A week later...

Lucas pulled up to the back of the brick strip mall that housed the So Inked tattoo shop. His hands were sweating more than they had in a decade or more. Omen whined from her crate, sensing his nerves.

It was odd how full circle things were.

He was coming home to Texas, working with Mary and Kellie again, and he had a new dog. Mom and Dad were glad to see him, and had promptly informed him of all the family activities he could attend in the coming weeks, namely the big reunion.

There was just one person missing from all this, and he wasn’t sure she’d ever want to see his face again.

He hoped that eventually, after he settled into the shop and got his life set up once more, he’d find the peace he’d been lacking since the day that Jenny walked into his life. Jenny had had the great misfortune to marry her high school sweetheart, who just happened to be Lucas’ piece of shit cousin. Jenny had been a shining bit of brightness for Lucas. Falling in love with her wasn’t the smartest thing he’d done, and there wasn’t any excuse for it other than the heart loved who it loved.

“Come on, Omen. Here’s to a new start.”

Lucas got out of his Jeep, circled to the other side and hauled Omen’s crate out after him, and only then did he get his kit from the back. He’d barely gotten into town day before yesterday and found a place to rent close enough to the shop he wouldn’t spend hours in traffic, but he still had next to nothing lined up for the pup, so she’d have to stick with him until he figured out what he was doing with her.

He knocked on the back door since it was pretty early yet. Kellie and her boyfriend had swung by the apartment to say hello last night, but this would be the first chance he got to see both women and their shop.

The door opened and a woman with long, dark hair and tanned skin leaned out. Mary didn’t smile, she just arched her brow at him.

“You really are a gray beard now, huh?”

“Fuck you.” He grinned.

“Are you moving in or something?” Mary held the door for him and eyed the crate. “A dog? Seriously?”

“It’s only for today, unless you want me to start tomorrow?” He had a good guess things were dire if she was willing to admit to needing the favor.

“Put it in the office.” Mary sighed.

“Is that Lucas?” Kellie leaned out of the only door on the left. “Hey, old man.”

“Fuck you, too.” He paused to set his bag down and give the Asian artist a quick hug.

“Put your stuff out front, then let’s talk.” Kellie glanced at the clock on the wall. “I don’t mean to rush you, but I’d like for us to all chat before Carly gets here.”

“Sure. Where you want me?”

“Either of the middle stations is fine,” Kellie said.

Lucas rolled his kit out to the front and left Omen in the hall.

The shop was wide, with space for six stations, three on either wall, and a main desk area. The shop space was painted and decorated with an eclectic display of art pieces. The floors, furniture and equipment were clean. The fixtures were all new and modern. All in all, it was a classy joint, especially compared to some of the shitholes he’d tattooed in.

He slid his kit under the desk hanging from the wall on the left side of the shop and glanced around one last time.

This place felt good.

There was just a vibe to the shop that made him excited about what was coming next, as opposed to just going through the motions to get by.

Lucas ducked back into the office.

Kellie had moved Omen’s travel crate into the office next to the sofa. Both women had desks on opposite sides of the room.

“Have a seat?” Mary folded her hands in front of her, expression serious.

“Shit, how bad are things?” He perched on the cushions and stuck his fingers through the bars. Omen licked the digits then leaned against him, soothed by the touch.

“Financially we’re good. Solid,” Kellie said.

“Then why do you need me here?” he asked slowly.

“Because...” Mary sighed and glanced away.

Kellie stared at the back of Mary’s head.

“What have I just walked into?” he asked.

“I didn’t tell Kellie until a few days ago that I’d sort of hired you.” Mary turned to face him, the stubborn set of her jaw familiar to him. She was the quiet sort of woman who preferred to say as little as possible and bottled everything up inside. He’d seen her explode a number of times over the years, and it was never pretty. She might be little, but her tongue could cut and she had a mean little fist.

“We have had growing pains,” Kellie said, taking over. “When we started, we were four, single women out to tattoo our way across the state. Now, two of us are married—”

“You might as well be married,” Mary interjected.

“True.” Kellie nodded. “All three of us travel a lot with our significant others. That leaves the burden of being the person here almost every day on Mary, and our shop manager, Carly.”

“That’s the one who isn’t in yet today?” he asked.

“Correct,” Kellie said.

“Yeah, it sounds like you need more people. You’ve got stations for six out there.” He thumbed at the front of the shop.

“We’ve had a lot of guests rotating for the last year, and it’s worked out, but I’m still here almost seven days a week. Sometimes I have to close the shop just so I can take care of things.” Mary stared at him, her shoulders slumping. She was tired. Work like that wore on the body. Tattooing was hard on the back and the nerves in the arms. It wasn’t easy just because a person sat there all day.

“What’s the catch?” he asked.

“The other girls...” Kellie glanced at Mary.

“Pandora won’t be a problem, but Carly and Autumn...they aren’t going to take a new person in the shop—permanently—well.” Mary grimaced.

“Well, if they aren’t going to pull their fair share of the weight, tough titty.” Lucas shrugged. He’d been in Mary’s shoes so many times over the years he had a hard time seeing how the other ladies could be pissed about easing the load.

“Look—this could have been handled a lot better if we’d eased them into it. I’m not saying this isn’t the right thing to do, just...cut them some slack for a week or two before you bust their balls, okay?” Kellie stared at him, the request edging over the line of command.

“May I offer some feedback?” He scrubbed his hand across his jaw. It was too early to be bullshitting people.

“Please. We would never have opened the shop without your support and guidance.” Kellie gestured at everything around them.

“I’m your employee. You need to treat me like that. Don’t ask me to do stuff you’d tell the others to do. It’ll set us apart, and if you’re trying to not rock the boat, treating us the same will help.” He spread his hands. “Just a suggestion.”

“It’s just weird, you working for us after we worked for you.” Kellie shoved her hand back smoothing her pony tail over her shoulder.

“Yeah, I don’t miss being the boss.” He chuckled and eased back onto the sofa. So long as these other ladies were professional about their behavior, he could work around some hurt feelings. A shop was an extension of home, and he was the new person on their turf.

“A bit of a broader look at things—I wouldn’t be surprised if we turn over half the shop in the next year.” Mary was all business, keeping her gaze on him. There was clearly some tension between the two owners.

“No.” Kellie shook her head.

“Carly is going to graduate in December. Her website building business brings in almost as much as we pay her.”

“That doesn’t mean—”

The back door clanged open.

Both Mary and Kellie’s mouths snapped closed. They winced in unison and glanced at the open space.

“Dude, some dumbass in a Jeep parked in my space,” a woman called out.

Lucas made a mental note to park in a different spot tomorrow.

A woman in a wheelchair rolled by. He heard the squeal of her wheels on the tile, and then she eased backward into view, one brow arched.

“Who’s he?” she asked.

“Carly, this is Lucas. You’ve heard us talk about him, haven’t you?” Kellie gestured at him.

He nodded at her.

“Yeah. He here until Autumn gets back?” Carly gave him a once over, the hostility palpable.

“Lucas is going to be joining us permanently,” Mary said, biting the bullet.

Carly’s mouth opened and closed. She closed her eyes, turned her face forward and disappeared into the front of shop.

Both Kellie and Mary put their heads down on their desks.

Lucas had his work cut out, that was clear. Fitting into any shop was always a trial, but the girls had something special going here. He’d followed their success with pride, and they had greatness in them yet.

“Why don’t I take Omen out for a walk around the block and give you ladies a moment to chat?” He dug into his pocket for the short leash he’d brought with him for the day.

“That’s a good idea.”  Mary propped her chin in her hand. “Pandora is having one of her pregger appointments today, so she’ll be in tomorrow. I figure she’s got another month—maybe—before she’s out for maternity leave.”

“My money’s on two weeks, if that. Between us?” Kellie glanced at the door. “I’m not sure Pandora will come back after she’s popped the kid out. She’s really getting into this Mom role, and her husband has the ability to support them comfortably now. It’s not like she needs to work. And Autumn works when she feels like it, FYI.”

“I see.” Lucas nodded.

“You know, there’s a groomer next door if you wanted to get that...dog? It’s a dog, right?”

“Her name is Omen, smartass.” He opened the door and hooked the leash to Omen’s collar before she ran off.

“Yeah, go over there, tell them we sent you.” Kellie pushed to her feet. “Give us like, half an hour with Carly, and then we can set you up. I’ve got two people who might be coming in today that I’d like to toss your way. They want big, intensive Japanese pieces and I’m booked between work here and the gym.”

“Cool.”

Lucas let Omen sniff the ladies and her surroundings a bit before they struck out for the front of shop.

Carly completely ignored their exit, burying her nose in the computer at the front desk.

He’d win her over, or something would give. He wasn’t too worried about it.

Lucas walked Omen up and down the sidewalk, letting her stretch her little legs before they went back to the Pawsh Spa and Grooming Boutique.

The shop name sounded ridiculous, but it was handy. His luck it was going to be a bunch of frou-frou dogs that never got dirty, touched real grass or had to walk on their own. At least they were well taken care of. Besides, the shop was close and who was he to judge?

Lucas pushed the front door open and ushered Omen inside. A chime announced his entry, melding into the soothing sounds of some sort of folky elevator music playing.

The woman behind the counter glanced up, her eyes going wide.

Lucas stopped dead in his tracks, feeling the weight of her gaze like a one ton MAC truck running him over.

She gasped and dropped her pen.

Omen yipped and pulled at the leash.

Cold sweat broke out along his spine.

No fucking way.

“Lucas?” Jenny blinked at him, her blue eyes bigger than the Texas sky.

“Uh...”

“Oh my God, Mary said you might be coming back.” Jenny pushed through the swinging door.

He braced himself for a slap, a punch, or a kick.

He was the reason her now ex-husband had been arrested and served his time in a federal prison.

Instead, Jenny threw her arms around his shoulders and squeezed.

He didn’t breathe. Couldn’t.

Did she know about his part in Walker’s arrest? That it was Lucas who led the guy astray out of jealousy?

She couldn’t. There was no way. If she did, he’d be dead right now.

He put one arm around her waist.

She was real.

It was Jenny.

The woman who’d ripped out his heart.

Deep inside his chest he felt something that might be a thump, the slightest signs of life that deep down, his heart still worked and he wasn’t just a dead man walking, that she hadn’t destroyed him.

This was a dream. A Twilight Zone sort of dream, where the past was just a dream and the present was some strange, post-LSD version of what life could have been, were Lucas not a truly epic fuck-up.

g

Jenny squeezed Lucas tighter. He must not have started work because he still smelled of cologne. Once he began tattooing, the strongest scents clinging to him would be green soap and ointment.

He was real.

And he was here.

In her shop.

Mary had told her she wanted to hire Lucas, but she didn’t know the whole story. How this one tiny bit of news made her so excited and sick to her stomach. She hadn’t slept in a week, turning over this moment again and again. What she’d say, how he might react.

If Jenny could go back in time, she’d have done things differently. There were so many regrets in their twisted history, she didn’t know where to start apologizing for her part in it all.

How many nights had she dreamt about seeing him again? Hoping that might happen someday? Of walking up and saying, I’m sorry, you were right? Not to mention all the other, less platonic fantasies she’d never breathed a word about to anyone, much less Lucas himself.

Lucas wasn’t her cousin anymore.

She wasn’t married to Walker.

There was nothing standing between them except the past, though that was one massive hurtle.

Jenny let go of Lucas and rocked back on her heels.

He stared down at her, those warm, brown eyes of his so wide and shocked she half wondered if he’d forgotten her. There was more silver in his beard, and his hair was shorter. He’d always been ragged on because of his premature graying, but she liked it. He seemed...more dignified. He’d always been the voice of wisdom in her head, even when he was gone, and now he was here.

Lucas sucked in a breath, his lips parted as though he were gathering his thoughts to say something.

“Before you say anything—can I go first?” She placed her hand on his chest, ready to shove him away from the door if she needed to. She was desperate for him to hear her out.

“Okay...”

“I...”

The nerves were making it hard for her to talk. Her throat closed up and her mouth went dry.

Jenny blew out a breath, sucked in another, closing her eyes for a moment.

“Lucas.” She forced herself to look up at him while she spoke. He deserved that much. “I’m sorry I never listened to you about Walker. I was...not in a good place, and you were trying to help. That’s all you ever did, and...I wasn’t ready. I wish I’d listened to you, that I’d realized what I was doing was self destructive. You were totally right all along. I’m sorry if any of that contributed to you selling the shop and moving away.”

There.

She’d said most of it.

There were parts she’d only ever say to the imaginary Lucas in her head.

Unlike Walker, Jenny had never cheated. Oh, she’d had stirrings of feelings for Lucas she purposefully ignored, but she’d never acted on what she wanted. The truth was, she’d made a young, stupid mistake marrying Walker. Hanging onto him, believing they’d make it work, was an even worse error in judgment, but she’d been so determined. Lucas could tell her all he wanted that what she was doing was wasting time, but until she saw Walker self-destruct like he had, she couldn’t leave him.

“Am I allowed to speak?” he asked.

“Yes.” She patted his chest, somehow bigger and more muscular than she remembered, and took a step back. She found herself searching his forearms. Was that a new tattoo? Had he covered any she remembered up? All his social media posts were of his work, not himself so she never got a look at him.

He cracked a smile, the skin at the corners of his eyes and mouth crinkling.

Jenny’s insides warmed and her extremities tingled. She slid her hands into her back pockets and swallowed.

“Jenny Hewitt.”

“It’s back to Moss.”

“I don’t think I ever knew your maiden name. Look at what you’re doing here.” He whistled and glanced around the shop as though she hadn’t just laid her whole heart on the line.

“Yeah, it’s a step up from working at the big box store groomers.” She rocked back on her toes and glanced at the little black puppy flopped at Lucas’ feet. “Oh, my...”

“Now I understand why Kellie and Mary thought I should come over here.” He bent and picked up the wiry haired mop of a dog.

“So....are we good?”

“Of course.”

“Oh...” Jenny blinked. In her head this was a big, pivotal moment where her whole life changed. Lucas simply shrugged it off as though nothing bad had ever transpired.

“This is Omen.”

“Hello, Omen. Oh, he—she? Looks just like Batman.”

“She. And I was thinking she looks like Batman’s mom, Morticia.” Lucas grinned and ruffed the puppy’s head.

“Morticia?” Jenny frowned.

“Yeah, Batman’s mom?”

“Walker always said he just picked the thing up from a box...” Her now ex-husband had come home one weekend shortly after their wedding with a solid-black puppy for her.

“A box in my bedroom. He was halfway to Odessa before I realized he’d taken one.” Lucas scowled. “He’d just started eating semi-solid food, and wasn’t quite weaned yet.”

“Wait—my dog, Batman, was one of your puppies?” Jenny stared at Lucas, her whole world tilting.

“Yeah, you didn’t know?”

“No...”

Batman had never taken to Walker. Batman had been her dog, her one companion during the long weeks she spent alone in Odessa before they moved to Dallas where the bulk of Walker’s family was from.

“How’s he doing, by the way? I’ve lost track of most of Morticia’s pups.”

“He...he died a year ago.”

“Oh...” Lucas glanced up at her, eyes wide. “I’m sorry, Jenny, I...”

“It’s fine. He died peacefully. That’s all you can really ask for, isn’t it?”

“It is. I’ll never forget sitting on the floor, Morticia lying across my lap...” Lucas shook his head. “She was the best.”

Jenny teetered on the edge, so close to tears.

No wonder Walker had hated the dog even more in the last years of their marriage.

Lucas had given her a lifeline before they’d even met.

She didn’t know what to think about that.

“So, what about this little girl?” Jenny stroked Omen’s back, feeling the burrs, stickers and knots in her coat.

“Well, funny story. I was at a cabin with some buddies, and we found this little girl with her brothers and sisters. I tried to cut some of the knots out, but there’s so many and she just cries. I’m scared I’m going to hurt her.” Lucas’s face twisted up. He really was worried about it.

“Some of these are probably rubbing her skin raw.” Jenny wiggled her fingers under a particularity large knot just under her elbow. “Yeah, I think that’s a sore right there. Poor thing. You’re going to be next door all day?”

“Yeah.”

“How about you leave her here, and I can cut it off in bits here and there between clients, so she’s not being snipped at and shaved all at once. Then, if you aren’t opposed, I could run her over to a vet if those sores are bad.”

“I can’t ask you to do all that, Jenny.”

“You aren’t asking. I’m offering.” She smiled up at Lucas. Besides, this puppy was her easy way back into his life.

She’d messed up one shot with him, she wouldn’t do it again.

•  •