“You’ll have to show me that portfolio one of these days.”
Something flashes across her face, and she grins at me before she says, “You wanna see my etchings, Abyss?”
Fuck. Me.
“Only the ones you wanna show me, Shelly,” I reply, smirking at her. “At your leisure, babe, I’m in no hurry.”
I watch her face flush, and my grin grows wider as I wonder if now would be a good time to ask her out. The moment passes when I hear Mack call out, “Where are y’all?”
“Out front, Uncle Mack,” Shelly says, turning back to what’s left of the trash.
“Who had the party and didn’t invite me?” Mack asks, chuckling as he looks around and sees three garbage bags full, with quite a bit left to clean up.
“The last group of clients I had last night. Seems they live in a cave or some shit, but I was so fucking tired of dealing with them last night that I figured I’d just clean it all up this morning. Except… Shelly got here before me and jumped right in.”
“Can’t risk a shitty inspection,” Shelly asserts. “I mean, we don’t know that we’re getting one today or anything like that, but we should always be prepared.”
“Why don’t you go down and grab us some coffees, your drink, and some pastries while me and Mack finish this up?” I ask, pulling out my wallet.
She waves me away. “I’ve got it. Y’all want your usual?” she questions.
“Make mine the biggest one they’ve got,” Mack states. “Those brothers of yours know how to make an old man feel a helluva lot older, that’s for sure.”
“You didn’t drive like that, did you?” Shelly queries.
“Fuck no, they poured me into a bed and when I got up this morning, I went home, got a shower, then headed in,” Mack emphatically states. “You know I’d never do that, Shelly.Ever.”
Her voice is quiet as she turns to head out the front door to go to the bakery. I know it’s because of what happened to her, but this is an ache I can’t help her with since she doesn’t know that I’m aware of her history.
“I swear to Christ I hate paperwork,” I grumble as I sort through invoices that need paying, along with a supply order that needs my signature so Shelly can get it processed.
Unfortunately, it’s a necessary evil, and Nerd has done what he can to ensure it’s as easy as can be for me. Still, it takes me away from my latest focus which is Shelly. If we’re not busy, we hang out in the front reception area, chatting, and while it’s mostly surface shit, I’m learning her expressions and what makes her tick.
“I think that’s the truest statement I’ve ever heard,” Mack says, walking into my office. “Definitely something I don’t miss,” he teases as he sits in one of the chairs in front of my desk.
“It’s a pain in the ass,” I admit. “I know it has to be done, but it feels like if I don’t look at it every day, it multiplies.”
“Like fucking rabbits,” Mack adds. “Did you see what Shelly put up on our Facebook page?”
“Haven’t looked today,” I reply. “Between cleaning the front then having that client, I’ve been slogging through the to-do list from hell.”
“She created a graphic featuring the sobriety tattoos. Put it up on Instagram too. Got a lot of positive comments, so I’m sure that’ll bring in more traffic.”
“May have to look for another artist if business keeps picking up,” I murmur.
“Couldn’t hurt, but we should see if we can handle it first before we do that. We seem to get along well enough, but adding another person to the mix might change the dynamic.”
“Yeah, I kind of like the vibe the shop has these days,” I tell him. “Seems like everyone who comes through the front door is in a good mood and that’s down to adding the two of you.”
“My girl is something,” he says, pride ringing in his tone. “Did she tell you she painted those pictures in her room?”
“I asked her about them this morning. She’s definitely talented as fuck, not just as a tattoo artist. The fact that she’s able to work in several different mediums is impressive, to be honest. Most focus on one art form and ignore the others, but she works with paint, acrylics, watercolors, charcoal, and plain old pencil.”
“She picked up the gun because of me,” Mack admits. “She’s my girl, through and through, even though I had no part in creating her. That would be weird as fuck since she’s my niece, but I think you get what I’m saying.”
I grin and nod. “Absolutely. Hate the reason that y’all moved but love the fact that y’all have settled here. I see good things ahead for all of us.”
CHAPTER
