"There's just something so...peaceful about coming back from a holiday. Like everything just falls back into place, you know?" @rededgerpstarterblog

"Yeah, exactly." Rowan agreed with a smile. "I'm glad that we're home, but it is always nice to be out of the country for a while."

"I'm sorry, what makes you think you can talk to me like that? In my own store?" She cocked her head to the side and looked at the person who was being rude to her. "You can either 1) Leave my store and not come back or 2) Talk to me in a respectable way and I'll do the same." She said and rolled her eyes when they left. "Asshole." She said and looked at her friend who came in and said, "Is it too early to start drinking?" @rededgerpstarterblog

"I mean, in my book, it is never too early to start drinking." Rowan said with a laugh. "That's just me though." He shrugged. "Do you want to come to the speak easy and drink?"

"I'm an EMT and firefighter, it's not like I have the choice to not be a bad ass when it comes time for it." He chuckled.

"I mean, you do, but I feel like a lot of people will be mad at you if you don't know how to be a bad ass."

"I've been doing great man. Been busy, but I've been great. How about you, how are you doing?" Nash asked with a grin.

"Oh yeah? Busy with work or busy with your girlfriend?" He asked with a smile. "I'm doing good, the speak easy and the tattoo shop are both thriving."

"I mean, it got the shithead away from me and his girlfriend tipped me double, probably triple what he would have so it worked."

"Oh Jesus, I'm truly sorry you had to deal with a shithead like that. Sadly, they are getting more and more common these days." He looked at her. "Hopefully she dumped him and I'm glad you got a good tip."

Rowan laughed. "Hey, I give you props because it did in fact work." He nodded and cleared his throat. "How are you doing man?"

Veronica smiled at that, slow and assessing, like she had already made up her mind about him. “I have never been very good at gliding,” she said lightly. “I tend to make impressions whether I mean to or not.”

"Nothing wrong with that at all, especially here." Rowan said with a chuckle. "I'm Rowan, it's nice to meet you, Veronica. Maybe a bit of both, it depends on how you feel it should go."

Veronica stepped into town like she already belonged there, sunglasses pushed up into her hair, expression calm and unapologetic. New places never made her nervous. They never had. People usually figured out who she was before she had to explain it.

Rowan looked up from the text he had just finished sending and raised a brow at her. "That honestly depends on you and what kind of person you are." He answered and put his phone into his pocket. "Some people glide by life here and not get noticed and nobody knows anything about them, others, well, everyone here knows everything about them, including their blood type."

"You're welcome, Tanner." Rowan said with a smile. "Surviving the chaos too. Though, there's only so much chaos I can hide from when I own both a tattoo shop and a speak easy."

Tanner lingered just outside the doorway, hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket as he scanned the room like he was deciding whether to stay or disappear. After a beat, he stepped inside, the familiar hum of voices and movement settling his nerves more than he expected. He spotted someone he recognized and and tilted his head, a half-smile tugging at his mouth. “Funny how you can walk into a place with no plan and still end up exactly where you’re supposed to be.” He said, moving a little closer. “Mind if I join you, or is this one of those moments better left uninterrupted?” @rededgerpstarterblog

"Tanner, your company is always welcomed to me, you don't even have to ask." Rowan promised the other male with a smile. "How are you doing?"