Chapter Seven
“Hey, whatever happened to Joy Barbieri?” Cal asked while shooting seltzer into a glass for Nick and popping the cap off a beer bottle for Tristan. “It’s been two weeks and she hasn’t been back.”
“You askin’ me? Or him?” Nick jutted his chin at Tristan sitting on the barstool beside him.
Tristan pretended to ignore the conversation. Joy was a sore subject for him and Nick knew it.
“She worked St. Pat’s and that’s it. I still owe her for the day.” Cal wiped wineglasses dry then slid them upside down in the overhead rack. “I’d ask her folks, but it’s been my experience that I’m safer keepin’ away from Sophia whenever possible.”
Listening, minding his business, Tristan knocked back the beer then swiped his lips with a fist and scratched the side of his furry face. He hadn’t seen Joy. Hadn’t heard from her either although he’d heard plenty about her chat with Nick’s wife after their one and only night together. A night he’d thought meant as much to her as it did to him. Man, was he wrong.
“I’ll pass the good word to Lily that you’re lookin’ for Joy. Those two girls have been thick as thieves since she moved home. Know what I mean?” Nick cocked his head at Tristan as if waiting for a reaction.
Despite Nick’s latest attempt to goad Tristan into admitting it pained him that Joy never called, he sat like a statue and said nothing except, “Can I get another beer here?” He pushed the empty bottle toward Cal.
Although kissing-and-telling was never his thing, confessing to his best buddy about getting lucky with Joy had been unavoidable during the long workday, like two boys in the schoolyard. He’d kept the dirtiest details to himself but couldn’t stop gushing about the good parts. Mostly about how Joy’d made him feel things he hadn’t felt in forever, after all the hell he’d gone through with Stacy. For a minute, he’d almost believed he found someone to fill the void.
He’d expected Joy to call that night, if not the next day. But a day turned into two, which turned into two weeks without any contact. Her silence solidifying their one-night stand status.
But why? Tristan had no clue and was tired of beating himself up over it, wondering what he did so wrong for her to avoid him.
“How about you, guy?” Nick shoved the leg of Tristan’s barstool, jolting him from his sinking thoughts. “Have you heard from Joy lately?”
“Nope.” Tristan snorted in disgust. “I definitely have not.” He returned his attention to the beer bottle, making a project of peeling off the label in one neat piece, wishing he could light up a cigarette in here. “A girl like that’s outta my league anyway.”
“Don’t let the fancy wheel’s fool ya. She’s pretty much broke from what Lily says. Not that I wanna be spreading rumors but apparently her ex-husband doesn’t have a pot to piss in. His parents control all the money. And they were real shrewd, having the dude slip Joy a pre-nup the night before their wedding after getting her drunk. So, compared to that jerk, you’re a real swell fella. Maybe she’s just playing hard to get?”
Nick’s story jibed with everything Joy’d said so Tristan gave her extra credit for honesty, but it still didn’t make him feel better. “Maybe she’s not interested. Let’s just leave it at that. Okay?”
“I dunno how any red-blooded American girl could avoid falling for Tristan Casanova, with those sparkling blue eyes, that great head of hair, and the temperament of a lazy lapdog,” Nick teased. “Hell, if I were female I’d dig ya.”
“Looks like those ladies sure as hell spotted you.” Cal nodded toward the pretty patrons parading through the door.
“Whatever, guys,” Tristan murmured, unamused.
“What I heard from Lily was that Joy didn’t dig guys with facial fur. Maybe it’s time you shave the chick-repellent?”
“Maybe you should mind your business and worry about yourself.” Tristan massaged his manicured beard with a protective palm. “It’s my face and I like it.” Joy had said she liked it too. Liar.
“Well, winter’s over, Grizzly Adams junior,” Nick gibed.
Tristan responded with a playful jab to Nick’s kidney that make the larger man grunt.
Nick returned the favor with equal force, socking Tristan in the biceps. “Time to shed, or molt, or whatever the hell animals do in the spring.”
“Mate.” Cal smirked.
“You must’ve done something really wrong to turn her off if she hasn’t called. I’ll have Lily find out what her deal is.” Nick reached in the breast pocket of his flannel shirt for his cellphone but Tristan grabbed his sleeve.
“Don’t. Just forget about it.” He released Nick and regained his cool.
“Ya sure? It drove me crazy when Lily and I weren’t talkin’. The constant wonderin’ why she was so resistant. Not knowin’ what I could do to change her mind. Askin’ myself what I did wrong. But, like I always say, when it’s right, it’s right. Just gotta have patience.”
Tristan knew what he did wrong—he shouldn’t have taken Joy to bed. Shouldn’t have touched her. Just let her sleep on the couch and left it at that. But she excited him beyond reason, and it had been so long since he’d been close to a woman, he couldn’t help himself.
Now he regretted ruining a good first impression by taking things too far too fast.
Or maybe the round of casual sex spared him another full-fledged broken heart, nipping the inevitable in the bud sooner rather than later.
It didn’t matter now anyway. He had bigger things to worry about than a woman who wasn’t interested.
“I’m over it already. Besides, now’s not a good time. I’ve gotta focus my energy on being a father. I need to find a dependable sitter, or a nanny, or day-care. Someone qualified to watch Nicole while I’m working for you. Someone affordable while alimony drains me dry.”
“I already told you, I’ll pay your bills as long as you agree to be my partner. We’ll split the business fifty-fifty and then you’d have plenty of cash. Hell, Stacy’s gonna take half your damn pension after taking every other penny ya got. And what if you go back on the job and something happens to you? What’s Nicole gonna do without you? Stick with me and you’ll have more than enough cash to build a new house rather than live in one of my renovated rentals. You could be making three times your cop salary, if not more. And you won’t have to work nights and holidays. Seems like a no-brainer to me, but then again, look who I’m talking to.” Nick chuckled.
“I dunno.” Tristan shook the bottle by the neck, sloshing last bit of backwash. “My terminal leave ends in August, so I’ve got ’til then to decide whether I retire or not. This pit stop in Scenic View was supposed to be a temporary fix to get on track after the divorce. I was never planning on staying. Going back to Star Harbor will make it easy for me to see my kid on the occasion when it’s not my turn to have her.”
“Oh, quit it already, will ya?” Nick kicked the leg of Tristan’s stool. “I can’t stand the next five months living in suspense. Just make up your mind and take my offer.”
“I heard the town’s got a constable position open,” Cal suggested. “Can’t ya transfer?”
Tristan shook his head. “Doesn’t work that way in real life. Only in the movies.”
“Come on, T.” Nick gripped the edge of the bar. “My uncle left me with an enormous responsibility. I need you here with me. There’s no one I trust more than you—no offense, Cal.”
“None taken.” Cal refilled the bowl of nuts. “I’m not a handyman. I’ve got skills in different things.” He winked at a trio of twenty-something gals in business suits coming in for a liquid lunch.
“Whaddaya complaining for?” Tristan snorted, wishing for woes like Nick. “The old man also left you a ton of cash.”
“Yeah, well, with the cash came a ton of work, like the contract for the town’s marina expansion. I’ve gotta put someone in front of that project. Someone I can depend on. You’ve always been good at the smart stuff like math, money, and organizing. I’m better at swinging a hammer than punching a calculator.”
“What you do best is fighting fires. You were a captain. Don’t you miss it? Even for a minute?” Tristan wondered how Nick managed to change his whole life so fast and still recognize himself in the mirror each morning.
“Being a volunteer is good enough for me these days. Honestly, I don’t miss Star Harbor as much as I’d expected. Meeting Lily was the silver lining around that dark cloud hanging over me. She even stuck by me after your psycho sister tracked me down and tried getting back together.”
Tristan always regretted setting up Nick and Claudine, but at least his buddy made it out alive. Hopefully Claudine’s husband-number-three can manage to keep her bipolar disorder under control going forward.
“I’m just saying it would make my life a lot easier if you’d work with me, not just for me.”
No matter how much time passed, or how many new creases etched Nick’s face, Tristan only saw his childhood companion in those dark eyes.
“So whaddaya say? Don’t do it for me. Do it for Nicole. She’ll reap the benefits. Who knows, maybe our kids’ll take over for us one day.” Nick’s cell rang as if on cue. “Excuse me, fellas. My lady’s looking for me.” After a whispered conversation, he announced, “Speaking of kids, I gotta run. Tristan, mind walking home? Otherwise I’ll drop you off now.”
“Go on. Don’t worry about me.”
“Good. ’Cause I’m on the clock.” Nick checked his wristwatch. “Lily’s biological clock.” He smirked with a wink before darting for the door. Unlike other guys who stressed when their ovulating wives call for sex-on-demand like it was some kind of inconvenient project, Nick seemed to enjoy every emergency house call from his woman. Then again, it was no secret the man was anxious to start a family.
Tristan had the family. Albeit a dysfunctional, fragmented version of the happily-ever-after he’d thought he was signing up for at the time, yet a family nonetheless. Had he foreseen his life upside down he would have never married Stacy. But then again, if he never stuck it out with her they wouldn’t have Nicole. The vicious hamster wheel of regret was torture.
He needed to get off the wheel. Off the barstool. Off Long Island. Go back to Star Harbor to be with Nicole and begin a new life in peace. However the thought of being near his ex-wife, knowing it would reignite a battle he wasn’t in the mindset to fight, kept him firmly in place.
Cal swapped Tristan’s empty beer for a fresh one like a mind reader.
Besides having Nick to pal around with, the good thing about living in Scenic View was people being busy with their own baggage and business to stick their nose in his.
Especially Joy. The woman must be the busiest of them all. She never called like she’d promised; meanwhile Tristan hadn’t stopped thinking about her. He figured he’d have run into her by now, unless she was purposely avoiding him. Maybe their one night of passion didn’t leave the lasting impression on her as it did on him.
The flashback had him craving a cigarette so after paying for the beers he stepped outside and lit up.
The first day of April felt like early summer and was even warmer in the sun, so Tristan tugged off the denim jacket and slung it over his shoulder. Joy’s sweet fragrance had rubbed onto the collar that night but was long gone now. It was crazy how he missed her and he hardly knew her. Sure, he could’ve weaseled his way into her life through Nick and Lily, but why bother if the woman had no interest in him.
He stopped in front of Bob’s barbershop, now called Bellas & Fellas Day Spa according to the banner hanging in the window. Peeking through the plate glass, he hoped for a glimpse of Joy but only saw his hairy reflection.
Maybe what Nick said was true—maybe she didn’t like the beard.
Maybe he ought to find a way to get his mind off this woman. Something positive to fill the gap between sleep and work. Anything…as if it were that simple. He sucked on the cigarette then expelled a thick cloud of smoke, replaying the dirty details of St. Patty’s Day. The jingle bell on the barbershop door hurled a vague memory clinging to the fringe of his mind to the forefront.
What did they talk about that night? Christmas. In July. For Nicole. Decorating. He’d asked Joy for help. And she said something…
“Oh, yeah.” He jammed the butt in a sand barrel on the sidewalk as he picked up the pace.
She had a part-time job working in the Christmas shop in town.
Still unfamiliar with the nooks and crannies of this place, Tristan hoofed toward Town Hall to study the cartoon map framed in Plexiglas. He found the spot marked You Are Here and connected the dots to Everyday’s Christmas Shoppe on Scenic Circle, off Main Street.
Ten minutes later he was assaulted by the overwhelming scent of pine and peppermint as he entered the portal to the North Pole.
“Ho. Ho. Ho.” The life-sized animated Santa Claus wearing bunny ears startled Tristan.
“Ho, ho, ho, yourself,” he mumbled as his heart rate stabilized.
It was impossible to see through the artificial forest so he forged into the maze of greenery, following the faux snow trail toward the vacant service counter at the back of the store. Someone’s gotta be here if the front door’s unlocked.
Before he tapped the little silver bell beside the cash register, Joy emerged, wiping her palms on her jeans. “Sorry. I was tossing the trash out back. Can I hel—” She choked when she recognized him.
Unsure how this reunion would pan out, Tristan remained positive as he fought to control his anxious smile. “Hello, Joy.”
“Hell.” She cussed under her breath then cleared her throat. Wide eyes sparkled under the strings of twinkle lights dangling from the ceiling but her bright smile seemed forced. “Hello, Tristan.”
He ignored the tension in her tone and amped up the sweetness in his. “How’ve you been?”
“Fine. Just fine. Everything’s fine.” With her back board-stiff and eyes avoiding his, Joy didn’t seem as fine as she claimed.
“I never heard from you. I thought you might’ve gone back to Florida,” he lied.
“Nope. I’m still around. But I’m not working at Mr. Lucky’s anymore.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder, drowning out the seasonal scents with an intoxicating wave of sweet strawberries.
He gripped the counter, curbing the urge to stick his face in her silky web and breathe her in as he’d done that one night. “Yeah. I heard.”
“How’d you know where to find me? Or are you doing some early Christmas decorating?”
“I remembered what you’d said about working here part-time.”
Joy shuffled some papers on a clipboard without taking her eyes off him. “What can I do for you?”
“For starters, you can tell me why you never called.” He didn’t intend to harp on the sore subject, but it was on his mind, and he couldn’t stop the words from rolling off his tongue.
“Look…” She sighed. “You seem like a nice guy. I don’t want to hurt you. But I’m not ready for a relationship.”
“Me?” Tristan snorted at her ridiculous hypothetical situation. “Get hurt? By you? That’ll never happen, however I appreciate your concern. And nobody said anything about a relationship.” He nearly gagged on the word, which convinced him he wasn’t as ready as he thought.
Crimson crept into her cheeks. “Well, I-I just figured, after that night…”
“I gotta be honest with you, I like you. But I got a lot going on, between work and my kid coming to town. Still, I’d definitely like some adult company with you, although I’m not ready to get soul-to-soul with anyone just yet. I thought we could, ya know, be friends.”
“Friends, huh?” A devilish gleam flickered in Joy’s eyes. “Just friends? Or the kind with benefits?”
A pang in his pants took him by surprise. He wasn’t about to say it, but since she had, he wouldn’t refuse. “I was gonna leave it at friends for now. But if you wanna work benefits into the picture, I’d never say no.”
Joy put her fists on the curve of her hips, lowered her chin, and glared at him with laser eyes. “I bet.”
“Look, if you wanna be friends without the benefits, we can do that too. I just figured since we’re both divorced with kids, we have at least that much in common.”
She sighed, shaking her head in doubt, but something in her softening posture and the dangerous grin curling her lips as she rolled her eyes to heaven whispered sure, what the hell, why not, what’ve I got to lose. “I don’t know, Tristan…”
He took her hand—warmer, softer, smaller than his—and a shock sizzled up his arm, bounced around his torso, before settling in his groin. Friends. Benefits. Whatever. As long as she didn’t say no.
“Come over to my place tonight. Bring your guard dog. If you’re not comfortable then we’ll forget we ever had this conversation. Whaddaya say?”
A smirk twitched on her lips. “Humph,” she expelled in deliberation. He must have piqued her curiosity in a positive way since she didn’t blurt out no. Narrowing her eyes, she half-nodded, half-shook her head, then mumbled, “Maybe.”