Page 42 of Joey

Joey waved him off with a shake of his head. “It’s fine. They would’ve found out eventually.” He sighed. “I would’ve preferred eventually,” he murmured.

“What the hell were you sleeping in your car for?” Beck said. “It’s not like you can’t afford a hotel.”

Joey crossed his arms. “It would’ve been easier for reporters to find me. It’s not like I can pay cash everywhere I go.”

“But the car? Really?” Dallas said. “And not evenyourcar.”

“There was no point in taking my car, dumbass. It’s the same as using my credit cards. Reporters would’ve found me in no time.”

Ani shushed them before Dallas could retort, which was a good thing because they were known to argue for hours. “It doesn’t matter now, does it? You’re back. What’s your plan now?”

Joey glanced at Ethan. “We’re still figuring that out.”

Dallas clapped him on the shoulder. “Well, figure it out fast. I’m out. See you later.” He disappeared, and his thundering footsteps headed back up to the first floor where his studio was.

Beck and Finn stayed for a bit longer before work called for them both, and Joey breathed a sigh when it was just him, Ethan and Ani.

“Ani, we need your advice.”

Ani chuckled. “Use condoms and lube. Stretch every single time. Best in a bed to avoid carpet burns. Anything else?”

Joey closed his eyes, barely withholding his laugh. She was a force to be reckoned with for sure. “No, smartass. Logistics.”

Ani raised her eyebrows. “I told you. Use a bed—”

“Logistics about where to live,” he interrupted, and she gaped at him.

She cleared her throat, shuffled some paper into a pile that was already in a pile and peered at him again. “Where to live?” she croaked.

Joey nodded, pushing off the table and stopping in front of her, the counter separating them. He braced his hands on it. “Ethan is willing to move here, but he loves Whitby. I don’t necessarily need to live in London, even though this is our home base, because of the amount of travelling we do. I think we’re too close to the situation to see a solution and wanted to know your opinion.”

Ani stared down at the papers in her hands, but he could see them shaking slightly. “I think you know your answer but don’t want to face it.” She glanced up at him, a small quirk to her mouth.

Asking her had been the right thing to do. He peered over his shoulder at Ethan, who stood with his hands in his pockets, biting his lip. He held out his hand, and Ethan stepped closer.

“I do know the answer, but I don’t think Ethan believed me.” He chuckled.

Ani smiled. “In that case…” She turned to Ethan. “He doesn’t need to live in London to do this job. Ninety per cent of his clients he has to travel to meet. Those that live around here, we could batch into a few days or a week at the same time so that he can only be here for a short time.”

Ethan rested his head against Joey’s shoulder. “I just feel like it’s a lot more travelling than he had been doing.”

Ani shook her head. “Not at all. It’s not like some of them can’t send their jet for him.”

Ethan lifted his head. “Jet?”

“Of course. We’re tattoo artists for the rich and famous. He doesn’t just travel around this country. He travels the world.”

“Holy crap,” Ethan whispered.

Joey laughed. “I told you this.”

“I know, but having it all laid out for me makes it more real.”

“So, the question really should be…” Ani glanced between them. “Are you willing to put up with him not being at home some days? Or are you willing to go with him when he travels?” She smirked. “We can always do with having an assistant around here. Or there. Or wherever you are. He’s useless at paperwork.”

Joey shook his head minutely, and Ani shut up. He didn’t want Ethan to feel pressured to work for him. He wanted Ethan to continue doing whatever he wanted to. But he wouldn’t deny that the idea of having Ethan by his side whenever he travelled was a wonderful one.

“See? It would be fine to stay in Whitby,” Joey said.

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