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“I didn’t expect to see you today.” She ushers me into an office with dark brick walls covered in framed awards, art, and something else – a glass shadowbox holding a paddle. I resist the urge to gawk. “Honestly, I didn’t expect to see you again.”
“I could leave,” I say, feeling suddenly uncertain.
“No, Bliss. I’m glad you came by. Now that I see you up and around, I can stop worrying about you.”
“You were worried about me?” I’m surprised at how small my voice sounds.
“Of course. You were a mess last night.”
She’s worried about me. I can’t remember the last time someone cared enough to be worried.
“Thanks. I figured I should stop by to thank you again and prove I’m not some jackass who can’t walk across a room.”
“I think those killer heels you had on last night may have had something to do with that.” She shoots me a crooked smile, then nods at me. “This is a different look for you.”
I glance down at my outfit, a floral summer dress I paired with Keds sneakers. “Yeah, I went from vamp to…I don’t know what this is. I guess it looks childish.”
“I like it.” She smiles again. “You look really cute.”
My heart flutters. What the fuck? Maybe I’m just nervous. For a moment I just stand there not knowing what to say then I remember why I’m here. “Oh…. I got you a gift.” I hold out the bag.
“A gift?” Tandy arches an eyebrow. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to. You were so nice to me.”
She turns and puts the bag on her desk. I bite my bottom lip as she pulls out the cup and the bag of coffee. “Oh, man. You must be psychic! I love coffee. And I love VanGogh. Thank you, Bliss.”
“You’re welcome.” I’m happy to have guessed what she likes. I crane my neck to look at some drawings on her desk. “Did you do those?”
“Yeah.” She turns them around so I can see. “I’m designing this custom tattoo for a client to commemorate his father. His dad worked at the docks, and he wanted a ship. I’m adding other elements to incorporate a few memories he felt were special.”
“That’s beautiful. You’re so talented. I wish I could do stuff like that.”
“What do you do if you don’t mind my asking?”
“I work at Fancy Bloomers. I do custom floral arrangements.”
“So, you’re an artist, too.”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
“I would.” She sounds serious, but gentle. “Hey, I’m dying to know. Is Bliss your real name. I love it.”
“Yeah. My dad was a traveling preacher. We lived in a bus until I was eleven. He wanted to name me Joy, but my mom thought it was too ordinary, so she named me Bliss.”
“You grew up traveling. That’s cool,” Tandy says.
I start to tell her that it’s not as cool as it sounds, and then stop. Having redeemed myself for last night I don’t really need to throw things in reverse by talking about my fucked-up, nomadic childhood. Instead, I change the subject, telling her she was right about the tattoo I wanted.
“It was a shitty idea. I’m glad I didn’t do it. I’ll eventually get another one, but not that.”
“Good girl,” she says, and the way she says it gives me the same feeling I got when I looked at the picture in the hallway. A wave of nostalgia hits me.
“Are you alright?” Tandy asks.
“Yeah, I was just…look…thanks for seeing me. Thanks for everything.”
“Don’t mention it. It’s not every day I get to be a knight in shining armor.”
