Sweet Surrender [18+]

t w e n t y - f i v e

Lauren had never been a morning person, and time didn't dare to change that part of her. But one of her favorite moments of the day was relaxing on a wide chaise lounge with a dark wood frame on the deck attached to the back of her small house. The spot overlooked a short path that led to a straight wooden dock on the edge of the lake.

She loved eating a late breakfast on the deck, listening to all the woodland creatures running around, watching a few boats pass by, and just enjoying the general tranquility of living in a densely wooded area by a body of water. Lauren would return to the same spot at night with a bottle of wine and a blanket and stare at the stars.

This was her life, and Lauren absolutely loved it.

After leaving Redwood, she slowly started over in a similar city in the southeastern part of Minnesota, where Everett's cousin owned a popular and reputable tattoo shop. Lauren spent the first two years working full time, training to become a tattoo artist, as she attended a local university part time to complete her business degree.

Even though Everett's cousin, Damien, treated her as part of his family, and the other artists became her new circle of friends, Lauren still felt somewhat lost and alone. Even sporadic visits from Everett, Tristan, and April weren't enough to make her feel at home.

"Hey, I know this guy," Damien had mentioned late one night as they cleaned up the shop after hours. "He has his own tattoo shop on the other side of the state."

"Um, OK," she had replied cautiously, wondering if he was playing matchmaker for two lonely hearts.

"He wants to retire sometime in the next five to ten years but wants to hand off his business to someone that won't fuck it up," he had explained, cleaning one of the machines. "I gave him your name."

"What?" Lauren had been surprised at the kind gesture, believing Damien had to know better qualified tattoo artists for the position. "Why?"

He had chuckled at her two one-word questions. "You have the talent and the passion, but you just need more experience. Tyler's a good artist and teacher, and I think you two would work well together."

Damien had been right when Lauren visited Tyler's shop for a few days. She had planned to spend a few hours at the shop during her first day, talking to Tyler and watching how he ran it, but the day had passed quickly as she asked questions and he patiently answered them.

The new city in the southwestern part of Minnesota was slightly bigger than Redwood with three universities, two technical colleges, and three nearby state parks. When Tyler had driven her around different parts of the city, Lauren felt an odd mix of excitement, peacefulness, and happiness. She didn't feel an immediate sense of home, but the busy city felt right.

Tyler, a heavily tattooed, good looking guy in his fifties married with three kids, had been more than thrilled when Lauren chose to move and had connected her with a real estate agent when she expressed an interest in buying a house.