Not me, though.
She’s just a friend. A gorgeous friend. But a friend no less.
“I still don’t understand why having a kid means you don’t like her. She was super fucking sweet. Didn’t bat a lash at Preston or me,” Becca says.
I know she’s right. Preston and Becca are a lot. You have to be able to hold your own around them, or you’ll find yourself sucked into their vortex. But they don’t understand where I’m coming from, and I’m not going to sit here and explain it to them.
A throat clears behind me, and one of the guys from the coffee shop I saw earlier extends his hand. “Hi. I’m Lucas. I wanted to introduce myself.”
“Areyousingle?” Becca purrs as she looks him up and down.
He’s only a few inches shorter than me, but has the stature of someone who demands respect. I can tell he’s also mixed-race. His olive skin paired with his blue eyes gives away that he’s probably part Italian and possibly Latino.
I have a hard time not profiling people’s features when I meet strangers. I’ve studied faces for as long as I can remember and have built my art and tattoo clientele around doing hyper-realistic work. You get used to recognizing a person’s ethnicity based on their unique characteristics.
“He’s taken.” A pink-haired beauty slides her arm around his waist, staking her claim. She eyes Becca up and down, giving her the once-over. This girl has some fire in her, and I internally smile when she pops an unimpressed eyebrow at Becca.
“And so is she,” Gabriella, Becca’s girlfriend, says as she joins the group. “Don’t mind her. She has no filter. I’m her girlfriend of five years. Gabriella.”
The pink-haired girl instantly relaxes. “I’m Jordan,” she says, introducing herself.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Lucas asks me a moment later, and I nod my head, signaling for him to take a few steps away from everyone.
He leans down and whispers something in Jordan's ear and then tilts her head for a heated kiss. He leaves her with Preston, Jude, and the girls, and they all look chum as can be after the interaction just moments ago.
“Thanks. I was hoping to make an appointment with you.”
For a minute there, I thought he was going to ask me about my relationship with Penny, but I’m relieved he didn’t. “Of course. Let me pull up my schedule. Do you have something in mind?” I take my phone out of my back pocket and open my calendar.
“I want a rose tattoo.”
I look at him and then his girl. “Yeah, it’s for her,” he confirms my suspicions.
I don’t judge. But as far as I’m concerned, when people get a tattoo for their significant other, they may as well sign the divorce papers on the spot because the amount of coverups I’ve done to get rid of said tattoos are insane.
We talk for a few minutes about how big he wants it and where, and I put it in my notes for his appointment right before Christmas.
“I don’t mean to pry. But I overheard you talking about Penny.”
Shit. So, he did want to say something to me about her.
I look him in the eye and keep my expression neutral, waiting for what he’s about to say next.
“I haven’t known her long, but she’s my girlfriend’s best friend. I just thought I should tell you that you should stop looking at her the way you do if you don’t like her. She and her daughter deserve someone who’s going to worship the ground they walk on.”
I may be bigger than this guy, but shit, he looks like he would rip my balls off if it came to it. He’s not messing around. I have to give him respect for sticking up for Penny and Autumn.
“We’re just acquaintances. Nothing more,” I tell him. The lie falls easily from my lips but leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
He starts to laugh and says, “I can tell you know each other. I’m a cop and can smell the bullshit from a mile away. But keep telling yourself that.”
I don’t dignify him with a response because he’s right; Penny and I do know each other. And I’ve felt like shit the past few weeks because I haven’t reached out to her at all. The number of times I’ve typed and deleted her a message is laughable, but I couldn’t pull the trigger. There’s just no way around the whole kid situation. I don’t want to get any more attached to Penny than I already have and hurt her in the process, but I do miss my pen pal. It’s a double-edged sword at this point, and I don’t know what the right thing to do is.
“Anyway. I’ll let you get back to your guests, and I’ll see you for the appointment.”
He shakes my hand and leaves me by myself with my thoughts. It seems like everyone around Penny and me has an opinion about our interactions with one another. I should probably talk to her and clear the air. Make sure there are boundaries so no one thinks we’re into each other.
My buddy Jake, who’s a priest, comes up to steal my attention. “I have to head back to the church, but I’ll text you later. And let me know when you want to get started on your apartment.”
