By the time I finish the story, it’snotthe short version, and there isn’t a dry eye in this kitchen, including mine.
“You’re not alone anymore,” Natasha says as she passes me the box of tissues. “You’ve got a whole army behind you.”
“And three new friends,” Scarlett adds.
“And I have cake,” Lulu says, making me laugh. “And that helps too.”
“I could use some cake. Jesus, I’d better heal up fast because I need to get back in the gym if I’m going to be eating like this all the time.”
“I want to learn to kickbox,” Scarlett declares.
“Me too,” Natasha agrees.
“And I want tattoos,” Lulu adds.
“Not until after you’ve had the baby,” I say to her. “I bet there’s a gym in this building we can use, right?”
“Oh, for sure. Carson and Mateo already teach us some hand-to-hand,” Scarlett says. “Julian has tried to teach us hacking stuff, but he’s almost too smart.”
“Don’t tell him that,” Natasha says. “My husband is already insufferable.”
I’m sleepy, but I’m also content as I sit here and listen to these funny, smart women and sample Lulu’s delicious food. It’sbeen since before I lost Rosie that I had a day like this. I don’t make friends. I have coworkers, but I don’t havepeople.
And now, thanks to a certain King of Vegas, I have a bunch of them.
If Rosie were here with us, it would be perfect.
“Let’s get back to the tattooing,” Scarlett says. “What’s the craziest thing someone has gotten? I mean, besides names and stuff.”
“I have some policies,” I reply, thinking it over. “I don’t do names. That’s a weird slippery slope to me, and there are plenty of other people who will, so they don’t need me for it. Hmm, the craziest thing? A guy once wanted me to tattoo a basketball jersey on his torso. To make it look like he was wearing it.”
“Was it his own jersey?” Lulu asks.
“No. It was Kobe Bryant’s jersey. It was the weirdest, but it ended up costing him about ten grand, and he was a grown-ass man, so who am I to judge?”
“I’ll judge,” Scarlett says, and her eyes bounce over my sleeve of flowers. “Do you just have the sleeve?”
“The flowers wrap over my shoulder and down my spine.”
“I want to see,” Lulu says.
“I’m so bruised up right now, I don’t know if you can tell what’s ink and what’s blood. Let me heal a bit, and then I’ll strip down and show them off.”
“They’re so beautiful,” Natasha says, leaning over for a closer look at my arm. “They look almost real.”
“My parents had a thing for flowers, obviously. Hence, Violet and Rose for daughters. We always had really pretty gardens when I was growing up. They’re a happy memory.”
“That’s sweet.” Lulu passes me another slice of pizza. “Are most of your clients cool?”
“Most of the time,” I say before taking a bite. “This sauce isso good.”
“Homemade,” Lulu says with a wink.
“Yum.” I take another bite. “So, I have a question for you guys. First of all, I knownothingabout the Mafia or organized crime or whatever.”
“Lulu and I were both born into it,” Natasha says. “And Scar and Luke have been together for a while. We can help you.”
“Mateo says he’s going to have guards with me when he can’t be with me.”