Between Friends

by Sandra Marie

  “I was just having fun with the guy.” He blew out a shaky laugh, hoping she’d buy it.

  “You were being a buttmunch.”

  His smile faded. “You promised you weren’t gonna do this dating app crap till after Valentine’s Day.”

  She jerked away, her eyes widening. The rain clung to her red hair, and slid across her round cheeks. “It’s working isn’t it?” she bit out, throwing her hands into the air. “Gavin isn’t so bad. He’s actually pretty great, especially since he put up with you tonight.”

  “You promised me,” he reiterated. It didn’t matter if Gavin was God’s apparent gift to women. He had so much planned for her this week. He had to prove that he alone was worth sticking around for.

  “Why is that so important to you?” she asked, and he didn’t even have to search for a reason. He knew exactly why it was important to him that she stayed away from the app, even though it was his suggestion in the first place. It wasn’t just Brian, though he was the tipping point. There’d been so many before him, so many times he’d seen the heartbreak in Rae’s gorgeous blue eyes. So many times he gladly picked up the pieces other guys had scattered across the ground. He would give anything not to see that heartache in her again, not to see that pain he saw so crystal clear that night at the beach.

  “I don’t like seeing you hurt, okay?” he blurted, realization burning his eyes. Rae was worth so much more than a casual fling, than a fetish to satiate, than a one-off, toss away date. She deserved what she wanted, and she wanted romance for Valentine’s Day, and he wanted to give that to her. He couldn’t depend on anyone else to do it. He couldn’t risk her not getting what she wanted. “I don’t like it,” he said, softer… as soft as the snow around them. “Never have. Never will. And if he ends up hurting you…”

  “What?”

  “You might leave.”

  Her lips parted, and the ice in her eyes melted. “I might leave anyway, Tommy.”

  “You might leave sooner.”

  She stared at him, and him at her, and they let the rain gather and soak their coats. He saw every click of her jaw, every thought swiveling through her head, every twitch of her fingers. She shut her eyes, breathing deep into the night sky.

  “You’re an idiot.”

  “I know.”

  “And kind of selfish.”

  “Only when it comes to you.”

  Her eyes dropped, meeting his, and something cracked in them. He held his breath, hoping she’d forgive him. They only had two days. Two days.

  “Darn it, okay,” she said with a huff.

  “Okay what?”

  “Okay, I’ll stay away from Gavin till after Valentine’s Day.”

  Relief spread through his body like hot chocolate, and a playful smile wrapped his face. “It’s two days away,” he said, his teasing voice back in full swing. “It’s not like it’s forever.”

  She let out a laugh, then she growled. “Damn it, why do you have to be so…”

  “Charming?” he offered up, leaning his forehead against hers and batting his lashes. “Adorable?”

  “Annoying.”

  “You love me.”

  “I know.” She opened the car door, and Tommy held it for her, a sense of pride and conviction swelling within him. “Now take me home. I have an evil cat to take care of.”

  The broken bell at the tattoo shop clunked against the door, and Rae froze in the doorway, an amused grin taking over her face as she watched Tommy slam the lid to his laptop shut. His neck was beet red, and he furiously swiped at his tear-streaked cheeks.

  “Good morning, sunshine.” She tucked her keys into her snug jean pocket and flipped on the lights. Tommy blinked against the buzz of electricity running overhead and tried to slide his laptop from view.

  “Well, I hope that isn’t porn you’re crying at,” she teased, hanging up her coat. The wide neck on her t-shirt slipped off her shoulder, exposing the bright pink sports bra she’d chosen to wear this morning.

  “It was really moving.” Tommy put a hand to his heart and closed his eyes. “All those pizzas left undelivered.”

  Rae snorted and sidled up next to him. Her gaze flicked to his laptop briefly, but she kept her curiosity at bay. “Did we get all of our appointments rescheduled for tomorrow night?” Even though she would’ve liked the extra money, she was more excited about whatever Tommy had planned for them. He even promised he’d reschedule everyone, and that gesture just swooned her right over the moon. Damn him.

  “All set.” He sniffed and pushed up on the counter. “Guess who got all your weekend appointments rescheduled?” He directed an obnoxious two thumbs at himself. “No need to thank me. Just remember how awesome I am when you’re down in Vegas… betraying me.”

  She shoved his arrogant butt right off the counter. She didn’t need the reminder of how awesome he was; she knew it, and she loved it, and she hated that she couldn’t do anything about it.

  After a few minutes, Rae’s first client came in and Tommy went outside to make a few phone calls—arranging things for the crapstorm of romance, apparently. The day flew by with how busy they were, and Tommy let Rae take off early, offering to close up himself and also set up things for Valentine’s Day. She wasn’t about to argue.

  Rae spent the rest of the night at home, arguing with a very lazy cat to get out of her spot on the couch. For such a big guy, George was spry. Every time she moved him, he’d jump right back in there, risking death by human rear. In the end, Rae sat on the opposite side of the couch, the side with Tommy’s butt imprint, and squirmed around while flipping through Hulu.

  Her phone sat in her room so she wouldn’t be tempted to open up any dating apps and mindlessly scroll through messages. There was a message from Gavin, which she managed to see half a sentence of before the notification disappeared. All she caught was Last night was fun. Thomas seems…

  Yeah, there could be a lot of things that Tommy seemed. Possessive, grumpy, rude. But even though he was all those things, Rae couldn’t manage to stay mad at him. Frustrated, sure. But not mad. She could be all those things too, but that was more because she loved the big dope. There’d been a few dates of his she’d wanted to bat right upside the head, and thankfully none of them had lasted long. No one really lasted long with Tommy—three months was the max, and that was about a year ago. He was too wild and antsy to stick around with something. Tattooing was the only exception. And Rae.

  Rae finally settled on a show and tossed the remote on the cushion between her and George. The fur with a face growled for a second, then went back to snoring. She shook her head at the thing. A cat. Hadn’t she ever uttered how much she despised the species?

  At least George wasn’t intrusive, with the exception of stealing her spot. The gift was sweet, she guessed. But she wasn’t that lonely. Tommy better not think she was going to turn into some seventy-year-old with a bunch of cat kids. Is that what he thought of her? Because damn it.

  Her apartment suddenly seemed too empty, and she reached for George and stroked his head. Loud, satisfied purrs rumbled the couch, and she slid a little closer to him.

  ***

  The day started bright and early, and Rae got dressed in her normal attire and packed up a pink dress with a sweetheart neckline and a cinched waist that she’d wanted to wear for freaking ever but never had an occasion for it. She rolled up a pair of tights and stuffed them into black heeled boots, then put them all in an extra Torrid bag she had lying around her closet. Tommy had left her a message late last night to remind her to wear that nice dress for that fancy dinner she requested, and she internally squealed that he was actually going to hold up his end of the bargain, even though she’d botched her side of things up until two days ago.

  Rae swung her bag over her shoulder and said a goodbye to George in a now very furry spot on the couch. Tommy’s Tats had back to back clients all day until six.

  Since the weather wasn’t too craptastic—and sadly no snow, since they lived in snowless
Seattle—and Tommy was going to be driving later, Rae walked to work, exiting her less-than-awesome neighborhood and into a friendlier one. The coffee house had all sorts of Valentine’s Day décor up, and a large sign sat on the sidewalk, propping the door open. In pink and red chalk, someone with stellar handwriting advertised the Lovers Day Frappa-whatever, and with a bounce in her step, she turned inside and grabbed a cup. Past Valentine’s Days had been blargh at best, but the idea of Tommy spoiling her brightened her spirits. She could pretend for a night that her feelings weren’t completely one-sided. He wouldn’t think anything of tonight other than one friend doing something nice for another, but she still felt very lucky to have him during the holiday. It was better than another night with her cat, that was for sure… Though, Georgie was growing on her. Stupid little fuzzball.

  With a giant cup of mostly whipped cream and red and pink heart sprinkles in one hand and her bag of sexy clothes in the other, she charged down the sidewalk to the tattoo shop, saying happy hellos to passersby. Today was not going to be like other Valentine’s Days, and she would not let any skepticism she might have about what Tommy had in store for her tonight taint her mood.

  She was the first one there, putting her bag on the sidewalk and sliding the key in the door. The city was busy this morning, the hustle to get to work on time with caffeine crowding the walks. The doorbell clunked against the glass as she pushed in with her hip, and when reached for her bag, she met nothing but air.

  Where the hell are my clothes?

  A rock plummeted in her gut, and she sprang upright, eyes searching through the crowded walk. When she found no one with a black Torrid bag, she swiveled in a circle like someone who’d just dropped their keys. Panic swirled inside of her, stirring up a wave of acid to the back of her throat and hot tears to the backs of her eyeballs.

  Did that really just happen? She didn’t even notice someone passing by close enough to grab her giant bag. Her face distorted, and she begged her body not to scream or cry or crumple in a heap. The boots alone had been a full week’s work of tattooing. The dress was a present she’d gotten herself for Christmas when she’d been too afraid to admit she wanted a date night dress as a gift. She’d worn it once. At home. Alone in her room.

  She swiped at her eye, getting rid of a rogue tear, and frantically searched up and down the street again. If they thought they could steal from her and get away with it, they had another thing coming. Rae’d punched out a bear of a man just last week.

  No one with a bag around anywhere. No one across the street or in the alleyway just around the corner or at the light waiting for the crosswalk. A frown she feared was permanent pulled at her lips, and she slumped back to the shop, completely sexy dressless.

  She slapped the lights on and muttered under her breath about stupid people and imagining whoever had taken the dress walking in front of a bus. She took out her sketch pad and sat at the tattoo display desk, settling her chin into her hand while she mindlessly drew the dress she’d never get to wear.

  A good twenty minutes passed before Tommy walked in, his signature grin wrapped on his face and a couple of coffees in his hand—both matching the one Rae had sitting on the table next to her sketch.

  “Happy V-Day, Date,” he said, showboating as he presented her with another coffee. “I see we had the same idea about the Lovers Frappe, but only I was nice enough to get us both one.”

  She took it and set it next to the one she’d barely touched. “Thanks.”

  “Ruh Roh,” he said in the world’s worst Scooby Doo impression. “Someone’s not happy on Valentine’s Day? What a surprise.”

  Her gaze moved from the sketch to him, a glare set on her face. His brows lifted, and he leaned across the table, his knuckles bumping against the back of her hand.

  “Why so glum, chum?” he asked in a weird tone of concern and amusement. It was Tommy’s specialty—make them laugh while also consoling them. Just another reason why Rae couldn’t resist loving the guy. “You should be stoked,” he continued. “I’ve got a great night planned.”

  “I was stoked,” she said, finishing off the neckline of the sketch. “Then some a-hole decided to take my dress.”

  Tommy jolted back. “What?”

  Rae waved her hand at the door. “I put my bag down for a second to get in, and when I went to pick it up, poof. Gone.”

  His smile drifted off into oblivion, and a hard set clicked his jaw. “You see who it was?”

  “If I had, I’d have my bag.”

  The smallest of laughs broke from him. “Of course you would.”

  “It’s not funny.”

  “No, it’s not.” He bumped his knuckles against her again. “But it’ll be okay. I’ll get you a new one.”

  “It wasn’t cheap.”

  “So.”

  “And the boots were even more expensive.”

  “Shoes are more expensive than a dress?”

  She tilted her head at him, and her spirits lifted slightly. “Welcome to the world of girl shopping.”

  He took a sip from his frappe, leaving a dollop of whipped cream on his upper lip. Rae wiped it off for him, and he spun the sketch pad around.

  “This it?”

  She nodded. It wasn’t an exact replica. She hadn’t had time to color it, and the color was the best part of it. Tommy reached for his pocket and flipped his phone around. Rae watched as he spun through his contacts, landing on the F’s.

  “You don’t have to call her,” she said as he tapped on Frankie’s name. “This is hardly a crisis. And it’s Valentine’s Day.”

  He pressed his finger to her lips and the phone to his ear, and amusement easily turned her frown upside down. It was unfair that he possessed the superpower to change her mood with the flip of a switch.

  “Hey, Franks, hope I’m not waking you.”

  Rae heard the mumblings from her friend on the other line, and she’d bet a thousand bucks on her just rousing from sleep. With the pregnancy, she’d been sleeping most days and puking most nights, and with how much she worked and spent time with Alex in between, Rae’s time with Frankie had gone way down. Just another reason she felt so on her own.

  “Happy V-Day to you guys,” Tommy said with the smile of the gods. “Could I ask for a favor from you on this blessed day of love?”

  Rae shook her head, a whisper snort rumbling her nose. Frankie seemed to be giving him a lecture on the other end about how he woke her up and now he was taking her away from her bed. Tommy laughed periodically, totally unfazed.

  “You remember how Rae is pretty much the best friend anyone could ask for?” he said. “She’s always got your back, even during important holidays. Like Christmas…”

  She heard a distinct cuss word through the line, and Tommy put the phone between them and set it on speaker.

  “She’s right here you know,” he said. “You wouldn’t leave her hanging, right?”

  “Just so you know,” Rae cut in, “I did not put him up to this.”

  “Of course you didn’t,” Frankie said through a yawn. “You never ask for help.”

  “I don’t need help.”

  “Yes, she does,” Tommy said, taking the phone and putting it to his ear. He explained what happened to her dress in a much more entertaining and less sad way that had Rae giggling behind his back. “I know you took the day off to spend time with Alex, but you think you have some time to find her a replacement?”

  “Tommy, she doesn’t have to—”

  “You shush.” He pressed a finger to her lips, and before she let the gesture cause a round of butterflies to explode in her stomach, Rae sighed, taking her drink and sipping away. She’d push the issue if she really didn’t want Tommy to interfere, but she kinda liked that he was. He’d already helped pick up the day, even with that jerkbutt taking her prized date dress.

  And Frankie had good taste and knew her size. She could transfer some money over at the end of the night. Valentine’s Day was always a big day at the shop.
>
  It would all work out. No boots, but she could rock her kicks with a dress.

  Frankie clucked her tongue on the other line. “It’s our romantic day, too, Tommy.”

  Rae deflated, and she mouthed the words, “It’s okay,” to Tommy, but he shook his head and took Frankie off speaker.

  “I know.” His serious voice was on, and he turned his back to Rae. He was wearing his Fraggle Rock concert tee with all the fake locations printed across the back. “And I’m really sorry to have to ask. I’d go out myself, but Rae and I are stuck at the shop. Please? I’ll owe you guys. I’ll throw your baby shower, or bridal shower. I’ll give you free ink once that baby’s out. I’ll deliver the little peanut! I’ll pay for your dinner tonight, send you a dozen roses, buy you a nice new toilet seat for all that morning sickness you’ve been having—”

  Rae could hear Frankie’s laughter on the other end of the phone, then unintelligible words. Tommy fist pumped the air. “Yep, come by the shop and I’ll pay you back,” Tommy said and kinked his head. “You’re a life saver, and I mean it… I’ll get you that toilet seat.”

  He thanked Frankie and hung up, then spread his arms wide. “Any other problems that need fixing before this day starts?”

  “You being a show off?”

  He let out a laugh, shook his head, his wild hair tossing back and forth. He plunked down in the seat next to her and pulled out his own pad full of designs for his clients that day. “Sorry, buddy, but that simply can’t be fixed.” Then he twirled his pencil between his fingers, but fumbled and it clattered to the floor. They shared a grin, and he said, “I meant to do that.”

  Rae stretched in her seat, a crack snapping through her spine. “Aaaah,” she said, a slow, tired smile wrapping her face. Only one more client for the day for each Tommy and her, and they should be here any minute. Her hand was starting to cramp; a good shake would fix that… hopefully.

  “You good?” Tommy asked from his spot on the other side of the tattoo room. He snapped his glove off and sling-shot it into the trash.