Page 72 of Mayhem
“I’m meeting Chayse at the shop, and she’s going to take more pictures for me.”
“You said you wanted to give me another tattoo. Do you want to do it tomorrow? Chayse can take pictures while you do, and it gives you one more person your work can be seen on at the opening.”
Erin turned around, sitting on her knees to look at him. “You’re serious?” When Cruz nodded, she kissed him and hechuckled against her lips before pulling her closer. “Thank you, babe,” she stated when they pulled apart, only for him to pull her back in. She had a few pictures of her working on people in her portfolio, but not nearly enough, and being able to add more would be beneficial.
Her phone ringing disturbed the moment, and Erin groaned into the kiss before they pulled apart. She removed her phone from the backpack and when the same number flashed across her screen, she almost answered it in irritation. Instead, she released another groan of annoyance and sent them to voicemail.
“Someone you don’t want to talk to?” Cruz asked.
“I don’t know who it is,” she responded before explaining that she thought it was a client who lived or worked in the worst reception area there was.
Her boyfriend didn’t look convinced. “You’re sure that’s all it is?”
“Yes. I distinctly heard the words appointment, available, and client on the two calls where they said something.”
“But why wouldn’t they say anything before?”
Erin shrugged. “They could have been, and I couldn’t hear them because of the service.”
Cruz rubbed his beard, and before he could respond they heard a soft crash. The wind had let up, and her kite had come crashing down. His followed suit a few seconds later. When they retrieved them this time, Erin suggested they take them apart and pack them up. She was ready to move on to the next part of their date, also in the park.
Folded blanket under her arm and the backpack in his hand, she took his free one and led him to the other pond. It was bigger than the one they’d been flying kites near. She approached the rental booth and gave the attendant her name. She’d called when planning both dates and reserved a pedal boat.
The attendant gave her the total for the rental, and when Cruz’s hand came over her shoulder with his card held in it, she smacked it away. She turned to him, retrieving her wallet from the backpack as he again tried to hand his card to the attendant. Erin took it from him and placed it in her back pocket.
“You realize I have more than one,” Cruz stated.
“You realize if you don’t let me pay, you aren’t getting any tonight,” she countered.
The man in the booth chuckled. “I’d let her pay, man.”
“She’s bluffing,” Cruz told him.
“Am I?” Erin inquired with a raised brow. She was, but she wasn’t going to let him know that.
“Fine,” he acquiesced.
Erin smirked triumphantly before paying the attendant. He returned her card and receipt to her, and she placed them back in her backpack.
“Here’s the key to unlock it from the tether. It’s boat four,” the attendant told them. Erin thanked him, and they headed toward the boat. She pulled Cruz’s card from her pocket to hand it back to him. He glanced down at her.
“Keep it.”
“No,” she responded, placing it against his chest.
He finally took it, and Erin stepped into the boat, sliding over so he could get in. She unlocked the tether at the back, and they began to peddle as Cruz set the bag on the floor under his legs. They peddled around the pond silently, enjoying one another’s company until she remembered one of her conversations with Paetyn yesterday.
“I’m thinking of learning a new language.”
“Yeah?” Cruz asked. “Which one?”
“Polish, if you’re willing to teach me. I can communicate with Paetyn in Spanish, so I want to be able to do the same with you eventually.”
“I speak Spanish,” Cruz informed her in the mentioned language.
“I know, but I want to be able to talk to you in your heritage language as well,” she responded similarly. “So, will you teach me?” she inquired in English.
“Of course, Maly. Speaking of Paetyn, how was your date?”
