Page 36 of Heart Taker

“You okay if I bring him in for a consult?”

“Of course, you don’t need to ask. His first one is on the house.”

The phone rang, and I got busy with bookings and answering questions. Clients arrived, then another one of the shop’s tattoo artists, Zephyr, came in for his shift, followed by Darby an hour later.

Darby looked like he’d had the roughest night of any of us. His long black hair was tied back in a messy braid, and his green eyes were bloodshot. When he walked up to the counter, I finally noticed the swollen lips and beard burn.

At least someone around here got lucky last night.

I thought maybe I’d feel… something, anything, but I didn’t. No jealousy or anything like that. Why should I? We didn’t have any kind of arrangement, only a casual one.

“Morning,” he muttered and plucked out a Danish, shoving it in his mouth with gusto.

“Afternoon,” I corrected.

Darby swallowed a bite and sighed. “Man, I should’ve cancelled my bookings today.”

“Hungover?”

“No.” He smirked. “I didn’t get any sleep.”

“Was it worth it?” I asked.

“Oh, yes.”

I chuckled as Darby stalked around the desk to head down to his station.

“What are you doing later?” he asked.

I looked over my shoulder. Darby looked like he had barely enough energy to work, never mind fool around.

“I’ve got to get back to Sutton. Jo was sick last night.”

Truthfully, Jo was okay now. But I wasn’t in the mood for a hookup. Not today.

“Right. Of course.” He sighed. “I don’t know how you do it.”

I stopped typing, turned around, and crossed my arms. “Do what?”

“Look after a kid at your age. Or at any age.”

“He’s my brother. And not so much a kid anymore.”

“Good. You need to make time for your own life.”

His comment pissed me off.

“I’m doing exactly what I need to for my family,” I replied. “I have a life. I have school and hockey.”

Maybe to Darby that wasn’t much, but it was all I needed.

“Relax, Si, I’m just saying?—”

“Your first appointment is arriving in ten,” I snapped. “You better get ready.”

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out, expecting Josiah.

Instead, it was a text from Damien. My irritation morphed to anticipation.

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