Series: Little Cakes Series by Pepper North
Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
“Heartless,” he observed, shaking his head. “One nibble?”
“I’ve seen your nibbles, Daddy Shark. You’ll finish the whole thing,” she teased.
“I’m very wounded by that accusation, Little girl,” he told her, looking sad.
Tatiana hesitated and then held out the cupcake to him. “A small bite,” she warned as he swooped in.
“Ouch!” She shook her hand before sticking her index finger in her mouth exaggerating the small nip he had given her as he’d devoured the rest of her cupcake. “You ate it all.”
“I’ll be back,” Maniac promised as he stood and walked toward the door.
“You better bring back several,” she suggested.
“Definitely!”
Laughing, Tatiana straightened up their snack area. The rattle of the door warned her that someone had arrived so she turned with a smile to greet the next client. “Hi! I recognize you. You’re the Marine with the full sleeve tattoo.”
“You have a good memory. I’m Sam. I ran into Maniac on his way into the cupcake shop. He’s such a big fit guy, I wouldn’t have suspected he indulged in bakery goods.”
“Life is short. Maniac balances everything,” Tatiana shared.
“That it is. He’s smart to take time to smell the cupcakes.”
“Exactly. I know Maniac needed to make some modifications to the tattoo you started with to make sure it fit the contours of your arm,” Tatiana said.
“I hope he didn’t change too much. Each segment is a memorial to someone special to me. I don’t suppose you could show it to me, could you? I’ve hated waiting until my appointment came.”
“If you explained what you needed, I’m sure he figured it out for you. Let’s go to his station and see if he left it out,” Tatiana suggested.
As she led the way into his work area, Tatiana saw a piece of paper on his counter and knew Maniac had arranged all his supplies for the appointment. She picked up the drawing and hesitated. Wouldn’t Maniac want to hear the man’s first reaction to the piece he’d created?
“Would you mind if I video your first glimpse of the image for Maniac? I know he worked hard on this.”
“If you let me see it, videotape away,” he agreed, giving his permission eagerly.
“Thanks!” Tatiana pulled her phone from her pocket and began recording as she handed it over.
Sam flipped the design over and studied it without a word. Tatiana could see a few embellishments that Maniac had worked into the original design. She waited for the former Marine to notice them. To her surprise, a tear ran down the man’s face, and he brushed it off roughly. Immediately, Tatiana stopped recording.
“Hey, is everything okay?” she asked.
“It’s better than that,” Sam answered, looking up at her. His face was drawn with emotion.
“What do you think, Sam?” Maniac’s deep voice sounded at the door. Immediately, he approached.
Sam stepped forward and wrapped his arm around Maniac’s shoulder in a fierce man hug, which Maniac returned. “This is the best damn design I’ve ever seen. I didn’t think it could get any better.”
“I think I got all the elements you wanted included. This was an incredible design to fine-tune,” Maniac shared.
Tatiana wandered away, allowing the two men to talk privately. She watched Maniac review all the components that Sam had requested to stay in the design and point out a few new bits he had included. Sam whipped his arm out of his shirt for Maniac to hold the tattoo along his skin. Her hands tightened on the counter. The left side of Sam’s body was a mass of tangled scar tissue.
The image flashed back into her mind. Designed like a tribal tattoo with bold lines, Maniac had altered the path of seven of the eight thick lines. Each broke in the middle and continued in a lighter, airier form. The eighth deteriorated in the middle before becoming stronger and bolder.
It told a story that Tatiana understood immediately. Sam had been the sole survivor of something tragic. His fellow Marines had not survived whatever had left its mark on Sam.
I love this job.
Whether she created long-lasting mementos of events and treasured items or even silly things like cartoon characters or names of lovers that would likely be covered by another tattoo when the relationship ended, Tatiana helped people freeze important memories in their skin. Often, she smiled as someone lovingly rubbed the image etched into their skin. It meant something special to the wearer of the design.
Chapter Eleven
Her energy evaporated as she chattered about all the events of their day. Covering her mouth to mask a yawn, Tatiana leaned back in the comfortable seat of Maniac’s truck.
“You’re tired, Little girl. Food, bath, and bed for you.”
“Can I sleep in your big bed, Daddy?” she asked, trying to sound innocent. All day, she’d plotted seducing him. Tatiana didn’t want to wait anymore.
“Have you been good today, Rainbow?” Maniac asked, looking sideways at her before refocusing on the road.