Page 4 of Roam

“Yes, sir?” The judge waited while Sprite wondered what was going on.

“You have got to see my amazing tattoo. The depth and color are something I haven’t seen before. I’ll be traveling wherever she’s at because she’s my new tattoo artist.”

The judge looked at his arm and then called another judge over. Both smiled at her, then took a picture of the tattoo.

“Let’s get a picture of you two.” The judge had Sprite stand by her client with his arm turned so you could see the tattoo.

“Thanks for calling me over. I’m glad you’re happy with that tattoo. It’s phenomenal.”

Sprite smiled and noticed some of the other artists were staring at her. Sprite was sensitive to people staring at her because of the way she’d grown up. She was determined her family would not be looked at the same way. They’d always have clean clothes that fit, full bellies, and a sense of security she’d never had.

She cleaned up her area while everyone else was finishing and then waited for the results. She was glad she’d invested in a sturdy case for all her tools and items. The convention supplied the chair for the client, a chair for her and a small table but nothing else. Besides firing her, her last boss had tried to say her equipment was his. Luckily, the receptionist had notified Sprite when she’d first joined that they’d had some thefts. Sprite had taken to keeping all her equipment in her case at her house and only taking it in on the days she worked.

The time while she was working had flown, but the final minutes during judging seemed to drag. She had entirely too much time to think about last night. She’d clicked with Roam, but she didn’t have time for a relationship. Not that he’d offered.

Find a job and a place to live. Take care of her kids.

“The results of the first heat are in. Results are appearing on the board. The top five are in no particular order. Please come to the stage.”

Sprite’s heart started pounding. Her name was in the top five. She made her way to the stage and waited while everyone else came.

“All top five will have a bye and will compete in round three. First place will get an extra bye and will go directly to the final round and be given a cash prize of one thousand dollars. I’m sure you’d all like me to shut up and tell you but I want to start with something that happened. The first-place client was so excited about what had been done that he couldn’t wait for us to judge. That’s exactly how you want your client to feel. First place goes to Sprite Pacer.”

Sprite kept the tears at bay as the judge handed her a first-place ribbon and a poster-size picture of a thousand-dollar check. They took a couple pictures, then the judge called her client up. Her client was a huge man, and he picked her up and spun her around.

“You have to tell me where you end up. I’ll drive as far as I need to because of your talent.”

Despite trying not to, a couple tears trickled over because it wasn’t often Sprite was praised. Growing up, she’d been ridiculed by schoolmates and her parents. She was making sure her kids never experienced that.

“You’re free until the final competition at four o’clock. Enjoy the day. You did a great job.”

Sprite walked toward the exit, accepting congratulations from other competitors. As she left her area, she glanced up and Roam was standing, waiting with two coffees.

“Well, I had no idea the woman I couldn’t keep my hands off of last night was Sprite, the tattoo artist I was coming to see about working for my business.”

Oh fudge. He wanted to give her a job and he’d be her boss. It sounded like a recipe for disaster, but she was desperate for a job. She’d entertain any offers. She took a sip of the coffee and motioned toward another area, pulling her case with her.

“Shall we check out the competitions? Maybe you could explain what exactly you’re offering.”

ROAM FOLLOWED SPRITE around the area. He’d been equal parts stunned and excited when he realized Jane was Sprite, the tattoo artist he and Rascal wanted for Bluff Creek Ink.

As they’d walked, he’d talked about what benefits they could offer, including housing. Sprite had kept quiet as she listened, only asking questions to clarify points. He had to admit the name Sprite fit her better than Jane. In no way was she plain. Her bone structure had him wanting his sketch pad and charcoals.

He knew they’d only spent last night together but there was something about her that had him wanting more. Which was very unusual for him.

He glanced in the area they were watching. One of the tattoo artists in front of them was one Rascal and he had considered. When his client asked a question, he ignored her and kept tattooing. When she whispered her question again, he told her to shut up.

Roam wasn’t allowing her to be treated like that. He nodded to one of the judges he knew to come over. The judge stood close by to listen. Roam caught the eye of the client and mouthed ask again. The woman, once again, asked her question. The artist paused, and once again told her to shut her mouth. The judge frowned and walked over. He tapped the artist on the shoulder, informing him he was out of the competition, and waved one of the standby artists over.

“Ma’am, you should always feel comfortable asking questions. My suggestion next time is if someone treats you like that, you stand up and leave. You do not deserve to be treated as less than.”

She nodded at the judge, then looked at Roam. “Thank you.”

He nodded and turned to Sprite to find her gazing at his face.

They walked over to a sitting area in the hotel lobby.

“So, I have questions.”

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