“Oh, hang on. I want to have a look at the party supplies while we’re here.”
“Getting two birds stoned at once. Smart. Are you throwing a party?” The thought of her having a bunch of friends over—including guys—made my jaw tighten.
“No, we are. Roxy okay’d a flash tattoo day to try to get a ton of reviews all at once.”
It took me a moment to absorb the news, but when I did, I stopped dead in the middle of the aisle. “Generic, repetitive assembly line tattoos? That is how we’re going to solve this?” I fought to keep my voice calm. I understood that Think Ink was a business, but tattoos aren’t just a commodity to sell. It was art. My escape.
She pulled me out of the way of a harried-looking woman with three kids in tow. “We need a lot of reviews fast, which means more tattoos fast. If you know a better way to do that without increasing staff, I’d love to hear it.”
I didn’t have a better way. What I had was a hatred of cookie-cutter tattoos and a stubborn attitude. “So, I train to be creative and skilled just to tattoo dozens of anchors or infinity symbols in the name of what?”
“In the name of saving the shop,” her voice was rising now, “I was brought in because you guys couldn’t figure this out. This is what I’ve come up with.”
I set my jaw, wracking my brain for a way to make this feel less like selling out while still solving the shop’s problem. “Howare we any better than Tat Shack if all we focus on is quantity?”
She studied me for a moment, seeing way more than I wanted the world to see. “It’s different because you guys will do amazing work no matter how many customers you see. You won’t just slap a tattoo on and shove them out the door.”
I took a deep breath. She had a point there. Even if we had a line up out the door, we wouldn’t cut corners. “I hate this shit. I really do.”
Her face softened. “What if instead of boring, repetitive designs, why don’t you come up with some fresh, creative ones for the flash day? I’m sure Roxy would be fine with it.”
I did like that.
“Besides,” she knocked my shoulder with hers. “I was thinking some profits could go to the after-school club you raised money for by posing in that calendar. Shouldn’t need you to strike a pose every time they need funds.”
Well, then I felt like an ass. I ran a hand through my hair. “Fuck. Sorry. That sounds like a good idea. I just… this place means a lot to me, okay? Not everything that makes money or gets reviews is going to be the right fit. It’s a special place.”
She nodded and patted my arm. “I know it is, and that’s why you are here to help me pull this off.”
Chapter Six
Meredith
Iknew Luke had a shitty childhood. It seemed like everyone who worked for Road Ready Mechanics had. He hadn’t told me the details but he didn’t need to. It was painted all over his face. What wasn’t clear was why he was so put off by the idea of a flash tattoo day. I understood artists being loyal to their work, but we were here to do damage control.
The thing about him that wasn’t hard to understand was that he was a total flirt and I couldn’t help but flirt back. We needed to be focusing on the task at hand and instead, we seemed to talk about sex every other sentence.
By the time five o’clock rolled around, I was desperate for air that Luke wasn’t breathing. Luckily, Rosalind had invited her sister, Violetta, her sister-in-law, Charlotte, and I over for a girls’ night while her husband, Derek, was working late.
A girls’ night was exactly what I needed to either forget about my problems or dump them all at my friends’ feet and ask themto fix them.
I pulled up in front of Rosalind’s house, a cute little rancher that had chrysanthemums and pumpkins on the front porch. Rosalind opened the door before I even knocked. “You’re here!” She pulled me into a hug. “Come on in, dinner’s ready.”
I greeted the other two women and sat down at the table. I had known Violetta and Rosalind both for years but had only met Charlotte during my last visit. She was Derek’s sister and it was clear height ran in the family. Derek was a towering six foot five, but Charlotte wasn’t exactly small at five foot ten. Someone put a wine glass, full to the top with red, in front of me, and my plate was filled with pasta. I took a bite of the creamy pasta and my eyes rolled back in my head. “I so needed carbs, wine and girls’ night.”
Rosalind and Violetta shared a look. “How has the first week at the shop been?”
I leaned my elbows on the table and eyed the pair. “You two knew that Luke worked there, didn’t you?”
Violetta shrugged and blushed. “So what if he does?”
“You know darn well that we slept together the last time I was in town.” I hadn’t actually admitted it, but we hadn’t been subtle either.
“You didn’t confirm or deny, plus you didn’t tell us where you got the job until you were already on your way here. Since it is only a month, I figured it wasn’t worth worrying you about,” Vi said diplomatically.
I frowned. “A heads-up would have been helpful.”
Rosalind took a sip from her glass. “Was it awful?”
