Chapter 6
Declan
“You like her,” Preston sing songs like an asshole.
“She doesn’t have a ring, so she’s not married, but is she single? Because I have a few friends who would love to take her out on a date,” Becca says, watching Penny’s retreating form and biting her lip like she would also like to take Penny out.
“Will you two stop? I don’t like her. She has a kid, assholes.”
Becca pops a perfectly manicured eyebrow. “And…”
“Yeah, dude. She’s fucking hot. And her kid is pretty cool too. If you don’t like her, maybe I’ll ask her out. She’s a definite MILF.”
Jude smacks Preston on the back of his head, giving him a look, and I can’t help but be grateful to the man I just hired two weeks ago.
Preston’s antics shouldn’t surprise me, though. I’ve known him for almost a decade, and his childish ways haven’t changed in all that time. My only regret right now is hiring him to work here. Seems like Penny has enamored everyone.
Not me, though.
She’s just a friend. A gorgeous friend. But a friend no less.
“I still don’t understand why having a kid means you don’t like her. She was super fucking sweet. Didn’t bat a lash at Preston or me,” Becca says.
I know she’s right. Preston and Becca are a lot. You have to be able to hold your own around them, or you’ll find yourself sucked into their vortex. But they don’t understand where I’m coming from, and I’m not going to sit here and explain it to them.
A throat clears behind me, and one of the guys from the coffee shop I saw earlier extends his hand. “Hi. I’m Lucas. I wanted to introduce myself.”
“Are you single?” Becca purrs as she looks him up and down.
He’s only a few inches shorter than me, but has the stature of someone who demands respect. I can tell he’s also mixed-race. His olive skin paired with his blue eyes gives away that he’s probably part Italian and possibly Latino.
I have a hard time not profiling people’s features when I meet strangers. I’ve studied faces for as long as I can remember and have built my art and tattoo clientele around doing hyper-realistic work. You get used to recognizing a person’s ethnicity based on their unique characteristics.
“He’s taken.” A pink-haired beauty slides her arm around his waist, staking her claim. She eyes Becca up and down, giving her the once-over. This girl has some fire in her, and I internally smile when she pops an unimpressed eyebrow at Becca.
“And so is she,” Gabriella, Becca’s girlfriend, says as she joins the group. “Don’t mind her. She has no filter. I’m her girlfriend of five years. Gabriella.”
The pink-haired girl instantly relaxes. “I’m Jordan,” she says, introducing herself.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Lucas asks me a moment later, and I nod my head, signaling for him to take a few steps away from everyone.
He leans down and whispers something in Jordan's ear and then tilts her head for a heated kiss. He leaves her with Preston, Jude, and the girls, and they all look chum as can be after the interaction just moments ago.
“Thanks. I was hoping to make an appointment with you.”
For a minute there, I thought he was going to ask me about my relationship with Penny, but I’m relieved he didn’t. “Of course. Let me pull up my schedule. Do you have something in mind?” I take my phone out of my back pocket and open my calendar.
“I want a rose tattoo.”
I look at him and then his girl. “Yeah, it’s for her,” he confirms my suspicions.
I don’t judge. But as far as I’m concerned, when people get a tattoo for their significant other, they may as well sign the divorce papers on the spot because the amount of coverups I’ve done to get rid of said tattoos are insane.
We talk for a few minutes about how big he wants it and where, and I put it in my notes for his appointment right before Christmas.
“I don’t mean to pry. But I overheard you talking about Penny.”
Shit. So, he did want to say something to me about her.
I look him in the eye and keep my expression neutral, waiting for what he’s about to say next.
“I haven’t known her long, but she’s my girlfriend’s best friend. I just thought I should tell you that you should stop looking at her the way you do if you don’t like her. She and her daughter deserve someone who’s going to worship the ground they walk on.”
I may be bigger than this guy, but shit, he looks like he would rip my balls off if it came to it. He’s not messing around. I have to give him respect for sticking up for Penny and Autumn.
“We’re just acquaintances. Nothing more,” I tell him. The lie falls easily from my lips but leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
He starts to laugh and says, “I can tell you know each other. I’m a cop and can smell the bullshit from a mile away. But keep telling yourself that.”
I don’t dignify him with a response because he’s right; Penny and I do know each other.
And I’ve felt like shit the past few weeks because I haven’t reached out to her at all.
The number of times I’ve typed and deleted her a message is laughable, but I couldn’t pull the trigger.
There’s just no way around the whole kid situation.
I don’t want to get any more attached to Penny than I already have and hurt her in the process, but I do miss my pen pal.
It’s a double-edged sword at this point, and I don’t know what the right thing to do is.
“Anyway. I’ll let you get back to your guests, and I’ll see you for the appointment.”
He shakes my hand and leaves me by myself with my thoughts. It seems like everyone around Penny and me has an opinion about our interactions with one another. I should probably talk to her and clear the air. Make sure there are boundaries so no one thinks we’re into each other.
My buddy Jake, who’s a priest, comes up to steal my attention. “I have to head back to the church, but I’ll text you later. And let me know when you want to get started on your apartment.”
I nod and give him a handshake and a back slap. “Sounds good. Thanks for coming out tonight. I appreciate it. Whenever you’re ready for your next piece, let me know. I still owe you.”
Jake does contracting on the side, helping out the less fortunate when he’s not at the church, as well as doing handcrafted woodwork.
He was the one who made my reception desk.
I met him a few years back when he wandered into the shop, looking to get a back piece done, and we became fast friends.
It didn’t surprise me that a priest had walked through the doors that day, considering we get all walks of life in tattoo shops; what surprised me were the kind of tattoos he had on his body.
He has ink that you only get if you're a part of something bigger, more sinister. He’s one of the nicest guys I know, and there’s no reason to think the worst of him, even if those tattoos tell a story of a past that’s darker than I’ve ever seen before.
I watch him leave and catch him doing a double-take towards Wren.
He slows as he passes her, and when she looks up at him, her eyes widen slightly, but she schools her features and looks away.
I don’t miss the blush that fills her cheeks, or the way Jake takes half a second to pause next to her, just staring.
One thing I know for sure about Jake is that he’s committed to his vow of celibacy.
Most women would fall at his feet at the opportunity to get him in bed for one night, but he never takes a second glance like he did just now.
I find it peculiar that Wren caught his attention, and I watch him double-time it out of the shop after checking her out.
I finally take a moment to look around the party, soaking everything in. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, and a lot of my clientele from the surrounding area showed up to be here tonight.
I know I need to go mingle, but I find myself searching for Penny in the crowd. I don’t see her or Autumn, and my heart drops at the thought that they snuck out without saying goodbye.
“You got a minute?” Alex, Penny’s dad, asks, catching me off guard.
“Yeah, everything okay?”
He chuckles. “Everything is fine. Your place is great. You should be proud of yourself.”
I give him an appreciative smile and a nod of thanks.
“Anyway, my wife and I are headed out, and I just wanted to tell you thank you for inviting us. We aren’t at the coffee shop as much anymore because Penny manages it for us. But don’t be a stranger. In fact, I was thinking that maybe we could collaborate on something that benefits both of us.”
I nod my head. “I’d be down for that.”
“I don’t want to take up any more of your time, but I’ll have Penny talk to you about it later.”
I look up to see if later is now, and Alex catches my wandering eyes.
“Autumn didn’t feel well, and they snuck out to go upstairs a few minutes ago.”
I give him a tight-lipped smile. “Right. Of course.”
He reaches his hand out, holding a card. “This has my cell on it. If you ever need anything, just let me know.”
Like father, like daughter.
“Thanks, I appreciate it.”
His hand lands on my shoulder, and he gives it a tight squeeze. A little bit tighter than what’s considered normal. Did he notice the way I apparently looked at Penny earlier, like Lucas, Preston, or Becca did? No. I don’t think so. I didn’t look at her in any special way.
“Welcome to the neighborhood, Declan.”
He leaves me standing by myself, and I shake off the weird feeling that he just laid a warning on me.
Hours later, once everyone has left the party, and I’ve closed up the shop, I stop on the landing in between Penny’s apartment and mine, staring at her door.
It’s eerily silent, and I wonder if Autumn is okay.
I rub the spot in the middle of my chest and head into my apartment. I shouldn’t care. I don’t care. Not really. But she didn’t look well when she came up to Penny earlier, and I just hope that she didn’t catch a bug or something.
It would be bad for business.
I pull my phone out of my pocket as I’m getting undressed and see a few missed text messages.