Page 18 of Tell Me It’s Right

“You’ll figure it out. Graphic design is a huge field, isn’t it? You could do pretty much anything.”

“That was the hope,” I say quietly, eyes flickering from the tattoo to his face. His features are somehow…softer when he’s concentrating like this. “How did you know? That this was what you wanted to do.”

“I didn’t. Just took a leap of faith, I guess.”

“Seems like it worked out pretty well for you.”

He hesitates, his lips pressing together like he’s considering something, but then all he says is “Didn’t happen overnight, I promise.” He sits back and wipes the ink from his leg again. “Anyway. Don’t let Keava get to you. She can be…” He tilts his head back and forth like he’s searching for the right word. “Insensitive. I don’t think it’s intentional. She’s not great at reading the room.” His eyes flick to mine. “Don’ttell Leo I said that.”

“I didn’t know someone could be nice and unwelcoming at the same time.”

He pops his eyebrows and starts on the opposite side of the tattoo. “That would be the perfect way to describe it.” Once he’s finished with the outline, he reaches for a different piece of equipment waiting on the counter. “Shading one is different,” he explains as he readies the ink. “So hit me with it. How bad is the site? What are you thinking?”

“It’s just really basic. You could add pictures of the shop, some more of your portfolio. Testimonials, that kind of thing. Link your social feeds, once you have those. We can tweak some things on the back end to help with SEO. Oh! Do you sellmerch? Or like aftercare products or whatever? We could set up an online shop. I could bring my camera in tomorrow to get some shots…” I trail off at the grin on Liam’s face and realize I haven’t taken a breath. I look away and flick my wrist, adding a nonchalant “If you want.”

He shakes his head. “Can’t believe you just called me basic.”

That’swhat he got from all of that? “I—I didn’t?—”

“Gracie.” He looks up at me, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “You’ve gotta stop making it so easy to mess with you.”

I roll my eyes and push my chair over to the desk.

Filling the next few hours as Liam finishes his tattoo and we wait for his client proves to be pretty easy. Liam’s records are a mess—some digital, some on paper, and his filing cabinet could use a serious reorganization. I don’t know how he manages to keep track of his calendar every day. Half of his appointments are written on sticky notes on the desk, some are added to the calendar in his computer, and some are jotted in a notebook.

If he has a system toanythinghe does, it’s lost on me.

Maybe it’s an artist-brain thing.

And, like he said, he doesn’t have a single social media account set up. Starting one from scratch would be a lot, let alone themall, so I make a pros and cons lists for which ones we should focus on first while also weighing how likely he would be willing to participate.

“Quite the little chart you’ve got going on over there.” Liam braces his hands on the desk beside me and leans over my shoulder to take in my various lists and notes. “Once a teacher’s pet, always a teacher’s pet, I suppose.”

I scowl. “You’ll be thanking me once I’m done.”

He laughs and pushes back from the desk. “I’m sure I will.”

“Who do you have coming in at ten?” I ask, glancing at the clock. His client should be showing up any minute now.

He tosses his gloves in the trash. “A friend of my brother’s.”

The bells above the door chime a moment later, and a man walks in.

He’s nothing like I would’ve guessed. He’s pretty much Liam’s opposite. All shiny gold hair and bright white smile. He looks like he spends more time in a gym than a tattoo shop, and I’d be willing to put money on him being voted prom or homecoming king at some point.

“Brooks.” He pounds fists with Liam as he steps into the shop, then turns his dimpled smile on me. “Who’s this?”

“This is Gracie. Gracie, this is Miles. She’s gonna be helping me out around the shop.”

Miles looks me up and down. “No offense. Butyoutattoo?”

“Oh, no.”

“She’s basically doing everything else for me.”

Miles does a slow nod. Honestly, not sure who he is to judge. He doesn’t seem to have any tattoos either, at least none that are visible. “Gotcha.”

“I’ve got a few different versions of the design if you want to check them out,” says Liam.

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