More Than Lies (21 page)

I don’t respond. Instead I walk away knowing that if my parents want to give me an ultimatum regarding my life then so be it. I’m a big girl and I’m determined. I will make it.

What she says will not affect me.

The problem is, do I believe that lie?

Tara arrived two hours ago. She told me the day before she’d probably be late because she was having brunch or breakfast or some shit like that with her mother. She wasn’t though. In fact she arrived a few minutes after I did. I was setting up my station for my first client of the day when she walked in.

I don’t think her encounter with the evil queen went so well. Tara wears her feelings across her face so it’s easy to tell when she is upset. She normally masks it when it comes to her parents. That shit’s gotta bother her. The way they treat her, it would bother anyone except maybe me. I don’t let petty stuff get to me so easy.

I spray my chair with cleaner and then wipe it down with a paper towel. Last I discard my latex gloves, tossing them into the trashcan.

Samantha, the girl I just finished tattooing, is a classmate of Tara’s. Apparently, she and Tara were talking last week about the girl getting her first one. She had planned to let a local artist in her hometown in north Mississippi do it. I’ve heard of the place. Kenny apprenticed there years back.

When Tara told us, there was no way I could let the girl go through with it. I don’t know her well. In fact her coming in today was our first meeting in person. I spoke to her a few days ago and she described what she wanted. I played around with some designs and then sent a photograph via text of two of them.

She responded immediately that she loved both, but picked the shield with a bright blue shining light behind it. Her dad was a cop. He lost his life in the line of duty a year ago. She wanted to honor him with a brand on the top of her arm and right below her shoulder for all to see. The way she spoke of the man, you could tell she was proud of her dad.

I’m proud of my own parents in the same way. It’s the reason I had a stethoscope inked on the backside of my left bicep with my mother’s name written in script and my father’s name written in block letters. 

I normally can’t schedule a new appointment for at least seven weeks out, but I ended up having a cancellation today so things worked out perfect. Tara seems to really like Samantha. I would have stayed late one night this week to do it had someone not canceled. The girl was too impatient. She would have gone through with letting the other less experienced artist do it.

I hope I did her father justice. Memorial tattoos are always hard to do. You never really know if you hit the nail on the head. She teared up when she saw it so I sent her to the back office to find Tara. After today I guess it’ll be my office, or Tara’s however you want to look at it. That is if she accepts my offer and I hope she does.

Samantha has been back there for about ten minutes now. I need to talk to Tara before I meet with everyone else. That meeting is taking place in thirty minutes so if I’m going to ask her to come work for me I better get to moving.

I walk in the direction to the back of the building. The office is toward the back off to the left side and down a small hall. Adam’s office, the break room, bathroom and supply room are the only rooms that aren’t in the open space of the building that the front and studio are.

When I open the door, Tara is sitting on the edge of the wooden desk and Samantha is relaxed in one of the two chairs in front of Tara.

“She sounds like a total bitch.” Samantha shakes her head. “How do you deal—” They both turn to look at me as I walk in. Tara jumps off the desk.

“Sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” I question Tara as I push the door closed. I notice the loose hinge on the upper portion of the door. It’s funny the things you start seeing when you own them.

Adam opened this place close to ten years ago. There is a lot that is in need of improvements and upgrades. A new name is my starting point, but I plan on cleaning and polishing a lot around here.

Tara doesn’t answer my question. Instead she makes a fuss of Samantha’s new ink.

“My God, Shawn. It’s beautiful.” She walks closer to where her friend is seated, looking down and admiring the fresh tattoo. Until a few weeks ago, I never knew Tara even liked tattoos. Now that I do, I can’t stop getting ideas. I don’t think I’d place one on the outer part of her arm, but I know what I want to ink on her next. I just have to figure out a way not to give myself away when I approach her with it.

“She is right you know. You did an amazing job. I’m glad I let her talk me into getting it done by you, Shawn. Thank you. I don’t know if you know how much it means to me, but thank you. I love it.” Samantha smiles up at me.

I nod in her direction. I like praise, what person doesn’t? But I’m not one to gloat. Once you tell me your happy then it’s over and done. Time to move on.

“Good deal.” I rotate my face to look at Tara. “You got a minute?”

“Yeah, sure.” Tara looks away from me, but before she can say anything to Samantha, the girl speaks up.

“I need to get going. I have an hour and half drive home. See you in a few weeks?” Tara laughs and leans forward to hug her friend. Samantha is a few inches shorter than Tara is.

“Yeah, see you in the new year.” Both women release each other. “Have a safe drive and text me later.”

“Will do.” She turns to walk past me and as she does, she says, “I can’t wait to show it off. You nailed it, Shawn.” She closes the door behind her. I move to take the seat she vacated.

Tara leans back on the edge of the desk.

“So how was mommy dearest this morning?”

“A fucking bitch as always.” My mouth drops. Tara rolls her eyes. “Oh, close it. I can say the f word you know.” True, but she doesn’t drop it very often.

“The f word and the b word in the same sentence.” I tease. “Damn, she must have come on strong.”

“You have no idea.”

“So tell me.” I wasn’t intending on asking about her mother, but since seeing her when she arrived a few hours ago, it’s bothering me and I’m curious, so I probe.

Tara looks to the ceiling briefly before sighing dramatically.

“She gave me an ultimatum.” The fuck for? Her head falls forward and she looks me in the eyes. “Stop writing. Marry a douche bag. Pop out a kid or two and be the perfect doting little wife that she is or lose my family privileges.” She smiles sarcastically as my jaw locks. Tara married to some lame shit fuck doesn’t sit well with me. In fact, it pisses me off.

“Someone needs to cunt punch that bitch.” I’m dead serious too. Tara snickers, waving my comment off.

“I don’t want to talk about her any more. Tell me about today. How do you think the team is going to take the news?” We don’t have so much as a team currently, but I hope to make that a welcomed change. No business or organization can thrive without a solid team. I will demand loyalty and those that won’t give it to me can leave.

“Kenny knows.” I tell her and she looks surprised. I’m sure she is. I hadn’t intended on anyone here knowing except Adam and Tara. I wanted to know where his head was and where others stood. Kenny’s a people person and I know everyone talks to him. He’s a lot like Adam really. “He and I talked about it last week. He thinks a couple of the guys will be supportive and others will buck it. I think the same. We’ll know here in a few minutes.”

“What do you mean? I thought you were telling everyone late this afternoon?”

“Adam wanted it over and done with and he managed to sync everyone’s schedule up for a meeting. It worked out this way, but I have something I want to discuss with you beforehand.”

“You want to hire an official payroll clerk don’t you?” She looks a little disappointed; at least I think she does. It could be me reading into this.

“I do.”

“I figured. I didn’t think this would be a long term thing anyways.” She laughs. Her mother now appears to be the last thing on her mind. “It’s lasted a heck of a lot longer than I ever thought.”

“Women.” I state. “Y’all assume too damn much.”

“What? But you just said—”

“I want you.” I mean that in more ways than one, but I can’t tell her that. I’ve thought about this since I bought the place. Graduation is only six months away. If she takes my offer, I can ensure she stays in Oxford and possibly in my house, or my soon to be house when I buy it from my grandparents. I’m going all in here. I’m not ready for Tara to exit my life, yet. She won’t ever, I know, she is too ingrained into my family, but I’m not ready for her to move back home or anywhere else for that matter.

“Shawn, I’m not even qualified for that job.”

“You’ve been doing a fine job of it so far.” I know she wants to be a writer. Hell, she is and I don’t want to take that from her. I’m nothing like her parents. I’d never crush her dreams. Well, except for one, me, and she just needs to trust that I know what’s best for her because it isn’t me.

“I don’t know. I think you would be better to find someone that can do it long-term. I don’t know what’s going to happen after graduation and—” I cut her off.

“Then what’s stopping you? You just said you don’t know what’s going to happen six months from now. It’s not going to stop you from writing. You can do this job, which pays, finish school and write too.” Shit, I have to convince her and I will one way or another. I need, Tara. Fuck, I don’t know what I’m doing here. Sure I want to own my own business and turn this studio into a success, but I don’t have a clue what I’m doing. I’m bullshitting my way through. “I’m buying the house from my grandparents. You can stay, there is plenty of room.”

“Come on, Shawn. I’m only there now because you felt obligated.” She throws her hands up.

“What the fuck is that supposed mean?”

“You know exactly what it means.”

“I’m not obligated to anyone and if I didn’t want you there, you wouldn’t be.” Maybe that’s a stretch. I owe her big time. Even without her brother on my ass, I knew that four years ago. “I need you, Tara. I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing.”

“You don’t need anyone. Isn’t that what you’ve always said?” She looks away from me but not before I catch a glimpse of the pain reflecting in her dark eyes.

I recline into the back of the chair, hitting the back of my head against the wall in frustration.

“That’s a low blow dontcha you think.” I pull my head forward to look back at her. She shrugs. “Look, I’m telling you now that I need you. Please, Tara. Help me make this place the success I know it can be.” I’ve never beg and pleaded to anyone in my life, but that’s exactly the way I feel in this moment.

She is silent for close to a minute.

Tara continues to stare at me. I know she is thinking, but I’m not sure what. I’m hoping it’s in my favor.

“How about for now we say I’ll continue on until graduation. By then I’m sure I’ll have a plan for my future.”

“Are you not sure you want to stay in Oxford?”

“Shawn,” she pins me with a hard stare. “It’s not about what I want. I’ve never gotten what I want a day in my life and it doesn’t—” She doesn’t finish her statement, but it doesn’t take a genius to know where it was headed. We both look away from each other as the sound of the office door opens.

“You ready to do this thing or not?” Adam pokes his head in. Tara pops off the desk and leaves, squeezing around him and out the door.

“Might as well.”

I stand as he turns to walk away. I follow until I’m out in the open where everyone is seated either on their work stool or on the tattooing table they utilize. It’s not an overly large space. There are four stations on each side of the room, with one being walled off in the back corner for piercing. Two of the stations toward the front have been vacant all three of the years that I’ve worked here. Yet another reason this place needs new blood running it.

Adam starts the meeting off, as he should.

“I appreciate some of you coming in earlier than your usual schedule. I don’t think this’ll take long, but I needed all of you here.” He takes a seat, hopping onto his own table and then looks back around the room. I’m standing against my table with Tara seated in my chair. “I was approached a while back. Someone wanted to purchase the business.” He gestures around indicating the studio even though it isn’t necessary. They’re all smart enough to know what he means.

“So what’s that mean to us?” Hunter’s stupid ass pipes up.

“I’m getting to that, man” Adam’s annoyed with him as usual, yet has never done anything about Hunter’s attitude or work ethic. I already know he and Tyler won’t make it. Tyler is the piercer and became one after he couldn’t hack it trying to become a tattoo artist. The boy does shit work no matter what he tries. Hunter is just a shitty person and I can’t stand him. He has a piss poor attitude and I won’t have that type of person working for me. “It means, I’ve sold and as of today we all have a new boss.”

“So, not even a heads up before now.” Hunter again. “That’s shitty, man.”

“I had my reasons. All of which did not concern you or anyone else in here for that matter. Piss off, if you don’t like it.” The day he stops being the boss is the day he decides to grow a pair of balls.