Page 4 of Beyond Oblivion

Liis took a few steps toward me and gave me a hug. It took me a few seconds to recover because Liis wasn’t a hugger, but more importantly, I used to be in love with the man who had been her boyfriend for the better part of a decade—and now father of the child growing safe and warm inside her growing silhouette—Thomas Maddox. Yes, my husband’s brother. Moving on…

“So, the new recipe went well?” Liis asked, far too enthusiastic to see me. “That’s great. How’s Trent?”

“Trent’s good. He’s at work. Full schedule today,” I said, nodding while silently begging my face not to betray the extreme awkwardness I felt.

Liis’s smile didn’t fade. “I hear business has been booming since Bishop mentioned the shop on that show.”

“Yeah, people come in from all over the country now. Trent is booked months out. They asked him to be part of the show, you know, but that would’ve meant moving to Vegas, and we weren’t comfortable moving that far from Jim, but then it didn’t matter anyway because the show got cancelled, so…”

It was painful. There the three of us were, standing in a semi-circle, fake smiling at each other like weirdos.

“Speaking of that, I really should get back,” I said.

Abby walked to the door and opened it. “Trent says that place doesn’t run without you.”

“Accurate. Thanks!” I walked out too quickly. Fueled by humiliation alone, I practically jogged to my 4Runner.

I gripped the steering wheel and let my forehead fall against my hands.

For fuck’s sake, Cami. Get it together. You’ve been part of this family for years! Thomas and Liis have a perfect life. So do you, because you’re married to your soulmate who would move Heaven and Earth to make you happy. It’s all in the past. We’ve all moved passed it. It’s fine. You’re the black sheep of the family and everyone hates you, but it’sfine.

I drove to Skin Deep, trying not to obsess about who was awkward first, who was more awkward, and if they closed the door and laughed after I all but sprinted to the driveway. The Maddoxes had multiple family functions a year. We were a tight knit group. I wasn’t exactly calling Liis to swap recipes, but the brothers all spoke on the phone several times a week, almost always on speaker. The wives would say hi and engage in the conversation. So, what. the fuck. was that?

“Hi, baby doll!” Trenton said, walking toward me with his arms wide open.

I hugged him, buried my face in his neck for half a second, and then put my game face on. After glancing at the clock, I walked behind the desk and scanned the computer for the next appointments.

Skin Deep was an entire dimension from what it was on my first day. The Chinese restaurant decorations were long gone. The finishes were now industrial, black paint for the walls and exposed pipes and vents, corrugated metal sheet accents, and high shine, blonde wood floors. The artists’ rooms had better lighting, better chairs, and Trenton’s favorite, better equipment. Fresh paint was the easiest part of the remodel; updating the software to make the booking and check-in process more efficient was the most difficult. Now, there were touch-screen kiosks waiting at the desk with digital forms and waivers, interactive flat screens on the wall with each of the artists’ portfolios, examples of fonts, Chinese and Japanese symbols, and other most- requested art. The aftercare instructions were automatically emailed and texted, as well as scheduling. Even the sanitation and disinfecting procedures were now streamlined.

Calvin was the owner, but Skin Deep was my second home. Once business picked up, I was promoted to full-time and then manager, hiring two new artists, Sylvie and Beck. Even Calvin would agree that I had turned that place from a dive into a thriving business, but I was glad that no one but Hazel ever mentioned why.

Hazel followed her client from her room, smiling and chatting before showing her out the glass double doors. “Where have you been?” she said as she turned around. “I can never figure out how to get those damn waivers to move to the next page when that ratty ass software doesn’t do it automatically. Yeah, you dropped out of college but you’re still smarter than the rest of us.”

I cringed.Only Hazel mentions it, but she does it enough for everyone.

After the accident, I understood why Trenton couldn’t go back to college. Eastern State’s campus was small, but the town felt smaller. By the time I was discharged from the hospital, everyone knew that Trenton Maddox had gotten into a car with me behind the wheel—the man who refused to let a woman drive him again after he’d been in a fatal accident with his then-girlfriend Mackenzie Davis—for us to then get T-boned by a drunk driver. I couldn’t stand the thoughts of the stares, the whispers, the looks of pity for Trenton, who carried me for miles with a broken arm and refused to leave me even after he learned the other man I was in love with was his own brother.

That was why I focused so hard on transforming Skin Deep. I needed to succeed. I needed to be known for something other than the bartender who bounced between two Maddox brothers and nearly got one killed.

“I told you she was at lunch,” Trenton said, playfully nudging Hazel with his elbow. “And I was here to fix it for you. As usual.”

Hazel’s eyes rolled behind her thick, red-rimmed glasses. “He couldn’t figure it out, either.”

“I did, too!” Trenton said, feigning insult.

Hazel leaned over, holding her hand to the side of her mouth as if she wasn’t planning to speak loud enough for Trenton to hear. “I don’t know how it moved to the next page, but it wasn’t anything he did.”

“Ashton called while you were impaling that chick’s face,” Trenton said.

“It was a bridge piercing, you…” Hazel’s eyes brightened. “Wait. Ashton? She did?”

“No.”

“Ugh. You’re the worst,” she said, her expression instantly falling.

I smiled as I scrolled through the computer. “She’ll call.”

“I know, because theyalwayscall,” Hazel said, disappearing back to her room.

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