Page 151 of Mayhem
A few wanted to book consultations or appointments for Christmas Eve or the day after Christmas, but they were closed for Christmas Eve, and the day after the holiday was a Monday. Even if they were open on Christmas Eve, she wasn’t sure they could fit them in on such short notice since it was in four days, and since opening, they’d been booked out at least a week in advance.
She checked their upcoming schedules before responding to the messages with alternate dates. There were no messages on the phone, and she moved on to her next design as she thought about what she wanted to take to the Christmas Eve gathering at Alijah and Kieran’s. They’d chosen to celebrate that night since they’d be with their families for the holiday. She’d found a recipe for rum cupcakes she’d wanted to make for a while and thought they might be the perfect option.
It was almost twelve-thirty when her delivery arrived, and she led the man to where she kept the shop’s supplies. He unloaded the boxes in the corner for her. She signed the delivery slip, retrieved her copy, and wished him a happy holiday. She heard the bell go off as he exited several seconds later.
The boxes were not labeled. Instead, they were branded with the company’s logo. She debated only momentarily if she wanted to open and sort them. She decided to get a jumpstart on it sinceshe still had time before Paetyn’s arrival. There would be less she needed to do tomorrow.
The first box she opened contained disinfectant wipes, and she’d just started putting them away when the bell over the door sounded. She realized she hadn’t seen the delivery person out to lock the door. She hoped it was Paetyn, not a potential customer, that she would have to turn away.
Stepping out of the room, Erin paused. Of all the people she expected to see, this person would have been the last to come to mind.
“Stu?”
He’d been a walk-in that quickly turned into one of her regulars in Florida, and while Erin appreciated the business, she later had to turn him down when he’d asked her out, telling him that she didn’t make a habit of dating her clients. He tended to call or text for things that were not appointment-related or designs he never got, and after a while, Erin just stopped answering the phone and texting back.
That had turned into him stopping in a couple of times a week at the shop to say hi, as he’d put it. She hadn’t thought she would see him again after she’d left him standing in the parking lot of her old place of employment in Florida over eight months ago.
“So this is what you abandoned Florida for,” he said, looking around. “Cold, snow, and a shop of your own.” He ran his hand along the desk. “I can’t say I blame you. It’s a nice place.”
“What are you doing here?” Erin asked.
“Your opening was lovely,” he stated, ignoring her question. “So many people came out to support you. Your dad was even here.”
She didn’t remember seeing him at her opening, but it clicked. She did remember someone she hadn’t been able to speak to. Initially, she thought it was because they were taking in the portfolios or the tattoos she’d done on her friends andboyfriends. Knowing it was him made her realize it had been intentional on his part. He’d been staying away from her on purpose, but why would he have done that, and why was he here now? Erin had a sinking feeling in her stomach.
“Was that you calling me?”
“It was. Then you blocked my numbers, so I had to get new ones,” Stu shrugged.
“What do you want?”
He pulled something from his coat pocket and set it on the desk before walking towards the tattoo stations. Erin’s eyes widened at the frame, housing a picture she’d taken with her men at the botanical gardens. “You broke into my apartment.”
“I did, and I was pleasantly surprised to see you forgot to set the alarm. You might want to remember that from now on, but it didn’t take me long to figure out what I wanted to remove from the apartment. So, it wouldn’t have matter if you remembered.”
“Why are you here, Stu?” Erin asked, moving to the desk. Her taser was in her purse, and as soon as she got it, she was going to shock the shit out of his creepy ass.
“You lied to me, Erin. You were never going to a convention.”
“I did go to a convention. I just didn’t go back to Florida.”
“I waited, you know. I called your business number, and it was disconnected. Then Ford finally told me you left, but he was nice enough to give me your cell number.”
That petty, vindictive motherfucker,Erin thought.
He approached her. “We’re friends. You shouldn’t have lied to me. I don’t like being lied to, Erin, and you looked me in my face and did it twice.”
“No, I—”
“This one,” he started, picking up the frame he’d set down and pointing to Paetyn as he crowded her. “Was a client. I saw him in the shop when you gave him that tattoo on his shoulder. But when I saw the two of you together, I knew I had to bemistaken because you told me you didn’t date clients, current or former.” He let out an unamused laugh. “And you with him.” He pointed to Cruz. “Another client that you’re dating. How does that feel? Do you enjoy being between them?”
Erin ignored his questions and refrained from correcting him since she was dating Cruz before she gave him the tattoo. Something told her he didn’t care about semantics. Just that he thought she’d lied to him. She hadn’t. At least not at the time; she didn’t date her clients. Paetyn was the exception; she’d only done one tattoo for him, so it wasn’t like he was a regular.
“You’ve been stalking me.”
“That’s anuglyword. I’ve been checking in on you.”
“Why?” Erin asked, trying to inch toward her purse.
