Page 64 of Illicit Illustration

Her hand darted out, grabbing my arm before I could walk around her. I should have felt bad at the fear clearly visible in her eyes, but I didn’t.

“Reid, no. This is too far. I can’t ask you to do this.”

But she wasn’t asking me…and I was doing it. Because there was no way in hell I was letting her give up on herself when I could do something about it. Even if it meant knocking down the walls she’d been trying to erect around herself.

“I’m volunteering. Send me the scene from the book and I’ll make it happen.”

Reid

Only things couldn’t possiblygo that smoothly, because when I climbed out of the shower, my phone was full of messages from my cousin, begging me to cover him at the distillery for the afternoon because of a family emergency he’d tell me about when I got there.

Switching over to the text thread with Hazel, I fired off a message because I knew she’d freak out if she heard my motorcycle tearing out of the parking lot since I’d told her I’d be right back.

Reid: Jay was blowing up my phone when I got out of the shower. Have to head to the distillery to cover for him. Don’t you dare email that author. As soon as I’m done, we’re doing this.

Hazel: What’s going on? Anything I can help with?

Of course, she’d offer to help without knowing what was going on despite the current tension between us. Because that was just who she was. Hazel may have avoided putting herself into potentially stressful situations when she could, but if she thought someone needed help—even someone she was hesitant to trust—she was the first person to jump in without hesitation.

Reid: Don’t know details. All he told me was it’s a family emergency and that he needed to catch a flight to Wyoming. I’m assuming it has something to do with Tristan, but I really don’t know.

Hazel: Don’t worry about me. I’ll figure it out. Go help your family. They’re more important.

Reid: Hate to break it to you, Haz. But you’re family too. You are just as important.

Hazel: Even more reason for you to focus on your cousins and not me. Not sure family should be watching each other do…things.

Reid: Not getting out of this that easily. Send me that book and I’m coming for you as soon as I’m done.

Three little dots danced across the screen, but as another frantic text came through from Jay, I shoved my phone in my pocket, tucked my helmet underneath my arm, grabbed my leather riding gloves and headed for the door. Gray was doodling on the tablet we kept at the desk while he waited for his next appointment, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before he had a waiting list like the rest of the artists who worked here.

“Hey boss man, I thought you were doing paperwork all afternoon?”

He was right, I should be doing paperwork, because payroll waited for no man. But family was more important, and I could work on getting the numbers submitted to the spreadsheet remotely since I’d started using an outside accounting firm to do the business taxes instead of suffering through them alone.

When I’d been in Gray’s position, learning the skills I needed for the job instead of the business behind it, I didn’t know being a small business owner was in my future. It always looked easier from the outside looking in.

“Maybe I’ll start teaching you how to input the numbers for payroll, so I don’t have to do it anymore.”

“And maybe I’ll give myself a pay increase to offset the extra job duties you want to pile on me so you can go moon over your best friend’s little sister.” My footsteps halted, and I turned in his direction. I was met with a grin that told me he’d been setting me up and I had just walked right into it. “Don’t worry, I won’t spill your secrets, but my silence is going to cost you.”

Narrowing my eyes, I tried to gauge his intentions, but he burst out laughing, holding up his hands.

“Not like in a blackmail kind of way. I meant maybe you’ll start giving me bigger pieces when they come in. I’m ready to do something other than spend my days piercing belly buttons for college girls.”

“You’ll get there. Give it time. But maybe you can mock something up for the client I had yesterday. I can already tell she’s going to be a frequent flyer and I don’t want to spend the next year turning her down.”

“So, thereissomething going on between you and Hazel?”

I didn’t want to lie to him, and things were still precarious because I had no idea how things at the reveal would go, but I had zero interest in messing around with clients anymore. Unless that client was the devastatingly beautiful illustrator from across the parking lot.

“No, not at the moment.”

“That wasn’t a flat out no,” he mused, raising an eyebrow. I knew he might give me shit about it, but he also wouldn’t say anything to Hudson.

“I’ll keep you updated if it changes anytime soon.”

“I kinda hope she gives you all kinds of shit and doesn’t take it easy on you.”

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