Page 9 of I Did Before I Do

And then… not so much.

I forced myself to smile. “Well, he’s out of the picture now. And, um, if you could kinda discourage Jay, that would be great.”

I couldn’t picture myself with a guy like that. I mean, I had a hard time picturing myself with anybody specific but definitely not somebody so normal and boring.

Well, maybe I could picture myself with one specific guy. But that was a thought for later, when I was home and by myself.

Ryker, from the bar. He’d been hot. Like Fantasy Kyle but better.

Way better.

And real. That was definitely a plus.

Maggie nodded. “Well, I’ll kinda… discourage it, then. Don’t worry, I’ve got your back.”

That was nice to hear. I smiled, much more genuinely this time. “Thanks, Maggie.”

“No problem.” Maggie smiled and turned to go back to her desk.

I absorbed myself with work, uninterrupted for a little while. The next interruption wasn’t social, though; Mr. Bridges came into my office, bringing a manila envelope of papers with him.

He tossed the envelope on my desk. “I need you to run these to the address on the envelope tonight. It’s important they arrive today.”

“Yes, sir.” I smiled, picking up the envelope and reading it. It was an address on the same road as The Republic. I knew where I was going, at least. “I’ll drop them off on my way home. Let me check where I’m going. If they close before us, could I leave a little early?”

Mr. Bridges nodded. “As long as the paperwork makes it there tonight.” He turned and left the office, brusque as ever.

I typed the address into Google. No Regrets.

It was the tattoo shop where Kenzie’s brother worked.

I looked at the folder again. Benard Briggs. I wondered if it was somebody she was related to? Not her brother—that was Bradley, and she only had the one brother.

I supposed I’d find out later in the evening. They were open later than we were, so I tucked the envelope in my purse.

* * * * *

I’d never been in a tattoo shop before.

Tattoos were hot, sure, but I’d never really considered getting one. Maybe in an alternate universe, where I was a sexy biker chick, but not in this world. It wasn’t the most professional, and I liked wearing short sleeves when it was hot out. The idea of having to cover up all the time to be taken seriously at work was unappealing.

I walked in, taking a second to look around. Framed artwork hung on the walls. A few steps led up from the lobby to a row of booths, separated by waist-high walls. Five of the booths were occupied by guys working, with one booth empty in the back.

“Hey, welcome to No Regrets.” I turned to see a girl at the front counter. Her hair was dyed bright orange and shaved on the sides. She looked like she could kick my ass, but she was smiling as she looked me over.

I smiled at her and pulled the envelope of papers from my purse. “Hi, I’m here from Hills & Bridges. Looking for Benard Briggs?”

The girl behind the counter raised her eyebrows, letting out a laugh. She turned toward the back of the shop, cupping her hands around her mouth.

“Oh, Beeen-aaaard!” she sang, the sound of her voice echoing through the shop.

For a moment, there was silence.

Heat flared up in my cheeks—embarrassment.

Everyone in the shop started to laugh. Loudly.

Why had I agreed to come here? Right, because I was getting paid for it. But I definitely hated feeling like I was getting made fun of.

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