“Oh, yeah,” Jules says with a slyness in her tone. “It seems that someone has been out working on the stairs all afternoon.”
My head whips back around so fast. “Wait what? Who is out there? I didn’t have time to call anyone.”
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe a long-haired tattoo god?” Her wink at the end was not subtle.
I freeze momentarily, trying to gain my wits about me. I blow out a deep breath. I think it’s time for me to take that advice as well.
“I’ll be right back,” I say, as I slowly make my way to the back door. Looking through the window, sure enough, there is Finn, pounding some nails into a board.
He has a white t-shirt and old faded blue jeans on. His hair is pulled up into a messy bun and he has a pencil tucked behind his ear. The look makes my heart skip a beat, so does the fact that he is fixing my stairs.
I really want to lick his tattoos.
Okay Spence, let’s keep it together.
CHAPTER6
Finn
The first fewdays at Ink Me were filled with a shit ton of information I needed to absorb as it was thrown at me at lightning speed. I’m feeling a little overwhelmed. I’m not gonna lie. I have always had a hard time retaining information. I was definitely not an A-student like I’m sure Spencer is. He seems really smart. I mean, he runs his own business, for Christ’s sake. I’m good with my hands, not the brain.
We didn’t have a lot growing up, so anytime something broke I tried to fix it. Jacqueline had this wooden puzzle box that broke when whoever the current boyfriend was at the time stepped on it. She was devastated. It took me a couple days, but I figured out how to fix it. She was so happy she cried for hours. When we needed to get away, she had her puzzle box, and I had drawing.
Today I’m working with Mira. This morning she is going to give me a rundown on how all the working pieces come together. The booking schedules look damn near full for the foreseeable future. We talk about the timing blocks. If the tattoo piece is small, then she will block the time, but if it is a bigger or more intricate piece, we let her know how much time we will need and she will fit it in. She says it’s a giant puzzle. Now I can see why we don’t touch her shit!
Dom walks up to the front to greet his client that’s been waiting. “Hey Finn, do you want to sit in on this one?”
“Sure, that sounds great.” Energy bounces through me. I have been waiting for a chance to sit in with Dom.
Walking back to his room, he introduces me to Marcus. Dom is doing a very detailed set of eyes on his left back shoulder blade. Marcus filled me in on the fact his father is dying, and he wants a reminder that even after he is gone, his father will still have his back. He talks about his father with great fondness. It’s a sweet sentiment. Even though my family hasn’t supported me, it’s nice to know that it’s not like that with everyone. Love between a parent and a child exists. It just was not in the cards for me.
Dom had worked on the sketch beforehand and had it placed and all ready to go on transfer paper. He starts by cleaning the area and then placing the eyes on Marcus’ back.
“The reason I wanted you to see this is that with any portrait piece I do, I always start with the eyes. For me, if you get the placement of the eyes right, everything else falls into place. I believe the eyes are the most important part. The windows to the soul, as they say.”
That advice is solid, something I’m going to want to remember and practice.
Watching Dom work the needle, and seeing how he does the shading, is perfect. I feel excited, energy rushing through me. This is the feeling I should have had my whole life. Not the dark and heavy feelings of despair. This simple moment has just solidified my decision about the direction that my future should go in.
I’m sitting in the corner, just watching, when Jaxon comes in, asking about lunch.
“I was thinking, if you want, we can run over to the hardware store during lunch and order the supplies you need. They can even get everything delivered this afternoon if we get the request in, in time.”
“Wow, small towns for the win,” I say with a laugh, and Jaxon nods his head.
“What are you guys going to the hardware store for?” asks Dom, keeping his eyes on his work.
“Finn let me know that one of the boards broke on the stairs the other night, and Spencer may have gotten hurt.”
Dom’s eyes look up with concern. “Is he alright?”
“He’s okay, I think. He might have sprained his ankle. Nothing seemed to be broken. I thought I would fix some of the rotten boards. The structure itself looks pretty good.”
Dom gave Jaxon a look that had him hanging his head. “I know, I know. I should have noticed it. Trust me, I’m already kicking myself.”
“I have a bunch of tools in my shed. Write what you need down and I’ll run and grab what I have,” Dom says while wrapping the piece on Marcus’ shoulder.
When Dom finishes, he brings his client up to the front and I walk with Jaxon back to his office to jot down things I need. Dom comes down the hall to grab his jacket and I hand him the list.
