by Jen Talty
His laugh filled her ears, sending warmth throughout her body.
She resented the way he made her feel because she knew it wasn’t real. A woman would have to be dead not to find him attractive, but he would be a rebound experience. No. Worse. He’d be revenge to toss in everyone’s face. That’s the one thing she decided he was right about. She’d never gotten over the betrayals in her life and she was a walking time bomb, which meant dealing with it so she didn’t do something crazy.
Which meant no rebound, no matter how awkwardly adorable he was.
“This is my buddy, Cade Nash.”
“Are you a police officer too?” she asked.
“I’m a fireman.”
“That’s cool,” she said.
“I met your grandfather a few times. Stand up guy. Was very sorry to hear about his death” Cade took her hand and kissed it.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Cade and some of his fellow firefighters will be pall bearers.”
“I really appreciate it,” she said, swallowing. All of a sudden, she’d felt shy. Something she wasn’t use to.
“My pleasure. Tristan gave us the details, so we’ll be ready tomorrow morning.”
Tristan pointed to a table in the back already occupied by two men and a female. “I hope you don’t mind dining with Cade and a couple other friends of mine.”
What was she going to do? Say no? Her heart beat faster. She didn’t want to ask a favor in front of his friends, which is why she’d been disappointed they weren’t’ alone. “Not a problem. It would be nice to meet more people around here. Maybe one of them can help me find a job.”
“Well, we’re being joined by a fellow trooper and his fiancé who is an author/advertising copy editor or something or other. Maybe she can help you.”
A woman standing at the hostess station, waiting to be seated, gave either Tristan or Cade the once over. Both were handsome men, but Tristan had that something extra, so she figured the woman was interested in him over Cade.
Maybe pushing Tristan toward this woman would help divert her own attraction to the man.
“Brooke, this is Josh and his fiancé, Delaney,” Tristan said.
Brooke shook hands with a very sweet looking man and a knockout blonde with a matching sweet smile.
“Good to meet you,” the couple said in unison.
Brooke took her seat next to Cade, across from Delaney, while Tristan took the chair at the end of the table. “Cade, how did you know my grandpa?”
Cade took a swig of his beer. “There was a fire at the house down the street about a year ago. He called it in. But it was a week later when I saw him and Tristan having a beer at the Mason Jug and I joined them.”
“Did he talk about me like he did with Tristan?” She glanced at Tristan, who smiled, sending her stomach on a roll.
Cade shook his head. “I’m sorry, but not really. He mentioned you, but that’s about it. We mostly talked hockey.”
“He loved hockey.” Brooke ignored the tickling in her brain about why her grandfather chose to keep his conversations about her limited to Tristan. It was both sweet and annoying.
“Tristan tells us you’re planning on flipping your grandfather’s house,” Josh said. His hand looped over the back of Delaney’s chair. She leaned into him, hand resting on his leg. New love. Hopefully a lasting love.
“That’s the plan. I think I even have a contractor picked out,” Brooke said, trying not to stare at Tristan.
“You’ve decided to use Doug?” Tristan arched a brow, smiling.
“He seems to think he can do it within my budget, but it’s not a done deal yet,” Brooke said, smiling back. The man was irresistible.
“That’s good news.” Tristan squeezed her hand before reaching for his drink. “I won’t have anything on the note you gave me until Monday or Tuesday. The forensics’ guy, however, thinks the note was written in the last couple of years because of the paper that was used.”
“That’s amazing they can find that shit out.” Brooke smiled, staring into his captivating gaze, trying to blink, wishing she could turn away. “What about the key?”
“Doug has an antique key expert looking at it who thinks he can trace it since there were numbers on it, meaning it may have come with something specific like an antique lock box. But he also said it could be a replica, so he will be testing the metal.”
“The process of all this is fascinating.” Brooke tore her eyes off the sexy man leaning across the table, intently staring at her. She looked about the room, catching the same woman with short dark hair eyeing the table. Brooke still couldn’t tell if the cute woman at the bar gawked at Tristan or Cade, but she decided to use the situation to deflect her own crazy attraction. “Someone’s checking you out.” She nudged Tristan.
“What?” His face scrunched as if she’d just punched him in the stomach.
“A woman at the bar.” She nodded in the girl’s direction. “She couldn’t keep her eyes off you as we walked in.”
The waitress appeared at the table. “Are you ready to order.”
“Yes,” Tristan barked. “Ladies first.” He tapped her hand.
She gave him a sideways glance. But she knew what she wanted and went ahead and ordered. By the time everyone had told the waitress what they wanted, the girl at the bar had been seated at a table on the other side of the restaurant with two other girls.
“You missed a chance to go talk to her,” Brooke said.
“Didn’t want to.” Tristan turned his attention to the other side of the table. “Is everything all set for the wedding?”
The happy couple looked at each other and smiled.
Stupid young love.
“Nothing left to do but show up,” Delaney said. “ Did you find a date yet?” She winked at Brooke, which Brooke thought was weird.
“I’m not bringing a date.” Tristan tossed a napkin on the table.
“If you’d talk to that girl, you might have one by next week.” Brooke tried to give him her best smile, but by his narrowed glare, she figured she’d come off sarcastically.
“I think we should leave the poor man alone,” Cade interjected with a wave of his hand. “Besides, he’s my date.”
“Oh no,” Delaney leaned forward. “What happened to the girl you’ve been seeing?”
“Crashed and burned worse than Tristan ever could.” Cade laughed.
“That’s impossible.” Josh continued to find ways to touch his fiancé and it was starting to annoy Brooke. Larry had never been like that, not even when they first started dating.
“I didn’t say it was me who crashed. She made fun of my dog and her name. Not once, but twice and thought it was funny.”
“Everyone makes fun of Baby’s name.” Tristan shook his head. “Who the hell names a 100-pound German Shepard Baby?”
“I don’t understand why she’d make fun of that name?” Brooke stared at Tristan.
“It gets better.” He nudged her knee with hers. “The dog is named after Baby from the movie Dirty Dancing.”
Brooke covered her smile, but it didn’t stop her laugh from traveling across the room. “Seriously?”
Cade rolled his eyes. “It’s my mother’s favorite movie.”
“Awe, that’s so sweet.” Brooke patted his shoulder. “Did you tell the girl that?”
“Yep.” Cade tipped his beer. “She called me a mama’s boy, so that was the end of that.”
“You are a momma’s boy,” Delaney said. “Which is adorable, so screw her.”
“Exactly.” Cade pushed his empty beer glass to the side as the wait staff brought over their food.
“So, where’s your wedding going to be?” Brooke loaded up her cheeseburger with all the toppings, smothering it with ketchup and mustard. The smell of caramelized onions filled her nostrils. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a good old fashioned American Cheeseburger. She held the thick sandwich in her hands, studying and squeezing it so she could manage to
take a bite.
“At a friend’s house, just down the road. They have a beautiful front yard overlooking the lake.” Delaney had a voice of a school teacher, soft with a gentle firmness to it.
But all Brooke wanted at this moment was to taste the hunk of meat in her hands. She took a big bite and part of her tomato fell out the other side, but she really didn’t care. Closing her eyes, she chewed slowly, letting the tastes of bacon, cheese, lettuce, and all sorts of treats melded together in a symphony of perfection. “Oh…my…God. Best cheeseburger ever.” She opened her eyes to half the table staring at her.
“You got a little…” Tristan dabbed his napkin in some water then reached out toward her shoulder, his hand hovering as he stared at her chest.
She looked down at a glob of ketchup and mustard on her left boob. “Shit,” she muttered, taking the napkin Tristan offered, knowing she’d never get this stain out right now.
“I’ll be right back.” Tristan squeezed her shoulder. “Key.” He held his hand out in front of Josh, who smiled, forking over a set.
Before she had a chance to ask where he was going, he disappeared into the crowd of people gathering to hear the band. She gave up cleaning her shirt, and went back to eating her burger, being a tad more careful this time.
“Where are you going on your honeymoon?” Brooke asked.
“He won’t tell me.” Delaney said.
“That’s romantic.” Brooke scanned the room and choked on a tiny piece of pickle when she saw Tristan with a backpack flung over his shoulder, talking with the hot chick that had been eyeing the table earlier. Well, she did tell him he should go talk to her.
Tristan took a piece of paper the woman gave him and strutted back to the table, smiling. He dumped his bag on the chair and pulled out a T-Shirt, handing it to her. “So you don’t have to walk around with a target on your chest.”
“Thank you,” she stammered out, impressed he’d thought to get it, annoyed he’d smiled so wide after talking to some random hot chick. “I saw you talking to that girl?”
“Oh yeah.” He reached across her and handed Cade a piece of paper. “She said text her when we’re done if you want to have a drink.”
Cade took the paper and looked across the room. He smiled, giving the girl a little wave and holding the paper up before taking his phone out.
“Whoa, wait.” Brooke blinked. “You screwed up that quickly?”
“No.” Tristan laughed. “She’s not my type and I knew she was checking out Cade.”
“How do you know she’s not your type? You barely talked to her?” Brooke asked, stunned by the butterflies flapping around in her gut.
“I’m not interested in her,” he said, shaking his head. “Why don’t you go change and I’ll pay the bill. We can stay and watch the band for a bit if you want.”
“That would be fun.” She snagged the shirt, quickly covering her breast. “Let me know what the damage is so I can pay my part.”
He held out his hand out, helping her out of her chair. “Do you want another drink?”
“If we’re staying a bit, yeah, I’ll have another beer.” She let her hand linger in his a little longer than she should have, causing a long awkward stare.
“I’ll come with you,” Delaney said and she stood. “Get me another glass of wine, please.”
Brooke had never understood why women went to the bathroom in pairs. A few times, when out with friends or business associates, women would leave the table, staring at her, giving her the evil eye when she didn’t join them.
She followed the friendly blonde across the restaurant and into the bathroom, where thankfully, there was no line. “Where do you and Josh live?” Brooke tore off her shirt, rinsing it in the sink.
“For now, right above this restaurant until we find a little house we like on the water in our price range.”
“Lake front is so expensive.” Brooke held up her shirt, satisfied she’d gotten most of the stain out before pulling Tristan’s shirt over her head. She adjusted the oversized shirt, staring at the words across the front. “Not sure if having NY State Trooper across my tits is any better than a ketchup stain.”
Delaney laughed. “At least he thought to get you a shirt.”
“This is true.” Brooke fluffed her hair. Tristan had been a life saver in so many ways. He’d been correct in his assessment of her current state of mind, but this dependence she had on him had to stop.
After the funeral, she’d put an end to it. They could be friends, but not friends glued at the hips.
“Tristan talked about your grandfather a lot. He was real fond of him.”
“It’s weird. My grandpa didn’t talk about him. Well he did, but not by name. Considering he wanted to fix me up with Tristan, I’m a little shocked my grandfather never said his name.” Brooke folded her semi-wet shirt, tucking it in her large purse. “Though I did have a live-in boyfriend and wouldn’t have allowed my grandpa to even discuss the possibility of meeting someone else.”
Delaney leaned against the wall near the hand dryer. “Now that you’ve met Tristan, what do you think?”
“I think he’s a nice guy who took pity on a girl when she was down. He’s been very helpful.” Brooke leaned into the mirror and puckered her lips. “Have you met many of his past girlfriends?” Shut the fuck up, Brooke!
“Not really. The last year he’s been gun-shy.”
“Why is that?” Brooke leaned against the sink. Based on everything Tristan had told her about his past relationships she could see why he’d been a little afraid of jumping in with two feet, but she could tell having a long-term girlfriend meant a lot to him.
“Josh thinks part of it has to do with the loss of his twin.” Delaney lowered her gaze to her hands. “I shouldn’t have told you that.”
“He told me about his sister, just not how it happened.”
“Josh said something died in Tristan when she passed. Add in the fact he’s not the most romantic guy, says what he thinks when he thinks it, and he’s been told most of his adult life he’s not marriage material, I think he believes it.”
“Self-fulfilling prophecy,” Brooke said, understanding more about the man who had her stomach tied in knots. “I told him he needs to find a woman who appreciates his flaws.”
“She’s out there, somewhere.”
Brooke’s phone buzzed. She dug through her purse, finding it at the bottom. She laughed looking at Tristan’s text. “Seems Tristan is wondering if we are having a lesbian love affair.”
Delaney’s eyes went wide. “He didn’t say that, did he?”
Brooke held up her phone. “Men and their obsession with girl on girl action.”
“I can’t believe he texted you that.” Delaney shook her head.
Brooke waved her hand. “It’s hysterical, if you ask me.” She swallowed, keeping her smile light. No denying she and Tristan had a physical connection. The way his lips molded to hers like peanut butter and chocolate left her wanting more.
It’s only rebound feelings. It’s not real.
She pushed from the sink and took two steps before Delaney curled her fingers around her biceps.
“You see the way he looks at you, right?” Delaney asked.
Brooke took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “I don’t know what he’s told you about me, but I’m just out of a long-term relationship and I have so many problems that I couldn’t even consider dating anyone. Besides, I’m not the girl for him.”
“Are you kidding? You’re perfect him.” Delaney looped her arm over Brooke’s shoulder, hip checking the bathroom door, pulling them both into the crowded room. “But I understand needing time after a break-up, but you’ll see how perfect you are soon enough. Hey. You should come to my wedding. Consider yourself invited.”
Before Brooke should respond to the insanity spewing from the bouncy blonde’s mouth, she was standing face to face with Tristan on the deck of the restaurant. The band had started, playing a popular country song. She
leaned against the railing next to Tristan, watching Delaney drag her fiancé onto the dance floor.
“Where’s Cade?” she asked, trying to ignore the pull to lean into Tristan’s strong body. She’d have to be blind not to find him the sexist man in the room with his chiseled facial features and deep eyes. She glanced in his direction and swallowed her breath when he smiled.
“Over there.” He pointed across the deck to a couple dancing in the corner.
“Wow. He can really bust-a-move.”
“His mother was a dance teacher and rumor has it, he took lessons for years. He says he named his dog for his mother, but secretly we all think he watches Dirty Dancing all the time.”
“He’ll have to do the final dance at his wedding.”
Tristan laughed as he slid his hand across her lower back, hooking his fingers into her belt loop.
She swallowed. “What do I owe you for my dinner?”
He frowned, narrowing his eyes. “Don’t insult me.”
“You don’t have to buy me—”
He covered her mouth. “No. I don’t. But I wanted to, okay?”
She nodded as he dropped his hand. “Thank you,” she said as she rubbed her hands across her jeans.
“You’re welcome.” He took one of the beers on the railing and handed it to her. “This band plays here at least once a month. Probably the best one in years.”
“Do you want to dance?” She blinked a few times, pressing the long neck to her lips, wishing she could take the words back.
“I’m not much of a…Fuck it,” Tristan said as he put the beers back on the railing and took her by the hand, leading her toward the band. As the song winded down, he leaned in and said something to the guitarist, who nodded then turned his attention to the rest of the band.
“What did you do?”
“Requested a slow song. I can dance to a slow song.” He pulled her closer, his hands on her hips, thumbs rubbing slow circles on her waist. A country balled came on that she vaguely recognized.
Her heart beat erratically as she pressed her hands on his shoulders, eyes locked as they swayed back and forth. If she continued to stare at him like this, she’d kiss him. Leaning closer, she broke the mesmerizing trance by resting her chin on his shoulder.
