Page 43 of Who Pissed Off Ivy Dell?

“She’s a time and place kind of girl.”

“And you like her that way.”

“Yeah, but if she becomes another kind of girl at some point, I’ll like her that way, too.”

“Good thing,” Zara says. “Because Ivy can be full of surprises.”

“That she can.”

She comes out of the bathroom with my pajamas slung low on her hips. Josephine is sanitizing the table we ate on. She had Dice and Cujo carry it inside. I bring a towel for Ivy to lie on.

“Will this thing hold me?” she asks.

“You’ll be fine.”

“Okay,” she says. “I’m trusting you. You better be right.”

She sits on the towel and wiggles a bit to test the strength of the table before she lies back. Josephine transfers her sketch to Ivy’s skin and asks her if she wants to take a look at it in the mirror. “Nope. Tonight’s about trust. If it looks right to you, then go for it.”

Her eyes find mine for reassurance, and I smile. Being the one she looks to feels good. “I want to kiss it already.”

Josephine shoots a warning look over her shoulder. “You are not allowed to put your mouth on this tattoo until it’s fully healed.”

Ivy tenses at the initial buzz of the tattoo gun. “You ready?” Josephine asks.

“I’m ready.”

When the needles meet her skin, she squeezes her eyes shut, but she’s still. I take her hand, and she opens her eyes. “Breathe. It helps.”

“I know. I just forget sometimes.”

I watch the ink spread in her skin. The flower almost looks like there’s a flame behind it when Josephine layers shades of orange around the edges and blends the colors. It reminds me of the way the sun makes Ivy’s hair glow, the way it changes in the light. She’s going to love it.

Zara’s tattoo is floral, too, but it’s a shoulder cap so it takes a few hours. It’s getting late, but I’m not ready for anyone to go. It’s been a long time since I’ve hung out with more than one person at a time for longer than a community dinner or a meeting. I forgot how much I used to enjoy being in the company of friends.

Josephine doesn’t ask Cujo what he wants when he sits for his tattoo. Either they’ve already discussed it or he trusts her a hell of a lot.

I sneak glances at his forearm while she works. It’s a rattlesnake. Huh, I would’ve figured he already had one of those tattooed on him somewhere.

Ivy leans over to see what he’s getting. “Ha! I should get one of those, too.”

I laugh. “You and Cujo with matching rattlesnake tattoos would send April over the edge.”

Josephine smirks. “Don’t tempt me with a good time.”

Dice says he’ll take Zara home, and no one asks if he means to his casita or hers, but Ivy sure looks like she wants to know. “Call me when you’re up tomorrow. We’ll spend the whole day at the festival together.”

When Josephine is all packed up, she and Cujo head out on his bike, leaving Ivy and me alone. “If you stay, I promise not to bother you for sex. I know that tattoo burns. Do you want something for the pain?”

“Maybe you could do something to try to take my mind off of it, and I could owe you one.”

“One?”

She laughs. “I know. I probably already owe you dozens.”

“You don’t owe me anything, Ivy. You will never owe me anything. You’re already in pajamas. You may as well stay.”

“I’ll stay. I might take these pajamas with me tomorrow. They’re pretty comfy.”

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