Page 10 of Reckless Harmony

“There was another moment of awkwardness before Rayna said, “I’ll get you that invoice and clean up my tools so you can get out of here. Sound good?”

“Yes,” Nola said. “Thank you, Miss Abrams.”

“Call me Rayna.”

Rayna stopped the van at the end of the church’s long driveway and blew on her hands as she waited for the traffic to clear. Christ, her work van’s heater was on its last legs, and if Doug didn’t approve the work order to get it fixed soon, Rayna would go on damn strike.

You’ll be lucky you don’t get fired once that asshole pastor talks to Doug.

Rayna snorted and cranked the useless heater up another few degrees. Despite his inability to approve a work order in a timely manner, Doug was a damn good boss who wouldn’t give one shit about the pastor’s little temper tantrum. Of course, it also helped that Doug was an animal lover and his wife, Judy, was one of Rayna’s most dedicated volunteers at the rescue. Finding out Rayna was trying to recruit people to her auction for the rescue during working hours wouldn’t even be a blip on Doug’s no bullshit at work policy.

She blew on her hands again before her gaze landed on Nola standing on the sidewalk in front of the church. She stood next to a bus stop sign, and despite being dressed warmly in a thick winter jacket with a knitted hat and mittens, Rayna could see her shivering wildly. The snow had finally stopped, but a bitterly cold wind blew.

Not surprised at all that the asshole pastor wouldn’t give his daughter a ride, Rayna pulled out onto the street and stopped in front of Nola. She buzzed down the passenger window and leaned over. “Hey, you want a ride?”

Nola blinked at her. “What?”

“Where are you going for lunch?” Rayna asked.

“Nan’s Diner,” Nola said, before looking away.

“Well, hop in. I’m driving right past it.”

“Oh no, that’s okay,” Nola said. “I don’t want to trouble you.”

“It’s no trouble,” Rayna said. “C’mon, it’s better than freezing your ass… uh, I mean butt off waiting for the bus, right?”

Nola hesitated a moment longer before suddenly yanking open the door and climbing into the passenger seat.

Rayna rolled up the window as Nola clicked her seatbelt into place and smiled at her. “Thank you so much, Miss Abrams.”

“It’s Rayna, and you’re welcome. Although, to be honest, I’m not sure my work van is that much warmer than outside. The heater is on its last legs.”

She pulled back out onto the street as Nola gave her a smile that lit up her face and turned her pretty features into something strikingly beautiful. “This is much better than waiting for the bus. Thank you.”

CHAPTER 6

Nola waved at Rayna and walked slowly toward Nan Diner’s front door. When Rayna’s work van turned left off of Main Street and disappeared, Nola turned abruptly and hurried down the sidewalk to the Walgreens. She stepped into the warm store and walked down the first aisle, staring blankly at the shelves.

While she was grateful for the plumber’s kindness in giving her a ride downtown, it did mean she was nearly forty-five minutes early for her appointment. She supposed she could grab a quick bite at the diner, but it seemed like a pointless waste of her limited funds when she’d quickly eaten a sandwich at her desk just an hour earlier.

She’d had to eat it while keeping one eye on her father’s office. If he’d seen her eating a sandwich, her whole cover story about lunch and helping Sarah paint the nursery would have been blown.

Her nerves, already frayed to begin with, tightened another notch at being reminded of her blatant lie to her father. It was a dangerous lie, one easily discoverable by her father if he happened to mention it to Sarah at church on Sunday. But she’d had no choice. There were a limited number of people her father approved of her spending time with, and she’d chosen to involve Sarah in her lie because she was just as timid, if not more timid, than Nola. If her father did happen to mention Nola painting the nursery with her, Sarah was so intimidated by the Reverend Norwood that the odds of her just meekly agreeing to whatever he said were high.

Still, Nola couldn’t just wander the Walgreens or any of the shops along Main Street for the next forty-five minutes. What if someone from the church saw her and happened to mention it to her father?

Her stomach clenched tight, the sandwich she’d eaten churning unpleasantly in her guts. She glanced furtively around the store, suddenly convinced that one of the church members would come marching into the aisle at any moment, demanding to know why Nola wasn’t at her desk at the church and did her father know she was here?

Her stomach still churning, she hurried out of the store. Her breath catching in her throat at the cold wind, she walked purposefully across the street and stopped in front of the bright red door. She looked to her left and to her right, saw no one she knew, and, her hand trembling, pulled open the door and stepped inside.

The tattoo shop was not at all what she expected. She’d expected something small and dark and maybe even a little grungy. Instead, it was an ample bright space with gleaming floors, and the air smelled of disinfectant. To the left of the door was a reception counter with a glass display of jewelry. A spinning rack of Crimson Door Tattoo keychains sat on top of the counter, along with a small laptop and a tablet. A pile of Crimson Door Tattoo t-shirts sat in a box on the floor just in front of the counter.

She stared at the big sign taped to the front of the counter that said, “Please remove wet footwear!” and took off her winter boots, leaving them on the big mat by the door and slipping her feet into a pair of the cheap rubber slippers provided.

To the right was a seating area with a large leather couch and a coffee table with a few black binders displayed. A mini-fridge and a small table with a Keurig coffee machine, mugs, and sugar sat against the wall near the couch.

The shop was empty of people, and she drummed her fingers on the gleaming surface of the counter, unsure of what to do. She studied the three tattooing stations, chewing anxiously at her bottom lip. They were completely open to anyone who walked into the shop. What if someone from the church came in and saw her being tattooed?

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