Tristan finished his own beer and brought back not only one more for himself, but one more for her.
“You’re trying too hard to impress me,” Faith said.
“I should try harder. It takes a lot to even catch your notice.” He took a sip. “But that’s what I admire about you, Faith. You’re the best at Van Doren. Even Cubby said that today.”
“He basically said I work too much, and I’m no fun.”
“That doesn’t mean you aren’t the best,” he pointed out. “As for me, I only pursue the best women. Women who’ve achieved something exceptional in their lives deserve a guy who’s done the same.”
“So, in high school, you only dated me because I was the best at something?”
“You were one of the smartest girls,” he said. “I wasn’t a slouch in the brains department, either. Don’t you remember calculus? We had the best grades in the whole school.”
Faith had once been proud of that, but for some reason, that accomplishment felt hollow right now.
“What about me as a person?” she asked. “Or these other, multiple women you’ve gone after because they’re ‘special.’ Is every girl just an achievement to you?”
“Oh, come on. You know what I’m talking about. I’ll bet you’ve been far intellectually superior to the dumb country boys in this town. At least my past girlfriends have actually done something with their lives.”
“I’ve been busy with work,” Faith said, defending herself. “I haven’t had a lot of time to date dumb boys, as you put it.”
“Whether you’ve had the time or not, they’ve all been beneath you.” He leaned forward. “You’re too smart for this town, Faith. You should be in a place with men who recognize both your looks and your mind.”
“Do you ever consider just how happy I already am in Chelsea?” She sipped her beer, laughing because of how absurd this guy was. “I’ve already said that, but you’re not listening.”
“I think you’re fooling yourself, and you really would love to have a guy.”
“Like you?” She smiled. She just couldn’t take him seriously when he was proclaiming himself to be her true partner. “I’m picky, Tristan.”
She was. It was a fact that Marie had pointed out several times to her over the years. What Tristan said about her was partly true. But even if Faith followed his advice and moved away, she wouldn’t be guaranteed the same contented happiness she felt in Chelsea. She’d only be chasing a possibility that somewhere out there was a magical perfect guy to be her match. That was too much change for her. She’d rather live a life of stability and comfortable routine.
Everybody in the bar started clapping. Floyd’s band had finished getting set up and warmed up for the bar crowd. Faith settled in the booth, sneaking glances across at Tristan as they both listened to Floyd launch into his first song. The band sounded great tonight. They played mostly ‘60s and ‘70s cover songs from The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Doors, and many others. She really liked listening to them. She also enjoyed spending the evening with Tristan, which was surprising. Every so often, he’d turn back around and look at her or give her a little smile.
She wasn’t about to disclose her entire dating history to him, but it was patchy at best. She’d tried dating, but nothing had worked out with hardly anybody. She was picky, right? Or, were her standards just so darn high no guy could meet them? She liked to work. Maybe it’d gone so far as to ruin her own chances for healthy relationships.
You’re only thirty, Faith. You’re not dead yet.
Nope, she thought as she looked over at handsome Tristan. Not dead at all.
After Floyd and his bandmates finished their songs, both Tristan and Faith clapped loudly. They’d sounded great. Then Floyd came over to chat with them.
“It sounded awesome,” she said to him. “We really liked it.”
“Good.” Floyd wasn’t much for words, but he had a twinkle in his eye. The fringe shook on his jacket as he invited Tristan over to his place.
“Yes,” Wanda urged as she joined them. “Come over on Friday night for pie and music. We’ve got plenty of room.”
Tristan kind of shrugged, not really knowing what to say. “I guess so, Mom. We’ll see.”
“Yeah,” Faith added. “Sounds good.”
“Great! See you two kids then.”
The bar was getting rowdier, especially after ordering yet another free round. Faith finished up the rest of her beer and said she was going to leave. Tristan followed her.
Side by side, they casually strolled over to Faith’s truck. The beer had tasted good, and it was making her feel good. Her heart was starting to beat a little faster. Was he going to try something? Could she trust herself not to…accept whatever he wanted to do?
But he wasn’t saying anything. He just smiled, and he kept smiling as his limo drove up. Faith smiled a little back, trying to keep her knees from buckling. The limo driver got out and opened the door.
“Well, Faith, that’s my ride,” Tristan said. “You have yourself a good night.”
“Uh, yeah. You too.”
He got in the limo and drove away. Faith sat in her truck for a bit, breathing slowly, trying to calm her heart down. She thought he’d kiss her! But he didn’t. They’d had a nice time, though, right? She was confused as to why he didn’t try to kiss her. Then she got even more confused when she remembered she didn’t even like the guy.
Or did she?
The next morning, Tristan was honestly scrambling. His head was all jumbled, and it wasn’t from having just three beers last night. Ricky was gone, and for some reason, not having him in Chelsea anymore was just making Tristan feel off. As he drove to Van Doren, he kept reminding himself to get his head back in the game.
But all he could think of was Faith. The way she looked outside the bar last night. The nightly breeze blowing her blond hair. Her face in the light. The scent of her perfume as he’d walked by her. He was actually surprised he didn’t try to kiss her. If it had been any other woman in the world, he certainly would have.
When the phone rang, he was super glad it was Ricky. Give him something else to focus on.
“Yep, it’s about Mr. Eastman all right,” Ricky told him. “He’s in the hospital, so he gave the power of attorney to his daughter, Rebecca.”
“Yeah, so?”
“So, she’s not happy that we, as she put it, stole her father’s legacy. She called us sharks.”
“Ricky, you know we’ve been called worse. Besides, that’s a compliment in my book.”
“Even so. She’s planning on fighting us about this. She’s talking to some of the big lawyers, too.”
Tristan laughed. “She wants to take us to court? She’s got another think coming. Let’s put those Eastman Foods profits to good use and hire the best lawyer in New York. Get on that, Ricky. We’ll easily buy this girl off.”
“Consider it done.”
Tristan hung up and pulled into the Van Doren parking lot. This snafu wouldn’t deter him. Mr. Eastman sold his company to him fair and square, as Cubby would have said. Speaking of the old farmer, it was time to move in on him. Tristan had to wrap this up as fast as possible and head back to New York to make sure Rebecca Eastman didn’t cause any more problems. Even six days spent in Chelsea was six days too many.
All the contractors, builders, electricians, and plumbers were already dispersed and working on their respective jobs. Faith and Cubby were looking over the blueprint plans for their brand new offices. This time, instead of sharing, the CEO and COO would get their own spaces. Faith had some ideas about her new computer and her new office’s layout.
“You can have anything you want,” Tristan said to her. “As well as yourself, Mr. Brennan.”
“Naw, I like what I’ve already got.”
“I know,” Faith said, “but Cubby, you should have a really nice space.”
“All future CEOs of Van Doren would also appreciate it,” Tristan said. At Cubby’s look, he smiled an
d turned up that Booker charm. “I know you think you’re immortal, sir, but eventually, this wonderful old place will pass into the hands of someone new.”
“Not today, though.”
“No, of course not. But, I do want you to consider it.”
“Hmph.”
Tristan couldn’t tell if the old man would seriously consider it. But he had to. Every step of this plan had worked unbelievably well so far.
Getting Cubby to retire?
It was just another challenge for the ultra-competitive Tristan Booker.
Chapter 10
“Tristan, can we speak privately for a second?”
“Sure.”
Faith quickly headed into the office that she still shared with Cubby. Several contractors were inside, so she shooed them out and shut the door behind Tristan. Lucy came out from under Faith’s desk to greet him, smiling and wagging her rump. He folded his arms and leaned against Cubby’s paperwork-strewn desk.
“What’s up?”
“What’s up is you and your ideas.” Faith stepped closer to him, lowering her voice. “I don’t want you to talk to Cubby about retiring. That’s not what I had in mind when I agreed to this whole upgrading thing.”
She expected him to argue, and boy, she was prepared for it. She had a whole bunch of whip-smart comebacks just waiting to throw right at him.
But Tristan didn’t argue with her. He reached down and petted Lucy for a few seconds. Then he looked back up, his expression sincere.
“You know, Faith, I’ve been thinking a lot about what we’ve said since I came back to Chelsea. It’s made me think of everything that happened in the past, too. And, I’m sorry.”
She wanted to contradict him, but she couldn’t find the words. She’d never expected an apology from him. Ever.
He went on. “I’m sorry for breaking things off with you. I see now how it screwed up your life after I left. You’re right, I have been arrogant, and I’m sorry about that, too. I know you don’t believe me, but I don’t know what else I have to do to prove to you I’m trying to help here by upgrading Van Doren.” He shrugged. “I just wanted Cubby to take some time off because the man has worked for forty-five years without a vacation.”
“Well, he’s old school.” Faith took a deep breath. Tristan’s apology had unsettled her. “He doesn’t believe in vacations. It didn’t occur to me to suggest he take time off.”
“Why not? He deserves it.”
“You know, I want to be just like him.” At Tristan’s surprised look, she nodded. “I do. I want to work here at Van Doren for decades, staying in my parents’ house, being with Lucy, and having this Chelsea life.”
“Then I support it. It’s a great dream to have, and you should hold on to that. I mean it.” He still sounded sincere, which left Faith even more confused. “Thanks to the work that we’re doing here, Van Doren will succeed. I’ve done what I can to prove my help to you. You just need to trust me. I mean, look at Lucy. She trusts me. Why can’t you?”
The bulldog gazed up at Tristan with her big soulful eyes. Faith had to smile.
“I still think you’re impatient, Tristan,” she said.
“Impatience is a virtue. It gets stuff done. Otherwise, you stagnate.”
“That explains a lot!” she admitted, chuckling. “However, I’ll have to disagree with you there. Patience is better. People do things in their own time. Like, I’ve been patiently waiting for the right guy to come along.”
Tristan stepped a little closer to her. “In that case, I think you’ll wait forever. What if I’m the right guy? But you’re being too patient and don’t make your move?”
“Just because you’re smart and yes, attractive, doesn’t make you the right guy for me.” She leaned towards him, wanting him to know she meant it.
“I was at one point.” He moved even closer. “You should have come to college with me.”
By this time, they were standing so close to each other Faith could smell his woodsy cologne. For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, she wondered if he’d kiss her. She was almost glad when there was a brisk knock on the door and Darrell Thompson, the shop manager, came in.
“Mr. Booker?” Darrell cleared his throat. “Can I borrow you for a sec? Cubby wants you to oversee the renovations on the factory floor.”
“Sure thing.”
There was that smile again. Hitting Faith full force before Tristan casually sauntered from the room and closed the door behind him.
She pulled out her office chair and collapsed into it. Why in the world did she start talking about the lack of her love life? What business was that of his? All that apology stuff was amazing to hear, but it was empty words. She knew him better!
At the same time, she was running out of reasons to keep fighting him. He was being amazing to Van Doren. He really liked her dog. He was apologizing to her. He was even speaking to his mom and stepfather. His words might seem hollow, while his actions weren’t. Maybe she should just accept the obvious:
They were actually really compatible together.
No amount of additional convincing, even using rock-solid data on the iPad, was changing Cubby’s mind about early retirement. The old man just simply loved his company too much. Tristan pushed and cajoled and wheedled, but the old Booker charm was wearing thin. Not the desired effect.
Continuous arguing and disagreements with Faith were also throwing roadblocks into his plan. Of course, it just added fuel to the fire of his competitive nature and made him want Van Doren all the more.
Or, did he not care at all about Van Doren and secretly want her instead? Didn’t matter.
He even went so far as to lay on the apologies nice and thick! It was only partly true. He was really sorry they didn’t hook up more when he dated her. She was so good in bed, and he’d like more of that.
She stood up to him, though. She questioned everything about him, from his business practices to his dating strategy. All this questioning was making him doubt certain things, and that was totally out of line. He never doubted anything. He knew his data, he focused on opportunities, and he acted. No matter what Faith said, patience was far from a virtue.
Tristan headed out to the parking lot. Once inside his van, he sat for a moment in the driver’s seat, his forehead on the steering wheel. Life was slower out here, but more complicated. Things were simpler in New York. Competition was something he understood inside and out. Cooperation?
Not so much.
Suddenly, he heard a tapping sound on the driver’s side window. He was startled to see Faith standing there. She’d followed him out here. What did she want? He was even more surprised when she went around to the passenger side, opened the door, and got right in, shutting the door behind her.
“Tristan,” she began, “before you say anything, just listen. Look, I’ve thought about things. I actually think I would like to see more of America and even the rest of the world. I just haven’t had the chance. I work all the time, as you said. But you know what?”
“What?” he asked, curious.
“Cubby actually told me to take the rest of the day off. Things are going so smoothly with the upgraded equipment, I’m not needed. I’m free now.”
And just like that, Tristan’s confusion vanished. His old focus returned. Oh, this was good. Very, very good. He knew exactly where to take her.
“Then, may I invite you to a special new place to spend the rest of the day with me?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Let’s go.”
Chapter 11
She was expecting he’d take her to Ann Arbor or maybe even Detroit. So, when he pulled into the Winters Field Airport, that was unexpected. It was even more unexpected when she found herself walking up those skinny airplane steps and entering Tristan’s private jet for the first time.
It was incredibly luxurious and upscale, in a way that made her instantly self-conscious. She was glad she’d worn a nice outfit to work today! They took their seats across from one another, a
nd Faith had a wonderful view out the window. She watched as the plane took off down the runway and climbed up into the brilliant blue autumn sky. Her stomach dropped a bit and she gripped the seat rests. This was amazing!
Once they were airborne, a pretty flight attendant appeared and served them champagne. Faith sipped it, liking its light bubbly taste. Tristan grinned at her over the rim of his champagne glass. Lounging in his airplane seat, he looked more relaxed, more casual, and more handsome than before. She could take a picture right now and have it on the front page of Esquire magazine.
“Like it so far?” he asked.
“It’s nice. I’ve never been up in a plane before.”
“You’re getting the full treatment in this baby. Bought it a couple of years ago, and I’ve taken quite a few trips. Going private jet is the only way to truly travel.”
“Right.” Faith smiled. “The only true way.”
“Beats New York rush hour traffic.”
“Is that where we’re going? New York?”
“You guessed it. Thought I’d show you my stomping grounds for a change.”
“I’m not sure I’ll like it.”
“Hey.” He set his champagne glass down, then reached over and patted her knee. “You’ll have a great time.”
She couldn’t help blushing from his touch. It was hard to even try to believe him. In his eyes, she must be the most boring woman he’d ever met. Worked all the time, stayed in on Friday nights, never left Michigan. But years ago, she and Tristan had a lot of fun together. Some part of that fun-loving teenage girl was still inside her. She just had to let her out.
“Yeah,” she said. “Let’s have a great time.”
“Ooh.” He leaned back, suppressing a smile. “Now we’re talking. Time for Faith to go wild.”
“Hey, now.” She sipped her champagne. “Let’s not get too crazy.”
“Crazy is fun. And you need some fun.” He glanced out the window. “Nothing like New York to bring out the fun in anyone.”
Rekindled: A Billionaire Second Chance Romance (Lost Love Book 3) Page 9
