Abiding Ink (Inked in the Steel City #4)

by Ranae Rose

  The puzzles were her latest thing. Since she’d stopped working a year ago for health reasons, she’d had a string of low-key hobbies.

  “How about I take them in to work with me tomorrow and set them out in the break room? I’ll tell everyone you sent them as a holiday treat.”

  “Sure, sure.”

  Relieved, Mallory opened up a cabinet and shoved the donuts inside, hiding them in the very back, behind a box of chicken stock. She wouldn’t forget to take them with her in the morning, and if even one was missing…

  “Mom, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about your diet, anyway. If you’re going to be successful with limiting your sugar, we have to keep junk food out of the house. You can’t avoid it if—”

  “Mallory, sweetheart, I know you care about my health, but believe me, I’m doing fine. I didn’t want to disappoint those children, so I bought a box of donuts. That doesn’t mean I’m going to start eating pixie sticks and dumping sugar cubes in my coffee.”

  Mallory barely repressed a sigh. This wasn’t the first time her mother had tried to play off her concern, which was every bit as professional as it was daughterly. In fact, this was how their health conversations always went. Her mother would wave her hand and pretend to be caught up in Sudoku or whatever was on TV – anything other than what they really needed to talk about. She wanted to pretend that she didn’t have type 2 diabetes, and Mallory, on the other hand…

  Well, she just wanted her mother to be healthy. Happy. And that started with managing her diabetes. “I’m serious, mom. It’s okay to say no to people who don’t understand why you can’t have sugary junk food. Your health is more important than their feelings.”

  Horror scenarios raced through her mind as she watched her mother pretend to be absorbed in her puzzle. Kidney failure, strokes, heart disease and worse… She’d seen it all in diabetic patients at work. No way was she going to let any of those things happen to her mom if she could help it.

  “I’m fine, Mallory. Take the donuts to work tomorrow. Don’t worry about me.”

  Fat chance. Frowning, Mallory shed her coat. As she hung it by the hook on the wall, her phone rang from somewhere in the depths of her purse. She fished it out just in time to glimpse the caller ID.

  She let it go to voicemail. She couldn’t talk to her father right now – not after the conversation she’d just had with her mother. After all, if there was anyone to blame for her mother’s health and related apathy, it was him. The thought soured Mallory’s stomach, and she counted slowly backwards from ten.

  She loved both of her parents – deep down, she really did. But just like she couldn’t trust her mother with sugar, she couldn’t trust her dad with, well … anything.

  “Who called?” her mother asked, clearly eager for an excuse to change the topic.

  “Unknown number,” Mallory lied. “Probably just a telemarketer.”

  Her mother pursed her lips. “They’re not supposed to call cellphones.”

  “I know. Listen, I’m gonna relax a little. Then you and I can try out that new salmon Florentine recipe we found last week, all right?”

  “Sure.”

  Mallory retreated to her room, her feet aching inside her sneakers as she contemplated the imminent prospect of whipping up a delicious, nutritious and completely sugar-free meal her mother would actually enjoy. Mallory was no natural-born chef, but over the past few years – since her mother’s doctor had put her on insulin – she really had been making a serious effort to master healthy cooking. It was something she could do … even if it wasn’t enough.

  Sighing, Mallory flipped open her laptop and hit the power button. A little escapism before dinner wouldn’t hurt. As soon as she had the web browser open, she typed in the search term she’d been itching to query for the past several hours: Hot Ink tattoo Pittsburgh.

  The studio’s website came up right away and she double-clicked, her heart skipping a beat.

  * * * * *

  “Ooh, donuts from Ms. Health Nut. What’d we do to deserve these?” Wanda, a nurse with flaming red hair and an infamous sweet tooth, swooped down on the box Mallory had just set on the break room table.

  “My mom bought these from some kids doing a school fundraiser. She’s diabetic, so we can’t have them in the house. She thought you all might enjoy them.”

  “Aha.” Wanda reached in and fished one out. “You’re dumping them on us. Still, thanks.”

  “I’ll tell my mom you said thanks.”

  Wanda gestured toward the coffee maker. “I know these greasy, gooey donuts are totally beneath you, but are you at least going to join me for a cup of coffee?”

  It wasn’t that junk food was beneath Mallory; it was just that with all the healthy shopping and cooking she did for her mom, it was easier to live that way herself, too. Lead by example and all that. Plus, she didn’t want to be diagnosed with diabetes herself ten or fifteen years down the line.

  “What do you say?” Wanda prodded.

  Mallory glanced at the clock. Ten minutes until her shift started. Plenty of time for half a cup. After pouring one, she sank down into a chair across from Wanda.

  “So what are you planning to wear to Dr. Anthony’s party?” Wanda asked, licking a dot of glaze from her lip.

  “I have no idea,” Mallory replied truthfully. “Why?”

  “Oh, I was thinking about getting a few of the girls from our shift together for a little after-work shopping trip sometime this week. If anyone has time, that is. Plus…” She leaned forward and flashed Mallory a wink. “Rumor has it that Dr. Anthony is very glad that you’ll be attending the party alone.”

  Suspicion rippled over Mallory, just like her breath rippled over the surface of her coffee. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean Julie said he made a comment about it yesterday. You told him you weren’t bringing a date, right?”

  “Only because he asked.”

  “Well…” Wanda shrugged. “Apparently he asked because he’s interested. According to Julie, he said he was looking forward to getting to know you better. You know, because you’ve only been working under him for six months.” She flashed another wink.

  Ugh. Mallory downed a sip of too-hot coffee, then another. Six months as Dr. Anthony’s subordinate was more than long enough to know exactly why the nurses called him Dr. Heartbreaker behind his back. His love ‘em and leave ‘em attitude was legendary, and while some of the nurses might have been eager to take a chance on him despite his reputation, she wasn’t one of them.

  “So, wanna come along on my little shopping trip?”

  “Let me know if you’re able to get anything together,” Mallory eventually conceded. “I guess I could use a new outfit for the party.” Like a chunky cable knit, floor-length sweater dress with a turtleneck, maybe. Or, if she couldn’t find one of those, a nun’s habit would work. Anything to escape Dr. Anthony’s roving eye. Even if she didn’t find his perma-grin appealing, she didn’t mind working with him. She liked her current position, and she wasn’t going to risk it by falling victim to her boss’s carnal appetites.

  “Maybe I’ll bring a date,” she mumbled as she downed the last swig of her coffee and pushed her chair back from the table.

  “Huh?” Wanda looked up from her own empty coffee cup.

  “Nothing,” Mallory said. Where would she find a date in time for the party? It was only a week away. Unlike Dr. Anthony, she didn’t have a string of eager would-be lovers lined up at her metaphorical door. In fact, his rumored fascination with her – if she could even call it that – was the closest thing to a romantic overture she’d experienced in months.

  Guys whistling at her on the street didn’t count. She had her career, her family … sure, sometimes she longed for something more, but that something definitely wasn’t Dr. Anthony. Truth was, he wasn’t her type. At all. But as a doctor, he wasn’t used to hearing that. Mallory was left at a total loss when it came to devising a tactful way to let him know that she just wasn’t inter
ested…

  Until she was nearly run over by a meal cart for the second time in twenty-four hours, anyway.

  “Damn it.” The new volunteer Ms. Sherwin was crazy over swore under his breath, probably thinking she couldn’t hear.

  She didn’t say anything, just stepped out of the way, narrowly avoiding banging her hip on the corner of the cart.

  “Sorry,” he said, this time looking directly at her as he spoke.

  “It’s okay,” she said, the wheels in her head turning so quickly that she feared he might hear them. “Better me than one of the patients. They might not be able to move out of the way so quickly.”

  He grimaced, and she wished she could take back what she’d said. After all, he was a volunteer, taking time out of his day to help out just because he wanted to. No matter what he’d said about his sister, he could’ve just dropped her off and picked her up later. He was carting around meals and putting up with Ms. Sherwin’s sneaky gropings out of the kindness of his own heart.

  And Mallory had to admit that it was easy to see why Ms. Sherwin looked forward to encountering him. Tall, blue-eyed and built solid with broad shoulders, he was gorgeous. His medium-brown hair was short, but just long enough to run one’s fingers through. Beneath the edges of his sleeves, tattoos just barely peeked out. He looked more like a sexy stranger Mallory would expect to glimpse on the street or in a bar than the typical hospital volunteer.

  “I was only teasing,” she said, her mind whirling with thoughts of the web surfing she’d done the evening before. Tyler DeHaven. How weird would he think she was if he knew that she knew his full name even though he’d never told her?

  He met her eyes, and a jolt of something hot and electric slipped down her spine. Dr. Anthony’s mega-grin couldn’t have inspired a spark like that in a million years. Hyper-aware of that fact, she fought to summon the courage to put her brand new plan into action. As she conjured up what willpower she could, her gaze was drawn irresistibly away from his face – baby blues, full pouting lips and all – to where his hands rested on the cart’s handle.

  He shifted one hand and more ink peeked out from beneath the edge of his shirt sleeve, hinting at the tattoo sleeves she knew covered his well-muscled arms, thanks to the photo she’d seen on his artist page at Hot Ink’s website. He’d been wearing a t-shirt in the picture displayed there, and every inch of his arms had been tattooed, colorful ink spread over nicely-sculpted muscles. The effect was rugged, masculine and oh-so un-doctor-Anthony-like.

  “Listen, I’m sorry if that sounded mean. I wasn’t trying to make fun. I’m Mallory Stephens, by the way.” She extended a hand and instantly second-guessed herself. Was the gesture too business-like, given what she was planning to ask?

  Tyler took her hand before she could think better of it.

  Her heart leapt – there was no other word for it. One moment it was thumping away quietly beneath her ribs, and then it was slamming against them. Tyler’s hand was large, his skin hot and softer than she’d expected. Wow, he had sex appeal. Which made him all the more perfect for what she hoped he’d agree to. Not that she had any reason to assume he’d be game, but…

  Desperate times called for desperate measures. It was worth a shot.

  CHAPTER 2

  “Mallory.” He said her name, and her heart started misbehaving again. “It’s nice to run into you again.” His lips twitched, and she could tell he was trying not to wince. “I mean—”

  “I know what you mean,” she said, unable to resist a very genuine smile. “Actually, I was hoping to see you again.” That was no lie, though she hadn’t planned to admit that to anyone, let alone him. Even if it hadn’t been for her current plan, she certainly wouldn’t have minded getting an eyeful or ten of him throughout her workday.

  “Oh yeah?” His expression was guarded, but a distinct light flashed in his eyes. “Decide you’re up for a little ink after all?”

  “Actually…” She exhaled slowly, then took the quickest deep breath she could manage. “I know this is coming out of left field, but are you … seeing anybody?”

  She lost her breath in a rush, an automatic sigh that relieved only the tiniest bit of the tension that had mounted inside her. She’d done it – she’d popped the question. And now, she felt like she was on pins and needles. If he had a girlfriend, she’d feel like a total bimbo for even hatching her plan.

  He looked at her like a deer caught in headlights, and her heart sank all the way down to her toes.

  “No,” he eventually said, surprising her. “Why?”

  “There’s this holiday party I’m supposed to go to next week – a work thing.”

  “The one that doctor asked you about yesterday?”

  She nodded. “I’m surprised you remember. Anyway, yeah, it’s that one. I’ve never been to one of Dr. Anthony’s parties before, but everyone says they’re amazing. There’ll be food, drinks – should be lots of fun. I was invited to bring a date, and I was wondering if you’d like to, well, be my date.”

  “Yeah.” His eyes were the bright blue of a clear winter sky, but his gaze inspired definite heat. “I’ll be your date.”

  It took everything she had not to exhale and melt into a puddle right there on the floor. “Great. And thanks.”

  “It’s no favor.”

  She swallowed a knot, cringing inwardly. “Thanks” had been a weird thing to say, given the situation – that much was obvious now. “I mean… I’m just a little nervous. I think this is actually the first time I’ve ever asked someone out on a date.”

  His lips curled the tiniest bit, hinting at a smile. “It’s because I almost ran you over with the cart, isn’t it? You like to live dangerously. You couldn’t resist me.”

  She laughed, grateful to have an excuse to expel some tension. “My lunch break is in half an hour. How about I find you then and we can exchange phone numbers? The party is next Friday evening … will that work for you?” Crap, she hadn’t even thought to ask about his schedule until now.

  “I’ll make it work.”

  Relief hit her hard again, along with a wave of excitement. “See you in half an hour.”

  As she slipped into a patient’s room, she realized that she actually did want to go with Wanda on her shopping trip. Sure, she’d asked Tyler to be her date so she wouldn’t be subjected to Dr. Anthony’s advances. This way, she wouldn’t be at the party as a single, and hopefully seeing her with Tyler would make Dr. Anthony realize that playboy doctors with peroxide grins weren’t her type. But that didn’t mean her heart wasn’t racing at the thought of spending an evening with Tyler just because he was incredibly sexy.

  * * * * *

  “Hey, Ty.”

  Tyler pulled the door shut, his gaze flickering toward the TV. He’d expected to come home to a dark apartment; instead, everything was bathed in the big screen’s glow. “What are you doing here?”

  Kassie popped her head up, meerkat-like, from where she lay stretched out on his couch. “I was outvoted on TV choices. My roommates wanted to watch some reality crap, and I wanted to watch The Princess Bride.”

  So she’d let herself in. When he’d given her a key to his apartment, it’d been for use in case of an emergency. Turned out the only emergencies she’d encountered so far were movie reruns and snack deficits. Such visits were a hazard of living in the same apartment complex as his sister. “I know what I’m getting you for Christmas – a TV of your own you can keep in your room.”

  She sprang up like she’d been given an electric shock. “Really?”

  “Don’t get too excited. I’m thinking a little black and white from a pawnshop or something.”

  She stuck her bottom lip out. “I’m still going to come over here to watch stuff on your big screen, then.”

  “Tell me the truth,” he said as he shed his jacket. “Did you eat the pizza I had on a paper plate in the fridge? Because I was saving that.”

  A guilty look flashed in her blue eyes. “No. I figured you wanted it.
I had pasta at my apartment, anyway.”

  “Then why do you look like you know something that’s going to piss me off?”

  “Um.” She glanced around the room, looking particularly interested in the toothpaste commercial that was blaring from the TV. “Mom called a few hours ago.”

  “What for?”

  “Dustin’s coming to visit for Christmas.”

  “For Christmas … or for the entire winter break?” Dustin was a senior in college, which meant he had weeks of downtime coming up, just like Kassie.

  “I don’t know. For a little while, at least. He’s getting here tomorrow.”

  “By here you mean mom and dad’s, right?”

  “Actually, that’s what mom called about. Their place is already going to be pretty crowded. They’ll have Aunt Brianna and Uncle Dave plus Grandpa and—”

  “So what are you saying?”

  “Mom wanted to know if Dustin could stay here. With you. You know, because you’ve got the extra room.”

  “I’ve got a couch.” His apartment was just a one bedroom unit.

  “Well, Dustin’s going to be sleeping on it.” Kassie shot him an apologetic look.

  “Great.” Just what he needed – a visit from baby brother, frat boy extraordinaire. It wasn’t that he hated Dustin. It was just that even in moderate doses, he was incredibly annoying. And a holiday couch-surfing binge was bound to be one hell of a large dose. “Tell mom and dad that my letting him stay here is my Christmas present to them.”

  “Okay.” Kassie stood, stretching. “It’s almost midnight. I’m heading back over to my place.” She darted forward and wrapped her arms around him, doing her best to use her skinny little limbs to break his ribs with a quick hug. “Thanks for the TV! I can’t wait to watch it. In color.”

  “Fat chance,” he said, but she was already gone.

  He locked up behind her and went to the fridge, pulling out the pizza he’d saved. Spending the first half of his day at the hospital and the second half at Hot Ink didn’t exactly leave time for home cooking. But that was okay. More than okay, really. Thinking of his upcoming date with Mallory, it was hard to give much of a damn about anything else – even Dustin’s impending visit.