“Well, you can have a look through our books if you like.” She pointed out a stack of ring binders. I flicked the first one open and saw that it was filled with print-outs of various tatts.
“Have you done any horses?” I remembered the engraving from Emmanuel’s tombstone. I didn’t know what the significance of the horses was, but I knew they were important.
“Any particular style?”
“Style?” Fuck, I was so far out of my depth it wasn’t even funny.
“Well, you can go for realism or tribal.” She showed me a sample of each.
“Tribal, I think.” There was something beautiful and strong in the twisted black patterns of one of the designs she showed me. “Do you have any that are rearing?”
She pulled out another folder and flipped it open. I had to give it to her, this girl knew her job and was fucking good at it.
“Something like this?” She showed me a picture of a tribal horse reared up on its hind legs. It reminded me of the design on the tombstone.
“Yes, that’s perfect. How soon can you fit me in?”
She chuckled. “You’re eager.”
“I just have to do this before I can pussy out.”
After tapping on her computer for a moment, she said, “The earliest I can fit you in is a month from Friday.”
I shook my head. “That’s not going to work. It has to be soon. Today.”
“We’re booked out this afternoon.”
“I’ll pay you double if you reschedule them.” I gave her a winning smile.
“I’m sorry, I can’t just—”
“Call them and tell them that I’ll pay for their tattoo if they take the appointment in a month’s time.”
“I’m not—”
“Please?” I cut her off and turned on the charm. “I really need to do this today.”
She nodded. “I’ll call them, but I can’t guarantee anything.”
Grinning that I’d at least won her around, I stepped back from the desk to let her do her thing. “Just see what you can do.”
She turned and headed into a small office to one side of the reception desk. A little less than ten minutes later, she came back with a smile on her lips. “Looks like you’re getting inked today.”
“Fuck yeah. How long will it take?”
“Where would you like it?”
“Between my shoulder blades.” Even as I’d looked through the designs, I’d settled on the position. I wanted it to be close to my heart but also somewhere I could hide it easily.
“And do you want that exact design?”
I shook my head. After seeing the design, I could picture the exact tattoo I wanted. “I want that and then a mirror of it alongside. I want each of the horses to have an initial on them and a date between them.”
“Facing inward or turned away from each other?”
“Inward.”
“What initials and what date?”
“A C and a P and the date is the eleventh of June.”
She took the design out of the folder and went to the photocopier. Within five minutes, she had a drawing of the two horses side by side, facing each other. Then she quickly stencilled in the initials and the date. “Like that?”
I smiled. She had somehow managed to capture exactly what I was looking for on her first attempt. “That’s perfect.”
“Okay. Give me a few minutes to set up my station.” She smiled.
Holy shit. The fact that she was actually the tattoo artist was kind of hot. Something told me she’d be wild in the sack. Only a few weeks earlier, I would have definitely tried for a post-tatt happy ending.
Now, I was a one-woman man. Or at least, I was trying to be.
A little while later, the tattooist came back out and led me into the back. She showed me her equipment, running me through her safety and hygiene practices. As happy as I was that it was all above board, I just wanted her to get going already before I pussied out.
“C’mon then, get your shirt off.” Her lips curled into a flirtatious smile.
Meeting her eye, I peeled off my top with a smirk on my lips. Maybe I was a one-woman man, but that didn’t mean I didn’t appreciate being admired.
“Holy shit, what did you do to yourself?” she asked, as her eyes raked over my ribs, taking in the dark blemishes that covered my left side and the yellowish ones on my right.
“Uh, well, it’s a long story.”
“Well, it’s a good thing we’ve got a bit of time.” She pointed in the direction of the chair. “Let’s get you comfortable and then you can spill.”
My heart started to race when she pulled her chair in close and turned on the machine.
IT WAS a little after four when I finally left the tattoo parlour with an aching back and a list of aftercare instructions. Although the tattooist had been a willing ear, I hadn’t told her everything. I’d told her enough to satisfy her curiosity without leaving her with enough gossip to sell as a story to Gossip Weekly or some other similar magazine.
As I’d talked to her about Alyssa, by hinting at a girl I was interested in, I’d come to the decision that I wasn’t going to show Alyssa the tatt until it had healed. At least that way, she’d see it in the proper glory rather than as the weeping mess it could be for the next few days, according to the tattoo artist.
It wouldn’t be that hard to hide it from Alyssa anyway. After all, it wasn’t like she had any reason to look at my naked back. She’d made it pretty clear nothing was going to happen in that department for a while yet.
When I arrived home, the house was empty. Although I wondered where Mum was, I figured Dad was probably at work, considering he’d left late that morning just so that he could have his little discussion with me before going.
I scribbled a quick note on the whiteboard in the kitchen to let Mum know that I’d been home and not to worry about me. She already knew I had a date with Alyssa, so I figured I didn’t need to stress too much about letting her know why I wasn’t there.
Changing into something a little more formal, I couldn’t help but laugh when I thought about the date I’d organised during a small break from the tattoo chair. It would show her that I could do romantic and kid friendly.
At twenty to five, I left the house. My nerves sprang to the surface as I considered the fact that it was technically our first date. By the time I pulled up to Alyssa’s house, my palms were sweaty and my mouth was dry. I hadn’t been on a proper date in forever. Not since the formal. My usual nights out were a lot less formal and with more guarantees to score by the end.
Standing on her doorstep, I took a few deep breaths to calm myself. When I knocked, the door opened almost immediately to reveal two lovely ladies both wearing fine attire and beautiful smiles. Alyssa was in a soft pink dress that crossed over in front of her bust, enhancing her cleavage. It fell to just above the knee, but the material was so flowy it looked significantly shorter.
“Hello, you two,” I said.
Alyssa smiled.
“Declan!” called Phoebe, waving enthusiastically.
“Are you ready to go?” I asked Alyssa.
“Yeah. I’ll just go get my car keys.”
“Uh-uh, I’m driving you tonight.”
“Declan, I’m not going to put a car seat in a coupe in this dress.”
Even though I was in the tiny Barina, I mentally pictured Alyssa leaning over into the backseat of the Monaro. The image had me gulping for air. When I saw that Alyssa and Phoebe were both staring at me, I pushed the picture from out of my mind. “It’s all sorted, Lys. I told you I’m all over it tonight.”
She raised her eyebrow and smirked at me. “If you say so.”
“Trust me, I say so.” Then I remembered one small problem. “Although I don’t know how to fasten the child seat I got.”
Alyssa laughed. “Yep, sounds like everything is under control.”
I almost felt like she was waiting for something to go wrong, but she locked up the house and followed me to the drive without any
further questioning.
“Uh, Dec, what’s with—”
“It’s nothing. My car just needed a tune-up.” The words fell from my lips before I’d had the chance to consider whether lying to her was really the best option.
“Okay.” When she spotted the brand-new car seat in the back, she paused for a moment but recovered quickly and helped Phoebe into it.
As Alyssa leaned forward to fasten Phoebe in she gave me the exact view I’d just been picturing, even if it was in the wrong car. The long lengths of her thighs were creamy and white and I wanted to run my fingers along them. Instead, I took a deep breath and climbed behind the wheel.
After Alyssa was in the car, she turned to me. “So where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
I started the car and reversed out of Alyssa’s driveway. The drive to our date took about ten minutes. Alyssa burst out laughing as I pulled into the car park. “We’re a bit overdressed, aren’t we?”
I smiled and shook my head. “We’re dressed just right in my opinion.”
Alyssa helped Phoebe back out of the car and then the three of us headed toward our date with the future.
CHAPTER SIX: GOLDEN ARCHES
AS WE CROSSED the carpark, Alyssa held one of Phoebe’s hands and, at Phoebe’s demand, I held the other. I couldn’t believe how small and warm Phoebe’s hands were as her fingers curled around mine.
“So do you want to line up?” Alyssa asked. “Or shall I?”
I shook my head. “It’s five-star all the way tonight.”
She laughed. “Five-star? At McDonald’s?”
“Well, as five-star as Macca’s can be. Come on, this way.”
I led her through to the kids’ party room. This had all been arranged with the manager when I called from the tattoo parlour. I pushed open the door and smiled when I saw everything was done to perfection. The long table was covered with a crisp white tablecloth and was adorned by a vase containing a dozen red roses. We’d barely sat when the waiter brought out our meals. I wasn’t sure what Alyssa ate now, but I knew McChickens had always been her favourite so I’d ordered one of those for her and a chicken nugget Happy Meal for Phoebe.
“Kid friendly and romantic,” I said triumphantly, indicating the room with my hands.
“Very good,” Alyssa said with a growing smile. “You seem to have considered everything.” She chuckled as if thinking there was something blatant that I’d missed.
“I don’t want chicken nuggets,” Phoebe complained.
Alyssa giggled again.
“What would you like then?” I asked.
“Pizza.”
“They don’t have pizza here, sweetie,” Alyssa explained. “Declan was kind enough to bring us to dinner. I’m sure you can have chicken nuggets just this once.”
Phoebe shook her head and started to whine a little. I felt my perfect night slipping away faster than my V8 could get off the line.
“Is there anything else you want?” I asked. “A burger maybe?”
She nodded. “Yep. Burger.”
I called our waiter back again and asked for a cheeseburger for Phoebe. After it was placed in front of her she pushed it away. “Don’t want that.”
With a sigh, I looked to Alyssa for help. I wasn’t sure what to do and I wanted to defer to her.
I was relieved when Alyssa touched her hand and spoke softly. “Just eat what you like, sweetheart. You can have something else later if you want.”
“I want a milkshake.”
I smiled. “That I can do.” I pushed the chocolate thickshake I’d ordered toward her.
She took a deep sip and then beamed at me. Our perfect night started to get back on track.
Eventually Phoebe ate what was in front of her without too much complaint. Alyssa and I didn’t talk much while we ate. Instead, Alyssa sat back and watched as Phoebe regaled me with stories about her day and her week. For at least half the time, I had no idea what she was saying but after asking “what” fifteen times, I’d decided just to smile and nod as she spoke.
Every time I looked over at Alyssa she was staring at us with an unknown expression on her face. It was not quite a look of longing, not quite a look of love, but because of the pain buried in her eyes, it was almost heartbreaking to witness.
“Are you all right with her for one minute?” Alyssa asked.
I nodded. “We’ll be fine, won’t we, Pheebs?” I winked at her. She giggled and nodded in reply.
Alyssa walked off and pulled out her mobile phone.
“I want more.” Phoebe held up her empty cup. I ordered another thickshake for Phoebe and cleared off the rest of the table. Alyssa came back a few minutes later.
“Sorry, Mum asked me to check in with her when we got to the restaurant. I didn’t want her to worry.”
“She doesn’t trust me, does she?”
Alyssa smiled at me. “No, not really.”
“I don’t know what it will take to convince everyone that I am here for good, but I’ll do it. Eventually, I’ll prove to everyone that I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
The look from before, the almost painful look of longing and desire, crossed her features again.
“I know.” Somehow she made the two words sound more like, “I wish I could believe that.”
It left me certain that I had a lot to prove to her too.
“Is everyone finished?” I asked. I was unable to shake the sorrow from my voice. Even though a few weeks ago I would never have considered the possibility that a date at McDonalds with a three-year-old in tow would be a good time, I’d actually really enjoyed myself.
Both Alyssa and Phoebe nodded.
“Did you want to go onto the playground?” I asked Phoebe, to delay the inevitable moment when we’d have to go home.
She nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, please.”
Alyssa took Phoebe out to the playground while I went inside and paid for the meal, for the staff member, and for the room. I’d never paid so much for McDonalds before; in fact I probably could have fed a family of four for a week for what it cost, but it was worth it. At least the night hadn’t been a total disaster, so I was happy.
Before I joined Phoebe and Alyssa, I grabbed sundaes for all of us and another Coke for Alyssa and me to share. I smiled tentatively at her as I sat beside her on the parents’ seat inside the playground. She grabbed her sundae from me and I watched appreciatively as her tongue curled around the spoon to clear it of ice cream and chocolate sauce.
Phoebe climbed through the holes and around the ladders all the way to the top of the playground. There was something almost joyous in her simple act of play. An emotion built within me that I couldn’t explain, a warmth that spread through my chest and lifted the corners of my lips.
Alyssa’s hand was extended out onto the seat between us and before I realised what I was doing, I’d wrapped mine around it. She glanced down at our entwined fingers briefly but didn’t pull away.
“I saw Ben today,” I said, mainly to fill the silence between us.
She nodded, a sad look crossing her face. “How is he?”
I heard the unspoken questions, the desperate urge she had to get acquainted with her old friend, Jade.
“He and Jade are still together.” I wasn’t sure how much Alyssa knew, only that—from what Ben had said—she’d pulled herself away from them. “They have a couple of kids now.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I know.” Her thumb began to brush a trail along the back of my hand. I closed my eyes briefly, relishing her touch and the simple pleasure she gave me.
“He really wants to catch up with us both.”
She nodded vaguely and watched Phoebe intently. “I want to, too. I just don’t know if I can.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you know why I stopped talking to them? Why I prefer to spend my time with Flynn?”
Horrified by the overwhelming sadness in her voice, I shook my head.
“When yo
u left, well, everything reminded me of you. Like I said before, it wasn’t just a break-up . . . I lost my best friend. For a while, I tried to see everyone and pretend everything was normal, but it was different. We were no longer the awesome foursome. There was Ben and Jade the couple, and Alyssa the rejected one. I couldn’t face it. I felt like a third wheel all the time. And then I found out I was pregnant and I just . . .” She closed her eyes and blew out a breath.
When she reopened them, her eyes had a hardness to them—as if she’d closed off the part of herself that felt the pain. I wondered how I’d never noticed the difference before. “And then Flynn came along one day and he was new. There were no ties to you. I could finally just be Alyssa, and not the one you left behind. It was refreshing.”
I let go of Alyssa’s hand and put my arm around her shoulders. I wasn’t sure how she would react but she nuzzled into me as I squeezed her gently. I was beginning to see how much of a struggle it had been for her.
When I left, I’d forged a new identity for myself. I was completely free of all memory of her, of us, and any time I found something that was a reminder, I ignored it or pushed it away. But Alyssa had been faced with our past every single day. Her entire support network was saturated with memories.
“Did you and Flynn ever . . .” I couldn’t even finish the question.
She laughed. “No. I tried once or twice but he’s firmly in the other camp.”
“Was there ever anyone else?”
“Not really. Just Cain.”
I nodded. “What happened?” I didn’t really want to know, but I needed to know her and that included learning about her past after us.
“I don’t know. I guess I sort of thought I could have something with Cain, so I chased him. I learned pretty quickly that I really only wanted him because of his resemblance to Flynn though. He was like Flynn-lite. Then not long after we broke up, I found out he was in love with his boss’s daughter, Kirsty. The way they are now, it was like they were made for each other. There’s no hard feelings there at all.”
“Why did you chase him so much?” It didn’t really sound like the Alyssa I’d known.
She stared straight ahead and I could almost see thoughts formulating, so when she spoke, I knew each word was chosen with care. “When you’re at the track and something happens, and you know you can’t get first place, no matter how hard you work, do you try hard for second?”
Deceive (Declan Reede: The Untold Story #2) Page 6