Page 67 of Brittle Heart

“Suuure,” is all he says.

Carolina returns with the subs, wishing us a “Buon appetito,” before heading back behind the counter with no food for herself in sight.

We devour the subs, and I dive back into my work. It’s nearly five when I finally finish, and Carolina hasn’t interrupted me once. The last time I worked this peacefully was when the shop was closed, and I did a piece after hours.

I clean and patch up Jonah and walk him over to the register, where Carolina steps aside to give me room to check him out. He leaves with a “See you soon” aimed at Carolina, which earns a huff from her once he’s gone.

Her customer service mask slips away, replaced by her usual bored expression.

I glance down at a notepad on the counter. It’s a sketch of a tea bag with a winking face and heart pattern, and around it, the text readsFeeling a little naugh-tea.

I chuckle, turning to look at her. When she realizes what I’m looking at, she rushes over to snatch the notepad from me, but I lift it over her head, which isn’t very high at all.

“What’s this?” I ask.

“I need to get a gift for Sophia tomorrow, and I know she loves those corny mugs. But I can’t afford to buy her one. So, I thought of making one myself, but I don’t know… it’s probably silly and a bad idea,” she mumbles, her eyes downcast and a blush creeping up her cheeks.

“Hey,” I say, gently lifting her chin with my thumb and forefinger to make her look at me. “It’s the perfect gift and a nice idea. She will love it. It’s cute and cool.”

Just like you.

She nods, and I release her, handing back her notepad. She checks her phone and moves over to her backpack. “I’m sorry, I have to go, or I’ll be late for my shift at the bar.”

“Hold up,” I say, fetching the tattoo cream I promised from the back and fifty dollars from the register. “Here, thanks for your help today.”

She accepts the cream but refuses the money, thanking me and turning to leave. I catch her shoulder, and she flinches with a hiss, so I pull back immediately.

What the fuck?“Carolina—”

“We agreed on the cream. I didn’t do anything today to deserve the money. I was just hanging out and studying. The phone barely rang but maybe a dozen times, and there were maybe the same number of walk-ins. It’s not a big deal. I wanted to help you.”

Clay had told me about the fine that took a lot of money from her when they picked up her little sister for underage drinking—perhaps all she had. Yet here she is, refusing the money she definitely earned today.

“Take it, Carolina. If it wasn’t for the cream, I would give you a hundred dollars for today. This was one of the most relaxed Saturdays I’ve had in a while. You earned it.”

She looks at the money, clearly uncertain. I step closer, open her free hand, and place the money inside, gently closing her fingers around it. “Now say, ‘Thank you, I’ll be back next Saturday to help you again.’”

She looks up at me with wide eyes, hesitating. I raise my eyebrows, prompting her. “Thank you. I’ll be back next Saturday,” she replies in a whisper.

“Good girl. See you tomorrow,” I say, and she exits the shop so fast that I can’t help but chuckle as the door swings shut behind her.

CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE

Carolina

Yesterday felt like it stretched on forever. After the full day of work at Darkened Dermis, it was straight to a bustling Saturday night at the bar.

It wasn’t the long day that got to me. I’m pretty used to that.

It was more about the anticipation, I guess. Ever since Clay brought up working for Xander, I had been wound up tighter than a spring.

Then there’s Xander and the way he works. It’s something else. Seeing him pour so much passion and talent into what he does is almost soothing. There’s a certain calm that just sort of radiates from him. Being in that kind of atmosphere was good for my soul. That’s why I said yes to working for him again next Saturday.

So not because ofthe sexy-as-fuck demanding way he told me to. Nah-uh.

And my ‘work’ there, if you can even call it that, is super easy. A few phone calls, a couple of people walking in, a little dusting here and there.

Most of the time, I just sat there and studied or brainstormed about what to get Sophia for her birthday. And well, that brings me back to the present moment.

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