. “Remind me,” I say, blinking at the shiny, ornate light. “What was in this location before?”
He pulls the toothpick from his lips, rocking forward slightly in his motorcycle boots. Deuce loves Ev, who is a country girl to the core, but nothing about him has remotelyturned country. He’s still a tatted-up rocker through and through.
“A palm reading place.” Returning the toothpick to his lips, he shoves a hand through his shoulder-length hair, letting out a sigh. “Location is prime. Place needs some paint–”
“And a new light,” I add, pointing to the monstrosity above. He chuckles.
“Yeah, but otherwise, I should be ready to open in a month, and it’s in much better shape than the last place, the old movie rental store.” He sinks into one of the two folding chairs in the corner, stacking one boot on top of the other as he brings his hands behind his head, relaxed. “Already ordered the stations and gear. Now I just need to find one more apprentice.”
I hook my thumb toward the front of the store, which is all glass windows. Every location on Main Street is glass windowed. It gives downtown a true small town feel I love. Large pieces of kraft paper are taped up to the windows with blue painter’s tape, keeping the inside private. And kind of dark.
“You know Ivy wants to apprentice, don’t you?” And though I’m mentioning Ivy, a vision of Dolly curled up on Bear’s floor flashes behind my eyes.
His lips twist as his nostrils flare, giving me the biggestno shitlook I’ve seen. “She’s in—” He stops himself, widening his eyes. “—but don’t tell her. I don’t want her to know yet.”
I let out a little chuckle. Ivy has been on Deuce’s ass to hire her as an apprentice ever since she learned of his businesses out of town. He owns several other shops, but onlyseriously began plans to grow his chain to Bluebell when Everly told him she would not, in fact, be moving anywhere after they married.
“All right,” I say, lifting my hands to promise my complicitness, “I won’t say a word.”
“She’s gonna fucking freak when she finds out who I hired, though,” he says, his lips turning up into a sinister grin. His silver nose ring shines as he leans forward, dropping his elbows to his knees as he gets serious. “Her favorite artist ever, Trace Calhoun.” He shoves his hair from his face again before smoothing his hands down the lapels of his leather jacket. I think Deuce is just as excited, but I don’t say it. “God, I can’t even believe he agreed to comehere.”
“Why did he, you know, if he’s the best?” I ask, having some semblance of the name somewhere in my mind. I’ve heard Deuce talk about artists to Ev a ton over the years, and this is one that sticks out. He did some of the pieces on Deuce, too, if I remember correctly. And all of his ink is fucking incredible.
“Well,” Deuce says, getting to his feet as he opens the front door after a light lap. A man in a blue jumpsuit steps inside, and Deuce takes him back to the water heater, which is getting repaired. Returning to the conversation, he adds, “I think he needed to duck out of the limelight in Los Angeles for a while… and just lay low. Focus on his art.”
Sounds a lot to me like he has a trail of scorched earth behind him, and I don’t know if that’s the type of person that belongs in Bluebell , but I trust Deuce to know what he’s doing. And if he doesn’t, I trust him equally to be a quick learner with even quicker reactions.
“So,” he says, smirking. “How was that second date? Better without me and your sister there, huh?”
Deuce came into the diner to pick up an order, shortly after Juni and Dolly had left. He spotted Tiffani and I together, came to say hello. After I paid for a plate of fruit and oneactualbreakfast, I walked Tiffani to her car and waited with her while the Uber came, eager to be done. Came to the shop after watching Deuce cross the street and enter.
I didn’twantto go out again.
I do, however, recognize the need to reenter the relationship world is more prevalent than ever, and Ev wants her mind at ease as she starts her new life.
But it wasn’t until Dolly and Juniper came into the cafe that I realized I really did not want to be out with Tiffani. I really do not like her—not in any capacity that would lead to what I want, love, marriage, intimacy.
Tiffani is beautiful, and from all of her statistics she’s so carefully listed to me, she has all the trademarks of a good catch.
But there’s no spark.
“There’s no spark,” I say to Deuce, at the risk of sounding stupid. I meet his eyes.
He shakes his head. “No spark isn’t good but… what about just to get back in the game? Someone to just… grease the gears a little?” He shrugs, knocking his fist against the counter. “Could be good.”
I sigh, shoving my hand through my hair beneath my hat. “That’s… not me. I don’t want to sleep with a woman if I don’t see a future with her.”
He blinks. “Youcansee a future. A future of sleeping together until you meet someone better.”
