“Believe me, plenty of other residents of Silver Ridge have an issue with me, and they don’t know me either.” I leaned in slightly. “Is it just me,” I said, keeping my voice low, “or does it feel like half the people in here are watching us and pretending not to?”
Piper laughed, the sound warming me from the inside out. “Like I said yesterday, the local population is curious about you. It’ll wear off soon.”
“I hope so. By the time I have the house fixed up and open my studio for business, I don’t want people to be afraid to trust me with a tattoo gun. That could be a problem.”
“Are you kidding? Your sexy bad-boy reputation will be an asset as a tattoo artist. You’ve got that rebel factor going.”
I raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Sexy bad boy? That’s my reputation?”
She looked down at her beer, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I mean, that’s what I’ve heard.”
“Really. You’ve heard that. Just generally, around town?”
“Yep.”
“And what’s your opinion on that subject?”
“I think…” She sipped her drink. “I think you know exactly how attractive you are.”
I remembered her eyes on me last week at her place, when Itook my shirt off. Women did like my tattoos. That was nothing new or particularly exciting.
But Piper’s attention had felt different. Like something I knew I shouldn’t have, but couldn’t resist.
The baskets of food arrived. Ollie came back from the arcade games and slid into his seat, picking up his burger without enthusiasm. We ate in relative silence for a few minutes.
The burger was good, the beer was cold, and Piper was sitting close enough that I could smell her shampoo. Some kind of vanilla and honey scent that was making it hard to focus on eating.
Then, halfway through his meal, Ollie set his food down and looked at me. “You’re Maisie’s uncle, right? Her dad’s brother?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Then why didn’t you try to come back here sooner?” Ollie’s voice was accusatory. “Why doesn’t Maisie know who you are?”
“Ollie, maybe we should talk about this another time,” Piper said, but I shook my head. I’d figured this interrogation might be coming. And honestly, I respected the kid for bringing it up.
I set down my food and wiped my hands and mouth. “I made some mistakes in the past. I had to go away for a long time because of them. But I never, ever wanted to hurt my family. All I wanted was to protect them.”
I could feel Piper watching me as I spoke, her gaze steady and unwavering. Ollie seemed to be listening too.
“I plan to fix things, and I want to meet Maisie. But only when her dad is ready for me to do that.”
“But why did you come back to Coloradonow? Was it because you just got tired of wherever you were before? You couldn’t get along with those people, so you thought you’d try with us instead?”
This kid was relentless. “Not exactly.”
“My mom said you hurt someone.” His voice went quieter,but no less intense. “You’re a criminal, like the people my Uncle Teller puts in jail. I want to know what you did.”
“Ollie, that’s enough,” Piper said. “This isn’t a conversation to have in the middle of Hearthstone.”
“I don’t see why we have to be here with him at all.” Ollie pushed his food away. “I’m not hungry. I want to go home.”
I didn’t blame Ollie for his questions or his attitude toward me. His mom was right, though. This wasn’t the best place to confess all my mistakes, and maybe the subject matter wasn’t entirely kid-appropriate anyway.
Piper closed her eyes briefly, then opened them. “Okay. We’ll go.” She started gathering their things. “I’m sorry,” she whispered to me.
I stood. “It’s okay.”
She grabbed her jacket and Ollie’s, guiding him toward the door with a firm hand on his shoulder.
