Evie glanced out the car window at the storefront. Her white-blond hair sparkled in the sun, blessing her with an angelic glow. When she looked back in Antonio’s direction, though, her eyes were devilish. “I can’t believe that you had me cancel appointments for this.”

“What can I say? I think it’s that important.”

“You’re crazy,” she said. “I’m starting to think you don’t actually like money.”

Antonio didn’t like money half as much as he liked her, but he didn’t say as much. Money wasn’t the end-all, be-all of his life. It had never been solely about the profit. When he’d started his first business, it was about creating something from nothing. Business was his form of art. When his father died and he decided to rebuild Thorn Tattoo, it was about providing for his brothers. At the same time, he’d taken a business that was floundering and made it flourish and he was all the more satisfied because this was his family’s legacy. Antonio was eager to provide. Thorn Tattoo had been his way of making sure his little brothers were cared for as long as they needed.

“We’re here for more than a field trip,” Antonio said. “Remember that this isn’t all fun and games. I want you to look around, ask questions, and explore, but whatever you learn or whatever you see, I want you to take back with you to Bloom Tattoo.”

“Way to make a really exciting trip sound super boring,” Evie said in good humor. She punched him lightly in the arm. “Jeeze. Why not tell me that Christmas is all about giving and being generous while you’re at it? Or maybe that the tooth fairy is a tool to teach children about the value of money as they come of an age where they’ll need to understand how the world works on a more adult level?”

“Harsh.”

“That’s me.” She winked. “Okay. So. Are we going to go in, or what?”

Thorn Tattoo was thriving, and he could see through the windows into the lobby that the place was crawling with customers. There was no telling if the people inside were clients waiting for work to start, or if they were walk-ins trying their luck with cancellations or looking for piercings, but he was glad to see so many people. Thorn Tattoo had completely turned around over the last year. He hoped Bloom Tattoo rose to success as effortlessly.

“Before we go in, I wanted to share something with you,” Antonio said. “I figured, since you’d be going into another shop, it’d be important to have some ID on you.”

“Uh.” Evie blinked. “I’m well over eighteen. Hell, I’m way over twenty-one. At this point, I’ve got enough tattoos that anyone with half a brain would know I’m of legal age. It’s not like you get tattoos of this quality in someone’s kitchen when you’re thirteen.”

Antonio stared at her, and Evie burst out laughing.

“I’m joking. I’m just playing dumb. I honestly have no idea what you’re offering me, though. I assume it isn’t some kind of government issued ID.”

“Here.” Antonio reached over and opened the glove compartment. From inside, he took out a small box and passed it to Evie. She eased off the lid. Inside were business cards, done up with the logo and graphics from Bloom Tattoo. The cards listed Evie’s contact information, her name, and her title: Head Artist.

Touching the embossed logo, Evie asked him, “When did you have these made up?”

“A while ago.”

“Technically, I haven’t said yes.” Her voice was deadpanned as she spoke.

“The team voted,” he replied, mimicking her tone.

“I could still decline,” she threatened, wondering why she wasn’t feeling as panicked as she should.

“Not today, you won’t. Come on.” Antonio got out of the car, slamming the door louder than she expected. Jumping, she palmed a few cards and shut the box, leaving it on the seat.

“Nope, not today,” she said to herself as she joined him on the street.

* * *

Thorn Tattoo had undergone a slight renovation six months prior, well before Bloom Tattoo was a blip on Antonio’s radar. The shop above them had closed down, and Antonio had rushed to take over the space. For the moment, the space was still in the midst of transformation. When everything was said and done, he wanted to move the front desk to the ground floor and possibly convert space at the back into piercing rooms, liberating a few of the rooms downstairs for the artists, or for storage. Riley and Giovanni were still bickering about what the best usage for the space was, and for probably the first time in his life, Antonio didn’t know that Riley was the one with the best idea. The points Giovanni brought up were equally as valid.

While they struggled to make a decision, he’d converted the ground floor into an art gallery and a type of lobby. Clients, both waiting for their appointments and those yet to book consultations, were able to relax and browse art by the talented artists a floor below. Antonio was itching to use the space to its full potential, but moving everything around would require the staff’s full attention, and while Riley and Giovanni were mostly on board, with Luciano and Melanie expecting their first child, the time wasn’t right. Once familial matters were out of the way, Antonio intended to buckle down and make sure everyone was on the same page and they could get Thorn Tattoo ship shape.

Until then, they’d gifted the artists with updated rooms, and the piercers with new equipment.

The soles of Evie’s flats clapped down the stairs and she descended into the shop, and once she was at the bottom, she stepped out of the way and took a look around.

Antonio was pretty sure it was her first time in Thorn Tattoo.

“It’s smaller than I thought,” she remarked as he joined her. Clients milled about the lobby, their conversations rising over the rock music playing from the speakers. “I mean, I knew it wasn’t a huge place, but Bloom Tattoo’s already got this place beat size wise. I can’t believe you do the things you do in such tight spaces. Makes me feel spoiled for whining about wanting bigger tattoo bays.”

“You should see the office,” Antonio joked. “You can fit two people in there if you hold your breath and suck it in.”

Evie laughed. It wasn’t put on, and the clear, pure sound of it did Antonio’s soul a world of good. When she was in a good mood and in tune with his humor, it was easy to forget that they were at the shop on business. Antonio hadn’t had a serious relationship in more than a decade, but being with Evie felt natural.

Except they weren’t exactly in a relationship.

Antonio resisted a sigh and pushed his personal drama aside. Getting Evie acquainted with the shop was the first step. He wanted her to see what a successful shop looked like, and maybe bolster her confidence by showing her that no one—not even Thorn’s most respected artists—were perfect.

The girl at the front counter, Jeannie, was a relatively new hire. She kept looking their way, her cotton candy hair wrapped up in twin buns atop her head. Finally, Antonio waved at her. She hesitated, then waved back.

“Is she afraid of you?” Evie asked.

“Looks like it.”

“Why?”

The question struck Antonio as hilarious. He choked back a laugh. “What? You don’t think I’m an intimidating, icy wall of a man who’d fire you for the slightest indiscretion?”

“Well, I mean, I used to. Except for the fire part. I’m kind of protected thanks to the condition of the sale of Ricochet. But I mean… it’s obvious you’re not that guy. You’re a little gruff when you’re in an unfamiliar situation, but….”

There was nothing like hearing Evie’s praise. Antonio kept himself walled off on purpose, but after working at Bloom Tattoo, he’d come out of his shell bit by bit because of her influence on him. The frost giant was melting. The man inside was reborn.

“Hello, Mr. DeRose,” Jeannie chirped once the crowd at the counter had moved along. She sounded nervous. “What brings you here today? Should I get Riley?”

“No need,” Antonio assured her. “How are sales going today?”

Jeannie went white, as though sales were directly her responsibility. All she did was man the front to accept money, answer the phone to book or cancel appointments, and guide clients to and from their artist’s tattoo bay. “It’s um, it’s fine.”

“Good to hear.” Antonio nodded toward the tattoo bays. “I’m going to head on back with one of my artists from Bloom Tattoo, Evie Stuart.”

“Hi,” Evie said. She winked at Jeannie and waved.

Jeannie looked equally as terrified. “Hello, Ms. Stuart. Have a good time with your visit.”

“Thanks,” Evie said. “You ready, Antonio?”

“Let’s go.”

They headed to the tattoo bays. As soon as they were out of earshot, Evie burst into stifled giggles. “Okay, so, I’ve learned that one of the most important things to a successful shop is making sure the employees are terrified of you. Check. What did you do to that poor girl? Hide around the corner and jump out whenever she got close?”

Antonio snorted. “People just assume I’m a hardass with no sense of humor.”

“Well, they’ve got half of it right.”

Antonio elbowed her in the side, and Evie laughed and pushed back at him.

Evie really was something special. He hoped that it wouldn’t be long before she saw it, too.