Page 28 of Shit Happens in Ivydell

“We had to participate in an online forum that was all filmed. All the comments, our insecurities and worst moments on full display. Everyone was exhausted, so it took very little to trigger anyone’s temper. Not to mention, we didn’t get to know each other. There was no camaraderie. Only competition. And then, of course, the footage was all edited before the episode aired. Never to show us in the best light.”

“Did you plan to stay in Albuquerque when you came back?”

“I didn’t move home right away. One of the artists I worked with in Miami was starting his own shop in Las Vegas. It was never mentioned on-air, but we all knew it was happening. He hired me as soon as the results were announced. He’s a huge name in the business, so clients were guaranteed, which was good for me. Being able to advertise that he had the winner of Ink Trials on staff was good for him.”

“It didn’t work out, I take it.”

“Not because of him. He was great. I was still fucked up, barely functioning, but I didn’t know how bad it was yet. I thought I could shake it off and keep going.”

“You needed time to recover from all the stress.”

“Honestly, I wasn’t really in a good place when the show started, but after it . . . yeah, I was not okay.”

“He wouldn’t let you come back once you felt ready?”

She smiles. “He’s the VIP client I’m making this trip for. I run the shop in Albuquerque like it’s mine, and he runs Vegas, but we’re partners. He’s done more for me than anybody. Ever.”

All the questions I’ve had about her and Cujo multiply. “Were you ever a couple?”

“No. It was never like that. He might’ve saved my life, though.”

“I’m sorry for all the hard stuff you had to go through. But what you’ve achieved is amazing. The courage to follow your own unconventional path is impressive.”

“I wasn’t brave. My talent was just all I had. Nothing else fit. My family never missed an opportunity to let me know how stupid I was to think I could make a living as a tattoo artist. They’ve come around, but some scars don’t heal.”

“Yeah, I could see how they wouldn’t.”

We ride in silence for a while, but when she reaches to turn the music back up, I ask a bolder question. “You want to talk about you and Cujo?”

“I think I’ve shared all I need to for now.”

“Fair enough.”

Before she adjusts the volume, she says, “I don’t know any details, but apparently, Stinger used to talk to Cujo a lot about his past. He opens up when they’re fishing or lifting weights together. But lately, all he talks about is you.”

That shouldn’t light sparklers in my stomach the way it does. We’re not teenagers. But I’m dying to know everything he’s said. I know Josephine is telling the truth when she says she doesn’t know any details. I can’t see Cujo betraying Jensen’s confidence. Or anyone else’s.

I’ve never been to Albuquerque. I excitedly take in every detail as we come into town. Josephine’s condo is downtown and right around the corner from her shop. It’s a studio loft, but it’s spacious. Gorgeous.

She has a little time before she has to meet with her VIP, so she walks me around the area a bit to help me get my bearings. I don’t really need her car because there are several boutiques that catch my eye. They’re probably more expensive than stores I could find if I drive a little farther out, but I’m smitten with the walkable shopping in her neighborhood. Such a stark contrast to her life in Ivydell.

I tell her I’m good when she offers me her car keys. “All I need is a key to get back into your condo when I’m done. I think I’ll be able to find everything I need within walking distance.”

“The shops around here are all going to be pricey.”

“That’s okay. I haven’t splurged on myself in a while.”

She wishes me luck, hands over her access card, and then she leaves me to spoil myself.

Once I get started, I have no trouble at all finding more than I need. I pick out a few sundresses that aren’t my usual style, but I love them on the hanger. I send Mom pics of me in each one to be sure I’m not just enamored because I’m in a new place. She’ll be honest.

Mom’s enthusiastic approval squeezes my heart a little. It’s like a virtual hug, and it makes me long to hug her for real. By the time she replies, I’m almost ready to buy them, regardless, but her endorsement seals the deal.

Back in Josephine’s condo, I go through all my bags and tell myself I didn’t spend too much. These things were all worth it. The only item I second-guess is a headband, but that twenty bucks didn’t make a grand difference. I’m not sure I’ll really wear it, but the saleswoman said all the right things to make me believe I would when I was contemplating it while twirling in one of my new sundresses.

I nap on Josephine’s bed until she calls to say she’s done in the shop and tells me where to meet her for dinner and drinks. It’s just across the street. Super cute pub, but I’m disappointedI don’t get to meet her business partner. He apparently has a partner of the non-business variety in town, too, and they already had plans together.

It’s funny to see her in this setting. She looks like she belongs here, but the moment I met her in Ivydell, I thought she belonged there, too. She’s adaptable, but also smart enough to know what she needs to make her life work.

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