Once I’m confident I have all the basics in place, I open each of my boxes in turn and start to make the space my own.Covering the doors and sides of the cabinet with stickers, I attach the custom ink shelf a buddy of mine from Rapid City made for me, then fill it with the brand of ink I prefer, starting with black at the top and working my way through the rainbow to white.
Removing my favorite pieces of art from the frames I brought with me, I slowly add them to the empty frames Betty has mounted to the walls, adding my own flair and artistic style to the familiar ones I recognize as Suede’s, Betty’s, and the ones I’ve never seen before that must belong to Cyrus.
Hours later, I watch as Knight breaks down the last of my boxes and takes them out to the dumpster. My station is completely set up, and I’m ready to work. I just need to line up some clients.
“Hey, baby, is my cell at home?” I ask when he steps back into the studio.
“No,” he says, pulling my cell phone from his pocket and holding it out to me.
“Would you take a picture of me, and then I can post it to my socials and see if I can bring some of my regulars in for appointments this week.”
My new cell is just a basic model, but it does have a camera, and it reminds me that I should probably charge my old cell up and switch the SIM card over. Smiling, I watch as he takes a single photo of me, then offers me the cell.
When I click into the gallery, it’s the only picture in there, but luckily, it’s a pretty good one, so I post it to my socials with the caption:
I’m back!!! And all settled in at my new home at Mountain Ink in Rockhead Point, MT. I know I’ve been MIA for the last couple of months,but my schedule is open for existing clients only, so drop me a DM to book. #MountainInk #RockheadPoint #Newstudio #tattoolife #happyplace
Within minutes of posting, my inbox is flooded with clients asking to schedule time. Standing, I head to the front desk, wondering who is working the reception desk now that Etta is pregnant and probably not allowed to work if her hubby-slash-stepbrother has anything to say about it.
Grabbing the huge date book, I bring it back to my station and start to write appointments into my column.
“All of those appointments have come in the last five minutes?” Knight asks curiously.
“Yeah, I’m usually booked out six months in advance, but I’ve been dodging my clients for the last few months, so a lot of them have been waiting months to get in to see me.”
“And they’ll all come here to Rockhead Point?”
“Oh yeah, only a few were actually from South Dakota. Most have traveled from other states to come get tattooed by me.”
As my cell continues to ding, alerting me to more new messages, Knight lifts me out of my seat and takes it, placing me on his lap with the date book on the tattoo bed in front of me.
“I need to get my own date book to keep track of my appointments,” I say with a sigh.
“We can go to the Walmart in Bozeman if you want to,” Knight suggests.
“Okay. I’ll text Betty to let her know I have the studio’s date book, and I can bring it back in the morning. I need to look at buying a car too. I’d planned to find an apartment close to the studio so I wouldn’t need one straight away, but with us being up on the mountain, I’m kind of stranded without one,”I say absentmindedly as I reply to messages and add more new appointments to the date book.
“No,” Knight says brusquely.
“I need a car, Knight.”
“I will drive you anywhere you need to go.”
“And what if you’re busy?” I ask, twisting to look at him and arching an imperious eyebrow at him in challenge.
“I won’t be.”
“You can’t say that.” I scoff. The house is literally on the side of a mountain. I need a car. It’s not like I can walk into town from there, especially not in heels.
“I will buy you a car, but there will never be a time when I cannot drive you,” he declares, pulling his own cell from his pocket and tapping firmly at the screen. Bringing it to his ear, I hear the faint sound of ringing before someone answers.
“Monroe, I need you to place an order for a car for me.”
“Wait,” I start to protest, but Knight lifts his hand and covers my mouth to silence me.
“Same spec as mine, black on black.”
He pauses for a moment, obviously listening to whatever the person on the other end of the call is saying.
