Lucas slid Jenny’s breakfast across the table to her, while Omen and Dolly watched on, their little noses twitching. Since the stolen dinner incident three nights ago, they were both a whole lot more careful about watching their food. If he never had to clean dog barf out of a rug again, it would be too soon.

“Are you trying to fatten me up?” Jenny stared at the plate, a wrinkle marring her brow.

“Just making sure you have the energy you need to keep up.” He winked.

“Oh, really, Mr.-I-went-to-bed-at-nine?”

“Hey, I’m getting up before noon because of you. Cut an old guy some slack, will you?” He bent and kissed the top of her head. He waited long enough for her to tuck into her food before grabbing his own.

His usual hours were more like, sleep from two to ten. He’d work out, eat and shower before noon, and was ready to work by twelve-thirty. This waking up by eight and nine was bullshit, but if it meant more time with Jenny he’d figure it out.

Two days of this, and while getting to spend every night wrapped around Jenny was bliss, they were walking a tightrope. Some moments, Jenny seemed to act as though this was their life now, together. Other times she would remind him they needed to get him furniture and to set up his apartment.

Lucas didn’t want to rock the boat and he didn’t have any grounds to ask for more, but when it came to Jenny he wanted it all. To take over half the closet, move his few boxes of stuff into a spare room, and make this a permanent endeavor, working toward a happier life. But this wasn’t just about what he wanted. Jenny wanted him, but did she mean forever or just for now?

They needed to have a nuts and bolts conversation about how this was going to work, but he was half afraid of what she’d say.

“That’s delicious—and too much.” Jenny pushed her empty plate away from her and glared at him.

“You still ate it all.” He shrugged.

“I shouldn’t have.”

“Look at it this way, you’ve taken up a new cardio workout, and you need the extra calories.”

“Haa. Haa. Is that what we’re calling your dick now, Cardio Workout?”

“If that works for you, sure.” He shrugged and she shook her head.

“I’m going to try taking Dolly in with me today. Want me to take Omen, too? I really want to try to get some more of those mats cut out, if she’ll let me.”

“You think that’s a good idea?”

“Well, she needs to get them off her.”

“No, I mean about Dolly.” He wiggled his fork at the pit bull lying on the floor in the entry.

“I put a big crate in the back, draped a blanket over it. If it’s too much, I can just run her home and leave the shop to Terry.”

“I only have one appointment. I could always run her back, too.”

“Yeah.” Jenny winced. “But then Carly...”

“Carly’s got to get over this. I can’t make her happy. She’s not my boss and she’s not my client.” Lucas hadn’t said a cross word to the young woman and he’d gone out of his way to be as nice as possible, and she still treated him like a pariah.

“Okay, please, just give her a break? Please?” Jenny reached across the table and took one of his hands in both of hers.

“Why? What’s going on that everyone is walking around on egg shells for?” He’d be a whole hell of a lot more understanding if someone would let him in on the bigger picture.

“I’m not sure it’s my place to tell you...”

“Well, if I don’t know why I should care, I can’t care.”

Jenny stared at him, her lower lip caught between her teeth. He could see her weighing whether or not she could trust him with some secret knowledge.

Lucas stared at her, feeling that like a one ton kick to the chest.

Jenny didn’t trust him one-hundred-percent. She still had reservations about him. Why? What had he done? What could he do?

“Look, Carly and this guy...they’re like we were. Only, more complicated. His wife just had a baby, and Carly’s taking it pretty hard.”

“I see.”

Lucas rolled that around in his head. He understood having feelings for someone he couldn’t have, but there were lines. He’d never treated anyone—but Walker—like shit because he was butt hurt. And when he’d been a dick to Walker it was usually for something the guy deserved. Like forgetting Jenny’s birthday.

“Why don’t you talk to Kellie about it?” Jenny let go of his hand. “Carly seems to handle Kellie’s authority better than Mary’s.”

“Yeah, but Kellie is about to head out of town.”

“Why?”

“Some fight or another.” He shrugged.

“Oh, well, maybe...I don’t know. I can talk to Carly? She shouldn’t take this stuff out on you.”

“The whole situation could have been handled better, but it’s not my shop, and I can see how Mary would be at her wits end.”

“I’m glad you’re here.” Jenny smiled, the warmth of the statement lighting up her eyes.

She wanted him here, and she didn’t entirely trust him. If only he knew how to make things work.

g

Jenny watched Lucas’ Jeep roll out onto the street.

“It was the first day. She just got overwhelmed, that’s all.” Mary bumped her shoulder. “Come on, it’s hot out here.”

“Yeah.” Jenny still felt like a failure.

They’d lasted almost three whole hours. Everything had been fine until Terry started in on the latest client, a mean-as-hell cat that came in once a quarter with no notice for a lion cut. The cat’s carrying-on had scared Dolly into crying, which was not conducive to a calm work environment.

At least she had Lucas next door to cart both Dolly and Omen back to her place. Those two were growing attached at a rate that was both adorable and surprising.

Jenny followed Mary into the empty tattoo shop. It was early still, and Wednesdays were not a busy day.

“Lucas said Kellie’s going out of town?” Jenny flopped on the sofa in the shop office.

“Yup.” Mary glanced at Jenny and frowned. “You and Lucas are talking a lot.”

“Yeah, sometimes I feel like we’re carrying on two different conversations at the same time.”

“What do you mean?”Mary leaned against her desk, one foot crossed over the other.

“Just...like, we’ll be talking at breakfast about the day and I’ll just be talking about the day, but Lucas...it’s like he’s talking in broad strokes... It’s like we aren’t clicking on some level, but on others we’re moving super fast.”

“I noticed.”

Jenny stared at Mary.

Shit.

Lucas had specifically said he’d been dodging questions about her, and now Jenny was walking right into it.

“It’s complicated,” Jenny muttered.

“You always seemed close.” Mary shrugged. “I just never pegged you two for—”

“No.” Jenny sat up straight. “We never—not until he came back.”

“That I could see.” Mary nodded, her expression relaxing.

“I didn’t mean to.” Jenny leaned against the arm of the sofa and curled her legs under her. “It just...happened.”

“Hey, bitches,” Kellie called out.

The back door banged against the wall and Kellie strode into the office, her appearance punctuated by the hard clang of the exit closing behind her.

“Wow, what’s with the faces?” Kellie glanced between them.

“Jenny was about to shed some light on our speculation that she and Lucas are sleeping together.” Mary tilted her head toward Jenny.

“I knew it,” Kellie said. She set her tote in her desk chair and turned to face Jenny. “So, was this always going on—”

“No,” Mary said before Jenny could.

“I was right.” Kellie glanced at Mary. “For all of the ways Lucas can be an asshole, he’s still got those southern gentleman manners. So you two are together, huh?”

“Not...really? Kind of, sort of?” Jenny shrugged.

“Not really, or kind of? Can’t be both.” Kellie crossed to the other side of the sofa.

“It’s complicated,” Jenny said again.

“Well, duh.” Kellie peered at the door. “Real quick, before Carly gets here... Jacob’s piece of shit wife has gone to stay with her mother and left Jacob with the baby. I don’t know if Carly knows—they had some words a few days ago. If you see Jacob, try to keep him out of here, okay?”

“She—wait, what?” Jenny gaped at Kellie. “She left her newborn baby?”

“I guess she didn’t want a kid after all.” Kellie grimaced.

“While we’re all here, what about Autumn?” Jenny glanced at Kellie then Mary. “Has anyone told her?”

“Not that I’m aware of,” Kellie said slowly.

“Guys.” Jenny groaned. “Come on, Lucas isn’t going to put up with both their shit. Someone needs to explain this to Autumn before she gets back.”

“You want her to know? Why don’t you try calling her? She’s not answered any of my phone calls.” Mary crossed her arms over her chest.

“Autumn extended her trip, or maybe hasn’t. No one seems to know, and no one ever tells us. We found out from her husband’s assistant.” Kellie sighed and shook her head.

Well, wasn’t this going to be the fun shop for a while?

Jenny wished the transition to bringing Lucas here to work was going smoother. He was a great guy, and had always seemed easy to work with. The girls just had a complicated working dynamic.

Complicated.

Why was that word biting her in the ass on all sides right now?

The back door creaked open again.

“I don’t see the old fart’s Jeep. Did he quit?” Carly rolled down the hall, pausing at the office door.

“Nope,” Mary responded.

“Darn. A girl can hope.” Carly sighed and pushed the wheels, coasting out of sight.

Jenny frowned at the place Carly had been. Why was it everything surrounding Lucas and her was always so difficult? She just wanted things to be easy and fun. Instead, it seemed like it was all one moment away from going to hell.

Kellie breathed a deep sigh and rolled her eyes.

“Shut the door,” Mary whispered.

Kellie seemed just as surprised as Jenny by the request. Mary was the one who tended to be more direct and less diplomatic. Kellie shut the door as soft as she could, then she and Jenny both turned their attention on Mary.

“Jenny’s right. We need to deal with Carly.” Mary pursed her lips and stared at the floor.

“What if we told Lucas to take the day tomorrow? It’s a Thursday, Pandora will be out, it could be just us three?” Kellie leaned a shoulder against the wall.

“Will you have time?” Mary asked.

“I’ll make time,” Kellie said.

That statement released some tension in Jenny’s chest. Kellie had abdicated much of the responsibility for the shop to Mary by virtue of being gone with her boyfriend and their blended family. If Kellie was making the shop a priority, even to get the ball on smoother ground, that was a good sign for the future.

“Okay, I’ll let Lucas know later and we can set aside some time in the afternoon, lock the door and have a... Let’s call it a manager’s meeting?” Mary glanced between the two of them.

“That sounds like a good idea. Keep it professional, don’t force her to like Lucas, just lay down the law that she has to work with him. He really is trying to understand, but unless someone tells him everything...” Jenny cringed.

“Yeah.” Kellie grimaced. They all had memories of Lucas kicking drama-prone people out of the shop, sometimes with a physical boot to the ass. “Any word from your brother?”

Mary glanced away, the momentary flash of pain driving home what they all knew, that the boy-turned-young-man had chosen to live a dangerous life.

“He’s not answering, he doesn’t stop by. I have no idea where he’s at.” Mary shrugged, and for a moment she looked like the vulnerable young woman she was. It was easy to see Mary as an authoritative figure, because that was how she governed the shop. In reality, she was the youngest of them, had raised her younger brother as her own child, and managed to do it all alone.

Jenny knew all too well how stressful that could be. The pressure to not screw up a kid when you were a kid yourself. She’d been the oldest of four at home. Her mother had more or less given up on parenting at some point and passed that job on to Jenny. She’d been forced to miss school, skip the regular hallmarks of high school and bear the weight of a family, all while still a kid herself.

When she’d met Walker, it’d been like finding a piece of freedom. With his truck, they could go anywhere, and for a short while she was just a girl with a boy. The fights her absence from home had caused were bad enough to rock the walls. There was no denying that much of Jenny’s choice to marry Walker was to escape her own, broken home. Looking back, she felt like she’d failed her siblings. But what could she do? Without an education and stuck in a small town, there was only so far that hard work and determination would get them. She’d seized her chance at a new life with both hands and left her siblings to fend for themselves. She was part of their downfall, not their success.

When she and Walker moved to Dallas, the reality of her new, married life really sank in. It wasn’t a game anymore, she was free of her family, but she couldn’t bring a child into this life. Not with Walker for a father. Not with his demons.

She wasn’t too old for children, but more than that, she’d promised herself the day she signed the divorce papers she wouldn’t get married again. She would not repeat the mistakes of her past. So what was she doing with Lucas?

•  •