Hidden Depths Read Online Free PDF Page A

her car, but The Tavern was just a few blocks down.
Deciding to walk, she cut through the alley to the front of the buildings. She
loved night time here in the Village. This was the old section of Fair Oaks.
Its kitschy vibe had called to her immediately. There had never been any doubt
as to where she wanted to open up her shop. When a small clothing store had
decided to close their doors, she had immediately made an offer to buy the
shop. Luckily, being a business major held some weight with the banks. She'd
put together her proposal, had Deb do a quick once-over, and handled as much of
the initial business by phone as possible. By the time she met with the loan
specialist, their reaction to her appearance had been almost negligible. It
probably helped that she'd worn long sleeves, removed the nose ring, and worn
highly subdued makeup for the meeting. She knew how to look professional when
it was warranted. And she had really wanted that loan!
    Now, three years later, she was turning a good business. She
would never be a millionaire, but she made enough to pay her bills, her
employees, and even save a little. That was more than she'd had growing up.
And, she was doing it on her own terms. She was even starting to look for
another artist to come in part time. Billy had another full time job and could
only work weekends. She needed one more part time artist, but she was really
picky and so far she hadn't seen anyone whose work she liked well enough to
hire.
    She reached The Tavern, smiling a little at the number of
people still out and about. It was ten at night. Most places, people were home
in bed by now, but the Village was still hopping. She took a deep breath before
heading into the bar, taking a minute to steady herself before facing Deb and
the others. They were meeting for drinks, to discuss some details about the
wedding. Gia was pretty sure one of those details was going to be an
ass-chewing over Josh's new tattoo.
    Once inside, it took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the
bar's lighting. When she spotted Kelly waving at her, she smiled and headed
that direction. As she got closer, she was surprised to see Shannon's boyfriend
Scott, as well as Josh and Blake. Mentally shrugging her shoulders she marched
over, greeting everyone as she set her purse in the only empty chair.
    "Hey guys. So, no wedding plans?"
    Kelly shook her head. "We saved you a seat. The guys
were here when we showed up and we decided that a night of drinking sounded
like a lot more fun. We haven't done this in a while."
    Gia smiled, "Works for me. Hey Josh, how's your
shoulder doing?"
    Deb looked at Josh, who was making a little grimace at Gia.
"What happened to your shoulder, Josh?" Deb asked.
    With a raised eyebrow, Gia waited for the answer. She had no
idea why or how, but clearly Deb knew nothing about the tattoo yet. It occurred
to her then that Josh was wearing a work shirt with the sleeves rolled up,
carefully keeping them at mid forearm. If you didn't know he was hiding
something, you'd probably think nothing of it, since he wore suits most of the
time anyway.
    "Oh, I got hit with a tennis ball at the club on
Tuesday. Nothing major, really. I was still kind of sore and rubbing at it when
I bumped into Gia."
    "Oh, bumped into her at the club?" Deb asked.
    "Yes, because I frequent the club so regularly,"
Gia popped off sarcastically.
    "No, at the coffee shop here in the .Village. I was
grabbing some coffee before I headed back to the restaurant." Josh was
referring to the original site, and now corporate offices, for the
international restaurant chain his family owned.
    "Oh, well, is it all right now?"
    "Probably still sore, by the way it looked Tuesday, but
it should be fine in another few days." Gia said, smirking at Josh. She
grabbed her wallet out of her purse. "I'm going to get a drink. Anyone
else need anything?"
    A couple of people tossed out drink orders as Gia made a
mental note of what to get. Josh stood as she turned to go.
    "I'll