Page 143 of Stealing Sunshine

“Add another Daisy beside the one you already have on your ankle. Or even better, just make it a whole bouquet.”

I hang up before she replies, a ridiculous grin on my face. There was no way I was forgetting about seeing that tiny little yellow tattoo. Though, I have wondered if she had it the day I helped her into the bathtub. If she did, I’d been too busy staring at the rest of her to search her ankles for secret tattoos.

Not to mention that if she did have it by then, it would mean that she was interested in me weeks before my parents’ barbecue.

I roll my lips together and finally leave the parking lot. But I don’t head home. Instead, I take the main street out of town, knowing exactly what I need to do in order to convince Bryce that I’m here to stay.

Into The Shadeis slow for a Monday night. Or I think it is.

There’s only one person in the building in addition to Shade when I walk inside, the door jingling above my head. A woman about my age is propped up on the same leather table I was on only days ago.

Shade is hunched over her side with an open jar of healing lotion in his hand that he’s spreading over her hip. The wrap goes on next, and then he’s snapping his gloves off and looking my way.

“Little devil,” he says in greeting, his dark eyes warming slightly as he takes me in.

“Hey, Shade.”

“Gimme one sec, yeah?”

I flash a soft smile and turn to face the wall of photos behind the reception desk. They weren’t really a focal point for me the first time I was here, so I take the time Shade’s using with his client to search for any familiar tattoos in the photo frames.

It doesn’t take me very long to spot one. I’ve seen it often, considering the placement of it on her left forearm.

There’s a forest background set behind a cherry tree that’s been shaded in black with grey leaves. A cobra with a flared collar is twisted around and hanging from a lone branch, and a leopard pokes its head around the thick trunk with one paw extended. The jaw of the beast is wide, almost like it’s mid-growl. Storm clouds tie the design in with the rest of her sleeve.

Sneakers squeaking on the floor have me blinking andlooking at the woman settling at the desk beside me. Her eyes, a unique shade of blueish green, meet mine as she smiles.

“That’s Bryce, right?” she asks.

I look back at the picture, curious as to how she knows that. “It is.”

“Don’t tell her, but I think that’s one of the best pieces I’ve ever done,” Shade boasts, joining us.

He moves behind the desk and grabs a portable debit machine before tapping on the pad at the bottom. A beat later, he hands it to the woman.

“It’s amazing, Shade,” I agree. “Did you do all of these?”

“I did.” His eyes fall to the edge of the desk. “How’s yours healing up?”

“I haven’t noticed it much, honestly. Bryce said it was healing well, though.”

The woman quickly pays for her tattoo and then hands the machine back to him. I tap my thigh where my first tattoo hides beneath the skirt of my dress.

“I’d bet she’s been checking it over every day just to have an excuse to take your pants off,” Shade teases.

I giggle, and the woman who’s still lingering raises both of her eyebrows at me.

“Wait, are youwithBryce?” she asks me.

My giggle slowly fades. “I am.”

“Oh! Can you please, please,pleasetell her to say yes to my request? I’ve been trying to get her to give me this tattoo I’ve been dreaming of for weeks now, but she turned me down. Sent me here to Shade instead,” she rambles, pushing her hands together in a praying position.

Shade gawks at her. “Are you saying I was your second choice? I bumped you ahead of the queue because Bryce asked me to.”

“She said she wasn’t taking any female clients for the time being,” she explains with an intense pout.

My cheeks burn while butterflies fill my stomach. I’ve neverasked her not to take female clients, and I never would. In my mind, it doesn’t matter who she tattoos, but the gesture is so incredibly thoughtful that I know my decision to come here was the right one.

---