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She hadn’t looked at him yet. He watched her leave her desk and hurry through the door. Her skirt hit a few inches below her knees and was multicolored swirls of color. Her legs were long, considering she wasn’t tall. Strange how he’d never noticed them before. She wore a white tank top and sneakers. He’d call her hair ash but guessed blonde was a better fit. Pulled up high, it hung in a thick tail past her shoulder blades.
“Take a seat, J.D. will be out soon,” she said, returning to sit behind her desk again.
Sawyer sat in one of the uncomfortable but clearly on trend waiting chairs. The place was a mix of modern, old, and stuff in between. Weirdly, it worked.
“Hey, Sawyer.”
“Nina.” He nodded to another stylist who he’d never dated but had thought about it a time or two. He couldn’t vouch for his brothers though. Short, blonde, and pretty. Nina was Ryder’s ideal girl.
“Got a date for the wedding yet? I’m going to win, I reckon.”
“Win what?” He glanced from Nina to Birdie, who was absorbed in her monitor.
“Your mom came in last week and said there was a plus one on your invitation to Autumn’s wedding. We’re running a poll on if you’ll take a date or not.” Nina then saluted him and walked through the door.
“What is she talking about?”
“No idea,” Birdie said, and he knew it was a lie because her cheeks were fiery red.
“Yes, you do.”
“Ah, they were bored one day. It’s no big deal, Sawyer.”
“Birdie—”
“Hey, bud.” J.D. appeared. “Ready to remove the poison from your arm finally?”
“What poll?” Sawyer demanded.
“Nina told him,” Birdie muttered.
J.D. positioned his fingers into a square. Sawyer thought about hitting him, but then remembered J.D. could punch hard too.
“You make that symbol in my face again and you’ll be sorry.”
“It’s called love as a square, bud, try it. No need to get angry just because you still can’t get your fingers to work that way. Actually, you and Birdie have that in common,” J.D. said.
“I can so do it. I just don’t want to,” she said.
“What she said,” Sawyer agreed.
“Sure. You both keep telling yourself that.” J.D. looked smug.
“What poll?” Sawyer demanded again.
They’d been friends for five years, since the day Sawyer walked into the tattoo parlor in LA. Other than his family, J.D. was possibly the person he was closest to. Which begged the question why he hadn’t known Birdie worked here.
You couldn’t get two more different men, but for all that, they had things in common. Money was one, and another was running from past mistakes. J.D.’s included his family and Sawyer’s was written on his arm.
“So, got a date or not? We’re leaning pretty heavy toward no here at The Gnat, but the Do Si Do has faith in you,” J.D. said, wearing a shit-eating grin.
“Who else is putting money on me taking a date?” Sawyer got to his feet, pissed off and ready to leave.
“J.D., your phone is ringing!”
“Well answer it, Nina!”
“My hands are wet, but sure!”
