Page 3 of Cold Shoulder, Hot Take (Seattle Puckaneers #2)

“It’s where he used to grab me,” I say, the words are easier to say than expected. “When he wanted to make a point without leaving a mark.”

To her credit, Jamie doesn’t flinch or offer empty sympathies. Just nods once, understanding darkening her eyes.

“Some people get flowers or butterflies,” I continue. “But I wanted something real. These marks were always there, just invisible. Now I want to see them.”

“Taking back your skin,” Jamie says simply.

“Yeah.”

She prepares her station, explaining each step of the process—the stencil transfer, the needle setup, the ink. The mundane details of a procedure that feels anything but mundane to me.

“Ready?” she asks, needle poised above my skin.

I nod, releasing a breath.

The first touch of the needle is a sharp sting, uncomfortable but clarifying, too. Present in a way that makes everything else recede. I watch as the first line appears, stark and deliberate.

“You’re doing great,” Jamie says. “Some people bring friends for their first tattoo. Moral support.”

I think about Annie from the voice acting community, who offered to come. About my neighbor Laura, who watches the kids when recording sessions run late. About the tentative network of support I’ve been building, connection by careful connection.

“I wanted to do this one alone,” I say. “Needed to.”

She nods, understanding without needing explanation.

Three lines in, the bell jangles again. A young couple enters, the woman talking animatedly about the matching tattoos they plan to get.

Their easy affection sends a pang through me, not of envy, exactly, but of recognition for something I’ve never truly had.

A partnership of equals. Love without fear.

“All relationships leave marks,” Jamie comments, following my gaze. “The trick is finding someone whose marks you can live with. And who respects your existing ones.”

The fourth line materializes on my skin, distinct from the others but part of the same deliberate pattern.

“I can’t imagine that person exists,” I admit. “Someone who could understand... this.” I gesture vaguely at my arm, at myself, at the invisible complexity of my history.

“They exist,” Jamie says with the certainty of someone who’s seen more life stories inscribed in skin than most people see in a lifetime. “But finding them isn’t the point, is it? Not today.”

She’s right. Today isn’t about future possibilities. It’s about acknowledging the past, making visible what was hidden, reclaiming ownership of my own skin.

She finishes the marks then wipes away the excess ink, revealing the simple pattern. Vertical lines, uniform and deliberate. To anyone else, they might look like arbitrary marks or some personal code. To me, they’re a timeline and a declaration.

“What do you think?” Jamie asks.

I study my skin, turn my arm to see how the lines shift with movement. Thirteen marks, permanently visible now. Mine by choice.

“It’s perfect,” I say, surprised by the emotion in my voice.

As Jamie covers the fresh tattoo with a protective film, explaining aftercare instructions, I feel unexpectedly lighter. Not healed but marked in a way of my choosing. Changed by my own decision, not someone else’s action.

Outside, the rain has stopped. Seattle’s perpetual cloud cover has thinned, allowing weak afternoon sunlight to illuminate the wet streets. I check my watch, realizing I still have an hour before I need to pick up the kids from their after-school program. An hour that belongs entirely to me.

I find a coffee shop on the corner, order something indulgent with extra whipped cream, and claim a window seat. My arm tingles beneath its protective covering, a pleasant reminder of what I’ve just done.

One year ago today, a judge signed the final divorce decree.

One year of official freedom. Of rebuilding.

Of learning to trust my own judgment again.

Of recording audiobooks in my closet at midnight because that’s when the house is quiet.

Of explaining to the kids why their father missed another weekend visit.

Of navigating Blythe’s nightmares and Tyson’s quiet vigilance.

One year of difficulty, yes. But also of discovery. Of finding strength I hadn’t known I possessed.

A rush of cool air sweeps in with new customers. A group of men who are clearly hockey players, unmistakable in their team jackets and sweatshirts, claim a table in the corner, their easy camaraderie filling the quiet space with sudden energy.

“Golda?” The barista calls my name, sliding my elaborate coffee concoction across the counter with a smile.

I stand to retrieve it, reaching for the cup just as someone else’s hand extends toward the counter.

“Sorry, excuse—” a deep voice starts.

Our hands collide. My coffee tips, splashes across the counter, and spills down the front of my jeans. Hot liquid seeps through the fabric, and I jump back with a startled gasp.

“Shit, I’m so sorry.” The voice belongs to a tall, dark-haired man. He grabs napkins from the dispenser, thrusting them toward me with genuine alarm. “That was completely my fault.”

I recognize him now—the face of the franchise, according to the morning news. Something Malone. Women at school pickup sometimes whisper about him, about his latest conquests detailed in gossip columns.

“It’s fine,” I mutter, taking the napkins and dabbing uselessly at my jeans. The coffee has already soaked through, an uncomfortable warm patch spreading across my thigh. “I need to go.”

“Let me buy you another one,” he insists, already signaling to the barista. “And pay for the cleaning bill for your pants.”

“Really, it’s not necessary.” I back away, discomfort rising. The last thing I need is a man who won’t take no for an answer, regardless of how apologetic he seems.

“I insist,” he says, but then something in my expression makes him pause. He steps back slightly, giving me space. “Or not. Totally your call.”

The barista is already making a replacement drink. “On the house,” she says with a smile directed at him more than me. “Accidents happen.”

“At least take the replacement,” the hockey player says, his voice gentler now. He doesn’t move closer. “I’m Dex, by the way. And I really am sorry.”

“It’s okay,” I reply automatically. “Thanks for the napkins.”

He smiles—a genuine smile that crinkles the corners of his eyes. In another life, I might have found him charming. In this one, I’m hyperaware of his size, his confidence, the way other patrons are watching our interaction.

“Enjoy your coffee,” he says, and returns to his teammates without pressing further.

I take the replacement drink and hurry outside, pulse racing more than the situation warrants. The burn of the coffee on my skin mingles with the fresh sting of the tattoo—physical reminders of a day meant to symbolize moving forward.

From inside the coffee shop, I catch him looking in my direction, a thoughtful expression on his face before one of his teammates draws his attention away.

I turn and walk in the opposite direction. I’ve spent a year rebuilding my boundaries. The last thing I need is a man, any man, crashing through them, no matter how accidentally.