Page 3 of One Night With You

“Not friends? Fuck that,” I muttered to myself.

She had laughed when I had said we were friends. At least I thought we had been. But maybe we had just been friends of friends, and those connections didn’t matter. But now here I was, grumbly like a bear, on one of my last days of work before I was taking a damn vacation.

What was I supposed to do with myself?

“Why do you look like you’re having a very deep and angry conversation in your head right now?” Kane asked.

I scowled since he’d not only read me correctly, I’d also been talking to myself. “Can we just get me back to the office. I need a shower. And then I have a meeting with Hudson.”

“Oh yeah. Today’s tattoo prep day. Although I do find it strange that you’re going to Montgomery Ink and not having a family member tattoo you. I thought that was sort of athing.”

I shrugged, and then set the towel down on the front seat. I ignored Kane’s wince as I got onto his beautiful leather seats. Well, now his whole cabin was going to smell like shit, and I didn’t care since that’s what I smelled like.

“Hudson’s good. And I’ve already had Leif and Sebastian ink me. Plus the uncles. I think I’m okay.”

Our family was big. Okay, that was an understatement when it came to the Montgomerys.

Some of the Montgomerys had founded Montgomery Ink in downtown Denver years ago, before I’d even been born. Then they’d opened a second shop in Colorado Springs with a few of my aunts and uncles. And then a couple of my cousins had decided to open the next generation and call it Montgomery Ink Legacy. It happened to be right next door to our shop. The Montgomery family itself owned the building, and we therefore owned the four offices within it. With Montgomery Security, Montgomery Legacy, a cafe and coffee shop, and an art studio and gallery. I didn’t much go to the latter, but some of my cousins ran it, so it was all in the family.

My cousin Leif had done my first tattoo, and thenmy Uncle Austin had done another. My Aunt Maya had scooted in and done my third, and then Sebastian had done one more. I had another aunt and uncle as well as countless friends who could tattoo more as I thought of new things to get, but Hudson was the new tattoo artist at Montgomery Ink.

The fact that he happened to be Claire’s brother didn’t make me a stalker.

No, I just wanted to ensure I got the best. And make sure that Hudson knew that we thought he was one of the best.

“He does great work, and I want to encourage him. If a Montgomery lets him do work, that means he’s aces. Plus it’s just the sketch today. It’s going to be a big piece, so it’ll take time. I’ll get inked right after we get back from vacation.”

“I see the rationalization. But are you just trying to tell Claire that you believe in her and her family?”

“Has she even answered Phoebe’s calls?” I asked, ignoring his question with one of my own.

“Yes. And they go out to lunch, and she’s even spent the night at our place when I was forced to sleep on the couch and watch movies myself. Apparently, it was girl time.”

My lips twitched at that. “Really.”

“Really. I could have gone to your place, but you were having the plumber issues.”

I winced. “It’s okay, I called the cousins, and they fixed it.”

“You should just have them do the whole house. You didn’t need to buy some shoddy work and do it yourself. You work as many hours as any of us, and you’re not a certified contractor like our cousins. Not quite sure what you’re thinking.”

“I’m thinking that I just want to figure things out. I’m sorry. I want to do things myself. Have it be my hands that fix it.”

“Like the hands that kept you steady on that ladder when Bosley knocked you off it?”

“Fuck you.” Though I had to hold back a smile.

“No, thanks. You’re the one that smells like dog shit. I’m going to go with a no on that.”

“I hate you.”

“Maybe.” We pulled into the parking lot, and I was grateful for the employee lot because the place was busy. Between the tattoo shop, our clients, the art studio, and the cafe, people were constantly in and out. It was good for business, bad for parking.

“Claire’s fine. She’s talking to people. She’s working. And she sees Phoebe. I don’t know why she’s not answering your calls but Phoebe’s watching her and so am I. And so is Aria and all of the other girls. Maybe it’s you.”

“I hate the fact that you’re probably right,” I grumbled.

“I know you didn’t do anything to her, but I don’t know… Claire’s still weird around me just a little.”

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