Page 38 of Sweet T

“Do you think those tattoos will hinder—” Tucker paused. “I can’t think of the word.”

“Casting?”

“Yeah. Do things like that determine whether you get a part?”

“Things like that used to matter. These days, they can use CGI to remove them. Plus, it’s not like I have them on my neck or face. What I have can easily be covered with clothing.”

Tucker nodded, smiling.

“You’re fascinated with my tattoos. Are you sure you don’t want me to put that shirt on?”

“No. I-I’m sorry.” Tucker stammered, embarrassed to be caught staring. “I’ve just never seen that many on someone. On TV I have, but not in person. And when I say that many, I meant multiples on one body. I’ve seen single tattoos on lots of folks, like on an arm, a leg, or a back. But you have like two or three in all of those places.”

Evan chuckled. “It’s not cheap. Fortunately for me, Sherri needed a canvas to practice on.”

“Don’t get too many more, though.”

“Why?”

“Well... I mean, you wouldn’t want to cover your skin completely, would you? A few are kinda—” Tucker wanted to say sexy, but opted for “—appealing. I don’t like when people have so many you can’t see their real skin anymore.”

Evan laughed. “You’re obsessed, Mr. Shepherd.”

“Sorry. I don’t mean to stare, but it’s kind of hard not to.”

“Tell you what. I’ll tell you the story behind one of my tattoos if you tell me something about you.”

Cautiously, Tucker said, “What do you want to know?”

“I want to know what it’s like being raised by gay parents. It sounds to me like it would be a dream growing up with people that understand you.”

Tucker’s brow furrowed. He shrugged. “I’ve never really thought about it. I guess maybe I’ve taken it for granted. I never really had to come out to them. They were always very supportive. Daddy P, in particular.”

“What about Titus?”

Tucker squirmed a bit. “He’s a good father. At least he was to me before Javy stole the spotlight. And he’s a good person. He goes out of his way to help people—anyone. Well, maybe not anyone.”

“What do you mean?”

Tucker sighed. “We have rivals in Morehead, the neighboring town. A family over there—the Barksdales. It’s a passive feud. Goes back generations.”

“Passive feud?”

“I don’t know how else to describe it. We’re not outright enemies, but there’s tension, rivalry, competitiveness. Milton was the mayor over there when my grandpa was here. Mason, his son, is mayor over there now.”

“Here we go with the initials again.”

“Yeah.” Tucker chuckled. “He and my daddy played football together at HOCO.”

“HOCO?”

“Hoke County High School. The towns are so small we share a high school.”

“Gotcha.”

“Mason, so the story goes, was in love with my mother when Daddy got her pregnant with me. That’s the only conflict I know of. But there are things that predate Daddy’s generation. No one really remembers. If they do, they ain’t saying. I went to school with Monty and Pru, Mason’s son and daughter. Pru was stuck up. But Monty was always quiet. I never had a problem with him.”

“So, by passive feud, you mean it’s just a quiet thing no one acknowledges.”

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