Page 34 of That One Night
“Today?” she asked. It was sweet, but she’d assumed she’d have time to prepare herself for something as big as a tattoo.
“Yep,” he said. “Are you feeling brave enough?”
“Will we go on your bike?”
He shook his head. “No. You’re not completing two items in one day. Plus, I need the truck to bring my supplies home.”
“You have rules aboutmylist?” she asked him, trying not to smile.
“If I’m helping you complete it, then yeah.”
“Is that what you’re doing?”
He lifted a brow. “Didn’t I just say that?”
She took a deep breath. “I’m not sure I’m ready to get a tattoo.”
“That’s fair.” He nodded. “But come with me anyway. I’ll introduce you to Jack. You can talk it through and decide what you want.”
Damn, he was being so reasonable. And the truth was, shewantedto go with him. “Give me a second,” she told him. “I should tell my mom I’m leaving.”
“You gonna tell her where you’re going?”
Emery laughed. “Nope.”
Luckily, her mom was still in a funk when she ran inside, trying to cool herself with a hand held fan. “Mom, I’m heading out to meet a friend,” she told her. “I’m catching a ride with one of the hands.”
Not a lie, not the truth. The story of her life.
“Okay.” Her mom nodded, frowning at something on the television. “See you later.”
Well, that was nice and easy. A surge of optimism rushed through her as she quickly checked herself in the mirror,smoothing out the frizz around her brow with her hands, and quickly sliding a slick of lipstick on.
Not for him, she told herself, but for her. It was the first time since she’d arrived that she was actually going out of town. Why hadn’t she done this before?
When she ran back outside, Hendrix was waiting in his truck. The windows rolled down, rock music pumping through the air from his stereo. He had aviator sunglasses on, his cap turned backward so he could see a little better.
“Ready?” he asked as she climbed into the passenger side of the cab.
“Yep.”
“Then let’s go.”
He waited for her to fasten her seatbelt before he revved up the engine, steering the large truck down the road while rock music pumped out of his stereo. From the corner of her eye she could see him mouthing along to the music.
She could smell the scent of whatever body wash he’d used before he’d picked her up, too. Low notes of musk that made her body tighten.
“I haven’t been to the supply store for years,” she said as he pulled onto the main road. It was funny, but even the way he drove was laid back. Like it was as easy as breathing.
“It hasn’t changed,” he told her.
She used to love visiting the store with her dad. The owner would always give her a popsicle in the summer and a chocolate bar in the winter, while he’d take her dad on a tour of their newest stock. The two adults would discuss the latest seeds or newest vehicles, while she wandered around the clothing, or hung near the pet supplies, hoping against hope her dad would get the hint and buy her a hamster or gerbil.
Of course he never did. Told her he had enough animals to worry about, then he’d ruffle her hair.“But you’re my favorite animal of all, kid.”
It looked different than she remembered when they pulled up outside. The shop must have been rebuilt in the past few years. It was a bigger, red-painted warehouse with a white roof and porch along the front, built to look like a huge barn, complete with a half-size windmill to the side of it.
Hendrix cut off the engine and jumped out of the car, walking around to her side before she had time to pull at the handle. He offered her a hand to climb down, and the heat of his palm against hers made her feel sweaty.
