Page 58 of The Art of Deception

My breath catches when I see Tomi standing at the entrance to my apartment, wearing her usual retro outfit, including those red heels. It knocks my fucking breath away. She appears to be a little tired but still as beautiful as fucking ever as I approach her. I move in to embrace her, but her eyes widen like she’s shocked by my movement, so I catch myself and stop. Instead, I grab my wallet and move past her to open the door.

My heart hammers so damn fast I can hardly hear anything other than the persistent thumping in my ears as the energy sizzles and pops in the air, mixed with the intense tension. The atmosphere is so thick you could cut it with a knife.

I open the giant double doors, and we both walk inside without saying anything. She heads straight for the living room, the room which caused us so much pain and heartbreak, and she makes her way to the sofa to sit down.

Okay, she’s here to talk.

I take her lead, walking over and slowly sitting beside her, but as I go to say something, she starts before I can. “I don’t want you to think I’m forgiving you.”

I sit forward, joining my hands together in a ball. “I need you to understand what happened. You don’t know the full story, Tomi.”

She sits back, placing her hands on her lap. “Okay… I’m ready to listen.”

Elation fills me. It’s taken us a long time to get to where we are right now, but if she’s finally willing to listen, then I’m telling her exactly how it is.

Sighing, I face her, staring straight into her bright green eyes. “The thing about the megacomplex, Tomi… the deal for the expansion was drawn up and made years ago by my father. Nothing could have stopped this build from taking place.”

She narrows her brows as if she didn’t realize how long this development has been in motion.

“You were at Hope & Faith Ink for nearly five years… this project has been in the pipeline for almost eight…” I pause and reach for her hand. She pulls away. “Tomi, your shop was marked for demolition before you even took over your tenancy.”

Her lips pull in tight like she’s becoming angry. “Did Jacob, the owner of my shop, know?”

“Yes, he knew. He should have told you as part of your lease agreement.”

She stares off in another direction like she’s having trouble holding it together. I’m so fucking angry at Jacob myself for putting Tomi in this situation.

Scott Enterprises aren’t the bad guys in this development—Jacob always has been. He was fully aware of the issues his tenants were going to face in the future. At the time, she could have found another shop that had a better lease time, one that wasn’t going to run out. Jacob used her to make the last few bucks he could until he sold it to us to make his fast cash.

Jacob is the asshole.

Hopefully, I think Tomi is seeing that now.

“That sniveling little prick,” Tomi murmurs.

I dip my head in agreement. “I swear when I came into Hope & Faith Ink, I was coming in purely to get my ink, Tomi. It was close to home, you had a great name in town, and honestly, you were the only one who took walk-ins. I couldn’t make appointments ’cause, with my work schedule constantly changing, I needed a place I could simply walk into. Right place, right time. No spying. No snooping involved whatsoever.I swear, Tomi. I wasn’t sussing your store out because the deal was already done. It was in motion long before I came into your store to get my ink.”

She turns back, facing me, her eyes drooping with sadness. There’s so much she’s saying with her eyes, I just have no idea what she’s trying to tell me.

So, I keep going. “When I put two and two together that it was your shop on the cutting block to make way for the megacomplex and I was tasked with the eviction notices, you have to know how much it killed me, Tomi. I fought it. I tried to stop it… but with eight years of planning and deals behind the megacomplex, I just couldn’t. I couldn’t save it, no matter what I did or said. It was out of my power, and it was happening. Like it or not, Hope & Faith Ink couldnotbe saved…”

I take a deep breath as I reach for her hand. She actually lets me take it this time, making a spark ignite inside of me as she gazes into my eyes. “So, I did the only thing I could think of, make sure there was room in the new megacomplex for another tattoo studio… we’ve called it the art precinct.”

She shifts a little, listening intently to me.

“I pushed forward the idea in the design process and took on talking to the designers about how the studio should be built, then it could designed the way you wanted it. So, it could be Hope & Faith Ink again.” Her hand trembles in mine. I’m not sure if it’s from excitement, nerves, or something else, but I keep going. “I know it’s not the same, it could never be the same…” I look her in the eyes. “But it was the best I could do. This time, it will be yours to do with as you want. I lay the foundation, and you make it completely your own. That was my idea anyway.”

She softens at my words, but then she gulps. “Wasyour idea… so it’s not a tattoo studio anymore?”

My stomach swirls as I watch the hope glimmer in her eyes.I have her.“No, it is, but without your help, I’ve had toimprovise.”

She sits taller, resembling her more confident self. “So, who gets the shop if I don’t?”

“No one… it’s yours.”

She gasps. “What… it’s just gonna sit there empty?”

“I pay the rent on it, so I say who can and can’t use it.” I tighten my hand on hers. “It’s your shop. Yours only, Tomi.”

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