“No problem. And I gotta say I was pretty surprised you didn’t check in. I think it was the first weekend you’ve ever taken off.”
It surprised me as well. I couldn’t admit it to Ambrose, but I hadn’t thought of the shop once the whole weekend. Not Friday night while Bailey was in bed with me, or when I was with him Saturday night and he was so broken up about his sister. And certainly not while we were having sex. Nothing and nobody else had been on my mind except Bailey.
And what the hell was I going to do about it?
“Yeah, well, I trust you and Jodi.”
“Yeah? You sure that’s all it is?”
In the middle of checking out the day’s schedule, I stopped scrolling and peered over the top of the monitor.
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
Ambrose stepped behind the counter. “Look, man. I don’t know why you think you gotta keep whomever you’re seeing a secret.”
My stomach twisted with nerves. “I don’t have any secrets.”
Ambrose nailed me with a glare. “Carly got off at the Seventy-second Street station this morning for work, and she swears she saw you on the train platform with a guy. And you were pretty cozy with each other.”
I snorted. “What’re you talking about, cozy?” I left him standing by the front and crossed the shop to get my instruments ready for my first appointment, which was the beginning of a huge project on some football player. Ambrose tailed me.
“Meaning, she saw someone who looks exactly like you with his tongue down the throat of another guy.”
“She’s mistaken.” I arranged the ink colors.
“I don’t think so. She said it was you. And a guy in a suit.”
I had no desire to discuss my personal life with Ambrose. I knew he’d crawl up my ass about Bailey being a lawyer and so establishment. If he ever found out Bailey’s father was a cop, he’d probably force me to make a choice between Bailey as my lover and him as my friend.
And I wasn’t so sure whom I’d choose.
I caught Jodi giving me the eye and frowning, but I deliberately ignored her. What I did and with whom was my business. “Well, I do, since I know where I was. Now how aboutyou stop involving yourself in my personal life so we can get to work?”
“You’ve changed all of a sudden. Must be those richy-riches you’ve been hanging out with.”
“What the fuck is your problem? You don’t like money? You wanna work for free?”
“Don’t be an ass. I don’t give a shit if you’re hiding this guy. Go ahead. But Carly knows what she saw, and I believe her.”
“And I said leave it alone,” I growled and gave him my back. “I gotta get to work.”
The day passed without much interaction between the two of us. Jodi, always Miss Sunshine and hating the rift simmering in the air, tried everything to lighten the mood—silly jokes, coffee runs, doughnuts—but Ambrose refused to even look my way. I’d always known he was a stubborn SOB, but this was beyond ridiculous.
At five, I received a text from Bailey:Need to discuss something with you.
I checked my calendar.Have a client in a few. See you later tonight at your place. We’ll talk then?
The door opened, and my next appointment walked in, so I had no time to wait for his response. Ambrose, unusually silent while working, kept shooting me looks. After we’d finished and were cleaning up, he walked to my chair.
“I’m sorry, man. I was outta line for getting on your case.” He held out his hand.
Relieved, I smiled. “It’s cool.” We bumped fists and gave each other a hug. “But you gotta understand Grady is my blood, and I’m gonna be hanging out with him and whomever else he’s close with on the regular. So you need to get used to it. Can you?”
Ambrose shrugged. “I’ll have to. You’re not gonna get rid of me that easily.”
“Get out of here and go home and kiss your girlfriend. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I gave him a shove, and laughing, he left. Jodi had gone at five. I checked the computer and entered in some new appointments that had popped up. I’d just turned off the light and was pulling my jacket off the coatrack, when Bailey walked in.
“What’re you doing here?”
