Maybe it was because she was into him and had been ever since they were kids. It’d been so obvious that she’d had a crush on him, and the way she looked at him now told him she still did. There was no way he was off on the signals she’d been sending him since the first night she came into the tattoo parlor. And even though she knew he was Garth, she had still come in to see him the previous week.But you’re the older one. You’re the one Ryan trusts. You can’t fuck this up.
The phone rang and he saw it was his younger brother, Dylan. His parents had loved Garth Brooks and Bob Dylan, hence his and his brother’s names.
“Hey. When did you get back in town?” Goldie asked. Dylan worked for a marketing company that helped businesses with opening and closing their stores. Most months, he was gone for two or three weeks, traveling all over the country.
“Last night. It’s good to be home.”
“For a week. Then you’ll probably go out again.” Goldie leaned way back in his chair and rested his feet on the desk.
“I think I’m here for a few weeks, and then I have to go to Tennessee. I’m not looking forward to the heat and humidity. How’s Grandma?”
“Good and bad days, but I think the bad days are getting more frequent. Chad hasn’t been out to see her in a while. I’m gonna have to call and chew his ass out. Monica comes by but all she does is cry, and it upsets the shit out of Grandma.”
Dylan cleared his throat. “I get what Monica’s going through. It’s hard to see Grandma like that.”
“Yeah, but fuck, the whole visit? Anyway, we have to appreciate what Grandma is now with Alzheimer’s and spend that time with her, not sobbing about the past. I mean, of course it fuckin’ sucks, but save it for when you get home. Maybe you can talk to her. She doesn’t listen to me.”
“I’m going to go over later today. Did you want to meet me there?”
“I’ve got work. I can meet you later for some wings and a beer. Say about nine?”
“Sounds good. I may bring Skyla with me. Is that cool?” Dylan said.
“Sure. You guys getting serious?”
“We’re moving in that direction. What about you? Still partying with all the women who can’t resist a biker?”
Goldie laughed. “You know me well. Wouldn’t want it any other way. Let’s meet up at Bulldog Pub at nine.”
After hanging up and slipping the phone in his pocket, Goldie meandered to the reception area. “Did my five o’clock call in?” he asked Liberty.
The blue-haired woman looked up from her phone. “Nope, but your six thirty rescheduled to tomorrow night. She said she was having extreme anxiety and couldn’t leave the house.”
“About getting another tattoo?”
Liberty shrugged. “She didn’t say. Just said she’ll be in tomorrow for sure.”
With the no-show and cancellation, he had some free time. “I’ll be back for my seven forty-five. Jimmy and Tattoo Mike are here, so we should be good. If it gets crazy, call me.”
Looking back down at her phone, Liberty bobbed her head. He went outside and jumped on his Harley, roaring out of the parking lot.
When he arrived at Sweet Stems, Hailey was arranging a floral display in the storefront window. The aroma of flowers hit him in the face like a wall when he entered the shop. There were quite a few people at the counter and milling around the medium-sized store, and he went over by a large topiary near the front window. From his vantage point, he could see Hailey’s nice ass encased in yoga pants. Her long yellow shirt had crept up past her behind as she bent over and arranged some teacups on a small table.
Straightening up, she gathered her messy tresses in a high ponytail and secured them with some sort of rubber band. Watching her, he pictured his fist tangled in her hair, pulling it back forcefully as he entered from behind, her pretty ass red from his handprints. As his dick twitched, he shifted his position and smiled when she looked at him, red streaks running up her neck.
“Hailey. Nice job with the window.”
“What are you doing here?” she asked as she brushed away some stray hairs on her face.
“Just passing by. I thought I’d stop by and see how you’re doing.”
She shoved some ribbons and lace in a plastic bin, picked it up, and stepped down from the display window. “I’m fine. I’ve been real busy. How’ve you been?”
“Good. Have you seen your ex-asshole around?”
She tilted her chin down and frowned. “Oh… so that’s the reason you came by?”
The way her blue eyes dulled touched him. “No. I wanted to see you and see if you want to grab some food and a beer after I get off work.”
