Page 79 of Verses

Notes I couldn’t fucking read.

It didn’t matter, though. That little tattoo spoke to my heart. Even though I couldn’t read music, I knew without a doubt that I’d sung those notes before.

“Yeah, I like that. But where?”

“That’s up to you, girl.”

The young woman at the counter, still eavesdropping probably due to boredom, spoke up. “Your first tattoo should be somewhere fleshy so it doesn’t hurt.”

Claire lowered her voice. “She’s partly right—but don’t listen to her. I can numb whatever area you need—and pain is temporary. You want me to put it wherever it belongs.”

Oh. A big decision, one I wasn’t sure I was ready to make. “Where did you get your first tattoo?”

Claire laughed. “On my right tit.”

I started laughing with her but then I thought about it. Ben didn’t have any sillyno tattoorules like some of the ancient employers in Charlotte did—and, if I had my way, it would nevermatter, because I didn’t plan on working at Early Rise forever anyway.

But what if I wanted more tattoos? What if I messed up the design by getting a random one with no plan?

Which was the main reason why I hadn’t gotten any ink yet. So I asked, “Did you have your sleeves all planned out before you had them tattooed?”

“Mostly…but a few of these guys were incorporated because the sleeves were after the fact. Meaning put it wherever you want. A good tattoo artist will work with whatever canvas you present.”

If I had my way, Claire would always be my tattoo artist, because I was already feeling assured that I was in good hands. Tentatively, I nodded.

“It’s easier if you go in with a plan, but it doesn’t ruin a thing to start with small designs you love.”

“Thanks, Claire.” Although she’d muddied the waters again, I decided I wanted to get it on my upper left arm. “What about here?” I asked, pointing to the spot. It would be a place that was visible to me every single day, but it would be covered under shirts at work that had regular sleeves. With the shirts I usually wore with small or non-existent sleeves, though, it would be visible.

The eavesdropping girl said, “That’s a great spot that shouldn’t hurt too much.”

“Don’t you have some shelves to dust?” Claire asked, tired of her interruptions.

“I’m just trying to help.”

Claire simply rolled her blue eyes and whispered, “She’ll leave us alone when the guys get back from lunch.” Then she smiled. “You ready?”

“I think so.”

“Here, give me your coat,” she said and, when I handed it to her, she hung it on one of several hooks on the opposite wall. “You can sit there,” she said, pointing to the large cushiony chair.

Once I was seated, she started arranging all manner of items on her counter. “So what have you been up to?” she asked.

“Oh, you know. Same old shit, different day.”

“Still at Early Rise?”

“Yeah.”

“I need to stop in once in a while. I could use a latte now and then.”

“You know your first one’s free withmetoo.”

Claire laughed. “That’s fair—and I won’t say no to that.” After grabbing a couple of black latex gloves, she started sliding one on. “How’s the band going?”

My mind immediately thought of sexy Wolf. How his lips had felt on mine just days ago but how we’d kept our paws and lips to ourselves all week during practice. How he’d looked at me differently now, a slight smile on his face, but how we’d promised to talk about everything after giving it a week to cool down.

That was Wolf’s rule…but that also meant I would get to talk about it with him tomorrow.

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