Beautiful Oblivion (The Maddox Brothers, #1)(27)
Hazel escorted them back to her room, and laughter and chatting ensued.
“It’s going to be a slow day.” Trenton sighed.
“You don’t know that. It just started.”
“I can always call it, though,” he said.
“Who are they?” I asked, nodding toward the hall.
“Rachel is Hazel’s sister.”
I raised an eyebrow, dubious. “Maybe this is ignorant, but Rachel isn’t Asian. Not even a little bit.”
“They’re both adopted. They were foster kids. There’s like a dozen of them or more. They’re spread all over the country now, and they all love each other like crazy. It’s awesome.”
I smiled at the thought.
“So you really won’t watch Spaceballs with me tonight?”
“Really.”
“Why not?” he said, crossing his arms and shifting his weight.
I smirked. “Getting ready for a fight?”
“Answer the question, Camlin. What do you have against Spaceballs? I need to know before we go any further.”
“Further than what?”
“You’re stalling.”
I sighed. “Between work and the Red, and . . . we’re seeing a lot of each other.”
He watched me for a moment, a hundred thoughts scrolling behind his warm russet eyes. He walked the few steps to stand next to me, putting the heel of his hand on the counter beside my hip, his chest touching my left arm. He leaned down, his mouth almost touching my hair. “And that’s a bad thing?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know,” I said, my face compressing. He was confusing me, and way too close for me to think straight. I turned to tell him to back away, but when I looked up, I paused. He was right there. Inches away. Looking down at me with a look in his eyes I couldn’t decipher.
He looked down at my bare shoulder. “That’s a perfect spot for me to ink.”
I laughed once. “No.”
“Come on. You’ve seen my work.”
“I have,” I said, nodding emphatically. “It’s amazing.”
“Then what?”
I looked back up at him, trying to interpret his expression. “I don’t trust you. I’d probably end up with MAY THE SCHWARTZ BE WITH YOU.”
Trenton beamed. “Is that a Spaceballs reference? I’m impressed!”
“See? I’ve already seen it. A lot.”
“You can never see Spaceballs too much.”
Hazel, Rachel, and Rachel’s boyfriend returned to the lobby. Hazel gave Rachel a big hug, and then they said tearful goodbyes.
“Christmas is right around the corner,” Trenton said.
When Rachel left, Hazel was smiling, but a little sad. “Damn it. I love her.”
“You love all of them,” Trenton said. “If you get them on a monthly cycle, you could see one of them every day.”
Hazel elbowed Trenton, and he elbowed her back. They fought like brother and sister.
“So,” Hazel said, chomping on a piece of gum. “I heard you guys talking. I can’t believe you’re scared to get a tattoo.”
I shook my head. “Not at all.”
Calvin walked to the vestibule. “Has Bishop been in?” he asked.
Hazel shook her head. “No, Cal. You’ve already asked me that today. We were just discussing Cami’s first tattoo.”
Calvin’s scanned me from head to toe. “That’s bad for business, a receptionist that doesn’t have any tats. You can make it up to me by picking up some hours on Sunday.”
“Only if you let me start working on papers and homework when we’re not busy.”
He shrugged. “Deal.”
My shoulders fell. I didn’t expect him to agree.
“Let me pierce your nose,” Hazel said, her eyes bright.
“One of these days,” I said.
“Baby doll, don’t let them talk you into anything you don’t want to do. There’s no shame in being scared of needles,” Trenton said.
“I’m not scared,” I said, exasperated.
“Then let me ink you,” he said.
“You’re a bartender for Christ’s sake,” Hazel said. “You should have at least one tat.”
I glared at each of them. “Is this peer pressure? Because that’s lame.”
“How am I pressuring you? I just said not to let anyone talk you into anything,” Trenton said.
“And then you told me to let you give me a tat.”
He shrugged. “I admit it would be kickass to know I inked you first. It’s kind of like taking your virginity.”
“Well, that would require going back in time, and that’s not going to happen,” I said with a smirk.
“Exactly. This is the next best thing. Trust me,” he said, his voice low and smooth.
Hazel cackled. “Oh, God. I’m ashamed to admit that line totally worked on me.”
“Yeah?” I said, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. “From Trent?”
She burst out laughing again. “I wish!” She closed her eyes and cringed. “Bobby Prince. Smooth talker. Tiny penis.” She spoke the last sentence in falsetto, and held up her index finger and thumb, not even an inch apart.