“What?”I snap.
“Careful, kid.”
“With what?”
He glances toward Quinn again.“Falling for a girl who already has a boyfriend.”
I stare at him.“That’s not happening.”
He smiles.“That’s what everyone says at first.”
Then he disappears into his booth, leaving me alone with my laptop ...and a brain that refuses to focus on numbers anymore.
Across the shop, Quinn looks up again and our eyes meet.She smiles.Not the polite smile she gives strangers.The real one.Warm and genuine, like she’s actually happy to see me.
Something inside my chest shifts.This is dangerous territory.
I look back down at the spreadsheet immediately.Focus.Numbers.Math.Anything but the woman standing twenty feet away who somehow makes my entire day brighter just by existing.
Because the truth is ...Laine might be right.Not about the falling part.That hasn’t happened yet.But about the other thing.
Quinn Thomas deserves better than the guy she’s dating.And if she ever figures that out, there’s going to be a line of men waiting to treat her right.The only question is, will I be brave enough to stand at the front of it?Or will I stay exactly where I am now...
Quietly watching from the sidelines.
Chapter Eight
The Crew
Quinn
There are places in life where you feel like a guest.And then there are places where you somehow belong before you even realize it.House of Ink falls firmly into the second category.
Which is funny when you think about it.Because if you asked half the town about this place, they’d probably say it’s loud, chaotic, and full of troublemakers with needles.
They wouldn’t necessarily be wrong about the loud or chaotic part.But the rest?Not even close.
