“Fine,” she said, energy reinvigorating her as she sat up. “So it’s been a year today. How are you and the guys going to celebrate? Let me guess, you’re going to go on a murder spree. Find some bad guys who need their throats slit?”
One of the other town councilors, Henry, passed by my car at that exact moment, his bottom lip trembling as his eyes went wide, clearly having overheard what Sophia said now that her voice was amplified through the car’s sound system.
Okay, that was one downfall for newer cars.
I grinned and waved at him as I said, “You’re so funny, Sophia.”
She caught on, glancing to the side as though she could see what I was seeing. “I have to tease you every now and then. Those rumors are so crazy.”
Sophia was great at marketing, and she’d make an excellent lawyer with her killer instincts, but an actress she was not.
Henry loosened his tie, his grin forced as he got in his car. He’d barely started it before he was off, his tires squealing on the asphalt as he tore out of the parking lot.
“I guess I have to look into him now.” I shook my head, the smile falling from my face. “That’s definitely not how an innocent person reacts, even toward me.”
“Ooh, so youaregoing to murder someone.” She rubbed her hands together in glee. Sophia might not want to get blood on her own hands, but she wasn’t scared of hearing all the details.
I narrowed my eyes on her, and she zipped her lips. I really wished she wouldn’t announce to everyone from City Hall who ventured out to their cars that the rumors weren’t exactly untrue. I’d rather catch them off guard than give them time to get away.
“It’s fight night tonight.” I waggled my eyebrows and she giggled, but it sounded a bit forced. I knew she didn’t want to be reminded of Sebastian and Zane and whatever weird relationship they had. They hadn’t talked in the last year as far as I knew, but that might soon. “You know they’re opening up an underground club in New York, right?”
“I remember.” She gave me a tight smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “You’ve told me a few times already since Merrick became his business partner. Besides, I sincerely doubt I’ll ever see them. We don’t exactly run in the same circles.”
“Fair enough.” Since Sophia’s father was a senator, she had to stay out of the spotlight, and being caught going to illegal fight clubs was probably not the publicity that he needed.
“Fine, go off and find those men of yours,” she said, and I couldn’t help but feel like she was rushing me off the phone to avoid talking about the two men who could never hide their feelings for my friend. I even thought they were moving to New York because of her, but when I voiced that to Sophia, she called me delusional. So I was staying out of it. “Call me tomorrow so we can set up a study date.”
“I will.” I blew her a kiss, my chest warming when she returned the gesture, some of her levity coming back at the subject change.
We said our goodbyes, and I turned on my music before driving out of the parking lot toward the town’s main street.
I pulled up to the curb right outside Kellan’s tattoo shop, taking a moment to admire the repaired glass panes filling the shop with light. I squinted as Kellan ambled to the chair, his tattoo gun in his hand as he started a design on the last person I expected to see inside a tattoo parlor.
I grabbed my things and rushed out of the car, my heels clicking as I dashed to the front door, afraid she’d disappear likea mirage. The front door chimed, and Nicholas smiled as I froze by the front desk.
“Kellan was just as surprised as you are.” He chuckled, his shaggy blond locks brushing his face as he leaned across the reception desk. He’d asked Kellan to work with him at the shop shortly after he got out of the hospital and he’d been apprenticing since then.
I narrowed my eyes as Kellan put the tattoo gun down and beamed up at me.
“Are you going to come over here and say hello, or are you going to continue gawking at me from the door?” Francine huffed and pursed her lips. The sleeve of her sweater was rolled up, the stencil for her tattoo visible on her biceps.
I pulled a stool up to her other side, grinning back at Kellan before I addressed the elephant in the room. “So, you’re getting a tattoo.”
Francine rolled her eyes and barked, “Obviously.”
Kellan clamped his mouth shut, holding in his laughter.
“Are you feeling okay?” I pressed the back of my hand to her forehead, pretending to check for a fever, but she brushed me away.
“What is so unbelievable about me getting a tattoo?”
“Nothing,” I said innocently, eyes wide. “What are you getting?”
“I’m getting Charlie’s name and his birthdate.” Francine narrowed her eyes, clearly not believing the faux-innocent act.
“That’s sweet.” I should have known.
“I spent so many years not wanting to get a tattoo, worrying how it might change when I got older, but now I’m older, and I regret not doing it sooner. So I figured what better day to face my fears than today.”
