There had been her first girlfriend, Lauren, who had convinced her to move to Colorado Springs. Lauren had left her for a barista at the local coffee shop. Then there had been Taylor who’d become obsessed with crypto midway through their relationship. Taylor had lost all of her money and basically lived off Drew for five months. Drew had moved back to Nashville and immediately met Jess. The two of them had been great until they weren’t. Jess had been the final straw. Her heart just didn’t have any room left for love. It was time for her to focus on moving forward in her career.
Drew was determined not to fall for anyone for at least six months. Her poor heart deserved a break. She could only allow so many women to break her before taking herself off the market. No more girl trouble. And Brooke might as well have a neon sign that said trouble hanging around her neck.
“Glad to see you’re still completely uninterested in neighbor girl,” a mocking voice said from behind her. Drew nearly jumped out of her skin.
“Fucking hell, Tatum! Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Where did you come from?”
Tatum gave a low laugh and lifted her hands.
“Relax. I came in through the back door. And please don’t have a heart attack. I doubt your uncle is inclined to let me stay here rent-free on my own.”
“Nice to know my health is your primary concern,” Drew said mockingly.
“You are my friend. So your health is at least my second concern.” Tatum twirled a strand of her red hair around a finger.
“Generous of you,” Drew laughed.
“I know. When is your first client coming in?”
“In about an hour,” Drew answered, looking at the clock on the far wall.
“Are you getting to do a Drew original?” Tatum asked excitedly. One thing about her friend was that she’d always been supportive of Drew and her artwork.
“I’m afraid not. It’s a bride here for her bachelorette. She’s getting a tattoo of the Nashville skyline to remember the experience.”
“That’s kind of sweet,” Tatum acknowledged.
“I just hope her bachelorette party is small,” Drew admitted.
“Good point. I can’t see you in a group with fifteen women crying over a tattoo going well.”
“I guess we’ll find out.”
Drew readied her station cleaning and getting everything ready. Two cars pulled into the lot outside and Drew double-checked to make sure they were on her side of the lot. If nothing else she could hopefully maintain the peace with Brooke. There weren’t quite fifteen women in the party. Still her side of the shop felt a bit too small with eight women crowded around their friend as she got the tattoo. For her part, the woman took the experience like a champ. The bride didn’t cry out a single time.
Drew lifted her eyes while she changed out her needle. Her eyes wandered over to Brooke’s store. She could just make out Brooke talking to an attractive woman by the door. It occurred to her that Brooke might already be spoken for anyway.She didn’t like the way her heart sank into the pit of her stomach. The women were all congratulating the bride on her tattoo. All in all they had ended up being a cool group of people. Drew allowed one more glance at Brooke before she lowered her head to finish up the bride’s tattoo.
When the tattoo was done the bride seemed happy. The group paid and left. Drew didn’t have time to rest. Her next customer would be there in less than an hour. She was grateful that time slots were filling fast. Focusing on her career was definitely what she needed to be doing.
Chapter 5
Brooke examined herself in the mirror. From the couch Pearl eyed her with disinterest.
“How do I look?” Brooke asked as if she expected the cat to answer her. The expression on Pearl’s face told her that the cat was utterly annoyed. Pearl spared her one appraising glance before leaping from the couch and exiting the room, clearly unimpressed with what she saw.
“I think I look fantastic,” Brooke whispered under her breath. Brooke smoothed down her pleated red skirt. She’d fallen in love with this skirt the moment she’d tried it on. The skirt was short enough to highlight her legs but long enough that she could sit comfortably in it. She’d also chosen a crisp white shirt to pair with the skirt. She checked herself out again. She did look good. Somewhere in the back of her mind she refused to consider the question of whether or not Drew would find her outfit attractive.
For the last couple days she and Drew had been cordial, bordering on friendly. Tonight, they’d drive to Spot On the Map, her friend’s bar. There was a part of her that was undeniably nervous to make the long car ride with Drew. There wassomething about the woman that was equal parts frustrating and endearing. Emotions that Brooke couldn’t quite put a name to swirled inside of her.
Not that she’d ever make a move. Brooke had never been the type to make the first move. For the most part she’d spent her time shutting down any first moves a woman might make on her. Sure, she’d gone out on dates, but she’d never made it much past that. She’d never dated anyone for longer than three months. Brooke had never seen the point. Her friend Emily called her jaded, and that was probably true. She couldn’t help it. She’d grown up in a home with two people who had loved each other but had been utterly incompatible. Her mom and dad had divorced when Brooke was twelve, and Brooke had just never put much stock in love since then.
There was a loud knock on her door. Brooke knew without looking that it would be Drew. She rolled her eyes; Drew was nothing if not punctual. Brooke opened the door to find Drew standing in the hallway clad in tight dark jeans, a white t-shirt and a leather jacket. The sight was enough to send shockwaves through Brooke’s body.
It took Brooke a few moments to recover. Once she regained control of her senses, she realized that Drew was looking at her with amusement. Shit. Had the woman said something to her.
“I’m sorry. What did you say?” Brooke asked. Drew gave a breezy laugh.
“I just said that you look great,” Drew replied. The woman tried to brush through the compliment, but Brooke was fairly certain she had caught the woman blushing. There was a sweetness to Drew that Brooke had a hard time overlooking. Brooke set her heart back in its rightful place, she refused to allow her heart to get ahead of itself.
