Tim’s butter-soft, ivory leather loveseat. “Candy has Dean, now. I’m not needed around the house the way I was. They’re getting hitched January 1. Being roommates with them as a couple would just feel weird.” Her toe nudged something. She looked down, and then stooped to retrieve a well-worn Bible from the floor by the couch.
She handed it to Tim, who set it on the breakfast bar. “Makes sense to move on, I guess.”
“But what about you? Why are you moving?”
Tim flushed deeper. “Just thought it was time to get something a bit bigger, in case, well, I don’t know. I might not be single forever, you know.”
Heber was saying something about the damage deposit, but he interrupted himself. “You guys know each other. You talk—and you let me know if you want the place by tomorrow 5:00 PM.”
“I will. Thank you so much. It’s lovely.”
Heber smiled, nodded once, and left.
There was a second of awkward silence, and then Tim said, “So this is weird…I would’ve invited you over before, but—”
“But you were busy with whoever this “not going to stay single forever” person is?”
Jane had just noticed something else telling about Tim’s tattoos, but as if he sensed her staring—and her questions—he grabbed a soft flannel button up shirt from the back of a kitchen chair and pulled it on.
He met her gaze. “You misunderstood me. There’s no one else.”
No one else . The implication of his words made her want to jump up and down with joy—which was stupid. Totally stupid. She didn’t want him to be saying or thinking any such thing. She just wanted to be friends—to have none of the pressure of going out, none of the hassle of breaking it off when it wasn’t working out. She sighed heavily.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Do you want to grab a coffee?”
“Sure.”
They took the stairs down, Tim in front, her behind. From her vantage point, for the first time, she noticed a tattooed snarl of barbwire poked out just above his collar.
She pressed her fingers against it.
He stopped stock-still.
“You hate your tattoos,” she said. It wasn’t a question, and his head bowed at her words.
Tim kept his back to her, his face averted. “They…It’s just always in my face. The guy I used to be—so filled with rage and hate—or fear that masqueraded as hate. Confusion. I hate being reminded, but mostly, I hate people seeing that mess and thinking that’s still me. You should hear my mother go on about them.”
Behind Tim, where he couldn’t see her, she shook her head. No one who knew Tim could think that.
“You’re beautiful,” she said, and meant it. “Inside and out. Really.”
He didn’t respond to that.
“So you’re covering them up with new tattoos that suit who you are a bit better?”
“Yeah, I wanted to remove some of them, but it’s too costly—inefficient.”
“Roses,” she said.
“What?”
“White roses. The barbwire will convert to a beautiful vine, no problem. And you could add your brother’s name…”
Tim pivoted on the step he was on and looked up at her. “They really don’t put you off?”
Jane shook her head.
“You’re something else, you know that?”
Jane wanted to bend down and kiss him. It would be so easy to do, but that was the whole problem. They were growing close. What if the second it got serious, she wasn’t as keen anymore? Or once she wasn’t a challenge any longer, what if he stopped being interested? She had no doubts about her ability to attract men, but it was another thing to keep someone over the long haul.
Tim was fortunate. His problems were exterior. Ugly tattoos.
No, if she was going to get to keep Tim in her life at all, she had to make sure they kept some distance.
10
Something buzzed near Jane’s head, interrupting her good dream. She was on a beach, maybe in Tahiti? Somewhere gorgeous, anyway, with white sand and an ocean so blue it looked fake… The phone .
She handed it to Tim, who set it on the breakfast bar. “Makes sense to move on, I guess.”
“But what about you? Why are you moving?”
Tim flushed deeper. “Just thought it was time to get something a bit bigger, in case, well, I don’t know. I might not be single forever, you know.”
Heber was saying something about the damage deposit, but he interrupted himself. “You guys know each other. You talk—and you let me know if you want the place by tomorrow 5:00 PM.”
“I will. Thank you so much. It’s lovely.”
Heber smiled, nodded once, and left.
There was a second of awkward silence, and then Tim said, “So this is weird…I would’ve invited you over before, but—”
“But you were busy with whoever this “not going to stay single forever” person is?”
Jane had just noticed something else telling about Tim’s tattoos, but as if he sensed her staring—and her questions—he grabbed a soft flannel button up shirt from the back of a kitchen chair and pulled it on.
He met her gaze. “You misunderstood me. There’s no one else.”
No one else . The implication of his words made her want to jump up and down with joy—which was stupid. Totally stupid. She didn’t want him to be saying or thinking any such thing. She just wanted to be friends—to have none of the pressure of going out, none of the hassle of breaking it off when it wasn’t working out. She sighed heavily.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Do you want to grab a coffee?”
“Sure.”
They took the stairs down, Tim in front, her behind. From her vantage point, for the first time, she noticed a tattooed snarl of barbwire poked out just above his collar.
She pressed her fingers against it.
He stopped stock-still.
“You hate your tattoos,” she said. It wasn’t a question, and his head bowed at her words.
Tim kept his back to her, his face averted. “They…It’s just always in my face. The guy I used to be—so filled with rage and hate—or fear that masqueraded as hate. Confusion. I hate being reminded, but mostly, I hate people seeing that mess and thinking that’s still me. You should hear my mother go on about them.”
Behind Tim, where he couldn’t see her, she shook her head. No one who knew Tim could think that.
“You’re beautiful,” she said, and meant it. “Inside and out. Really.”
He didn’t respond to that.
“So you’re covering them up with new tattoos that suit who you are a bit better?”
“Yeah, I wanted to remove some of them, but it’s too costly—inefficient.”
“Roses,” she said.
“What?”
“White roses. The barbwire will convert to a beautiful vine, no problem. And you could add your brother’s name…”
Tim pivoted on the step he was on and looked up at her. “They really don’t put you off?”
Jane shook her head.
“You’re something else, you know that?”
Jane wanted to bend down and kiss him. It would be so easy to do, but that was the whole problem. They were growing close. What if the second it got serious, she wasn’t as keen anymore? Or once she wasn’t a challenge any longer, what if he stopped being interested? She had no doubts about her ability to attract men, but it was another thing to keep someone over the long haul.
Tim was fortunate. His problems were exterior. Ugly tattoos.
No, if she was going to get to keep Tim in her life at all, she had to make sure they kept some distance.
10
Something buzzed near Jane’s head, interrupting her good dream. She was on a beach, maybe in Tahiti? Somewhere gorgeous, anyway, with white sand and an ocean so blue it looked fake… The phone .
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