Sunkissed

by Traci Hohenstein

  “I haven’t had a chance to talk to you in a while, Daddy. I have some good news!”

  “You’re getting married!” Madeline blurted out.

  Apparently she had too much wine as well. Trista looked over at Riker. His face was turning all kinds of pink and red shades.

  Her father set down his wine glass.

  Nicolette laughed. She is thoroughly enjoying this. Trista had to wonder what if Nicolette had any idea about her and Riker. She was enjoying this moment a little too much. Something was definitely brewing in that sinister head of hers.

  “Not yet,” Nicolette finally said. “I bought the townhouse down the road; I told you about it. We closed yesterday.”

  “Well, congratulations.” Her dad raised his wine glass. “Salute.”

  Everyone clinked their glasses together. Riker’s face was returning to a normal shade.

  “I’ve rented the unit next door so I can oversee renovations. James has been helping me get all the contractors together to start the work.”

  “Is that what you do? Build houses?” Madeline asked, eyeing his muscular arms. “I bet you get quite a workout.”

  Riker choked on his wine. “I’m a bartender by trade. I have my Florida contractor’s license, but I just do odd jobs here and there.”

  “Don’t be so modest, honey.” Nicolette leaned into Riker. She turned her attention to Madeline and her father. “He could run his own business if he wanted to. Instead he likes working at the bar.”

  Riker shrugged. “It’s a stress-free job.” He looked at Trista; she could tell he was trying to get her attention, but she looked away.

  Her father must have noticed the awkwardness between the three of them. “Trista, try some of my lasagna. It’s meat free.”

  “Meat free!” Nicolette said loudly. “What’s up with that? You’ve never made anything meat free in your life.”

  “The doctor said he has to start watching his cholesterol and high blood pressure,” Madeline interrupted. “I’ve been trying to get him to start eating more vegetables and fruits.”

  Trista watched as her dad loaded her plate with spinach lasagna. The dish was loaded with cheese. Not sure how that’s going to help matters. She looked around the table. Had she been living a dream the last couple of months? Because it sure felt like it. Who were these people? Her dad showed up with a lady he just met—a lady who acted like she was already part of the family. Then her sister showed up with Riker, and acting like they were still a couple. Meanwhile, she had just had sex with Riker not more than a few hours ago. She had agreed to go to Key West with him. What the fuck was going on? She couldn’t take this anymore. Trista stood and picked up her plate. “I’m not feeling well. Please excuse me.”

  Her dad put his hand on her arm. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, Dad. I’ll be fine.”

  As she started to walk toward the kitchen, she heard Nicolette launch into a story about meeting with a plumber with the “worst case of plumber’s crack” she’d ever seen. Madeline’s throaty laugh filled the room.

  Trista dumped the contents of her plate into the trash and started to rinse the plate in the sink. She felt a pair of hands on shoulders. She tensed up.

  “I’m sorry, babe. It’s not what it seems,” Riker whispered in her ear.

  Trista whirled around. “Then please tell me what the fuck is happening here? Because it seems that you and my sister have a thing going on!”

  “Shhhh…” Riker tried to put his finger over her mouth, but she pushed him away.

  “I’m tired of all the lies and secrecy, Riker.”

  “If I remember correctly, I’m the one who wanted to tell your sister about us. You’re the one who wanted to wait! Let’s tell her right now.”

  “Now is not the time,” Trista said. “My dad and his lady friend just got home. Besides, it seems that Nicolette is already planning your wedding…to her!”

  He laughed. “I’m not marrying your sister. I’m in love with you. You know that.”

  “No, I don’t know that,” she said, still holding the plate in her hands. He took it from her and put in the sink. “I love you, Trista Carmichael. Will you please let me explain what happened tonight?”

  “This is not how I imagined it would be when you first told me that you loved me.”

  “It is what it is. I love you, and I want to tell everyone.”

  “So what happened?” Trista leaned against the counter and folded her arms across her chest.

  “After rehearsals, I went home. Nicolette was waiting for me inside.”

  “She has a key to your place?”

  “I guess I forgot to get my key from her when we broke up.” Riker shrugged. “Anyway, she asked me to go out to dinner with her. To discuss the plans for renovations. I tried to tell her no, but you know how persistent your sister is. I told her I would go to dinner with her, but this was going to be it. After tonight, she was on her own with the renovations.” He put his arms around Trista. “I promise you, that’s it. I didn’t realize that her idea of dinner tonight would be coming to your house and meeting your father. Apparently, your father called Nic at the last minute and asked her to come to here. This has been a little awkward for me too. How am I supposed to explain to your father that I’m not dating Nicolette but, in fact, in love with his other daughter?”

  Trista knew he was right. Tonight wasn’t the place or the time.

  Riker caressed her cheek. “I thought we could talk about sitting down with Nicolette together and telling her about us when we got back from the Keys. It’s time for us to move on with our lives. I’m tired of hiding my feelings for you.”

  Trista pursed her lips together in thought. “What about Madeline? She’s been staring at you like you are tonight’s main course.”

  He laughed. “As far as your dad’s lady friend, I’m sure you could take her.”

  She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him, feeling the tension leave her body as Riker caressed her back. She forgot all about Nicolette and her father and his lady friend. Everything was blissful for about twenty seconds…until she heard Sam clear his throat.

  Trista immediately pushed Riker away. Her dad was standing by the kitchen counter with an empty wine bottle in his hands.

  “Excuse me. I was just getting another bottle of wine for the table.”

  “Uh, Dad—” Trista started.

  “Mr. Carmichael—” Riker said at the same time.

  “It’s really complicated,” Trista started to explain.

  Sam waved them off. “It’s really none of my business.” He opened the wine cooler and selected another bottle of red. “I’ve a got a couple nice Cuban cigars if you’d like to join me on the balcony, son.”

  Riker looked at Trista with a hint of fear in his eyes.

  “Go ahead.” She pulled a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water. “I’m going to take some aspirin and lie down for a bit.”

  Trista watched as her father and Riker left the room. Riker turned and looked at her one last time. He mouthed, “I love you.”

  She blew him a kiss. Riker is right. We need to tell Nicolette as soon as we get back from the Keys.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  The next morning, Trista found her father in the kitchen holding a coffee mug. He had the newspaper spread across the breakfast table. “Good morning,” she greeted him. “Would you like some more coffee?”

  Sam raised his mug. “This is green tea. Another life change the doctor insisted I make. No more caffeine.”

  Trista looked concerned as she filled the reservoir with filtered water. “What have you done with my father?”

  “Hey, I’m not getting any younger. I need to watch my diet if I’m ever going to live to see you and your sister get married. And give me some grandbabies. Speaking of…” he said, eyeing her warily.

  “Where’s Madeline?” Trista asked, cutting him off. She wasn’t ready to discuss Riker. At least not without some caffeine running through her ve
ins.

  “She’s taking a walk on the beach. I told her I would make us some breakfast when she got back.”

  “She seems like a really nice lady,” Trista commented as she inserted a pod of Jet Fuel in the Keurig. Turning the brew switch to ON, she patiently waited.

  “She is a nice lady.” Her dad put down the paper and played with the teabag. “I know this seems sudden, honey. But I really like Madeline. After my health scare—”

  “What health scare?”

  “Now, it’s no big deal. I had a minor heart attack.”

  “What? When? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Like I said, it was no big deal. I’d been having some chest discomfort and pain in my left hand. Madeline and I were having dinner on the cruise, and I started feeling sick. She took me to the ship’s doctor, and he ran an EKG. Said he thought I’d had a heart attack. They immediately airlifted me to the hospital in Greece. I only stayed a couple of days. The cardiologist said it was a myocardial infarction. They inserted a stent. The doctor told me I needed to change my lifestyle, eating habits…well, you know.”

  “I can’t believe that I’m just finding out about this. Does Nicolette know?”

  “I told her last night. Like I said—”

  “I know Dad. It’s no big deal.” Trista sighed. She realized the coffee was done. She generously added a splash of cream. “Well, it’s a big deal to me.”

  “I’m fine, really. Madeline has been taking really good care of me.”

  “Where did you two meet?”

  “I met her the first night of the cruise. We’ve been together since.”

  Her father had left Florida three months ago to take a cruise around the world. His best friend from college, Larry, had talked him into going together. Larry was a widower, too. He had heard that cruises were the best way to meet women their age. So they booked themselves on a senior citizens’ European cruise, and visited such exotic ports as Greece, Turkey, France, and Italy. Sam had been reluctant at first, but when he heard there was gambling on cruise, he agreed to go.

  “I plan on asking her to marry me.”

  “What? Dad, you can’t be serious. You’ve only known each other for three months!”

  “At my age, three months is equal to three years. It’s not easy meeting women my age.”

  “Are you kidding me? Florida is crawling with older divorcees, Dad.”

  “Gold diggers, honey. I’ve been through enough of them to know. They’re all after your money. Madeline is close to my age. And she has her own money.”

  Trista blew on her coffee before taking a sip. Her dad was right. There were plenty of gold diggers in the area. She had heard about them firsthand from Riker. Riker’s father had been taken to the cleaners by his last wife. She was twenty-five years younger and on her third marriage. Riker’s father said that she had never walked away from a marriage with anything less than a half million dollars settlement. “Where’s Madeline from?”

  “St. Petersburg, Florida.”

  “So you’ll live here?”

  “Actually we were thinking about settling down in Boca.”

  “Boca Raton?”

  “The retirement capital of Florida.”

  “What about all the business you have here?”

  “Your sister can handle it. It’s time I handed the reins over to her anyway.” Her dad peered at her. “Unless you want a piece of it?”

  “I don’t know the first thing about real estate investments, Dad.” Trista sipped her coffee. She didn’t have the greatest track record with realtors either. “I do think that’s a great idea, though. Nicolette would be the best choice. With your heart attack, early retirement sounds like a good idea.”

  Her dad patted the seat next time him. “Now, tell me about what’s going on with you and James.”

  “It’s Riker, Dad.”

  “Huh?” her dad asked, confused.

  “He likes to go by his last name. Riker. And it’s a long story.”

  “We have time.”

  Trista sighed. “I met Riker the first night I came back home. I had stopped at the Liar’s Club for a drink. He wasn’t dating Nicolette at the time. As a matter of fact, they had been broken up for several weeks. But you know how Nicolette is.”

  “She doesn’t give up easy,” Sam said with a nod. “She’s a chip off the old block, as they say.”

  “That’s putting it mildly.” Trista pushed some newspaper out of the way.

  “Let me guess. Nicolette doesn’t know about you two.”

  “We’ve been waiting for a good time to tell her.” Trista told her dad about her plans to go to the Keys with Riker.

  “Take it from me, honey. There’s never a good time when dealing with your sister. Just do it, get it over with. She’ll be okay.”

  Trista said, “It’s been twenty years since I came from California to live you. She’s still not over that.”

  He reached over and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze. “Your sister loves you very much. Yes, she can be a little difficult and act like she doesn’t care about you. But I know otherwise.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Sam shifted in his seat. “When you were about seven years old, you came down with the chicken pox.”

  Trista nodded. “I remember. Itching from head to toe.”

  “Those scratches caused a bad infection. You were in the hospital for about ten days fighting it.” He cleared his throat. “We were all worried sick about you. Especially Nicolette. One night I went to tuck her in, and I found your sister kneeling bedside praying out loud for you. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. She asked me if you were going to die.”

  “Dad, that’s very sweet. But it was over twenty years ago.”

  “She cares for you, Trista. She always has.”

  “She has a crappy way of showing it.”

  “When you left for New York, Nicolette was in a funk for months. Unfortunately, she’s a lot like me. She holds a lot inside. She may not show it, but she does care for you. She loves you.”

  “She’s not going to care for me when I tell her about Riker.”

  Her dad got up and started to fold the newspapers. He paused and patted Trista on the back. “Everything is going to be okay.”

  The sliding glass door from the balcony opened, and Madeline walked in holding a large, red bucket. A smile beamed across her face. “Lookie what I got this morning. I can’t believe all the shells and sand dollars I found on my walk.”

  “Good morning, Madeline. Would you like some coffee?”

  “No thank you, dear. I had some tea with your father earlier.”

  “How about a nice hearty breakfast?” Sam offered. He started pulling eggs, bacon, and butter from the refrigerator. “With two of my very special ladies.

  Trista couldn’t help but feel love for her Dad. And she knew then that everything was going to be okay.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Little Palm Island was everything that Trista imagined. And more. The only way to get to the five-acre island was by boat or seaplane. It was situated just a few miles offshore near Marathon in the Florida Keys. They parked in a designated parking lot for the boat transportation to the private island. After checking in with guest services, the hostess met them with Gumby Slumber drinks, the island’s specialty cocktail. They took their drinks and boarded The Truman, the water shuttle to the island. During the ten-minute boat ride, Riker took Trista’s hand in his own.

  “What did you think about The Bar?”

  Trista thought about his question. After arriving in the Keys yesterday, Riker had taken her to his friend’s bar. It wasn’t anything spectacular and looked just like any other bar up and down Highway 1. A large tiki hut served as the main bar area, and it overlooked the water. Several wait staff delivered tropical concoctions to guests who wished to dig their feet in the sand and watch the sunset. Despite its lack of originality, the bar was packed with locals and tourists alike. After meeting Riker’s
friend and bar owner, Stan Hayes, Trista had excused herself to do some shopping while they talked business. Afterward, she and Riker packed up and headed toward Little Palm Island to spend the night.

  “I thought it was a nice place. The tourists seemed to love it,” Trista answered honestly.

  “According to the figures that Stan gave me, this place pulls in close to six figures a year.”

  “What about expenses? Hurricane insurance? Employee benefits?”

  “After expenses, The Bar clears about forty-five grand a year.”

  “Not bad,” Trista thought. It was hard enough for restaurants and bars to break even much less make a profit. Although living in the Keys could be expensive, pulling in forty-five grand a year wasn’t too bad.

  “You can swing that?” Trista asked delicately. She never had any discussions with Riker about money or finances. She just assumed that he lived on his bartending income and odd jobs doing construction work. Money differences never bothered her. It was important to her to make her own way in life, and she had always worked hard and saved her money. The last thing she wanted to do was have to depend on someone else to take care of her.

  “I have some of my own investments. Remember Club Aqua?”

  “That’s your club?”

  Riker shrugged. “I’m part owner. Twenty-five percent.”

  “I had no idea. What else don’t I know about you?”

  “I have a few real estate investments and have been lucky in the stock market. The money I make at the bar is just spending money. I own my house outright. I can make this happen.” Riker took her hand in his. “We can find a place in Key Largo. It’s only a short drive to Miami for you if you have to get to the airport and, for me, a short drive to The Bar.”