Chapter 11
Chapter
Eleven
TRICK
It’s nearly eleven o’clock, and Laurelyn and I are in our bedroom in the new house. We brought the furniture from my apartment since it matched the new place. The bedding and the mattress are new. We’ve given them quite a workout since we got here.
Laurel’s lying naked under the rumpled sheets, when I say, “Hey, I’ve got an idea for the house.”
“You with an idea for the house? You don’t say.” Laurelyn smiles, but her single raised brow speaks volumes. “The house is done. Get whatever other things you want. Unless it’s—what is it?”
Our taste in decor diverges pretty widely, so we had to go one way or the other, and a modern aesthetic won out because she finally realized I’d never come out of my study and game room if the rest of the house looked like it should belong to an eighteenth century Frenchman.
I did concede on a few pieces of antique furniture for the dining room because they were painted and matched the place’s color scheme pretty well.
No need to go too monochromatic or singular with a design.
“About the baby’s room…”
“Trick, come on!” she immediately protests. It’s the one place I’ve told her she can do whatever she wants.
“Hang on,” I say. “That’s still yours to decorate. I just want to show you something.”
She purses her lips. “Go ahead.”
“You said you didn’t want to go too standard, so how about a custom job with a nod to Ireland?
” I pick up my tablet and show her the designs I had drawn.
The wall paper for two of the walls are basically paintings.
One will have rolling green hills, the opposite wall is the sea with a couple of mermaids sitting on a rock.
Laurel shakes her head and smiles. “Damn it.”
I try not to smile myself.
“Yeah, I love this,” she says.
“Could do the carpet in sea blue because I found this guy…” I swipe to the next image. “who makes bassinets that look like old boats. You can hang a mobile from this mast. Maybe some sea life, turtles, dolphins to go with the scene?”
“Oh, wow. That bassinet’s beautiful. Is that hand-carved?”
I nod. “And depending on what color you pick, the guy says he can put either a brass or silver plate on the side to match. It could have the baby’s name engraved on it.
Or, I was thinking maybe just our last name in case we want to use it for more than just him.
You can think about it. I’ll send you all the specs and contact info, so you can see the different colored stains and pick out what you want.
” I shut the tablet down and stick it in the drawer of the nightstand.
“You know what else? You know that house you were renting?”
“What house?”
“The dilapidated one you lived in when we started dating.”
“Did we date, Trick? I don’t remember us dating.”
I chuckle. “All right. I withdraw that.”
“And my former rental is not delapidated. It’s just not brand new.”
I grin. “All right, it’s old and a little worn out looking.”
“Distinguished.”
“I’m gonna buy it for you. You mentioned you wanted to renovate it. I figured it would be a good project.”
“In what spare time?” she says with a laugh. “You’re doing all these things to free up my time so I won’t be too busy and now you decide I’ve got time to re-do a house in Boston?”
“We could get a property manager to rent it out until you’re ready to play with it.”
“To play with it?” she says. Then she smiles. “You want me to have a house to renovate and decorate to make up for the fact that this is a Trick house?”
Pretty much, I think, but I say, “This is our house, babe. You picked out the rugs, right? And those antiques for the dining room. Plus, the paint in the kitchen and dining room.”
She laughs and rolls her eyes. “I chose between things on a curated list you sent me.”
“You like the way it turned out, right? You said you did. If you get tired of it, in a few years you can redecorate.”
“Uh huh,” she says skeptically. Then she adds, “You have great taste. This house is extremely elegant despite how modern it is. I know my friends are going to die with envy as soon as you let me bring them onto the property.” She lays her head down and yawns, then closes her eyes.
We haven’t had anyone over except family so far.
I’m wary of outsiders because the house is enclosed within what is now an expanded C Crue compound.
There’s the original two lots that the crue castle stronghold is built on.
And now Anvil and I have both built places on adjoining pieces of land.
Fences divide the yards, but there are paved walking paths that lead to door-sized gates onto each lot.
I had some features added, like a small coy pond, a water wall, and a stone table and benches in the garden. After that, Laurelyn told Kathleen, “We’re our own village now. A C Crue village, complete with an herb garden and also an armory of weapons. It’s crazy.” Kathleen just laughed.
Our lock on Coynston is complete now, so we’ve bought the rest of our block and are slowly renovating and re-building it.
Miller’s renting a place nearby. Maybe Laurel will want to help plan the renovations for the houses on our block.
A lot of people like antiques and maintaining the historic feel of a building. I just don’t happen to be one of them.
My phone buzzes, and I lift it to check the message.
C: You hear from Zoe today?
My fingers slide over the screen.
Trick: Z doesn’t text me personally, so no.
When a couple minutes pass without a follow-up message from him, I text him again.
Trick: what’s goin on?
C: unclear
Another few minutes go by in silence, causing me to narrow my eyes and sit up.
“What is it?” Laurelyn murmurs sleepily.
“I don’t know. C asked me if I’ve heard from Zoe today.”
“Why would you have?”
“Exactly. The only time I talk to Zoe is when we’re all together or if she posts on the group thread.
And, as far as I know, since she’s been with him, C has never asked anyone anything about Zoe.
When he wants to know something about someone in the inner circle, he doesn’t screw around with hearsay. ”
“Do you think she’s missing?”
“No. If someone were missing, that’s a very different conversation. He’d have called, not texted, and we’d already be on the move.” I lean over and kiss her. “I’m gonna take a walk over to check on things.”
I shoot C a text to give him a heads up that I’m coming. He doesn’t respond, which tells me he wants me to come. If not, he’d have texted back that we’d talk when I got to the castle in the morning for work.
I dress and give Laurelyn one more kiss, then go downstairs and punch in the security code to let myself out. Admiring the landscaping, I cut through my enclosed garden to unlock the gate that leads to C’s.
When I get to the castle, I let myself in and follow the light to the game room where C’s shooting pool. He’s got a drink and goes to pour me one.
“Nah, just Coke for me.”
“Why’s that?”
“Not drinking tonight.”
“At her request?”
“Of course not,” I say with a smile.
When he gives me a questioning look, I come clean.
“I overheard her talking to Kathleen. She mentioned that she misses coffee and red wine. Laurel never complains to me about being pregnant, not even when she feels sick. I decided I don’t want her to taste liquor when she kisses me, so I quit drinking until the baby’s born. ”
“Did you tell her?”
“No, but I imagine she’ll notice eventually.”
“You’re a whole new man. Going home for dinner every night. Quit drinking. What’s next? New age music?”
I smirk.“No. She doesn’t like it.”
“Hmm.”
“I only do things that will score points with her. I like to be popular with my wife.”
“And that’s something you think you need to work at?”
“It is. I like things a certain way, and I’m pretty demanding, C. So I try to charm her the rest of the time. Plus, I figure I’ve only got her to myself for a few more months. I’m trying to make the most of our time before I’ve gotta share.”
“You like being married?”
He sounds skeptical, which makes me want to shut the conversation down. But in case he’s thinking of doing it himself, I go with the truth. “Yeah, I love it.”
“From where I’m standing, it sounds like a job.”
“One hundred,” I say, flashing a smile. “I’ve got that first anniversary performance review in a year. I plan to nail it.”
C tosses his head back and laughs. “Marriage, Trick style.”
I shrug with a smile.
C racks the balls on the table and hands me a cue. “How many days since you had a drink?
“Today is eight.”
“Surprised I didn’t notice.” As he chalks the tip of his cue, he looks me over. “Tough?”
“The first couple days I thought about caving in. Like any substance you use a lot, you want it out of habit. But then it gets easier, especially when there’s other, better stuff to think about. Like how great your wife looks topless.”
The balls scatter as the cue ball strikes them, and a stripe drops in. C works the table, dropping a couple more before the cue ball bounces off the side in a misplaced shot.
“Where’s Zoe? The New York apartment?”
“No.”
My shot is good, and I make the rounds, sinking several more.
C pours himself another drink. “She left.”
I look up.
He says nothing more.
I straighten up, so I’m not leaning over the table.
“When you say she left, you mean she left you? As in broke up with you?” I can’t keep the surprise from my voice at the thought of that.
Nothing looked off the last time I saw them together.
She was still throwing her arms around his neck to tell him she loved him every chance she got.
And nothing makes him happier than when she’s that way.
C takes a swig from his glass and nods. “Yeah, she left me.”
“Must’ve been a bad fight,” I say slowly. “Did a punishment turn too rough?”