2
STELLA
THE SHOP WAS QUIET THIS early in the day, without the buzz of tattoo guns or
the idle conversation of my coworkers.
Too quiet.
It left room for thoughts to bubble up. Thoughts like, would my utilities increase again this month? Why was the word “Ohio” now an insult? And would that mole on my thigh eventually turn into skin cancer and kill me?
I plugged my phone into the sound system and put on my favorite playlist to drown out my inner monologue. Soft, eerie music floated from the overhead speakers. The notes were filled with longing, regret, and fading memories of happier times. One of the other artists I worked with, Elayne, said it sounded like the funeral dirge of a Victorian spinster. She’d looked confused when I’d thanked her.
The song matched the shop’s décor: dark, Gothic. Framed antique ephemera hung on the walls. Vintage taxidermy rubbed elbows with reproduction Roman busts and leafy houseplants on bookshelves. In the common areas, thick rugs softened the cement floors, with cushy leather armchairs and sofas crowded atop them. It was maximalist, a feast for the eyes. New customers regularly told me they didn’t know where to look first.
Returning customers loved discovering new curiosities while they waited for their appointment. It had turned into a sort of game, with me switching out pieces to see who would be the first to notice a new addition.
I carried my morning coffee and my tablet over to the seating area and curled up in my usual corner spot. Sometimes, I still couldn’t believe this place was mine. That I’d created my dream tattoo parlor out of what had once been a lifeless concrete cube. It had taken a lot of hard work, countless hours of planning and drafting and arguing with contractors when they tried to nickel-and-dime me. There were moments when I’d felt like it would
never get done, that I would fail at this like I had failed at everything else— too flighty to stick it out, too weak to follow through. But somehow, I’d persevered through that hellish, stressful year, and the reward of sitting here, staring at what I’d accomplished, made it all worth it.
I took a sip of coffee before setting it aside to pick up my tablet. The shop wouldn’t open for several hours, and I usually spent this time creating.
All my tattoos were hand-drawn and unique. I was a neo-traditionalist, melding vintage and modern styles. My specialty was pronounced line work and vibrant colors with a dash of whimsical illustration, art nouveau meets Studio Ghibli. The style wasn’t for everyone, but those who loved it, loved it.
I’d been working at my craft for years. I was good at what I did, and it showed in my busy schedule. Today, I had three tattoos and two consultations scheduled, and while that might not sound like a lot to a layperson, it was. One of the tattoos was small and wouldn’t take much time, but the other two were much more complex. I was looking at eight hours of tattooing, and I could already feel my back twinging with anticipatory stiffness. I’d need several painkillers and a heating pad tonight —but again, worth it.
A rattle at the front door had me lifting my head.
This part of the city was up-and-coming. Meaning, there were as many nice parts as there were bad ones, and the threat of break-ins was real. The curtains were shut, so I couldn’t see who was out there, but I wasn’t worried. Instead of glass, the windows were made of a clear, shatterproof polycarbonate. Every inch of the shop (both inside and out) was covered with cameras, and I’d installed Grade 1 commercial locks on all the doors.
It was really hard to break in here.
Trusting my security measures, I went back to drawing.
The door swung open.
Fuck!
I leapt up, grabbing a nearby urn to use as a makeshift club, when my mother walked inside. She was sixty-five but looked much younger, thanks to a mix of genetics and the money to afford the best skin care and cosmetic treatments on the market. Tall and trim, she was dressed in a hunter green, mid-length embroidered dress that probably cost as much as a used sedan.
Her jet-black hair hung loose down her back. She wore red-soled stilettos.
In one hand, she carried a custom Hermès handbag and the keys I now regretted giving her. In the other, she held … a lamp?
“What are you doing, Mom?”
She yelped and spun toward me, clutching her chest. “What am I doing?
What are you doing, standing there in the dark like a pervert?”
My mother was originally from England but had lived in the States for long enough that her accent had morphed into a strange blend of posh British and snooty American—some vowels elongated, others clipped.
Because of it, “pervert” ended up sounding more like pearvert, and despite my annoyance, I almost grinned. My younger brother, Blake, and I were going to have so much fun calling each other pearverts when I told him about this.
“I thought someone was trying to break in,” I said.
“And you were going to do what? Scare them to death?” Mom’s expression morphed into concern. “Darling, are you not moisturizing? You look positively ghoulish in this light.”
The threat of grinning vanished. I hefted the urn. “My plans are leaning more toward blunt-force trauma. What are you doing here?”
She indicated the lamp. “I saw this at an antique store downtown and thought of the perfect place for it.”
“You couldn’t have waited until we were open to drop by unannounced?”
That earned me an exaggerated eye roll. “Oh, please, Stella. Unlike you, the rest of us don’t have time to lounge about in dirty sweatpants all morning. I have a breakfast meeting and then a full day of work followed by a charity dinner for impoverished children. And if I didn’t pop by like this, I’d never see you.”
She turned and strode toward the front desk like she owned the place. I took a moment to glance down at myself. Ugh, I must have dribbled coffee on my sweats at some point. And no, I hadn’t moisturized yet. Leave it to Mom to point out all my morning failures within two minutes of clapping eyes on me.
I sighed and followed her. My mother had grown up in a cruel and unforgiving household where praise was anathema and warmth nonexistent.
Despite all her years in therapy, she was still deeply uncomfortable with displays of affection and donned snobbery like armor. Especially when she
was feeling vulnerable or neglected—which clearly she was, judging by that last comment. Instead of saying it outright, she came at it sideways, picking at me because she couldn’t bring herself to admit how much she cared and that she worried over me constantly, just like any other parent.
Instead, the signs that she loved me were more subtle, seen in the way she sneakily tried to pay my rent and randomly dropped into the shop with some excuse for needing to be here. Today, it was the lamp; two weeks ago, it was because she was “in the area.”
So yeah, Mom was a complete snob with tons of childhood baggage she was still working through, and we had a complex relationship. But I loved her, and she was the first person I would turn to if I ever ended up in real trouble. Again.
She set the lamp on the front desk, her back to me as she fiddled with its placement.
I used her momentary distraction against her, wrapping my arms around her narrow waist and giving her a quick hug. “I missed you, too.”
She started to stiffen, and I pulled away before she got too uncomfortable.
“Yes, well, no need to get overly emotional about it,” she said, but I knew she was mollified. She placed the lamp next to the computer monitor and stepped back. “Don’t let anyone put their grubby hands all over this.
It’s Tiffany.”
I nearly choked. “Are you trying to get me robbed?”
She waved a hand, bejeweled rings flashing in the dim light. “I doubt any of the hooligans you work with could tell it’s real. Oh, speaking of which … ” She pulled a business card from her bag. “Give this to Elayne.
It’s for a tenant rights attorney your father and I met the other night. I told him about her terrible landlord. He thinks there’s something to it and agreed to take her on pro bono.”
I accepted the card. It was thick, tactile, and understated. My eyes widened as I read the firm name—it was one of the most prestigious in the city.
I shook my head. Mom might be eccentric, aloof, and pretentious as hell, but beneath that lay a heart of gold. That charity she’d mentioned? I had no doubt she sat on its board, had organized tonight’s dinner herself, wrangled all her wealthy friends into attending, and would essentially hold everyone
hostage until they reached whatever outrageous fundraising goal she’d set for the night. And then she would doggedly follow the money after it was donated, ensuring it reached those most in need first.
Mom reached out like she might be about to pull me into another hug, and I stilled, not wanting to spook her. She hesitated, met my eyes, and shot me a close-lipped smile as she patted me on the shoulder instead. “You’re still coming by for Tippi’s birthday?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Tippi was our family dog, an ancient bichon frise who was half-blind, fully deaf, and an even bigger snob than the woman before me.
Mom looked me over one more time, wincing. “You’re not … wearing
that the rest of the day, are you?”
I pointed toward the door. “Out.”
She opened her mouth, but I raised the urn and gave it a threatening shake.
Wisely, she made her way toward the front, but she took her damn time, making sure I knew that this was her choice. At the door, she paused, her face pinched. “I saw Maddie this weekend, at her aunt’s annual summer
soiree.”
I went stiff, the name like a slap.
Mom’s expression darkened. “She asked after you.”
“Why?” I asked, unease creeping up my spine.
Mom shrugged. “Audacity?”
“Is she finally ready to take responsibility for what she did?”
Mom’s answering laugh was humorless, all the answer I needed.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” I said. “Until she finally tells the truth, she and I have nothing to say to each other.”
“I told you because if she’s bold enough to say something to me, she might be bold enough to seek you out herself. And I’m not saying you should forgive her—”
“There’s no forgiving what she did,” I spat.
“But murdering her would probably give you wrinkles, and if you’re not even following a proper skin care routine, then you’re more susceptible to them than—”
“Okay, it was nice seeing you. Goodbye!” I said, practically shoving her out of the shop.
She paused, turning back with an expression close to regret on her face, like maybe she was about to come back inside and try to have a real conversation for once. I was just about to reopen the door when she seemed to think better of it, giving me a terse nod of goodbye before striding toward the waiting Mercedes at the curb.
Many hours later, I was saying goodbye to my last tattoo appointment of the day. She was a blond woman in her early twenties who thought she was the coolest person in the city. Which, I mean, she probably was. She had over two million followers across her social media accounts and about as many YouTube subscribers, earning a respectable living as a cozy gamer.
Her right forearm was now covered by a large, stylized crow perched on a flower-wreathed skull. We’d been working on it for months because she had a low pain tolerance, first laying down the line art, then adding in the shading, and finally, tonight, the last of the color. The bright jewel tones popped even through the Saniderm bandage covering the tattoo.
My gaze lifted to hers. “Ashley, I swear to God, if you don’t follow the care instructions I gave you …”
She rolled her heavily lined eyes, looking harassed. “Yes, Mom.”
I stiffened. I wasn’t that much older than her. “That is some of my best
work. Don’t fuck it up.”
“Or what, you’ll ground me?”
I shook my head. “I’ll get on your next livestream and tell all your followers that you use cheat codes.”
“Client privilege!” she said, whipping her head around to see if any-one overheard.
“That only exists for lawyers and therapists.”
Her face turned red in betrayal. “I trusted you.”
I grinned. “That was your first mistake.”
She flipped me off and stomped out the front door.
“Pleasure working with you!” I called after her.
A draft of balmy night air kissed my skin as the door slowly swung shut behind her. Today had been another scorcher, the sun unrelenting, the humidity high enough to frizz even my bone-straight hair. Summer was my
least favorite time of year. The moisture-laden atmosphere turned everything sticky and smelly. All the concrete made it worse, absorbing the heat throughout the day and storing it up like a battery, expelling it at night, so it never cooled down. I couldn’t wait for autumn to arrive. I had juuust enough basic bitch in me that September would find me standing in line for my first pumpkin spice latte of the season like everyone else.
The door closed, cutting off the heat of the night, and I returned to the front desk to exit out of Ashley’s transaction. It was 9 p.m., and the tattoo parlor was buzzing. Literally, because of all the needles, but that sound was nearly drowned out by voices raised in conversation.
The shop was mid-sized with a simple layout. The reception area and front desk flanked the door. A hallway led deeper inside, with six individual tattoo rooms branching off of it. None of them had doors, and the cement floors made the acoustics echoey, so voices carried. The music tonight was upbeat and punchy because Elayne had tuned us in to an alt-pop station.
I grinned, feeling content, borderline happy. After nearly losing everything, I had made something. Something that belonged to me and me alone. With no help from anyone else, despite how much my parents tried to intervene in my life. I wasn’t ungrateful they wanted to help. The problem was that they’d already done so much for me (too much, really) that I was determined to do this one thing by myself.
Was I terrified of fucking it up? Absolutely. Money was still tight because the business was new, and my inheritance was needed elsewhere, so I scrimped and saved where I could, making sure every dollar earned went to good use. I was a one-woman handyman, cleaning crew, IT specialist, and, on one disgustingly memorable occasion, plumber.
And it was starting to pay off. We had regular, returning clientele. Good online reviews. A growing social media presence thanks to my carefully curated pictures and videos. I still lost sleep some nights, worried that it would all go up in flames, but my fear wasn’t constant anymore, and on weeks like this, when we were in danger of being overbooked, it made me think that I might actually pull this off. That I might actually succeed at something for once in my life. And that was all I really wanted. Not just to prove that I could do it, but because this was what I loved.
My gaze strayed to the Tiffany lamp next to the register. Mom was right.
It looked perfect there. Okay, fine, so maybe letting them help just a little
wouldn’t kill me, but I drew the line at paying my rent.
A heavy footfall pulled me from my thoughts, and I turned to see Derrick, one of my tattoo artists, strolling out of the hallway. He was a rough-looking, silver-haired man in his mid-fifties. Tall, beefy, white, with a mutton chop beard and more tattoos than anyone else I knew. In his past life, he’d belonged to an outlaw motorcycle club down in Texas, but he’d had a falling out with its megalomaniac leader and hightailed it out of there before he wound up dead. I wasn’t even sure Derrick was his real name, but I didn’t give a shit because his specialty was realism, and he was fucking good.
My gaze shifted to the client following him, a towering young Black man whose face was turned toward his forearm, admiring his new ink. As he got closer, I saw why. It looked like something had clawed him, three long gashes peeling back to reveal a glimpse of a panther beyond. It was almost spooky how good it was, like his skin had been ripped open.
In moments like this, I wondered how the hell I’d landed Derrick. He was a world-class artist, regularly drew in famous clients, and could have worked anywhere, but for whatever reason, he’d shown up one day and applied. Hell, he was the half the reason I didn’t have weekly panic attacks anymore—that’s how much money he brought in. It made me wonder if one of my parents had gotten to him somehow. This wouldn’t be the first time they’d done something sneaky like that, helped me from the shadows even though I’d told them I needed to do this on my own. Whenever I hinted at it to Derrick, he expertly changed the subject or played dumb, and my
suspicions only grew.
“That looks amazing,” I said.
Derrick let out an ambiguous huff, but his client sent me a blinding
smile.
“Thanks,” he said.
I tried to pretend I wasn’t starstruck. “Will it have time to heal before training camp?”
He nodded. “Yeah, we don’t start until late September.”
“Good luck with the season,” I said.
His grin widened. “Thank you.”
I headed toward my booth before I did something stupid, like hit on an NBA All-Star.
