Page 8 of Roses and Skulls

I nod, shoving her outside.You’re going to be late for class.

She waves as she rushes to her car. “See you tomorrow night at six. Tell Daddy D I’m not taking no for answer.”

If I had something to throw at her, I would, so instead she gets a finger.

She gives me one back before getting in and taking off down the street. I’m so happy for Lanie. Her parents never gave her much attention, all she’s had is me and her Uncle Brody. Hopefully, this guy she is dating treats her right.

My mom pulls up across the street, headed to her tattoo shop. She waves at me; I drop the smile on my face and offer her a half-hearted wave back. Abruptly, I turn to go back inside.

You’re thinking I’m a bitch, aren’t you? Yeah, gone is the sweet little Billie Rose and in her place is the hardheaded and even harder hearted version.

Lily and Jackson come back right before my shift is over. One on each end of an old pickup bumper.Did you find some good stuff today?my phone asks them.

They set it down in the middle of the floor and Jackson turns, giving me a smile that brightens my day. “We did and wait till you see what I found for you.” He grabs me by the waist and swings me around before placing a chaste kiss to my cheek.

Jackson is the town heartthrob. He’s beautiful. A head full of brown hair that always seems to be perfectly falling in his eyes. He’s tall and best of all, he’s kind. Can’t get much better than that. He always lets me tag along with him wherever he goes.

He sticks his hand in his pocket, his eyes sparkling from the lights above us. When he pulls it out, he opens his palm to reveal a handful of old skeleton keys. His smile widens when he sees the grin he just put on my face. I love them.

I run my finger over each key, already envisioning the beautiful chime I’m going to make.They’re perfect. Thank you,I type before shoving my phone back in my pocket.

He dumps them into my hand, then helps Lily with the bumper, hauling it to the back. When he comes back, I have them laid out on the counter, admiring them. He stands behind me and wraps his arms around me. “Maybe this will be the chime to unlock whatever it is you’re listening for.”

I bite my lip and shrug my shoulders. He rests his chin on my shoulder. “Did Dan talk to you about the bar?” he asks.

Nodding, I try and pull away from him. He squeezes me tighter.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

The shake of my head makes him sigh. “You know, you can tell me anything, Rosie. Why don’t you trust me?”

I pull myself away from him, pocketing my new treasures and then I type on my phone, letting him know that I do trust him.There’s just nothing to talk about. It’s a done deal.

The little bell over the door interrupts us. My dad walks in, instantly eying the both of us. “Everything okay?” he asks.

Quickly, I change the voice on my phone back to the one that grates on my dad best and reply.Just peachy.

His chest puffs up with the deep breath he just sucked in. Can you imagine the restraint this man must possess? Jackson laughs and heads over to shake his hand. “Just the usual, trying to get the dark one to open up.”

My dad shakes his hand, but his eyes remain on me. “And…”

“No go, Prez,” Jackson tells him before heading out to unload the rest of the stuff he and Lily brought back.

“You ready?” he asks.

Actually, Lily and Jackson just got back. Can I stay and help them unload? I’ll catch a ride with one of them.

I can see his brain working, trying to assess the risk and reward of letting me stay. “Okay but remember your seatbelt.”

Of course.I shove my phone in my back pocket. That was way easier than I thought it would be. He grabs me as I walk past him to help Jackson.

His face softens as he runs a thumb over my cheek. “Dan told me he let you know about the bar. We’ll talk about it tonight. I’m sorry, I know you loved that place.”

I roll my eyes, making his eyebrow cock in warning. I sigh dramatically before shaking my head yes, I understand that he will be torturing me later with talk about the knife they stuck in my back today. The look of pity on his face makes me look away.

He kisses my forehead and then follows me outside. I watch him walk across the street to mom’s tattoo shop. Jackson nods for me to grab the other end of a dresser he’s unloading off the back of his truck. I grab a corner and help him carry it inside.

Lily holds the door open for us before we set it down in the workshop. Her eyes scan it. I’m sure she already has something magical in store for it. She loves old things. “You can take off. Jackson and I got this. Thanks for holding down the fort today.”

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