Page 91 of Resist

After she’d taken care of Mick’s cremation arrangements, she and Maren had begun making plans for a wake at the tavern early next week. She’d contacted her landlord and gotten out of the lease on their apartment. Maybe it had been too soon to make a decision like that, but after the break-in and the destruction of her belongings, she could never stay there again. She’d felt equal parts violated and terrified.

Ainsley worried a little bit about leaving Eli homeless, but considering he hadn’t spent many nights there in the past few months, she decided it was for the best.

Coulton told her she could stay at his place as long as she needed. His exact words had been, she could “move in and stay forever.” She kept telling herself once she got settled, she would look for her own place…but there was a little voice in the back of her head that kept going “ha ha” every time she thought about moving out.

“So what’s next on our list?” Coulton asked.

Ainsley loved the way he always included himself, constantly reassuring her that she wouldn’t do any of this alone.

“I guess the next step is to make a decision about the tavern.” She’d been thinking about it a lot since Mick’s death. The tavern had always been his dream, not hers.

Coulton nodded slowly. “What are you thinking?”

She knew what she should do. Keep it open, because it was the only thing paying her bills. Unfortunately, that wasn’t what she wanted to do.

She must have let the silence linger too long as she wrestled with her response.

“Remember when I told you to start dreaming about your future?” Coulton asked.

Ainsley nodded. She’d been doing a lot of dreaming since that conversation. “I do.”

“Did you?”

“Yeah. I did.”

“And?” he prompted.

“My dream future, the one where I live happily ever after, requires two things.”

Coulton raised one eyebrow, clearly curious. “What’s the first thing?”

“A new job.”

Coulton reached for the remote, muting the TV, then he twisted on the couch until he was facing her. “As?”

She’d never said these words aloud, and she was surprised by how vulnerable she felt. What if he thought it was a bad idea? Or a dumb one? “I want to be a tattoo artist.”

Coulton, the loveable goof, excitedly pumped a fist in the air like he’d won the Stanley Cup. “Hell yes! You’re too talented to keep your art all to yourself. Tomorrow, we’ll do some research on how to get started.”

“I’ve already looked into it a little bit.” After she’d shown her tattoo artist her drawings, he’d tried to encourage her to apprentice under him. She’d brushed off the offer at the time, because she’d been young and dumb, and her self-confidence was still shaken after Tiger’s infidelity. “I need to apprentice under a tattoo artist and get certified. I think my artist would take me on.”

“I love that idea. And when you’re ready, I think you should open your own shop. I’d invest in it. And I guarantee you’d have a line of my teammates beating down the door to get some of your art inked on them.”

She raised her hand, trying to slow him down. “Hey, Mr. One Step at a Time. How about I just try to get an apprenticeship first?”

Coulton smirked. “If you’re gonna dream, Ainsley, dream big.”

“Okay. I will.”

“So you’re selling the tavern?”

It felt strange to admit it out loud, but if she was being true to herself, then yes. That was exactly what she wanted to do. “Yes. Even though Eli and I won’t make a lot of money on the sale. Mick refinanced for a cash loan when the medical bills started piling up, and the place is a legit pit, so it’s not worth much anyway.”

“You’re going to split the money from the sale with Eli? Hasn’t he basically stolen his half of the inheritance over the years?”

Eli had stolen more than half, but Ainsley still knew splitting it was the right thing to do. Even if he did squander and gamble his share away instantly. At the very least, it would assuage her guilt over walking away from him. She’d given up any hope of ever having a relationship with her brother. Without Mick around, loosely binding them together, there was nothing left.

“It’s the right thing to do. Besides, after I settle Mick’s estate and pay you back for the cremation, I doubt it will amount to much.”

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