“Sure. Let me show you.” He smiles at me.“I’m Brody, by the way.”
“Nice to meet you, Brody.”
He looks me over. “So, you’re a Holt?”
“Well yeah, it’s my married name.”
“No, sorry, you’re one of the Holts thatowns the Hotel.”
“Oh…” I get what he’s meaning. Dang it.“Yeah, I am. I’m married to Coulter Holt, Preston’s son.”
“Yeah, I thought so. Here’s thebathroom.”
“But,” I turn, holding up a finger. “Idid my research and I’m not here because my family owns it. I’m here becausethe people who own this place are good at what they do. And um Brody, if youwouldn’t mind. It’s a surprise. So if you see any other Holts, maybe don’t tellthem.”
“Your secret is safe with me. What’s yourname again?” He scratches his head like he’s trying to remember.
“Excellent.” I give him a thumbs up. Inthe bathroom, I pull on a pair of new underwear. They’re a little skimpy. Theyare the same color as my dress and are lace with cute little bows on eitherside, and then pull the pink spandex shorts on since I’m going to have to liftmy dress up so he can get to the spot I want tattooed.
“Did you find a design?” I peek overLaura’s shoulder as she flips through a design book. “I think so.” She hands mea piece of paper with a small bird with intricate designs throughout it. “Ilike it.”
“Me too. I’m going to look through thebook for a few more minutes, but I think this is the one.”
“Kate?” I look up to a tall, thin-framedman who doesn’t look to be over twenty.
“Yeah, that’s me.”
“Great, I’m Eddie, Are you ready?”
My heart skips a beat and somehow ends upin my throat, hindering any speech, so I nod.
“Okay, where are we placing this tattoo?”
“Uh—on my hip, just to the side. Is thedesign I chose going to work?”
“Yeah, it will work great. Here, let meshow you. I made a slight change. I hope that’s okay.”
He shows me the changes. “Oh wow, yes,that is perfect.” My heart beats wildly. “I can’t wait until Cole sees this.”Eddie has me sit in a chair that’s kind of like a dentist’s chair, only with afew modifications for tattoo artists. He cleans the area with antiseptic andthen traces the tattoo on my hip.
“Okay.” He smiles, picking up his tattoomachine. “Now comes the fun part.” I only nod, my anxiety getting the better ofme. “It’s going to sting a little, but nothing I think you can’t handle. If youhave any discomfort and need me to stop, let me know.”
“Okay, I’m ready.” I bite my lip, my eyespinching shut, and my fingers dig into the arms of the chairs. I jerk and givea little squeak when I hear the buzz of the machine.
Eddie laughs, “Just turning the machineon.” Now that my eyes are open, I watch him press the machine lightly on myhip; the first touch is a slight shock, but it doesn’t really hurt.
“Are we okay?” He looks up, concerned.
“Yeah,” I sigh. “I think so.” Since mydesign is small and not too intricate, he finishes in about an hour.
“All right, we are done.” He wipes thetattoo down.
I stand up, holding my dress up toexamine it in his full-length mirror. “It’s perfect.”
“Great, why don’t you sit back down and Iwill cover it up so you don’t ruin your dress.”
“What do you think?” Laura asks, cominginto Eddie’s station. She hikes her dress up, exposing her new tattoo. It’s asmall infinity sign with three little black hearts on the lower loop.
“I love it, but it’s not the one youshowed me.”
