5. Zeb
ZEB
Kai and Gage were right. This new space is smaller than a mob boss’s heart.
It’s nice enough, though. It’s clean, and filled with brick, metal and wood, like the original location. Can’t beat the commute. I got an extra twenty minutes in bed this morning and had time to brew a pot of coffee before I left the house.
“Shiny new workstations. Nice.” Griffin’s running his hands over everything, looking like an eager puppy. If he had a tail, it’d be wagging.
The workstations, two on each side of the space, actually are nice. A little bigger than the ones we had at the main location.
“This one’s mine.” I claim a station in the back, diagonally opposite Griffin’s, and send a smirk in Frank’s direction. He’ll be the one to listen to Griffin’s singing, though in this small shop, there’ll probably be no escaping it.
Frank sends me a look that says he knows exactly what I’m thinking, but he’s above being bothered by such petty things. And he probably is. Frank’s an old soul, just not the Buddhist monk kind. I wouldn’t ever want to give him a reason to kick my ass.
Gage shows us down a narrow hall, past an office to a storage room. “I believe you’re fully stocked with everything you’ll need, but if anything’s missing, let Ember know.”
The woman in question is notably absent, though Gage said she’s on her way. After Gage points out the restroom and the back exit to the alley, we return to the front of the shop just as Ember rushes in the door.
“I’m so sorry I’m late. According to the bus schedule, I should’ve been here fifteen minutes ago, but that’s not how it worked out.”
“No problem,” Gage says easily.
She goes on as if he hadn’t spoken. “I’ll take the earlier bus from now on, and I won’t be late for the opening tomorrow.”
Sometimes I get the idea Ember’s had too much coffee, and today she looks like she’s running on four double espressos. She needs to chill out, but I guess she’s feeling the need to prove herself in her new role as manager, especially since she’s so young.
I’ve tried to think of her, ever since she started at Beasts Ink, as the sister I never had. Not that it worked. She’s in her usual business attire today, all buttoned up, and all I want to do is ease her right out of her clothes and relax her the best way nature knows how.
Never gonna happen, though. I’m not the relationship type, and Ember’s not the hit it and quit it type. It’s true that her lunch dates seem to involve an ever-changing cast of characters, but they’re too brief for her to be doing the nasty.
I have no idea what she gets up to at night, though. And now I’m going to be wondering. She must be single; she wouldn’t have a steady guy and go on all those lunch dates. Not her style.
Do any of her midday men visit her at night? I snarl at myself as my cock twitches. Stupid, to let my mind go there when I know it’s impossible.
“Want us to give you a ride tomorrow?” Griffin’s offer sounds innocent, but the arch of his brow tells me what kind of ride he’d like to give Ember, and it doesn’t involve carpooling with him and Frank. I’m relieved when she turns him down.
Griffin may be a solid artist and a decent enough guy, but he needs to grow up. He flirts with everyone like he’s some kind of goddamn Romeo. I’d like to see Ember smack him one of these times, because she deserves better.
Meanwhile, Frank has perked up at the mention of giving Ember a ride into work. No one else would notice, but the sudden keenness of his gaze tells me he’s interested in that idea.
Fuck. Don’t tell me Frank has the hots for her, too. At least I don’t have to worry about him throwing himself at her the way Griffin does. In the three years we’ve been sharing a house, I haven’t seen Frank show an interest in much beyond his work and his personal art projects, so I can’t imagine him putting the moves on her.
“Is the schedule lined out for tomorrow?” Gage is asking Ember, who whips a tablet out of her bag.
“It’s already nearly full for the rest of the month, actually. Some existing clients have moved over to this shop, both to follow their preferred artists and because of location, and we have several new clients from the recent social media campaign.”
Her voice echoes around the empty room as she continues. Griffin is looking at her like he’s planning a prank as soon as Gage leaves. Frank is watching her too, with an intensity I’ve never seen before. When he realizes I’ve caught him, he quickly looks away.
I have the sudden feeling that the four of us are on a roller coaster that’s about to plunge downhill into a volcano.