by Penny Blush
I had noticed something was going on between them, and I'm not entirely sure what if anything had happened, but I had an idea. Memphis and Hedge kept making goo-goo eyes at each other, a sly look here, and a little touch when they thought no one was looking.
They weren’t that inconspicuous!
After she had chewed my ass out for putting the milk on the wrong shelf in the fridge, I managed to get out of her that they had almost kissed, but I had interrupted. I kept pushing until Hedge confessed that she had feelings for Memphis. She didn't know for sure exactly what they were, but Hedge said whatever they were she felt them strongly and wanted to give it a chance.
“Sit,” I demanded, pointing at the couch, knocking her argument off balance.
“What? Why?” she asked confused.
"Cuz, you and I need to talk."
She plopped down onto the couch. "Umm, Dad," she started sarcasm dripping from her voice, "you don't have to give me the talk okay. I know all about the birds and the bees." She dropped her voice adding in a conspiratorial whisper, looking around like she was expecting to get caught talking about something she shouldn't be. "I'm not a virgin."
"Yes, you are!" I said authority booming in my voice. "In fact, you're not even a girl. You have no lady parts you're like a Ken doll, junk-less."
“Junk-less?” she asked rolling her crazy eyes at me, “Jax, what the hell are you on about?”
"Okay, now, I'm only saying this because I love you like a non-lady part having, Ken doll junk-less, brother."
“What?” she asked. Shaking her head, she reached out and grabbed a throw pillow hugging it to her chest.
"Please be careful."
“Jaxon O’Hare, you better start making sense right now,” she warned.
“Alright, geez,” I took a deep breath and rushed out, “please be careful with my friend, okay."
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Memphis!” I yelled slamming my hands on my hips. “I love you. You are my cousin, my sister and my family, but so is he.”
“He’s your sister?” she asked with a tilt of her head.
“Don’t be a smart-ass. You know what I mean. Memphis is my brother and my best friend. I have known him for almost twenty years. If he ends up with anyone, I'd be happy that it’s you and you'd be lucky to have him." I sat down next her getting serious for a moment. “Cuz, if you’re not serious about this, about him, please don’t start anything okay, walk away now. He’s a great guy and doesn’t deserve to be dicked around, okay."
"Okay, Jax," she leant over giving me a kiss on the cheek. "I love that you care about him enough, about me enough that you would have this incredibly awkward conversation with me," she laughed.
"Now, let's never speak of this again."
“You do realise that you just gave me permission to sleep with your best friend, right?”
“I said, let’s never speak of this again, geez,” I rolled my eyes at her.
“Jax, if you have known each other for almost twenty years, how come I have never met him before?” she asked.
"You have, you just don't remember," I explained. "You met a few times the year after you moved in with us; he went to a different school, so we didn't hang out so much. We mainly talked on the phone, email, social media; you know that kinda thing. You had a lot of stuff going on when you moved in with us and then you went to Charlie's so …"
“Oh. Right," Hedge muttered.
"You okay Cuz? I didn't mean to bring up, you know…"
After she had come back from her Uncle's and we survived her re-entry to the world, we decided never to talk about it again. We agreed that it was better to just leave the past in the past.
"Yeah, Jax, I'm fine," she dropped her head down onto my shoulder. "Love you, little-big-brother."
‘Little-big brother’ was what she called me, because she didn't want to call me big brother because of Davan, and I didn't want her too, for the same reason. She already had a big brother, one that was irreplaceable.
“Love, ya too kid,” I said kissing the top of her head.
We sat like that for a while. Not talking, just staring off into nothingness, quietly offering each other comfort while we got lost in our thoughts. After a while I kissed Hedge the top of her head again, saying goodbye before heading out. I asked if she wanted to come out, but she maintained that she was tired and wanted an early night. I didn’t think she was backsliding. She had been working her ass off and was probably just tired, but I'd keep an eye on her.
I found Memphis sitting in a deck chair, by the river out the back of the shop, just staring off into space lost in thought a beer bottle dangling from his fingers.
“What’s up bro?” I asked taking the seat beside him and grabbing a Corona from the cooler between us.
“Hey Jax,” he sounded tired.
“What are you doing out here?”
“Just listening to the river,” he said, taking a long drink of his beer.
“Oh, yeah, is it saying much?” I asked.
There was something in his voice that had me a little worried, like the beginnings of defeat or something weighing heavy on his mind.
“Not really,” he slumped down further resting his head on the back of the chair, “well it’s not saying anything I wanna hear anyway."
The comfortable silence was broken only by the sounds of the river and the song of the night. Memphis clearly had a lot on his mind, and I didn't want to add to his worries, but we had to have this talk, and with Davan gone, I had taken up the big brother duties, duties that I took seriously.
“You got something on your mind Jaxon?” Memphis asked, getting himself another beer.
I decided just to jump in and ask what was on my mind. "What's going on with you and my cousin?"
“What do you mean?” He asked wearily.
“I mean with you and Hedge. I see the way you two look at each other, so what’s going on?”
“Why? Are you planning on warning me off Jaxon?”
"Memphis, this conversation is going to be awkward as fuck, so please just shut up so I can get this out and then we can all move on with our lives." I finished my beer, grabbing another inhaling half before continuing. "You would be lucky to have a girl like Hedge, and she would be fortunate to have a man like you."
“Thanks for that glowing recommendation, Jax,” Memphis chuckled dropping his empty beer bottle in the pile of empties on the grass, the glass clinking together. “Why can I feel a ‘But’ coming on?”
“But, if you're not sure, absolutely one hundred percent sure, then man, I gotta ask you to back off and walk away." Memphis looked like he wanted to argue but I held up my hand asking him to let me continue. "I love her Memph, she's my little sister, and I love her. She's been through so much crap in her short life and made it through to the other side relatively unscathed, and the last thing she needs is any more shit dumped on her. Davan, her brother, isn’t around, so it's up to me to be the overprotective brother."
"I don't know what it is that we have Jax, but I don't want to walk away," he said seriously.
“Then you need to be honest with her Memphis. You need to be careful with her," I looked over at my best friend hoping that he got the gravity of the situation. "I have already dug her out of the depths of hell once before, she was so broken Memph, you have no idea. I don't ever want her to have to go through that again. I don't think I would be able to bring her back again." I ran a hand over my face, scratching at the scruff on my cheek. "Just be careful with her okay."
“You’re a good guy Jax, a great friend, and an even better big brother. I promise I'll look after her, and I'll be gentle with her."
“Good. Because I’d hate to have to kick your ass.”
Memphis laughed. “Are you done?”
“Yeah man I’m done," it was my turn to chuckle.
"Jax, I'm glad she has someone like you who cares enough for her to have this God-awful conversation," he laughed.
"Thanks, Bro. She certainly didn't think so."
“What?” Memphis asked in astonishment. “You had the same talk with her?”
I sat forward resting my elbows on my knees looking at him and said in my most serious voice, “Memphis, you’re my brother. I had to make sure her intentions were pure.”
For a good thirty-odd second's all you could hear were the crickets before we both erupted into peals of laughter.
“And are they pure? Her intentions, I mean,” he asked only half-jokingly.
"You're good, man. Hedge is into this as much as you are. I think she is just a little scared is all."
“That makes two of us.”
Chapter 15 Hedge
After a few more changes and minor adjustments to the plans, construction on the apartment started. Memphis and the Barber Shop Ink crew were awestruck at how once my plans were set, how quickly I’d managed to get everything done. I told them that nothing was impossible with my connections, anally-retentive project management skills and an amazing construction crew.
I made sure that most of the work happened at night, I didn't want anything to disturb the everyday running of the shop. The building that Barber Shop Ink was in backed onto the river and there was another row of shops across the broad street. The closest residential homes were a few blocks away so I didn't have to worry that our nocturnal activities would piss off any of the neighbours. The construction crew powered through the night and were out of there by eleven AM before the shop opened at midday. The guys didn’t mind working at night and appreciated the extra cash that I was paying them to do it.
Once they had demolished the kitchenette and small bathroom, it opened up the apartment, the empty studio style space was massive. I spent a lot of time re-jigging the design and layout until I was satisfied. I had Memphis come to look at the final design, to see if he had any thoughts or concerns about what I wanted to do.
I did have an ulterior motive for asking him for advice. I was hoping to get him alone. But unfortunately for me and my raging hormones, Jax or one of the other crew was always with him, wanting to know what was happening and have a look at the progress.
With my frustration levels at an all-time high, I threw myself into my work, hoping that it would take my mind off the fact that I couldn’t throw myself at Memphis.
Needing to do something physical to help burn away my frustrations I decided to start in the box jungle that was the stockroom. I refused any offer of help wanting to expel all my pent-up energy and if I couldn’t do that with Memphis then lifting heavy boxes was going to have to do. I had upgraded all the computer software and sorted out the mess that was the accounting. Anything that was fiddley and time consuming I took on, needing a distraction from my lust filled thoughts.
The Barber Shop Ink crew are such a great bunch of people, and I was so happy that they accepted me into their family. All you had to do was watch the way they interacted, to know that they had true love and respect for each other.
Cassidy and I fussed over the boys like mother hens, making sure that they were fed and took regular breaks to ensure their back, neck and shoulder muscles did not seize up – one of the hazards of being a tattoo artist.
In return, the boys acted like a pack of overly protective brothers, always magically appearing if they thought that we couldn't handle a situation. If a box looked too cumbersome for our frail female bodies, or a customer was rude, or a guy was looking in our direction, one of the boys would just appear ready to jump in and save us. Little did they know that I could handle myself and then some.
Jax was always the first to jump in when it came to Cassidy, but would just keep an eye on me, knowing full well what I am capable of and only stepping in if necessary.
I had a feeling that my cousin may have caught feelings for Cassidy the cute little pixie, not that he would ever admit to it. Jaxon’s MO with her seemed to be acting like he wasn’t interested while at the same time making sure any guy that was brave enough to approach her knew that she was most definitely - unavailable.
As for Memphis, I didn’t even have to see him before I became acutely aware that he was tracking my every move whenever I was in the shop. I could feel his eyes on me, sending the most delicious shiver of anticipation and frustration through me.
He wasn't alone with his stalking; I was guilty of the same. I knew his schedule by heart. I knew when his appointments were, when he would be in the building and when he was due for a break. My stalking was justified though, as the manager I needed to know the artist's schedule and Memphis being the owner, I needed to find out where he was just in case I needed him for business purposes.
It was strictly business purposes stalking and if I happened to catch a glimpse of his denim clad ass or his flexing biceps, then who was I to look a very charitable gift horse in the mouth?
I was still mainly working at night, and I wasn't on the shop floor that much, but Bear had designated himself my personal shadow when I was. The man is so huge that his body casts an actual shadow. Although a protector was not needed, it did make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside to know that I had people who cared about me.
I came up against the unmovable wall of male over protectiveness a week into construction at my apartment. Memphis, Jax, and Bear had decided to drop in late one night to check out the progress, while I was happy to see them, they were most definitely, not happy with me.
“Hedge?”
Have you ever been in a room so full of people and noise that you can hardly hear the person beside you? Then suddenly someone from across the room says your name, you hear them with such clarity and instantly all other noise falls away. That one voice that called your name becomes the focus of all your attention and the sound of their voice is crystal clear as if they are standing right in front of you. That was the effect that Memphis had.
He said my name as a question, and all the construction noise, the talking and the radio all faded away, and all I could hear was his smoky rumbling voice saying my name.
“Hedge?”
I turned around seeing them standing in my doorway, making me smile.
“Hey boys!” I said, happy for the distraction.
I had been working for hours with Gayle, tiling the bathroom and had stopped to answer a question about the new French doors I was having installed for the balcony. Seeing the boys was the perfect excuse to take a break.
“Oh Lucy, you got some ‘splaining to do’,” Bear growled at me.
“What are you talking about?” I cocked my head in question, “you guys knew that construction was going on at night so that I wouldn’t disrupt the shop during the day. If there's a problem, just let me know, and I'll try to fix it."
Why did that all look simultaneously shocked, pissed and disappointed at me?
“Oh, there’s a problem,” Jax added, waving his hand around at the activity in the apartment. “What the fuck is this?”
"What do you mean? Memphis said I could do whatever I wanted." Confused by what he was implying, I looked at Memphis, who had yet to say anything other than my name.
"We're not talking about what you're doing with the apartment," Bear replied, irritated by the fact that I still had no freaking idea what they were talking about.
“Not that Cuz, the apartment looks great,” Jax had his hands on his hips.
“Well, what the hell is the problem then?”
Jax drew himself up to his full height, using it as an advantage to look down on me. He spoke to me as if I was a naughty child who had been caught red-handed doing something that I shouldn’t have been.
“We are talking about the Magic Mike/Prison Break construction crew you have working here. At night. With you. Alone!” With each statement, Memphis, Bear, and Jax stepped forward and surrounded me.
I had worked with each one of the construction crew before on different projects, the renovation of my old apartment and the fit-out on Donavan's salon. They might look like ex-con strippers who you wouldn't want t
o meet in a dark alley, but in reality, the guys were all big softies and family men. There was no group of individuals that I was safer with, other than the ones currently surrounding me.
“Oh, my God, guys!” I threw my hands up exasperated. “I’m fine, I can handle myself!” I turned to Jaxon, stabbing my finger in Jax’ chest, “and you should know better.”
"What's going on here?" Henry, my crew boss asked, coming over when he heard me arguing with my idiot cousin. "Cupcake, you okay?"
“What the fuck did you just call her?”
Jax turned and shoved Henry in the chest causing him to back up a step. All noise stopped, like a needle jumping off a record.
“Jaxon! Enough!” I yelled grabbing his arm.
Next thing I knew Bear had picked me up, flinging me over his shoulder to ‘protect’ me from the big, bad workers. Hanging upside down in eerie silence, I watched as the construction crew stop working, slowly putting their tools down.
I was hanging across Bear’s shoulder, behind Jax and Memphis and on the other side of the room where the workers getting ready to come to my rescue. If I weren't as mad as hell over the stupidity of the situation, I would have found it funny.
There was a beat of pulsing silence before the room exploded into action with yelling angry voices, threats being made and the shoving of bodies. I had to do something quickly before someone threw a punch. I knew exactly, what the workers could do. Jax had the same training as me, and I was confident that Bear and Memphis could hold their own. The last thing I needed was to be breaking up a brawl between my colleagues and my construction guys, a lot who didn't need a parole violation. Hanging upside down on Bear's shoulder, I brought my fingers to my lips and let out an ear-splitting whistle.