Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Atlas
“If one more person doesn’t show for their interview or asks me if they can apprentice instead, I swear I’ll scream,” I tell Rhett as he sits across from me with a look of amusement on his face.
“It can’t be that bad. What about this guy?” He skims over a résumé I printed this morning. “Adrian. What the fuck kind of name is Adrian? Could you imagine him answering the phone? ‘Thanks for calling Exiled Ink. Adrian speaking, how can I help you?’” He laughs.
It doesn’t help that the guy has little to no work experience, but at this point, I’m starting to feel desperate.
“Don’t be a dick, Rhett. Your name rhymes with wet.”
“So? At least I’m not named after a collection of maps.”
Slouching back, I glare at him. He has a point, but I’ll be damned if I admit it.
“We need to hire someone. Stat. I can’t look through the social media stuff anymore.
I’m about to shut it down. Twenty people—that’s how many I’ve blocked in the last day alone.
Some people shouldn’t have the internet. ”
I sigh and glance at the clock.
Adrian was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago. I guess we won’t have to worry about him.
Snatching the résumé from Rhett, I crumble it up and toss it in the garbage can.
“Hey! What’d you do that for? He could have been a good fit,” Rhett protests.
“Yeah. He’d be great if he actually showed up.” I point at the clock. “He was due over twenty minutes ago.”
“Fuck, why can’t people be on time? Do you have any other interviews scheduled for today?”
“No.” I shake my head and stand up to stretch.
I’ve been sitting in this stupid chair for over an hour, going over payroll and fielding emails.
My ass is numb in places I didn’t think it could be.
“I guess we’ll have to let the ad go a bit longer.
” I turn to walk out of the office, Rhett hot on my heels. I need fresh air.
“You would think people would want to work in a tattoo shop. We’re fucking cool.” He shakes his head in mock dismay.
Laughing at Rhett, I grab a bottle of water from our reception area. It’s technically for clients, but we’re slow right now. Kash has an appointment in an hour, but I’m close to done for the day.
“Dunno what to tell you.”
Maybe I can see if Emma wants to hang out and answer the phone for us. She claims she’s bored most days and needs a hobby. I’d have to kill someone if she ended up seeing some type of dick pic, though.
“Hi, I saw your sign in the window. Are you still looking for help? It’s not tattooing, is it? Because I can’t draw for shit,” says a quiet, feminine voice.
A jolt of recognition goes through me, and I spin around to find the young woman from the coffee shop—Cora—standing in the lobby.
“Well, hello there,” Rhett practically purrs. “We are indeed still hiring, and don’t you worry your pretty head. No tattooing involved.”
“What are you doing here?” My question comes out harsher than I intended, but I can’t take it back now.
A mass of dark hair whips in my direction, followed by blue eyes that have haunted my thoughts more than I’d care to admit. I was frustrated when she took off, and we couldn’t talk more. It looks like fate is giving me another chance.
“I saw the sign in your window.” She points behind her. “And I thought I’d see if you’re still hiring.”
“We need someone to schedule appointments, run the social media pages, and answer the phones. Do you have experience doing that?” Rhett asks while giving me a ‘What the fuck?’ look.
I avoid his gaze. My eyes are locked on her.
Glancing up at Rhett, Cora nods. “Yeah. I used to do scheduling at my dad’s garage and answer the phones. It’s not rocket science.”
“Are you available on evenings and weekends?” He continues the makeshift interview in the middle of the reception area, and I almost pray a customer walks in.
I don’t want her working here. She wouldn’t be able to handle some of the people who come in here, and I have this feeling I’ll lose my shit if someone hits on her. I don’t understand why, but the idea alone makes my blood boil.
“I am, just not mornings on Saturdays, but I can be free for some evenings. I already work a day-shift job,’’ she explains. “But it’s a set schedule. If you need someone more flexible, I understand.”
“You won’t work.”
“Why the fuck not?” Rhett butts in with a look of confusion on his face.
“She’s not available enough.” I make up the first excuse I can think of. She might be available, but not for any of these assholes.
I also want to fill all her time.
“She has a set schedule, and we don’t need her every night,” Rhett argues. “It’s not that big of a deal.”
“Look, if my other job is an issue, it’s fine.” Her eyes flick to me.
Rhett follows her line of vision, and I know I’m fucked.
“No issue at all. Is there, Atlas?”
He’s daring me to keep going, but before I can say anything, Seth joins us.
“What’s no issue?”
He was at his booth with a client. I didn’t realize he was done already. Shit. I know what’s about to happen.
“She wants to fill the receptionist position we have open,” Rhett explains. “Atlas has his boxers in a wad for some reason.”
Seth looks at me, then over to Cora. “Do you have experience?”
“Yep. Garage receptionist, but I figure it’s about the same. Answer the phone, greet people.”
“Solid. You’re hired,” Seth confirms, walking his client to the computer to finish up.
Cora’s face lights up. “Really? I’ve been to three interviews today and they were awful.”
“Yep, I’m game, and since Rhett seems fine with it, I doubt Kash will give a shit. He’s the other owner of our shop,” he explains.
“Great! When should I start?”
She’s wearing a large smile, and I’m a bit mad that I wasn’t the cause of it. I want to get to know her, but not here. I don’t want to share her attention with everyone else, but how do I rationally explain that to my brothers?
“Can I talk to you guys for a second?” I gesture toward the back room. Not waiting for them, I walk away. When I hear Seth say goodbye to his customer, I brace myself for the inevitable questions.
“You can’t hire her,” I say as soon as we’re out of earshot.
“Why the hell not?” Rhett asks. “Did Kash sleep with her or something? Is she some sort of fanatic?”
Seth says nothing. He just stares at me. The idea of Cora and Kash sleeping together sends a flash of anger through me, but I ignore it. She better not know him. I’ll break his jaw.
“No. At least not that I know of, but come on. She worked in a garage. We have totally different clients here,” I blurt out, knowing I’m grasping at straws.
If Cora works here, I’ll have access to her, but so will everyone else.
I hate the idea of her smiling at other people, and with the way I tossed and turned last night, I know it’ll get worse.
“Not really. They come in, get a service, and then pay. All done. I say we give her a shot. She’s not hard on the eyes and seems friendly enough,” Rhett says.
“Agreed. Unless you had a better interview already,” Seth cuts in.
No one else who interviewed felt like a good fit, and a few people didn’t show up, which, of course, Rhett knows.
Glancing at him, I know I’m screwed.
“Well,” Rhett starts. “I did think ole Adrian would have been a good fit, but he didn’t show up for his interview, along with a few others. Isn’t that right, Atty?”
Fuck. “Yeah. He didn’t show, and no one else seems to fit,” I admit.
“Perfect. It’s settled. She’s our new front girl.” Seth smiles at me. “I thought you’d be happy about this, Atlas. Now you don’t have to go through emails and messages and pretend to like people. You can go back to glaring at everyone all the time.”
Asshole. I don’t glare at everyone all the time.
Aiming a glare in his direction, I know I’m not helping my case, but I’m also too irritated to care. There’s nothing wrong with Cora, and I know I’m being difficult, but I don’t want people getting too friendly with my girl.
My girl? Where the fuck did that come from?
I’ve known her for less than a day, but it feels right.
I’m glad Kash isn’t here. He’s good at charming everyone, so I want him nowhere near Cora. She’s too good for him—too good for any of us.
“Okay,” I relent.
Returning to the lobby, we find Cora chatting with a pair of girls. I’m not sure if they’re an appointment or a walk-in, but I see Rhett smile and head toward the group.
“You should absolutely go with the color,” I hear Cora tell the blonde. “I think it’ll really make it pop more. Your skin is so light, it’d draw the eye.”
Approaching the desk, I look at the design Cora’s pointing at in one of our books. She doesn’t know it, but it’s one of mine.
The design itself is small, but she’s pointing at a sunflower with patches of yellow, pink, and green blended in. It’s not very large, maybe a few inches, but it’s bright and cheerful. Two things that I am not.
“Do you ladies have an appointment?” Rhett asks with a large grin on his face.
“No. We saw you had a sign for walk-ins and wanted to get one before we chicken out.” The blonde giggles, and I fight the urge to roll my eyes.
Some people forget that tattoos are permanent.
“We might have time. What were you thinking? Atlas and I are available if it’s not a large piece,” Rhett offers.
I watch Seth talking to Cora over by the door and grit my teeth every time she smiles at him. What is he saying that’s so funny? Seth is our resident quiet, brooding guy… well, after me. He’s not that funny.
I’m about to go over and separate them when Rhett grabs my arm.
“You ready to get started, Atlas? I know you don’t have any clients, and this won’t take long.
” I had stopped paying attention to them in favor of staring at Cora and Seth.
“I’ll do yours, Colleen, since you don’t want any color, and Atlas will get you, Kaylee,” he informs the blonde Cora was chatting with.
“Yeah, sure,” I push out, walking toward my booth. When the door chimes, I know without looking that Cora left.
Sitting down and gathering supplies, I try to push her out of my mind and ignore the disappointment I feel that she didn’t say goodbye.
The only thing that soothes the ache in my chest is knowing I’ll see her again soon. It also makes me panic.
I want her more than my next breath, but I know she’s too good for me. How do I convince her to give me a chance? Maybe I could bring her a treat or offer her a tattoo. Girls like that, right?
“I was thinking of getting it on my arm. Do I need to take my shirt off for that?” the blonde asks, giving me a flirty smile.
I forgot she was here for a moment, but now I’m already counting down the minutes until she leaves.
“No. Just push your sleeve up. I’ll be back.” I leave to grab the design and get ready. One sunflower coming up.