Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
My first day at work has been great so far.
There have been small walk-in appointments that I picked up.
I have also been working on sketches for an upcoming flash sale that the studio is having.
Half of the day’s earnings will be donated to the local food bank.
It’s just another reminder why I love living in a small town.
Banks is the absolute legend I knew he would be. I could talk to him forever about his work his well-known clients. He has asked me questions about my time living in the city and the last tattoo studio I worked at. It feels good to have someone invested in making their employees feel valued.
He also lets me bring Morgan with me, so that’s amazing. He’s such a good dog and has no problem napping the day away by the front desk with April when he’s not busy enthusiastically greeting customers.
My new coworker Beck is hilarious. She has made me laugh multiple times today with her excited energy and wild hand gestures while she’s talking. She is booked out for months in advance because she is so talented.
I’m sitting at my table working on a sketch of a sandhill crane when I hear the bell over the door ring.
Banks has slipped over to Maggie’s to grab a coffee.
Something I’m looking forward to myself.
April is on break, and Beck just stomped out the back door to take a phone call.
It’s none of my business, but it sounds heated.
Rising from my chair, I stretch out my long legs and start to walk to the counter when I hear a familiar voice. Oh fuck. Hannah. One day, I only wanted one day. Riot’s going to totally throw this in my face when he hears.
“Well, aren’t you just the sweetest boy ever? Do you work here now? Beck told me about you,” Hannah coos to Morgan as she crouches down to give him ear scratches.
Slowly, she rises to her feet and plops a takeout bag on the counter while still looking down admiring my dog who is shamelessly showing her his belly. That dog has no chill.
“Hey,” she says distractedly when she hears me move further into the room.
“I’m looking for Beck. I brought her food, so she doesn’t die of starvation. You must be LJ,” she says, laughing.
God, I have missed the sound of her laugh.
When she looks up, we make eye contact, and her laughter stops instantly.
Several expressions cross her face in rapid succession.
Surprise, confusion, sadness, and anger.
Anger is the one that sticks as she takes a step back towards the door.
I’m sure the last conversation we had is playing through her mind in HI-FI.
I’m an asshole.
“Logan? What are you doing here?” Her words rush out in one breath.
Fuck, she is gorgeous. She has always been pretty, but this woman standing before me is stunning.
Fitted dark washed jeans and a black V neck sweater highlight her sexy curves.
She is wearing her curly blonde hair longer now, so it falls in soft waves down her back.
I can see the sprinkle of freckles that she always hated across her nose.
Even with her green eyes radiating with anger, she takes my breath away.
“Hey, Hannah.” Jesus, man, get your shit together. You haven’t spoken to her in a decade, and you lead with hey. I clear my throat and start again.
“Hi, Hannah. It’s great to see you. I was planning to reach out once I got more settled.”
“More settled? What exactly does that mean? Why are you here, Logan?” She scowls, narrowing her eyes as she fires off the questions.
“Uhhh, I just moved back to Emerley. I bought the yellow house, and I started working here today,” I ramble, rubbing the back of my neck.
Am I sweating? Great, I can’t string together complete sentences and I’m going to stink.
“Moved back, and you are working here? Doing what?” She scrunches her nose as she parrots my words.
“Umm yeah, I’ve been a tattoo artist for the past 7 or 8 years and that path led me back home to work here.”
She looks at me with confusion. Fair. It’s not exactly the life plan I had when I last saw her.
“A tattoo artist? What? That doesn’t make any sense.” She narrows her eyes and shakes her head. “No. Just no.”
“No?” I repeat.
“Yes, I live here, and yes, I’m working here.” Spreading my arms wide, gesturing dramatically around the shop.
“You can’t be here. You left and I stayed. This is my town now, and you can’t be here.”
The nerve of this woman. I can’t be here? Clearly, I can be.
Okay, I knew she would be mad, but I didn’t expect our first encounter to go like this.
I was hoping to reach out and ask her out for dinner so we could talk.
Those plans have clearly gone out the window.
Maybe I should have made contact before I bought the house and took the job. Hindsight and all. Fuck my life.
I was just about to argue when Beck comes flying back into the studio looking down and quickly texting on her phone.
“LJ, I just remembered, my best friend Hannah will be stopping by soon with some food. I probably ordered enough for both of us. I can’t wait for you to meet her; she is so amazing.”
If I had known that, maybe I would have been better prepared. When I don’t answer Beck, she pauses typing and looks up at me, then towards Hannah.
Phone forgotten, she rushes forward and pulls her into a quick hug.
“Hurray! I’m so glad you are here. I’m starving.”
Hannah motions towards the forgotten bag of food on the counter, still staring at me in disbelief, and Beck immediately starts rummaging through it.
“Awesome! Maggie sent a cruller too. It’s like she knows me or something,” she says laughing as she breaks off a piece and pops it into her mouth.
“LJ, have you been to Maggie’s yet? The coffee and food are to die for.”
Still holding eye contact with Hannah, I respond to Beck, “Ya, I’ve eaten there lots of times. It was one of my favourite places growing up.”
“Huh?” Beck looks up at me and tilts her head with obvious confusion, pausing the bite she was just about to take midair.
“I thought you just moved here. I didn’t realize you lived here before.”
Before I can respond, Hannah says,
“Oh ya, he’s lived here before. Beck, meet Logan.”
Beck continues to look back and forth between Hannah and I, completely confused. “Logan?” She rolls my name around her mouth like it tastes bad. This is awkward.
“Why would you tell me your name is LJ?”
“My old boss called me LJ when I first started working and it stuck. My friends still call me Logan, though. I wasn’t trying to be deceitful,” I try to explain, spinning the bracelet on my wrist.
“I’m not your friend,” Hannah huffs, putting her hands on her hips.
“I was once your best friend,” I remind her.
She scoffs. Right, she’s pissed.
Beck is still pivoting her head back and forth like a cartoon character. When she registers what is going on, her eyes fix on Hannah.
“Logan, as in your Logan?” she asks in disbelief, setting her cruller down on the desk.
“He’s not my Logan. Not anymore. Not for a long time. Maybe ever.” She shakes her head adamantly.
“This doesn’t make any sense. Wasn’t Logan going to school for math or something?” She looks at Hannah with confusion written all over her face.
Hello, I’m right here and I can probably answer all their questions if they just ask me. None of this is going as I planned. Admittedly it wasn’t a great plan, but still.
“Yes, he was. But what do I know? I have no idea about anything anymore,” Hannah replies while continuing to hold my gaze.
Suddenly, without another word, she turns and walks out the door.
That went well. I want to follow her, but I know she needs space to process this.
Instead, I go to the window and watch her climb into her jeep.
Once she’s in her seat, I see her rest her head on the steering wheel for a moment before she starts the car and drives away.
“Not cool, Logan,” Beck calls back over her shoulder, with emphasis on my name, as she leaves the room with her takeout order.
Fuck my life.