asked.
"To move her. I can run over there with Colby tomorrow afternoon, if you don't have him booked. I mean, I'll have to drop off a present for her, so I'll be here anyway, right?"
"Thanks, man," Ryan said. "Been trying to think of who I could convince to help out. She's got her first radiation in the morning, and only two weeks to get moved."
"She got a lot of shit?"
"Nah. It's a little place, and Colby has a truck."
"Gotcha," Tony said. "It'll be after three. I'll bring some boxes."
Ryan sighed, and leaned back, finished. He stretched, then patted Tony's shoulder. "This one's on the house."
"On one condition," Tony said as Ryan wiped off the last of the ink. "You don't give up on getting the girl."
"Deal. Now check that shit out."
Tony hauled himself from the bed and looked in the mirror, grinning. He turned from side to side, looking at it from both angles, then came back for Ryan to put the thin protective bandage over it. He was pulling his shirt on, when Mack came back in, this time wearing something a bit less like pajamas.
"Aw, you changed," Tony teased.
She smiled and shrugged. "Yeah. There a pizza place around here?" she asked Ryan.
"You want pizza?" he asked.
Mack just bit her lip. "Yeah. With pineapple."
"Then fucking pizza it is," he said pulling his phone from his pocket. "What else besides pineapple?"
"I got it," Mack said. "Just didn't know if there was a place close."
Ryan just shook his head. "I know the best place. They deliver too, unless you're wanting to get out of the shop for a bit?"
"We're still open," she said, shaking her head. "Might be slow, but still."
"K. Tony, you want something?"
"Meat," he said. "Lots of it."
"Colby?" Ryan yelled. "Pizza?"
"Fuck yeah!" Colby yelled from the break room.
With a shy smile at Mack, Ryan placed the order. They assured him it would be no more than thirty minutes. When he hung up the phone, Mack was holding up a pair of clippers. She raised one eyebrow, and looked between him and Tony.
"You thought I'd forget, didn't you," she teased.
"Not in a million years," Ryan assured her. "You want to do this now?"
She nodded. "I'm not going to let this shit tell me what I can and can't do."
"Ok, then," Ryan agreed. "Let me get a pair of scissors - and Colby. He'd kill you if he missed this."
Chapter 10
The three men made an ordeal of shaving her head. Colby tied her hair into a pony tail, then Ryan cut it. Tony surprised her the most. Instead of simply shaving all the hair from her head, he had carefully shaped it into a punkish flat top. Declaring himself an artist, he gestured to the mirror. Mack loved it. What was left was no more than a few inches, but the tough style somehow made her feel more in control of what was happening.
Their bellies stuffed with pizza, washed back with soda and coffee, they sat around talking until midnight. Only two college kids showed up wanting piercings, so it hadn't taken long at all to clean up the shop. As the guys left, Ryan turned out the lights and followed behind her up the stairs.
"Radiation in the morning," Mack grumbled.
"With chemo?" he asked.
"Yeah."
"Go wash all the loose hair off," Ryan said. "You want anything, or are you ready to pass out?"
"Nope, my boss says I need a glass of kool-aid before bed."
"That's my girl."
Those words from his mouth made Mack smile and her stomach flip. She hurried into the other room, grabbed her things, and jumped in the shower before Ryan could see how flustered he made her. His place was starting to look like she'd moved in. Her shampoo sat next to his. Her razor hung in the shower. Her dirty clothes were tossed in the hamper. The strangest thing was that Ryan didn't seem to mind.
She was rinsing the last of the soap from her body when the flipping of her stomach became something a bit more pressing. She was able to stop the first heave, and
"To move her. I can run over there with Colby tomorrow afternoon, if you don't have him booked. I mean, I'll have to drop off a present for her, so I'll be here anyway, right?"
"Thanks, man," Ryan said. "Been trying to think of who I could convince to help out. She's got her first radiation in the morning, and only two weeks to get moved."
"She got a lot of shit?"
"Nah. It's a little place, and Colby has a truck."
"Gotcha," Tony said. "It'll be after three. I'll bring some boxes."
Ryan sighed, and leaned back, finished. He stretched, then patted Tony's shoulder. "This one's on the house."
"On one condition," Tony said as Ryan wiped off the last of the ink. "You don't give up on getting the girl."
"Deal. Now check that shit out."
Tony hauled himself from the bed and looked in the mirror, grinning. He turned from side to side, looking at it from both angles, then came back for Ryan to put the thin protective bandage over it. He was pulling his shirt on, when Mack came back in, this time wearing something a bit less like pajamas.
"Aw, you changed," Tony teased.
She smiled and shrugged. "Yeah. There a pizza place around here?" she asked Ryan.
"You want pizza?" he asked.
Mack just bit her lip. "Yeah. With pineapple."
"Then fucking pizza it is," he said pulling his phone from his pocket. "What else besides pineapple?"
"I got it," Mack said. "Just didn't know if there was a place close."
Ryan just shook his head. "I know the best place. They deliver too, unless you're wanting to get out of the shop for a bit?"
"We're still open," she said, shaking her head. "Might be slow, but still."
"K. Tony, you want something?"
"Meat," he said. "Lots of it."
"Colby?" Ryan yelled. "Pizza?"
"Fuck yeah!" Colby yelled from the break room.
With a shy smile at Mack, Ryan placed the order. They assured him it would be no more than thirty minutes. When he hung up the phone, Mack was holding up a pair of clippers. She raised one eyebrow, and looked between him and Tony.
"You thought I'd forget, didn't you," she teased.
"Not in a million years," Ryan assured her. "You want to do this now?"
She nodded. "I'm not going to let this shit tell me what I can and can't do."
"Ok, then," Ryan agreed. "Let me get a pair of scissors - and Colby. He'd kill you if he missed this."
Chapter 10
The three men made an ordeal of shaving her head. Colby tied her hair into a pony tail, then Ryan cut it. Tony surprised her the most. Instead of simply shaving all the hair from her head, he had carefully shaped it into a punkish flat top. Declaring himself an artist, he gestured to the mirror. Mack loved it. What was left was no more than a few inches, but the tough style somehow made her feel more in control of what was happening.
Their bellies stuffed with pizza, washed back with soda and coffee, they sat around talking until midnight. Only two college kids showed up wanting piercings, so it hadn't taken long at all to clean up the shop. As the guys left, Ryan turned out the lights and followed behind her up the stairs.
"Radiation in the morning," Mack grumbled.
"With chemo?" he asked.
"Yeah."
"Go wash all the loose hair off," Ryan said. "You want anything, or are you ready to pass out?"
"Nope, my boss says I need a glass of kool-aid before bed."
"That's my girl."
Those words from his mouth made Mack smile and her stomach flip. She hurried into the other room, grabbed her things, and jumped in the shower before Ryan could see how flustered he made her. His place was starting to look like she'd moved in. Her shampoo sat next to his. Her razor hung in the shower. Her dirty clothes were tossed in the hamper. The strangest thing was that Ryan didn't seem to mind.
She was rinsing the last of the soap from her body when the flipping of her stomach became something a bit more pressing. She was able to stop the first heave, and
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