Page 5 of Love Restored

2

Even twenty-four hours after stepping onto the grounds she’d never wanted to see again, Blake Brennen wanted to punch the smug smile off that annoyingly hot, bearded man’s face. Usually, assholes took a minute or two to show their true colors, and yet, this Graham Gallagher didn’t even bother to wait that long.

It could be that she was a magnet for those idiots, but she’d like to think it wasn’t her; instead, those guys were assholes to everyone they met. Or in her case, asses before they’d even spoken one word to her, considering Graham had already formed an opinion—a completely incorrect one—about her when she hadn’t even been in the freaking room.

Whatever.She sighed. She wouldn’t have to see him or his glare again because she wouldn’t be stepping one foot onto that property again. Good radiance to bad memories, bad tastes, broken dreams, and broken foundations. And if she had to speak to a Gallagher about something to do with the estate, it would be with the pleasant Owen.

He wasn’t an asshole.

At least, not to her face.

“Are you going to sit there and wallow, or are you going to actually work today?” Maya Montgomery asked as she leaned a hip against the side of Blake’s temporary station. The other woman’s brow rose, the tiny metal hoop glittering under the overhead lights. “I mean, you’re welcome to wallow before your first piercing appointment of the day, or you can take that walk-in standing at the front, who wants a tiny butterfly outline on her hip. I thought you wanted to make money, but if you don’t, no skin off my back.”

Blake snorted and stood up so she could stretch her lower back. “You’re getting moody, Maya,” she said with a smile. “Must be the pregnancy hormones.”

Maya flipped her off before running a hand over her still flat belly. “I’m not that far along, you know. The hormones don’t start kicking in until later.”

Blake just smiled and shook her head. “If that’s what you need to tell yourself at night so you can make it through the day, more power to you.”

Maya tilted her head, studying the other woman. Maya always had an uncanny knack for seeing beyond the layers Blake wore to protect herself. And that was something Blake needed to be cautious of. “Why? Do you know something about it?”

Blake shrugged, keeping her attention on her sketchbook in front of her as she gathered her things to go deal with the walk-in. “I watch TV. I know things.” Not quite a lie, but as she didn’t know Maya or the rest of Montgomery Ink all that well yet, some things were better tucked close to the vest.

She’d learned the hard way before what happened when she was too open, too fast. Money spoke, and people betrayed with the drop of a hat, leaving Blake the one in pain, bleeding on the floor.

She shook off the memories and worries that had no place in this particular shop and rolled her shoulders.

“So, she wants an outline of a butterfly, not the whole thing filled in?” Blake asked, changing the subject. From the look in Maya’s eyes, she hadn’t done a very good job being subtle about it, but there was nothing she could do now.

“Just the outline,” Maya answered. “From where she wants it and the size she indicated with her hand, I think that’s the right idea anyway. But ask her just in case.”

Blake rolled her eyes. “No, I was planning to drag her over here by her hair and tattoo something without even speaking to her. Because that’s how I roll.”

“At least, you fit the part of a tattoo artist and piercer now,” Maya said dryly while looking Blake up and down. “You want to tell me why you showed up yesterday in that banker outfit before you changed in the back? I mean, really, I never would have pegged you for a suit and heel kind of girl. Well, maybe the heels, but the suit? Not so much.”

Blake stiffened. She hadn’t realized Maya had seen her when she’d hurried back into the shop after leaving the estate. Because she’d been running late in the first place, she hadn’t had time to stop anywhere and change into her normal attire before work. As it was, she’d been ten minutes late, and had almost missed a piercing appointment. That was so not like her, but it wasn’t as if that morning had been normal.

She’d worn the suit to fit in, not because she’d wanted to. It had taken entirely too long for her to find the old jacket and skirt she kept in the back of her closet. Thankfully, she hadn’t gained that much weight since she’d worn it last. It had been a decade or so, but the curves she wore now had only made the skirt ride up a bit indecently.

She could clearly remember the way Graham’s gaze had traveled up her legs and settled on her thighs. Even though she’d been angry as hell with him, she’d still pictured her legs wrapped around his neck as he got her off. And then she’d imagined him turning her around, gripping her hips as he pushed the material up so he could pound into her hard from behind.

Hell, she wasn’t that woman anymore. Hadn’t been for the decade she’d hidden that suit in the back of her closet.

She’d only worn the damn thing because showing up in low-cut jeans and a tank that ordered the observer to kiss her ink suggestively probably wasn’t the greatest idea. Though she wanted nothing to do with the estate and the Gallagher brothers, she’d be damned if she embarrassed herself by showing up as she was, rather than with the veneer in place that had helped her hide for all these years.

Of course, with one look at Graham, she was pretty sure those layers—as well as the suit—would be stripped away if she weren’t careful.

She wished the will had let her choose the company to work on the estate. She knew the Montgomerys, and though they would have been able to find out some of her past, she trusted those in that branch of the family company to keep their lips shut.

Of course, now that she thought about it, maybe working with the Gallaghers would be better. They didn’t know her at all and didn’t have any connection to her. They wouldn’t be blabbing her business and the past she’d rather keep hidden to the others in her life. It wasn’t easy keeping secrets from those in the shop, though. They tended to notice everything.

She’d thought when she hurried into the shop after leaving the estate that she’d hidden her suit well enough for no one to see her. And since no one had mentioned it the entire day she’d worked, she figured she’d gotten off scot-free.

Apparently, she’d been wrong.

Maya Montgomery knew everything, and sometimes, even before it happened.

And that was one scary thought.

---