Rob’s offhand comment purged all the dirty thoughts from her head. “About what?” She didn’t bother masking her excitement.
“You know, about how good you’re doing, what a great help you’ve been around the shop, how smart and wonderful and brilliant you are, yada, yada, yada.”
“Did he say anything about the new Conlon Ink location?” She held her breath as she awaited his reply.
“Nothing official,” Rob admitted. “But if it helps, I was over at the house when Dad got a phone call from that artist he was talking to. The guy who works at Razor’s?”
Brett bristled with displeasure. She’d known her dad was interviewing potential candidates to run the north end parlor, but hearing Rob confirm it ticked her off. The ideal candidate was staring them all in the face, damn it.
Her.
“He canceled the interview,” Rob said lightly.
Her breath came out in an abrupt whoosh. “Really?”
“Yup. Mind you, he hasn’t said one way or the other if he’s going to give you a shot, but this is a good sign, right?”
No, it was a fabulous sign.
Brett dove off the chair and threw her arms around her brother. “Oh my God. I don’t believe it. He’s totally going to let me manage the shop!”
“Possibly.” Rob’s voice went gentle. “But don’t put the cart before the horse just yet.” He hesitated. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“No, I’m glad you did. Now I’m going to work even harder, until he has no choice but to admit that I’m the best person for the—”
A loud ding interrupted her. She swung her head in the direction of the door—then froze.
Brett’s jaw fell open as her ex-boyfriend entered the tattoo parlor.
What. The. Hell.
“Hey,” Troy said cautiously.
All she could do was gape at him. Holy shit. He really had the nerve to waltz in here after everything he’d put her through? The mere sight of him made Brett want to clock him.
And to add insult to injury, the bastard actually looked good. Like, really, really good. A black T-shirt hugged his chest and showed off the intricate tattoos on each of his biceps, and he’d cut his hair and shaved his goatee since she’d last seen him. Goddamn him. He didn’t deserve to be this handsome.
Brett still remembered the way he’d drawn her in last year with those killer dimples and reckless personality. But he’d been too reckless. Troy had no off button when it came to partying. For him, one beer was never enough—he had to have ten. Not only that, but he was a frickin’ sponge. He took and took and took and never once gave anything in return. Whether it was a dinner she’d prepared for him, a free tattoo she’d spotted him, or a ride home when he was too plastered to drive, the jerk had never expressed an ounce of gratitude or appreciation. Not even once.
“What are you doing here?” Brett demanded when she finally found her voice.
Troy came to the counter as if he were approaching a feral lion. “Can we talk in private?” His blue-eyed gaze darted to Rob, whose expression was frigid enough to freeze the Pacific.
Shit. Brett suddenly remembered that Rob had been with her the morning after her trip to the drunk tank. He’d played the part of bodyguard when Troy came over to pick up some things he’d left at her apartment, and the confrontation between the two men hadn’t been pretty, to say the least.
“No, we can’t,” she said coldly. “What do you want, Troy?”
“You’re really going to make me do this in front of him?” he demanded in a plaintive voice.
“Do what? There’s no reason for you to be here.” She crossed her arms, mostly so she wouldn’t act on the urge to smack him in the face. “In fact, I’d like you to leave.”
“I miss you,” Troy mumbled.
Rob snorted.
“I do,” he insisted. “I miss you so much. These past six months without you have been pure torture, baby.”
“Don’t you dare call me that! And forgive me if I don’t believe a word you say.”
His expression took on a pleading light. “I mean it. You’re all I can think about.”
“Wow. Really? Did you also think about me when you cheated on me?”
“I…” His Adam’s apple twitched as he swallowed. “I already apologized for that. I was drunk, okay? I didn’t know—”
“What you were doing?” she finished. “Yeah, I’m sure you were totally incapacitated when you unzipped your pants and stuck it in some other girl.” She planted both palms on the countertop, needing to ground herself, fighting the increasing urge to hit him.
She’d found out about the cheating after they’d broken up, and the knowledge was as humiliating now as it had been then.
And having her big brother hear how she’d been played for a fool only intensified the embarrassment scorching her cheeks.
“You need to go,” she muttered. “We’re not together anymore. I don’t want you in my life.”
“Brett, please—”
Rob cut in with a death glare. “You heard my sister, asswipe. Get lost.”
Silence crashed over the room. Her ex-boyfriend looked from her to Rob, then down at his feet. Several seconds ticked by before he spoke again.
“I’m not drinking anymore, Brett. I cleaned up my act, went to rehab, got my shit together. I just want another chance to prove to you that I’m the man you fell in love with.”
“Not interested,” she retorted.
Unhappiness clouded his face. “If you change your mind—”
“I won’t.”
“You can reach me at the shop. I don’t have my cell anymore.”
Yeah, because he never paid his damn bills.
“I’m working on getting a new one, though,” he said hastily, as if reading her mind. “Please. Just give me another chance.”
Brett didn’t answer. Simply cocked her head at the door and transmitted a silent get the hell out.
“I’ll be waiting for your call,” Troy said sadly, edging away from the counter.
“Then you’ll be waiting a long time,” Rob told his retreating frame.
A moment later, Troy was gone.
Far too mortified and ashamed to meet her brother’s eyes, Brett inhaled a ragged breath and picked up her sketchbook with trembling fingers. “I need to finish this drawing,” she mumbled.
A warm hand rested on her shoulder, making her jump. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Another deep inhalation, and she was finally able to lift her head. “Thanks for sticking up for me, but you didn’t have to. I can handle Troy.”
“I know, but you shouldn’t have to. That prick needs to learn that he’s no longer part of your life. In fact, someone ought to send him a message, just so he’s clear on that.”
Alarm skittered up her spine when she glimpsed the severe look on her brother’s face. “No. Don’t you dare rustle up Mike and Jordan and go after him. Troy knows where I stand. He won’t come back.”
Rob’s jaw tightened. “Do you truly believe that?”
“Yes. But it doesn’t matter what I believe. I don’t need or appreciate your interference. I’m a big girl, Rob. I can take care of myself.” She exhaled in a rush. “Please. Promise me you’ll back off.”