Page 26 of An Overdue Match
“Yes, Mama. Skiing. One more trip before the season ends.” Tai kept his voice modulated. He was an adult. If he wanted to go skiing, he’d go.
“Why? The cold, dry air, all that continuous activity ... you know that combination is the worst thing for your lungs.”
“I’ll be fine.”
She clucked her tongue. “‘I’ll be fine,’ he says. You don’t know that. Not when you put yourself in these dangerous situations. Why do you have to worry me like this? Don’t you care that I’ll be a ball of anxiety every second that you’re away?”
“Of course I care.” He didn’t like seeing his mom when she got worked up, but he couldn’t let that dictate his decisions either. “I’ll be perfectly safe. My asthma is no longer the same issue it was when I was a young child. I’m not going to let it control my life.”
“You may not have a life anymore if you keep engaging in these risky adventures!” she cried.
“Missy.” Walter covered his wife’s hand with his own. “You can’t helicopter parent the boy.” His tone was more comforting than rebuking, and he met Tai’s gaze with a sympathetic look.
“Well, you stuck your foot in it, didn’t you, Bob?” Aunt Bonnie said in a stage whisper to her husband.
Awkward chuckles sounded as the family picked up their forks and resumed eating. His dad and mom were speaking quietly at their end of the table while Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Bob did the same. Elliot had his eyes glued to his lap, where Tai guessed he was scrolling on his phone under the table.
Hayley turned to Tai, speaking low. “Were you at the library this morning?”
“Yeah. Why?”
She contemplated him over the rim of her water glass. “I’ve just been wondering if you’re the reason Evangeline was acting out of sorts earlier.”
He tried not to show any outward reaction. “Why would you think I was the culprit?”
Hayley snorted. “Oh, please. Like I haven’t noticed the way you’ve been flirting with her any chance you get.”
He couldn’t defend himself by saying he acted that way all the time because it wasn’t true. Honestly, he wasn’t usually flirtatious. He was cordial and friendly, but nobody would lay the moniker of lady’s man at his feet. Only Evangeline had brought out that side of him. More playful and carefree. Her buttoned-up persona made him want to push those buttons and glimpse the spark in her eyes. There was attraction there. Definitely on his side, without a doubt, but he had a feeling she was struggling against the pull toward him as well. He hadn’t been oblivious to the overlong looks she’d cast his direction. Before she shuttered her reaction behind a wall of perceived misconception, he’d witnessed a certain level of captivation when she looked at him. He just needed to get her to stop stifling that response and be willing to explore it instead.
“I might have...” Tai pulled a hand across the back of his neck, unsure why he was confessing this to his cousin. “I might have asked her out.”
Hayley’s eyes widened, and she shoved lightly on his shoulder. “Shut up! What did she say?”
She must have seen the answer on his face because the hand on his shoulder turned to a conciliatory pat. “Turned you down, huh?”
Tai shoved half a cornbread muffin into his mouth in response.
“Well, my advice is to not give up too easily. Evangeline keeps her cards close to her chest and swears up and down that she’s not interested in dating, but I don’t believe her for a second. She’s the most in-love-with-love person I’ve ever met. Definitely a hopeless romantic.” Hayley took a sip of her water.“If I had to wager a guess, though, I’d say she’s been hurt pretty badly before and is scared of getting burned again.”
“Hmm,” Tai murmured as he chewed. He’d asked her that very question, if someone had hurt her. She’d appeared uncomfortable and had laughed the whole thing off as a silly book trope.
But maybe some tropes were based more on reality than people gave them credit for.
12
The door to Cotton-Eyed Cup of Joe opened as Sheriff Jacobs exited with a cold brew in his hand.
“Afternoon, Sheriff.” Tai dipped his head in greeting and caught the corner of the door before it could close.
“Tai,” Sheriff Jacobs responded in kind. “How are things going over at Inked by Design?” The uniformed man stepped out of the way to let an out-of-town couple bustle into the coffee shop.
“Business is good.” It was actually more than good. He was booking out months in advance thanks to word of mouth and the explosion of followers on his social media pages. Before he’d decided to open his own place, his industry friends had warned him that Little Creek may not have the population to support such a venture and was too remote to be convenient for even those in the surrounding areas. Thankfully, people didn’t mind traveling once they saw pictures of his work.
Sheriff Jacobs nodded distractedly. Some concerned citizens had sent the man out to the shop when it had first opened, afraid the tattoo parlor would attract a certain variety of riffraff and crime in their little town would skyrocket. Tai had been happy enough to show Sheriff Jacobs around the place. He’d walked the lawman through the safety precautions artistsin the industry used, assuring him the needles and ink were completely safe.
He also let the police officer flip through his printed portfolio. If his art didn’t relieve any misgivings, Tai wasn’t sure anything he said would. The thing was, he limited the designs he put on people’s skin. If someone wanted a grotesque or demonic tattoo, they’d have to go elsewhere. Tai was aware that tattooing could have a dark side—everything on the planet could—but he was only interested in creating things that were uplifting and light.
“Stay out of trouble.” Sheriff Jacobs gave a two-fingered salute and walked toward his squad car.
