Page 11 of An Overdue Match
“This is perfect, thank you.” He looked up and smiled.
But he found Evangeline’s focus decidedly lower than his eyes—on his rose tattoo, to be precise. He tucked his chin to give her a better view, then leaned in slightly.
“You know, I’m not one of your living books,” he whispered.
She startled, her gaze finally rising to meet his. “Pardon?”
He grinned. “You were checking me out.”
“I wasn’t ... that’s not...”
He laughed as her cheeks reddened to a deep rosy hue.
“Thanks for the book.” He winked and left her sputtering on the spot.
6
Tai had only a few more minutes to put the finishing touches on the design he’d worked out for his seven o’clock appointment. Transferring the intricate details of the lacelike mandala with jeweled edging from the flat surface of his tablet to the rounded contours of Darla Shapiro’s head would take skill. Especially since he’d have to freehand the design instead of use a stencil like he usually did for his tattoos.
“Tai, your seven o’clock is here,” Maggie shouted back at him from the reception area.
Tai added the last teardrop to finish out the symmetry of the mandala, then saved his design in his drawing software. He kept the document open so he could show Darla and get her approval before he got to work applying it on her skin. Tucking the tablet against his side, he made his way to the front of the shop and smiled when he saw the woman in her midfifties he’d met the week before when she’d come in and shared her vision with him.
“Good to see you again,” he said with a warm smile. Some of the first-timers were nervous when they walked through the doors of a tattoo shop. Needles tended to do that to people. Not that she had that particular concern today. “Want to come on back?”
“I’m really excited to see what you came up with.” Darla followed him to his station, then took a seat in the chair that resembled something you’d see in a dentist office.
Tai dragged over his rolling adjustable stool and sat beside his client, turning the tablet around so she could see the screen. “What do you think? Let me know if there are any adjustments you want to make.”
A telltale sheen washed over her eyes as she stared at the picture he’d created. “This is perfect.” Emotion clogged her throat as she handed the tablet back to him.
“A headdress fit for a warrior princess.” He held her gaze a few moments so she’d know he meant what he’d said. People like Darla held a hidden strength that he could only imagine.
Customers came into the parlor for many different reasons. Tattoos were personal and permanent. Most patrons took a lot of time to decide what they wanted forever inked into their skin. Sometimes a person wanted to memorialize a lost loved one in a piece of art, or a couple wanted a lasting symbol of their relationship, or someone wanted a quote they could look at and be reminded of in moments of doubt or weakness.
Darla, however, was a fighter. And the dye he would put to her skin was an outward representation of that fighting spirit she carried within.
“Are you ready?” He didn’t want to rush her. There was a lot of emotion surrounding what they were about to do.
She looked at him and smiled. “I’m ready.” Reaching up, she grazed her fingers at the hairline above her forehead. A second later, her hair slid off her head, revealing a bald dome the wig had previously covered.
Tai blinked. That was it. How could he have missed it before? Thesomethingthat always niggled at him whenever he looked at Evangeline. The wavy curls framing her face were part of a wig. Was she locked in a similar battle as Darla? Thethought caused an ache to bloom behind his breastbone. Evangeline wasn’t anyone to him, but he hated the thought of her going through such a fight.
Beside him, Darla gave a nervous chuckle, snapping him out of his dazed epiphany.
Right. The woman he should be focusing on at the moment. He set his tablet on a mount, then pulled on a pair of medical-grade disposable gloves. He’d already prepared the henna the day before, per his research, mixing the henna powder with lemon juice, sugar, and tea tree oil, and letting the paste rest to release the dye.
“You said you’ve never done this, right?” Darla’s voice didn’t sound nervous, just matter-of-fact.
Tai turned from the equipment to face her. “Henna, no. Although I did practice and I have done my fair share of mandalas, so you needn’t worry on that account.”
She leaned back in the chair. “I’m not worried.” She rather looked like she was ready for a day at the spa. Speaking of ...
“Were you able to exfoliate the skin within the last three days like we discussed?” For the tattoo to last longer, the dead skin needed to be scrubbed off so it wouldn’t fall away, taking the dye with it.
“My daughter gifted me with a sugar scrub that smelled divine.”
“Good.” He moved to stand behind her. “I’m going to touch your head now and get a feel for your skin and the contours of your skull.”
