Page 46 of Shar: A Woman Alone

“Hell, yeah, Trip. Let’s blow them mothers to the nextstate. I’ll be ready in ten minutes as soon as I freshen up and get my bikergear out of mothballs!” Trip looks extremely happy and agrees to meet meoutside in ten minutes.

A quick freshen up and I’m digging out some decent jeans, mybiker boots and leather jacket. I have a couple of thick t-shirts that I usedto wear for riding, so one of those over a crop top and I’m ready to roll.

Walking through the rec room I get a few looks, but they’reappreciative rather than piss taking, so I’m growing more confident that Crackhas told no one about the pole.

Trip takes us on a detour on the way to the garage and giveshis hog plenty of space to stretch her legs. She does it well and soundsamazing when he twists that throttle.

Arriving at the garage, I’m a little speechless. It doesn’tlook like the same place I bought for the club. In my SUV, I’d have probablydriven past without recognizing the place. The forecourt is clean and inviting.The front of the building has been cleaned and painted. The club logo is in thecenter of the window, but it’s been done as a light engraving so you see it andyet still see through it into the building.

Walking inside, there is a reception counter and a waitingarea. There’s a small table and six comfy chairs. A coffee machine sits on oneend of the counter and a large window has been cut into the wall behind that,so customers can see their cars being worked on. I like that and tell Trip thatI think that’s a great addition. Apparently, it was one of Cord’s improvementideas, of which he has had a few.

Walking through to the work area, we go through a smallhallway and there are toilets and a kitchen off to one side. Peeking inside, Isee that the toilets have separate customer and staff stalls. Another nicetouch. The workspace looks much bigger than I remember it. There are two rampsinstalled and a tent on the far side.

“Spray booth?” I ask Trip.

“Well spotted. We can take it down if we have no work for itand use that area for more servicing. It’s an inflatable booth, so should takeminutes to pack away or inflate. Wasn’t cheap but Cord reckons it will onlytake a few jobs for it to pay for itself.”

“Another of Cord’s ideas? He’s got the bit between his teethconsidering he doesn’t have the background.” I’m surprised by the enthusiasmthat Cord’s ideas show. He must be excited by the management side of things,that’s for sure.

Thinking we’re all done here, I follow Trip out of the baydoors and onto the rear lot. There are numbered bays out here and in one cornerthere’s a picnic area with two picnic tables, garbage bins and a sunshade orrain protector.

“Gets the guys outside and into the rays on good days andalso reduces the foot traffic around the kitchen area. Saves on replacing theflooring so often and less chance of any customers hearing any cussing atlunchtimes.” Trip grins at my astonished look.

“Cord again?” I grin.

“Nope. This was Snore. I think it’s genius, too. Gettingoutside in the sunshine is going to release endorphins into the guys' brains,promoting happy, happy thoughts, pain relief and reduce stress.” Trip laughs asmy mouth hangs open. “Yep. Snore told us all that, too.”

“So, when they come back from their break time, they’ll beas high as a kite and work twice as fast.” I laugh again and wonder how it tookme coming here to release all this positivity within them.

“Let’s make tracks, Shar. We can drop by the tattoo shop onthe way back and you can meet Autumn.”

“Autumn? Who’s Autumn when they are at home?”

“The new receptionist that you enticed with your windowsign.”

If my mind wasn’t so full of the garage, I may have made theconnection to the tattoo shop and their new receptionist on my own.

Reveling in the ride behind Trip, and no doubt getting myown high from the sun and my endorphins, we don’t take nearly long enoughbefore we arrive at the tattoo shop. Walking inside, I’m surprised, yet again,when there are several people standing around in the waiting area. A woman'svoice calls from the work area, “Be with you in a sec.”

“Since when did Scribe or Needle sound like that, or have wegot a woman tattoo artist now?” I ask Trip, and he just grins some more.

A woman approaches us and I’m actually taller than her.That’s a rarity in my world and I can’t help but stare.

“Unusual, huh? Being taller than someone else? I see thatlook more than you’d ever imagine. I’m Autumn. What can we do for you today?You don’t look like a flowery type of girl, certainly nothing gothic. Maybe acyborg type of thing. You’re definitely fit enough to carry something like thatoff. Oh! Cyborg in steampunk style. That would certainly be the dog's whatsitson you.”

“I’m not here for a tattoo and I’m not sure what ‘steampunk’is, anyway.” She is certainly full-on when it comes to pitching sales, I’llgive her that.

Turning and grabbing a folder from the table behind her, sheflicks through some pages and then shows me some photos. Seeing them has metipping my head to one side. They depict a clock, but no ordinary clock. It isquite a detailed thing and I see where the ‘steam’ bit comes from. It lookslike it has all the pipes, cogs and things that you would expect to see with asteam engine, but it is far more intricate and detailed.

Looking over my shoulder, Trip comments, “You could havesomething from your shoulder and then your upper arm that would look killer onyou, Shar. Like an open wound showing cyborg mechanics under the skin, but inthat style. Whoa, that would look awesome.”

“Trip! I’m not having a goddamn tattoo. They’re not mything.”

“Okay, Shar. Just saying. But I have to say, Autumn, I likethe way you think. You nailed that, hands down.” Sticking his hand out, theyhigh-five each other.

“It’s an artist thing. I can see things in my mind’s eye,but I can’t put it on paper, or skin even. So, what can I do for you if I can’tsell you a tattoo?” She looks me in the eye and then looks up at Trip.

“Actually, I was dragged here, kicking and screaming, tomeet you.” I smile at Autumn and she gives off a lovely, gentle laugh.

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