“Colton, I was doing so much coke. I was messed up. I figured I had damaged the baby so bad that—”
“Shut up, Tessa, or so help me God, I’ll hurt you.”
Tessa shut up. Vida heard Colton take a deep breath, trying to regain control.
“So, no, I didn’t want my name inked on you to remind me every fucking day how stupid I was to marry you in the first place. I called you every month while I was in prison, serving your time, to get the divorce. When you didn’t, I handled it, but you wouldn’t even show me the respect to sign your fucking name to the papers.”
Colton nodded his head towards Vida. “She doesn’t think I can be a faithful because I fucked so many women when I got out of prison and was still married to you, when the truth of the matter is, our marriage ended the first time you spread your legs for a dime bag of coke.” Vida saw Tessa swipe away the tears on her face.
“Now, can we get to work before the clients start coming in and someone else hears my private shit?”
Reverend and Carlito came in the door, both coming to a stop when they saw everyone look their way.
“What’s up?” Reverend said into the tension-filled silence of the room.
Colton and Tessa remained silent.
Vida spoke up, trying to get the day back on track. Opening the schedule book, she read off everyone’s first appointment. “Carlito, you’re first up for walk-ins.”
“Cool, they end up being more fun.” Carlito was a good-looking man of Mexican descent who didn’t let anything faze him. Vida had talked to him several times when he was between customers. He would sit at the desk beside her, playing on her computer.
The clients began arriving, so the artists and clients moved off to their respective rooms. Thankfully, after the rocky start, the shop was busy keeping everyone occupied. Tessa remained quiet when she would venture into the lobby to greet her customers, not even looking at Vida who felt uncomfortable after hearing the details of Colton’s and her marriage.
Vida didn’t know how she felt. She was angry that Colton had tattooed his symbol into her butterfly, but at the same time, she felt a sense of belonging that she hadn’t experienced since her mother’s death. She refused to dwell on it until she was able to talk to Colton about it tonight. She had been scheduled to perform at the Strip club for the last time, but Colton had called and cancelled for Vida after Digger had promised to return Sawyer. King hadn’t protested, relieved that his part in retrieving Sawyer was no longer necessary.
Vida glanced up when the door opened and Seth entered, wearing a sheepish expression on his face.
“Hi, Vida.”
“Seth.” Vida’s voice was cool. The hurt she had experienced when he had left after learning she was a stripper was evident.
Vida watched as he blushed at her cool reception.
“I know you’re angry, Vida, but I’m hoping we can go out to lunch and talk, please. We don’t have to go far, just across the street. I’d like to explain.” Seth’s apologetic gaze had her hesitating in giving her refusal. She had liked Seth and thought they had become friends. She hadn’t thought that he would have been the type to turn his back on someone because they might not live up to his standards.
“I don’t know,” Vida tried to prevaricate.
“Please, Vida. If not lunch, then how about a cup of coffee? My treat. I really would like to explain why I was a jackass.”
“Let me tell Colton I’m leaving for lunch,” Vida gave in.
Carlito, escorting his customer out of his room, said he heard her. “I can watch the desk. I’ll tell Colton when he comes out.”
Vida hesitated, thinking she should tell Colton, but knew he didn’t like to be interrupted during a session. “Okay. Thanks, Carlito.”
Vida and Seth walked across the street to the coffee shop where Vida sat at the table while Seth braved the long lunch line to get them a couple of coffees. Vida wasn’t hungry and didn’t want to be away from the shop too long. Something told her Colton wasn’t going to be too happy to learn that she had left the safety of the shop to be alone with Seth. She actually wasn’t too certain it was a smart idea herself.
Seth sat down across from her, giving her the cup of coffee she had asked for with packets of sugar.
Vida took a drink of the sweet coffee, looking over the brim of the cup at Seth who was staring at the customers sitting at tables surrounding them. He looked back, catching her eyes on him. He seemed different since leaving the shop. More assured and confident, his shyness was gone and he was meeting her gaze directly.
The cautious feeling Vida had was becoming a definite twinge of fear as she could see the dramatic change in Seth.