Page 22 of No One Like You

Megan and Tasha saw each other simultaneously, each struck speechless by the other.

Tasha recovered first, exclaiming, “Damn, girl! I thought I looked good in that dress, but wow, you wear it well!”

As Megan looked at Tasha in her shimmering red minidress, she realized that she hadn’t seen Tasha wearing anything except pants and sleeved shirts in the past week. She realized this because she was absolutely sure that she would have remembered seeing those tattoos— what appeared to be a panther stalking out of a ruined jungle temple on Tasha’s right thigh, and a band of thorns wrapping around her right arm. Cat pawprints trailed up Tasha’s left arm and disappeared under the top of the dress.

“Wow, that dress looks amazing on you! And you never told me that you have tattoos.”

“I… um… I’m deliberate about when I show them off, and where. I love them, but there is a lot of pain attached.”

“I bet! That leg one looks like it took forever.”

“Well, that did hurt a lot. No, I mean… I got the thorns back when I was still living in Charleston. Momma saw it and told me it was sacrilegious to have Jesus’ crown of thorns tattooed on my arm.”

“Oh, no…”

“Yeah… and then I told her that it wasn’t about Jesus and that I didn’t care anyway because I was an atheist.”

“Oh, shit…”

“We haven’t spoken since. Six months later, I took a job here.”

“Oh, Tasha! I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay, really.”

Somehow, Megan didn’t believe that. She heard the strain behind Tasha’s apparent cheer. Now wasn’t the time to talk about it, though.

Shifting the conversation, Megan asked, “Did you have that panther tattoo the day that you shut your office down by wearing a skirt?”

Tasha laughed. “No, I got the panther after that incident. I actually bought the dress that you’re wearing after I got this done. The side slit shows glimpses of the tattoo as I walk.” She smiled. “I definitely turn some heads with that! Oh, maybe since you look so good in that dress, you should get something similar on your leg.”

“Um, I don’t have any tattoos. I think that might be a bit much, especially for my first time.”

“Don’t you worry, I’ll get you inked up yet!”

“Um…”

“Come on now, let’s go celebrate.”

They exited the bedroom, and a wonderstruck Sophia gasped. “Mommy! You’re so pretty!”

“Thank you, sweetheart.”

“Aunt Tasha! Your tattoos are so cool!”

Tasha grinned at Megan and mouthed, “Your turn.”

Megan rolled her eyes and grabbed the cupcakes.

CHAPTER 14

CAN’T TAKE MY EYES OFF OF YOU

They could hear music playing as they walked up to Maria’s door. Tasha had never actually described Maria, so Megan had filled in a mental image of a badass woman who wore leather jackets or tailored suits. Those images completely crumbled as a woman in jeans and an absolutely hideous Christmas sweater gleefully embraced Tasha.

“You must be Sophia and Megan! I’m Maria. Come on in!”

There were hugs all around as Maria took their coats and directed them to the food. There were too many people for formal dining, so there were people scattered about, which made introductions challenging. Megan appreciated the warm welcome, but was very glad to see how welcoming everyone was of Sophia. Her daughter was the only non-adult, but everyone was very kind and made sure to include her. Seeing this helped Megan relax as she mingled with the other guests, but she always kept an eye out. She noted that Tasha also seemed to keep a permanent eye on Sophia as well.

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