Life wasn’t so bad, though. I grew up in St. Albert, Alberta. It’s a lovely little city but full of people whose egos are bigger than their wallets. Never having fit in, it was easy to make the move four hours away to Calgary for a Creative Arts course at SAIT—Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.
Finding a shop in Olds, about an hour north of Calgary, was a dream come true. I received an inheritance from my Pappy earlier than my siblings and was able to buy and open JR’s Tattoos two years ago just after my twentieth birthday. My parents damn near threw a shit fit, but I was beyond caring. Margo and Sally came in once to see what I was up to and probably to spy on me for the ‘rents, but I kicked them right back out.
Realization that I’m standing in the same spot I was thirty minutes ago after those mind-numbing kisses and thinking about the past, I try and shake myself off but feel different.
Exposed.
Excited.
It’s new and weird, and I decide I like it. Adrenaline runs rampant through my blood with the excitement of seeing them again.
I feel like a hormonal teenager.
Fuck a duck.
Tomorrow can’t come soon enough.
Chapter 2
Eli
I wake up with a feeling of renewed anticipation instead of trying to drag ass out of bed, or not wanting to go in to work. I am actually looking forward to sharing my joy with our employees and anyone else I encounter.
Jet is a woman in her own league. I wouldn’t call her classy in the traditional sense but more unconventionally so. She is graceful, a work of art, and a beauty. She is one of a kind. On top of everything else I’ve learnt about her in the short time we have been in her presence, I know that her comfort in her own skin attracts me more than anything.
Small glimpses of insecurity show through in her eyes when she feels vulnerable, but I know, without a shadow of a doubt, she won’t let them shake her confidence. That alone is extremely attractive in a woman.
By the time I finish with my shower, I’m already picturing our lives together. Greer and I coming home from a hard day’s work to Jet and our kids waiting for us. It’s so fairytale-like I’m kind of annoyed with myself. We just met the girl, and I’m already picturing this huge family. That can’t be normal, yet it is.
Us. Her. A life together.
It’s everything I’ve ever wanted, and she isn’t even fully on board yet.
“Don’t fuck this up, Greer,” I mumble to myself, knowing he has control issues. Over his temper. Himself. Other damn people.
“Eli?” Speak of the devil. I laugh as I walk into the kitchen to find him making coffee and toast.
“What’s up?”
“We have to meet with the Donaldson’s today about the mini Firs the missus wants uprooted.”
Work…always on his mind. “I didn’t forget.”
Grabbing my coffee—black, just the way it’s meant to be—I sit down and start reading The Sun newspaper. Getting to the business section, one word pops out at me in the headline: Wyatt Ryhan set to be named as Hannibal & Malcolm Law Firm’s newest partner. I immediately think of Jet. Her last name isn’t common, but a stuffed shirt isn’t how I picture one of her parents. With her seeming to be a free spirit, I imagine the hippy types.
“You see this?” I pass the page to Greer to get his thoughts.
He must have read the entire article he took so long. “You think she’s related?” There’s doubt in his eyes.
“Would it be so wild?” I haven’t heard the best things about the firm’s reputation. There are unconfirmed rumors about payoffs to judges so they can win their criminal cases, but as far as I know nothing has been proven yet.
“Looks like there’s some sort of ball and a surprise announcement between Malcolm’s son and Ryhan’s daughter,” Greer continues to tell me, and I can’t say I like what I’m hearing.
“What are you thinking?” I ask.
A dark look crosses his face faster than I can catch it. “Either Jet’s hiding something, or her father hasn’t told her.”
“Fuck.”
Greer
I spend the day in a more or less shitty fucking mood. I wish I’d never seen that article. After arriving at the office, I go in search of this Wyatt Ryhan, needing to know if they are related. Jet doesn’t seem like the type of girl to fuck around like that, though, so my doubt of her deceit is plummeting.
Nevertheless, if she doesn’t know, then she’s in for one hell of a fucking surprise. It would help if I could confirm what I think the reference means, but for now, it is pure speculation on my part. I can’t imagine my parents trying to marry me off to some stranger, so the idea that hers could without her support pissed me off and confused me at the same time.
H&M Law isn’t exactly known for their stand-up clients, so I shouldn’t be surprised if this is what they’re trying to do. What confuses me is that most people in this situation would look for a wholesome girl. The girl next door type. Jet is anything but that. Her tattoos are loud and hot as fuck, her dark hair with pink highlights screams I stand out, and her attitude shouts don’t fuck with me.