Page 23 of Ink & Desire

I rub my eyes wearily. “I don’t trust anyone else to do it right.”

I can hear her sigh. “Maybe that’s your problem.”

I laugh. “I’m sure that’s just one of many. You’ve got a list at this point, right?”

“You know I do,” she says brightly. “But that’s not why I’m calling.”

“Is everything okay?” I ask. “Why did you call the shop, anyway?”

“Because you’re not answering your cell,” she says with an air of frustration.

Confused, I fish my phone from my pocket and glance at it. The screen is black.

“Huh,” I say. “It’s dead.”

Henley sighs again. “Typical.”

“Add it to the list,” I say, grinning at her annoyance.

She just laughs. “Don’t you have anywhere fun to be on a Saturday night?”

Rubbing the back of my neck, I lean back in my chair. “No place else I’d rather be.”

“Liar.”

“Not that I don’t love these sibling bonding moments, but did you call for a reason?” I ask again.

“Actually, yes,” she says. “I was calling to check on you after last night. You okay?”

“I’m fine,” I say. “You know I’m not a big fan of the club life.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she says. “But you need to get out more.”

“And I did. Just last night.”

I can practically hear her frowning at me through the phone. “I guess I’ll have to settle for once every six months,” she mutters.

I laugh, but I’m trying to remember when I last went out to do something that wasn’t work-related or some mundane errand. I’m having a hard time remembering. Henley may be right, but I’ll never admit that to her.

“You didn’t just call to check on me,” I say, changing the subject. “What do you want?”

“Why do you assume I want something?” she asks, her voice taking on a slightly hurt tone.

“Because you would have texted if it was just to check on me.”

“How do you know I didn’t?” she counters. “Your phone is dead, remember?”

Shaking my head, I just smile. “What is it?”

“Fine,” she grumbles. When she speaks again, her voice shifts to a sweet tone. “I was hoping you could squeeze me in for an appointment in the next couple of weeks.”

“Ah,” I say. “She wants a favor.”

“Not a favor,” she says. “I’ll pay you.”

“Do you know how much I charge these days?” I ask, skeptical.

“I’m not saying I don’t want the family discount.”

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