by Staci Hart
“Nope. They’re not all here yet. Besides, you may need to talk someone into signing still. So, scoot.”
I didn’t move to stand, just kept eyeing her.
“Joel’s not down there, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“It’s not,” I lied. Plans or no plans, I wasn’t ready to see him just yet. Too much pressure not to buckle like I had last night.
“Seriously, he’s not there. Just go talk to Shep. He doesn’t bite.”
I rolled my eyes and pushed away from the desk. “Fine.”
“Oh,” she said as I walked past, “be sure to ask him to close the store tomorrow for construction, would you?”
“I’m sure he’ll take that well.”
She shrugged. “Like I said — they know what they signed up for. Good luck.”
“We don’t happen to have any beer or whiskey or anything to bribe them with, do we?”
Laney laughed. “You don’t need it. Bye, Annika,” she said pointedly.
I planned out my attack as I descended the stairs, and by the time I pulled open the door, I was prepped and ready. Until I looked up and saw not-Shep behind the counter.
Hairy was smirking, shoulders broad and muscular in a white T-shirt that was tight in all the right places, or wrong, depending on your angle. The sleeves were tight around his biceps, which were covered in ink, the crisp, clean whiteness of the fabric against the dark ink in his skin calling my eyes to it, a harsh line of contrast that demanded attention. He leaned on the counter, palms flat on the surface, the apples of his cheeks tight with his smile.
“Well, well, well. Morning, princess. Didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”
I kept walking, keeping my face still as I approached him, all business on the outside. “Good morning. Laney sent me down for the contracts. Did you have them ready? Or should I come back later?”
“I’ve got them,” he answered, still with that smirk on his face as he reached under the counter and retrieved a folder.
“All of them?”
He held them out for me to take. “All of them.”
“Thank you,” I said tightly and reached for them, but he snatched them back before I had a chance to grab them.
“Ah, ah, ah. How come you came down to get these?”
A flush crept up my neck, feeling foolish that he’d tricked me. “I told you, Laney sent me.”
His eyes sparked, the greens and browns and golds of his irises twinkling with amusement as he leaned on the counter. “What, you didn’t want to see me? I’m hurt.”
I let out a controlled breath. Handle him. “Listen. I think we got off on the wrong foot last night. I’m sorry I called you an asshole—”
“No, you’re not.”
My lips tightened. “All right, I’m not. I don’t like being ogled or spoken to like a good-time girl. That’s not what I am. I’d like to make that perfectly clear.”
“Trust me, princess. It’s perfectly clear.”
I leveled my eyes at him. “But my distaste for you doesn’t affect my ability to do my job. So, I want to call a truce.”
“A truce? I didn’t realize we were at war.”
“Didn’t you? Seems to me like you’ve got your cannon loaded.”
He laughed, a big, happy sound that might have made me smile, if I hadn’t been so pissed off.
“You know what I mean,” I snapped.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I know exactly what you mean,” he quipped back, that smug bastard. “So, what are your terms?”
“Stop trying to pick me up.”
He measured me with his eyes. “Oh, I’m sure I could pick you up. You weigh, what, one-twenty-five?”
I turned on my laser beams and tried to flatten him with them. “Mr. Anderson. Stop hitting on me. You realize this is sexual harassment?”
“Psh, I’m not even your boss.”
“That doesn’t matter, you’re still harassing me.”
He watched me for a second, his smile finally faltering. “You’re serious.”
“Of course I’m serious. Wait, you’re not one of those No means yes guys, are you?”
He made a face. “No. Believe it or not, I don’t typically have a problem picking up women.”
I made a face back that said I thought he was vain, and his face fell. He looked cowed, his full lips turned down at the corners.
“Listen, I’m sorry, An—” he cleared his throat, “—Ms. Belousov. It really was all in good fun.”
Somehow, I felt like a bitch for forcing him to apologize, like I didn’t know he was toying with me. But I reminded myself of my discomfort. I had every right to ask for what I wanted from him, and that was for him to leave me alone.
I thought it was, at least. With him looking all sorry, I almost backed down. But I didn’t because I’m probably one of the most stubborn people on the planet.
“Thank you,” I said after a moment.
He nodded once. “You’re welcome.”
I relaxed a little. “Are you able to close the shop tomorrow for construction?”
He full-on frowned at that. “It’s Saturday. We’ve got a full day booked for almost our entire staff.”
“I understand, but the sooner we get it done, the better. We’ll reimburse you for any money lost, per the contract.”
“I’m not worried about the money, I’m worried about my reputation.” The words were sharp and low, his face tightening as he spoke.
“I understand, Mr. Anderson, but we’ve got to get this construction completed so we can begin filming.”
He scowled at me.
I paused, then offered, “The sooner we start filming, the sooner we’re finished.”
The scowl continued for a beat before he growled out the word, “Fine.”
“I’ll let Laney know.”
“Good,” he snapped.
“Great,” I snapped back and held out my hand. “Contracts, please?”
He set them in my waiting palm, still giving me the hairy eyeball.
I tucked them under my arm and stood there for a second. “I’d better get these upstairs.”
“Hmph,” he answered noncommittally, and I walked out of the shop, feeling his eyes on me until I was out of sight.
I stormed up the stairs and into our apartment, feeling set up and annoyed. God, he got under my skin like a freaking chemical burn, and there was nothing that could help except vodka. Lots of vodka.
Laney looked up when I slapped the folder on her desk.
“You knew he was going to be there, didn’t you?”
She sat back, watching me. “Maybe.”
“Goddammit, Laney. I don’t appreciate being played.”
She shrugged. “You needed to be the one to talk to him, not me, and you’ve got to get used to the idea of working with him. Neither of you are going anywhere.”
I didn’t respond.
“I mean, he’s definitely not going anywhere, so unless you have big plans to walk out on the show, then you’ve got to find a way to play nice. I just provided you an opportunity.”
I pursed my lips, biting down on them to shut me up.
“So, are you still in?”
I eyed her for a heartbeat and said, “Where’s the vodka?”
“That’s the spirit.” She laughed. “In your bottom right drawer. Glad we’re on the same page.”
I sat down and opened the drawer to find a bottle of Grey Goose and a shot glass — the only contents of the drawer. “Yeah,” was the only response I could muster as I poured a shot and kicked it back, effectively burning the taste of Joel away.
UBLYUDOK
Joel
I WOKE ON MY OWN the next morning, stretching slowly in the morning light. It was early, which was nothing new. My alarm hadn’t beaten me to the punch in years.
Annika almost immediately found her way into my thoughts. Not surprising, since she was the last thing I’d been thinking about before I’d fallen asleep. And maybe a good portion of th
e day before.
I tucked my hands behind my head, smiling up at my ceiling. She was an enigma, a puzzle I found myself itching to figure out. I wanted to take her apart, find out what made her tick. I didn’t know why, exactly. Maybe because she seemed so intent on ignoring me. The thrill of the chase, and all that.
But something was different about her — it wasn’t just a simple tail chase. I’d done that plenty, and I recognized the difference easily. I just couldn’t explain it.
I’d only seen her that one time the day before, when she came to get the contracts. The look on her face when she saw me behind the counter was cold, but her eyes were all fire. She called a truce, told me to back off. Maybe she really wasn’t interested. Maybe she really did feel violated in some way.
My smile fell, slipping into a frown.
I liked to think I had a knack for reading signals, and Annika’s signals didn’t tell me the same things her words did. I could feel it, feel her attraction to me just as strong as mine was to her. But she called me out and asked me to stop. So I’d have to stop. There was nothing else to be done.
No more squirmy Annika.
My frown deepened.
Then I remembered that the shop was closed today. I groaned and ran my hand down my face and across my beard. Shep and I spent all yesterday calling clients, many who had waited for months to get Saturday appointments, and reschedule them. I’d lose money, that was for sure — I’d ended offering deep discounts on a lot of those jobs just to keep the customers happy, but no one seemed too upset. Mentioning the show helped raise spirits too.
Fame. Something I’d never be ready for. Dread slipped over me like it always did when I thought about that part of it. Being on TV. Strangers knowing your name. And with that dread came the familiar feeling of regret for agreeing to the whole circus.
I climbed out of bed, heading to the shower to try to wash the doubt away. Shep would say I’m a cynic, but he’s the blind optimist, and somehow us compromising ended up with us in a reality TV show.
I shook my head, disgusted with myself for caving for Hal, the scum of all scum. He wasn’t worth the potential disaster hanging over us, but I couldn’t even handle the challenge — Hal couldn’t win.
I cranked the water to hot and dropped my boxer-briefs before looking in the mirror as I waited for the shower to warm up. My beard was a little too long — I ran my hand over it, angling my head to get a good look. I could have used a haircut too. It was impossible to keep in place when it was any longer than it was. My eyes were a mixture of green, brown, and gold, changing colors with whatever I was wearing, which, at the moment, was absolutely nothing. They were the same eyes my mom had, the same eyes Shep had.
I thought about Mom as I stepped into the shower, hissing when the scalding water hit my back. She’d been gone seventeen years, and I still thought about her every day. I remembered sitting in the hospital for hours watching old movies with her thin hand in mine. Remembered when we shaved her head before chemo, because she wanted to make the choice herself. Remembered when her lips were pale, her breath labored as her lungs expanded and contracted, a countdown to the end.
Then Dad just after her, the phone call in the middle of the night. The accident. And just like that, he was gone too, leaving Shep and me alone.
Everything changed overnight. Money. Family. They were part of the reason I married Liz, if I was being honest, chasing the dream of a family to replace the one I’d lost. I was my brother’s keeper — he became my responsibility more than ever, and I’d always felt responsible for him.
Part of me wondered what I’d do when he married Ramona — I knew for a fact he was planning on it. But he didn’t even live with her, and I silently suspected it was because of me. I never let him think anything different because it had always been him and me. Without him, I’d be well and truly alone.
I pushed the thought away. I could be alone, and I’d be fine, somehow. Lonely, maybe. But I’d survive.
I lathered and washed, scrubbed and rinsed, dried and dressed, and within a few minutes of turning on the coffee pot, Shep shuffled out of his room, yawning.
“Mornin’,” I said.
“Morning,” he answered, scratching at his beard. “Sleep okay?”
I shrugged. “Fine. You?”
He rolled his eyes as he sat down at the small table. “No. I was up all night thinking about the show. It’s really happening,” he said with the shake of his head. “I can’t believe you got them to agree to all the history and art stuff you wanted to do.”
I smirked and folded my arms across my chest. “I had terms, that’s all. They’re fixers, remember?”
He snorted. “Yeah, I think you could use a little fixing. What’s with you and the ice queen? She’s not your usual flavor.”
“No, she isn’t. I don’t know what it is about her. I find her … intriguing.”
He laughed. “Stroke your beard when you say that.”
I exaggerated a frown and raised a brow. “Intriguing,” I said, hoping I sounded British.
“There it is.” Shep shook his head. “I dunno, man. Like, I feel like she’s got a thing for you by the vibes she puts out around you, but she’s …” he paused, thinking.
“Uptight? Snobby? Aggressive?”
“I was gonna say tall.”
I laughed. “Yes, she is tall, and maybe all of the rest of it too. But there’s more to her.”
“And you’re gonna figure out what.”
“Yes, I am.”
He sighed. “I’m sure that’ll end real well. We have to work with her, don’t forget that. So when you bang and bail, you’d better have a plan.”
I gave him a flat look. “Please. I always have a plan.”
He mirrored my face, beard and eyes and all.
I put up my dukes, flashing the words THIS and THAT tattooed on my fingers. “Never underestimate the power of THIS and THAT.” I made waves like the curves of a woman. “They always get their way.”
He rolled his eyes again like a teenage girl. “That joke is so old, man.”
“Psh. That joke never gets old. Besides, it’s the truth.”
“I’m serious, Joel. You can’t just sleep with her.”
I frowned.
“And you can’t date her.”
A shock of aversion burst through me. “Date her? I haven’t dated in …” I did some quick math but didn’t say the number out loud.
“Exactly. Just stay away from her if you don’t have a plan. A real plan.”
“I’ll tell you what. Let’s just see what happens.”
He sighed and shook his head. “And you’re supposed to be the responsible one.”
My brow dropped. “Listen, I’m not gonna fuck up your precious show, okay? I’m not an idiot, and I know what I’m doing.”
“Which is?”
“Which is to leave her alone, per her request. For now,” I tacked onto the end.
“Until when?”
I shrugged. “Until I can melt the wall at Castle Black.”
He gave me a weird look before it dawned on him. “Oh, Game of Thrones. Nerd.”
“Whatever, you love that show.”
“Yeah, but you read all those gigantic books. That last one looked like a goddamn dictionary.”
“Chicks think reading is sexy.”
“Not Ramona. She doesn’t like me to challenge her intelligence.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “So, what are you guys doing today now that the shop is closed?”
“No idea. Nothing, hopefully. I’d like to just sit around all day like a slob. You?”
“Oh, I’m still going down there.”
He frowned. “We’re not supposed to be down there when they’re working.”
“They’re down there, in my shop, with power tools. They can try to stop me, but I’m gonna sit down there behind the register and watch their asses all day, if I have to.”
“And look out for your girlfriend.”
“Hey,” I said with a smirk, “if she shows up, it wouldn’t be the end of the world.”
An hour later, I made my way downstairs to find Tonic’s door wide open, with workers in coveralls everywhere. Plastic sheeting covered all the furniture, and a crew of people were installing extra lights, cameras. It was almost unrecognizable, everything muted by the foggy plastic — the antique chests at each station full of supplies, the Victorian art and gilded mirrors on the walls, the cases of balms and salves and apothecary jars.
A few of the crew glanced over at me as I walked through the door, and a skinny little hipster dude walked over with a clipboard and a tentative smile.
“Uh, hey. Joel, right?”
“That’s right.” I folded my arms, fanning my biceps against my chest, and stood up straighter, looking down at him.
He laughed nervously. “Ah, uh, great to meet you. I’m Mark, the head PA. Did, ah, Laney let you know we needed the space clear of any cast today?”
“She did.” I didn’t move.
“Cool. Cool,” he said, looking around before meeting my eyes again. “So, um, did you need anything?”
“Yeah. I have some stuff to do.”
He waited for me to give him an explanation.
I didn’t.
“Sweet, okay,” he finally said and laughed again. “Well, um, great. Let me know if you need anything.”
“I’ll be sure to.”
He scurried off, and I took a seat behind the register, arms still folded, eyes narrowed.
It was mostly for show — I just really wanted them to worry I’d murder anyone who fucked up my parlor. The good news was, it seemed to work.
I had a sketchbook stashed under the register and broke it out, opening it to a blank page. My thoughts slipped to Annika, and my pencil took on a mind of its own. Her long neck. The small tip of her nose, turned up just at the end, just a touch. She was all eyes and lips and a story I wanted to know. I needed to know.
It wasn’t long before I had her drawn down to the shoulders, stylized. Flowers in her hair, down and messy, something I didn’t know that she would ever do on her own. But I wanted to see her like that. Free.
I wondered if that version of her even existed.
I caught a column of black in my periphery and looked up to find Annika walking in, looking annoyed. My hand slipped under the cover of the book and closed it as she approached. Since I wasn’t supposed to be harassing her and all.