“Did you check your closet?” I yelled back, scurrying to the door on my five-inch heels while trying to work the diamond stud into my ear.
“It’s not in there!”
“Check again!” I returned just as I reached the door. I pulled in a breath to soothe my jumbled nerves. Reaching up, I fluffed my hair to add some body before grabbing the knob and pulling the door open.
Trick stood on the other side, looking like sex on two legs. My belly heated with arousal, and I licked my parched lips as I looked him up and down. The charcoal-gray slacks and blazer he was wearing hugged his body to perfection and brought out the stormy color in his eyes, and his white button-down was open at the collar, showing off a tantalizing section of his throat.
“H-hi,” I breathed as my legs turned to jelly.
He let out a low whistle as he scanned me from top to toe, the heat in his eyes giving me the reaction I’d been hoping for when I picked my outfit for the evening. The black chiffon dress had wide straps that rested on my shoulder, leading to a subtle V at the neck and a plunged one in the back. The bodice was loose, cinched high on my waist with a skinny gold belt. The skirt was fitted just enough to show a hint of my curves without being too risqué for a family dinner, but the hem hit at mid-thigh, showing enough of my legs for Trick to appreciate. The high black pumps had a snazzy peep toe and a pretty gold bow on the back of the heel that matched the belt perfectly. I went smoky and dramatic on my makeup and big on my hair, curling the deep red locks into long fat waves and adding some root boost for serious volume.
“Damn, baby. You look unbelievable.”
The heat in my chest crept up my neck to my cheeks, and I hung my head as shyness took over. “Thanks,” I murmured, looking up at him from beneath my lashes. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”
He stepped past the threshold and slid an arm around my waist. His hand rested against the small of my back and applied pressure until my chest pressed against his. “If I kiss you right now, is it gonna cause some kind of lipstick disaster that’ll take forever to fix?”
“It’s smudge-proof,” I informed him on a giggle. “By all means, kiss away.”
It wasn’t nearly as deep and passionate as I wanted, seeing as the kids were home, but it would hold me over for the time being, since I knew there would be so much more later. It was like I was walking on a cloud knowing that what had happened between Trick and me the night before was only the beginning of something that was bound to be incredible.
“Found it!” Tris hollered.
Trick and I pulled apart, and I leaned back to shout, “Where was it?”
“In the closet!”
I let out a loud “Ha!” giving Trick’s chest a smack. “Told you!”
“Whatever!”
Trick’s laughter pulled my attention back to him. “Damn, beautiful. The Cleavers you are not.”
Pulling from his hold, I readjusted my dress and moved to the console table to start switching out purses. “We yell because we love.”
“Good to know.”
I stopped in the middle of my task and turned back to Trick, lowering my voice so only he could hear me. “Whatever you do, don’t mention Chris. Tristan’s doing a great job at putting on a brave face, but Blythe told me earlier that their dad hasn’t called to tell him happy birthday.”
Trick’s face went hard as stone. “Fuckin’ asshole.”
“Pretty much. But I don’t want anything tarnishing tonight for my boy. He’s really looking forward to this, so I’m doing everything I can to keep his mind off of it.”
Just then Blythe began shouting. “Mom! I can’t find my sandals!”
I leaned back to face the hall. “Which ones? The silver ones or the black?”
“Neither!” she answered frantically. “The pink ones!”
“Check under your bed!”
I waited a couple of seconds before hearing “Got ’em!”
Looking back to Trick, I crossed my eyes, puffed my cheeks, and blew out an exasperated breath. “I swear to god, they never look for anything. As far as they’re concerned, it’s Mom’s job to find whatever it is they lost.”
“Ah, the life of a parent,” Trick said playfully.
Tris and Blythe started down the hall, their footfalls sounding like a stampede as they rushed into the entryway. “Ready, ready!” Blythe panted, hopping on one sandaled foot as she tried slipping the other into place.
“Wow, sweetheart,” Trick greeted my girl. “You look beautiful.” Blythe’s cheeks turned pink, and she reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear, all cute and shy like she’d just been asked out by the most popular boy in school.
“I, uh… th-thanks.”
Tris skidded across the floor on his loafers. He looked Trick up and down, then down at himself. He was dressed similar to Trick, minus the jacket, and I noticed his chest puff a bit. He liked that he and Trick matched, and I freaking loved that.
“Hey, bud. Happy birthday!” Trick held out his fist for Tris to bump like I’d see him and Shawn do several times.
“Thanks, Mr. Wanderly!
“You’re thirteen now, Tris. You’re a man. If it’s cool with your Mom, I think it’s all right for you and Blythe to call me Trick.”
My son’s chest puffed even bigger as he looked to me for permission. I gave him a small nod, and he turned back to Trick to say, “Awesome. Thanks, Trick.”
He reached into the inside pocket of his blazer and pulled out a small present wrapped in brightly colored paper. “I got you a little somethin’, bud.”
Tristan took the present with wide eyes and immediately tore into the paper. “Oh, wow! Thanks!” He held up the latest popular video game all the kids were playing to go with the brand spankin’ new Xbox I’d given him this morning. “This is awesome!”
“That’s from me, Hannah, and Shawn. Hope you like it.”
“Heck yeah! I can’t wait to play it!”
“All right, guys,” I cut in, needing to move this along. “We need to hit the road or we’ll miss the reservation.”
Tris threw his hands up and Blythe clapped excitedly. Moving to the kitchen, I picked up the baker box that held Tristan’s cake and started for the door, but before I could make it, Trick took the box from my hands.
I looked up at him with a small grin. “I can carry it, honey.”
“I got it, beautiful.” He tipped his chin toward the front door. “After you.”
Tristan and Blythe moved ahead of us, but I didn’t miss her giving me a happy smile as she passed and headed out the door.
“I think you just got the stamp of approval from my girl,” I whispered to Trick once the kids were out of earshot.
He put one hand to the small of my back and balanced the baker box in the other as he led me out the door. “Good to know, sweetheart. Glad your girl’s looking out for her mom.”
I really was too.
* * *
Trick
I walked into The Groves with my shoulders straight and my head high, a feeling of pride resonating in my blood at having Nona on my arm and her kids at our sides. It was like I’d just won the lottery and the Nobel Prize all at once. The only thing that would’ve made this evening better was if I’d had Hannah and Shawn with me, but I planned to rectify that soon enough.
There was no missing the appreciative glances coming my woman’s way from the other men in the restaurant, but Nona was all about us, smiling up at me and squeezing my arm as she laughed at something one of her kids had said.
She didn’t have eyes for anyone else, and being a part of the circle that held all of her attention made me feel like a goddamn king.
“Here we are,” the hostess chirped once we reached our table. She looked at me with a polite smile and offered, “Enjoy your evening,” before taking off.
I pushed Nona’s chair in for her and took the one at her left side. Blythe was to her right, with Tristan to mine, and just as he had on the drive to the restaurant, Tris talked n
onstop, leaving us in stitches as we looked over the menu and then put in our drink and dinner orders with the waitress.
Blythe was invested in the conversation, but I could see what Nona had been talking about the night before. There was something different. She’d listen and add her two cents, but there was no playful ragging on her brother, no jokes or open smiles. The ones she did give were smaller and more closed off than what I’d seen from her in the past, and as I watched her, I felt a tenseness in my gut that didn’t sit right.
“So then Carson was all ‘Baseball is so much better than soccer!’ And I was like ‘No way! You’re nuts!’ I mean, how can anyone think baseball’s better than soccer? It’s basically just waiting around for your chance to bat! There’s no way baseball’s better than soccer. Right, Mom?”
Nona sputtered on the sip of wine she’d just taken before looking to her son. “Oh, yeah, totally. Soccer’s the best.”
“Right?” Tristan declared enthusiastically. He finally took a breath and dug into his food.
Nona used that as an opportunity to engage with Blythe, asking, “So how’s school been, sweetie? Anything new happening?”
“No, not really.” She twirled her pasta around with her fork, and then something dawned across her face as she looked across the table to me. “Actually, there is the whole Hannah and Heath thing.”
I felt my back go straight. “What Hannah and Heath thing?”
Her expression brightened. “Well, the whole school’s talking about it.”
Nona seemed just as excited as her daughter as she asked, “Talking about what?”
Blythe put her fork down and leaned into the table. “Get this! So apparently word was going around that Hannah told Heath she couldn’t go on a date with him because her parents’ rule was no dating until she turned sixteen. Everyone thought he’d lose interest because of that and move on to some other girl. That is, until word started spreading about what she said to him when she turned him down for a date.”
Nona made an eek face and leaned in too, dropping her voice as she asked, “What did she say?”
“Well, she told him that she wasn’t allowed to date until she was sixteen, but that she was worth waiting a couple months for!”
Nona sucked in a gasp. “No way!”
“Yes way!” Blythe replied. “She said the choice was his, but if he chose not to wait, then it was his loss. Apparently, her little speech only made him like her more, and he told her he’d totally wait!”
“That’s my girl,” Nona said with a little squeal.
Meanwhile, I was afraid the mushroom risotto I’d just eaten was going to make a reappearance. “Can we maybe talk about something else? This place has some of the best food you’ll ever eat, and I won’t be able to enjoy it if I can’t keep it down.”
Tris burst into laughter while Blythe giggled. Nona looked at me with sympathy and no small amount of humor as she reached over and placed her hand on my arm. “Your girl’s got an incredible head on her shoulders, sweetheart. Maybe you should loosen the reins just a little bit?”
My head shot her way, my eyes wide as I asked, “You think I should let her get in a car with some kid I don’t know who’s probably a terrible driver, because all sixteen-year-olds are terrible drivers? A car with a back seat? Do you want me to have a heart attack?”
I glowered around the table as the Fannings all laughed hysterically.
“I’m not saying you let him take her out,” Nona continued once she managed to get a hold of herself. “But what if you let him come over to your place for dinner or something? That way he and Hannah can have some time together outside of school, but you can also keep an eye on her. She’s proven herself trustworthy, Trick. A little compromise won’t kill you.”
“It might!” I snapped, feeling my temples start to throb.
Her bright smile managed to loosen the knots in my shoulders, but only slightly. “It won’t,” she insisted. “Tell you what. You get the kids back this weekend, right?”
“Yeah,” I answered hesitantly.
“Then how about we all come over Saturday? We can grill in the backyard and just have a nice relaxing day.”
“Having a hormonal boy with the hots for my daughter at my house while I’m busy manning a grill doesn’t exactly scream relaxation, beautiful.”
“I’ll bring something sweet,” she said in a teasing, singsong voice. “Maybe my famous chocolate chunk cookies.”
“Mom’s cookies will make you forget everything that’s bugging you,” Tristan declared seriously.
Blythe chimed in. “And I can hang with Hannah and Heath to keep a closer eye on them if it’ll make you feel better.”
The knots loosened further as I gave her a soft, grateful look. “I’d appreciate that, honey.”
Blythe’s face lit up as she muttered, “No problem.”
“And Shawn and I can spy!” Tristan offered. “We’re really good at sneakin’ around, so they won’t even notice.”
I looked to Nona to find her beaming with pride. “Anyone ever tell you your kids are pretty awesome?”
“All the time. And I’ll never get tired of hearing it.”
We spent the rest of dinner talking about things that wouldn’t give me a coronary, and by the time the dishes were cleared, the knots were long gone.
Several of the waitstaff came out a few minutes later, singing “Happy Birthday” and carrying the cake Nona had made, covered in flickering candles. Nona, Blythe and I joined in, along with several of the restaurant’s patrons.
Tristan’s excitement was nearly palpable as the song wrapped up and the cake was placed at the center of the table. He squeezed his eyes shut to make a wish and then blew out the candles, eliciting cheers from all directions.
The waitress went about cutting the cake and serving it up when Nona’s cell phone started to ring.
She pulled it from her purse, and her face went hard as she glanced at the screen. She quickly ended the call and put the phone face down on the table, wiping her expression clean before looking back up to her kids.
Leaning in close, I lowered my voice to a whisper and asked, “Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” she lied. “It’s all good.”
I wanted to push, but this was about Tristan, and I didn’t want to do anything to take away from that.
So I let it go and had what turned out to be a really delicious piece of cake.
It was official, I was never going to question Nona’s baking ever again.
Chapter Twenty
Nona
My cell started ringing for the fifth time this morning. My jaw clenched as I looked at the screen and saw Chris’s name a-freaking-gain.
I stuffed it in the back pocket of my jeans and smiled at my client as I lowered the hairdryer over her head. “I’ll be back to check on you in a few, Mrs. Ryan. Holler if you need anything.”
I got a gummy, wrinkly smile from the old lady. “All right, dearie.”
Stomping to the supply room, I shut and locked the door just as my cell started to ring again. Pulling it from my pocket, I swiped the screen, lifted it to my ear, and snapped, “What?”
“Fuckin’ Christ, Nona,” Chris snarled through the line. “Nice of you to finally answer.”
“You’re kidding, right?” I seethed. “You’re giving me shit for not answering the phone when I’m busy, when you had no problem whatsoever blowing me off when I tried to get a hold of you to discuss what was wrong with our daughter?”
“I had some shit goin’ down I needed to handle. I planned on calling you back,” he defended lamely, only making me that much angrier.
“Glad to know where your kids rank on your scale of importance. Tell me, do you recall what yesterday was?” He remained quiet for several beats, and I had to squeeze my eyes closed and count to ten to keep my head from exploding. “It was your son’s birthday,” I clipped through gritted teeth. “His thirteenth birthday, Chris. That’s a big fucking deal. And you didn’t even
call him! You blew up my phone, but when I looked at his last night, there wasn’t a single call from you!”
“Shit,” he hissed through the line. “I… fuck, No. I-I forgot. I’ve just had a lot on my mind. I’ll call him and make it right.”
“There’s nothing to make right. You can’t make something like forgetting your son’s birthday right! But it doesn’t matter anyway. Apparently he’s gotten used to you being a worthless sack of shit, so he wasn’t all that disappointed.”
“You mind cutting me some slack here? Things haven’t exactly been easy for me since the divorce, Nona.”
I didn’t want to hear his sob story. If things were hard for him, it was his own doing. One thing Chris never learned in all the years I’d known him was that things didn’t just fall into your lap simply because you wanted them. You had to work for it, and that was a concept he never understood. “I’m busy. Tell me what’s so important that you’ve been blowing up my phone so I can get back to work.”
“I, well…,” he hemmed and hawed, testing my already limited patience. “I’m gonna need to miss my next couple of weekends with the kids.”
A bark of caustic laughter burst from my chest. “Why am I not surprised?”
“And I need to ask you a favor.” At that, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, because a favor from Chris was never a good thing. “I need to borrow some money. I’ll pay you back,” he added on a rush. “I’m just in a bind right now. I’ve got nowhere else to turn.”
“Of course you are,” I deadpanned. “Exactly how much are we talking here?”
I was met with silence, then “Fifteen grand.”
My mouth dropped so wide the hinge of my jaw ached, and my legs buckled in shock. “You’re joking,” I whispered in consternation, having to grab hold of one of the shelves to stay on me feet. “Please, god, tell me you’re joking.”
“I’ll pay you back.”
“How?” I cried. “How could you possibly pay me that much money back?”
“I don’t know, okay!” he shouted through the line. “I don’t know, I just will!”
The Best of Me: a Hope Valley novel Page 16
