Page 47 of Try Hard
“Fuck me. You lookincredible,” Soph gushed.
If I hadn’t been watching Ophelia’s expressions so closely, I might have missed the slight tightening of her eyes, the clench of her jaw. Sure, she wasn’t a fan of too much attention in general, but something about Soph’s comment bothered her in a more specific way; I’d bet good money on it.
She cleared her throat. “Thanks. You too.”
My jaw clenched too at that. Of course, it was just the thing you said to people you hadn’t seen in a long time, especially when they complimented you. And it wasn’t even incorrect. Soph looked happier and more herself than she’d ever been. Of course Ophelia would pick up on that. And it wasn’t like she hadn’t complimented me earlier in the day. But still. Emotions were complicated.
Soph grinned and waved her hands down her torso, finishing with a flourished pose. “Tell me about it.”
Ophelia hummed quietly. “Quite a bit more ink than the last time I saw you.”
I frowned, putting the pieces together. “You knew about the stick and poke tattoo she gave herself.”
She shot me a knowing look. “I did, indeed.”
Soph laughed. “There was a time when you two were the only people in the world who knew—outside of me, of course.”
“How about that,” I said softly, enjoying the odd connection between our teenage selves more than there was any point in doing.
“Dad wasfuriouswhen he found out.”
“If I recall correctly,” Ophelia said pointedly, “you always knew he would be.”
Soph grinned widely at her. “Yeah, but, you know, I was fifteen. It is what it is. And, I was right that they were something I loved.”
Ophelia nodded, clearly thinking back on fifteen-year-old Sophie, who had come to one of their mentoring sessions with a new, slightly wobbly tattoo. That same girl who had burst into my room like she was on some kind of secret mission to show off her very first ink. She’d been so proud of herself. I could only imagine she’d been the same when she’d shown it to Ophelia.
I hummed. “And, now, you’re fighting off Dad investing in the studio and banning him from sending you clients.”
Soph gagged, immediately flashing back to the client that had caused said ban. “You’d be doing the same thing if you had to deal with…that.”
Ophelia scowled, looking from Soph to me questioningly.
I couldn’t help myself from leaning into her, stepping closer, and placing my hand on her back again, brushing her fingers where she had them clasped behind her. “I’ll explain later,” I said quietly.
“Ugh,” Soph groaned. “Tell her now. It doesn’t matter. It’s not like I can forget it.”
I laughed. “Dad’s boss, a man we’ve been hearing about since Soph was eighteen, was apparently wanting to get a tattoo and, obviously, like any proud dad, ours told him about Soph’s studio and facilitated the booking. He told his boss how much of a professional Soph was, how good her work was, and he told Soph a million more stories about the man. All of them very professional.”
“Right,” Ophelia said, sounding a little unsure but curious.
“Well, it turns out he wanted a couple’s tattoo with his wife. Nothing weird there. Happens all the time. Except… this was our dad’s boss and the tattoos they wanted were… vulgar.”
“So inappropriate,” Soph muttered.
I laughed. “Again, nothing wrong with vulgar tattoos or tattoos in intimate places—”
“And I’m a total professional who can do a job without being weird about it,” she assured Ophelia, suddenly sounding like a little kid, desperate for her approval.
“But,” I said, pausing for effect, “it’s different whenthat’sthe tattoo and it’s on your dad’s boss and his wife.”
Soph groaned again. “In Dad’s defense, he didn’t know what they wanted, but still. How do you have dinner with your dad after tattooing his boss’ genitals?”
Ophelia looked stunned. “I see. How… unfortunate for everyone involved.”
“Not the boss. Man got exactly what he wanted, loved it, and got the friends and family discount too. I was down there for hours.”
Ophelia pressed the smooth, soft, back of her hand to her lips, hiding her laughter before saying, “I’m sure he’s grateful for your work.”
