15. Oliver
Oliver
I watched through the thick glass as Trinity got to her feet and came to the door.
I’d just hand her the bag and be done with it.
She’d made it clear earlier that she thought last night was a mistake.
But when she opened the door and met my gaze with those penetrating green eyes, my resolve softened.
“Hey, do you need something?” She looked up at me, probably wondering why I couldn’t take a hint.
I held out the bag. “I think you left this last night.”
“Oh, thanks. I thought maybe I’d dropped it while I was running errands yesterday.” She reached for the bag.
I should go. Turn around and retreat to the sanctity of my apartment where I’d be insulated from another frosty rejection. “I guess I’ll see you around then.”
“Do you want to come in?” She pulled the door open another few inches, making room for me to pass through.
Every part of me seemed to resist. Except for my feet which carried me through the door.
The heavy door closed with a thud behind me. “About earlier…”
“Yeah?” I turned to face her.
“I’m sorry. I was surprised to see you at the diner.” She moved back to where she’d been sitting and picked a notebook up off the ground. “I could have handled that better.”
Resting a hand on the smooth surface of the antique wooden bar top, I shook my head. “It’s fine. You regret last night. Don’t worry, it won’t happen again.”
“No, that’s not it.” A line creased her forehead.
I wanted to reach out, smooth over it with my thumb. Instead, I shifted my weight from one foot to the next while I waited for her to go on.
“I’m not used to…” She set the bag and notebook on the bar.
“What?” My voice came out soft and gentle. I wanted to know what she was thinking, although I couldn’t figure out why it was so important to me. Letting her get under my skin would only make things harder in the long run.
She lifted her head. Her gaze met mine. A hint of vulnerability shone in the depths of her eyes. “I’m not used to getting involved with people I can’t get away from.”
The words hung between us. I wasn’t sure how to react without pissing her off or scaring her away. “Well, we’re not exactly involved. And it looks like I’ll be headed home in another month, so you don’t need to worry about having to get away from me.”
Her shoulders drooped. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“How do you mean it, Trinity?" Trying to keep up with her mood swings felt like watching a ping pong match. "You drag me on what I think is a date only to end up at your parents’ house. Then show up at my place last night after making it pretty clear you’re not looking for any kind of involvement. And then?—”
“I know what happened next”—she put her hand up to silence me—“I was there, remember?”
I took a step closer. “Yeah, I remember.” I couldn’t get it out of my head: the way she arched into me, the way her skin felt under my palm, the way she bit her lip as she’d come undone.
“I’m sorry. Maybe we should start over. Forget about last night and focus on just being friends.” Her eyes sparkled as she thrust her hand at me. “Hi, I’m Trinity.”
“You really think that’s going to change things?” I glanced toward my shoes, shaking my head.
“What have we got to lose? I could use a friendly neighbor.”
Neighbors. Sure, I could do the neighbor thing. Or at least give it a shot. “Fine. Hi, Trinity. I’m fucked.”
“At least try.” She gave me a playful poke in the stomach.
I grabbed her hand in mine. The same electric pulse thrummed between us. “Nice to meet you, neighbor.”
“That’s not so bad, is it?” A tentative smile turned the corners of her mouth up.
Not so bad at all. Maybe a friendly neighbor was just what I needed. If she didn’t want to explore anything more, that would make my life a hell of a lot easier.
As I slid my hand away from hers, I glanced around. “So what are you working on?”
She reached for the notebook. “Trying to come up with a name for the place. Want to help?”
“Creativity isn’t really my thing. Unless I’m coming up with a new drink. What do you have so far?” I peered over her shoulder at the curvy script scrawled across the page.
“The Artists’ Haven.”
“Not bad. Kind of safe though, don’t you think?”
She turned to face me. “Safe? What do you mean by that?”
“I mean it’s kind of vanilla. And you… hell, you’re anything but vanilla.” My gaze raked over her.
Her cheeks took on a tinge of pink. “So help me come up with something a little more daring?”
Pacing across the worn wooden planks, I rubbed my hand over my chin. “What kind of art are you going to feature?”
“Everything. I’m open to just about anything.”
“So no limits?”
She cocked her head and lowered her lids. Damn if that look didn’t make me think about just how open she’d been last night. A spark of desire ignited in my gut. Not going to go there anymore. I moved across the room, farther away from where she still stood at the bar.
“I like it. No Limits Gallery. Or even just No Limits and leave it open ended.” Nodding, she scribbled something in her notebook.
“Is that the one?” I asked.
“Yeah, I think it is. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. I’d better get back home. I’ve got some work to finish up.” I moved toward the door.
She crossed the space between us and met me there. “I owe you one.”
“Don’t worry about it. Just being neighborly.”
We reached for the doorknob at the same time, bumping hands. She backed off, letting me close my fingers around the knob.
“How about dinner later to pay you back for coming up with my business name?” she asked.
“Trinity, I don’t think that’s such?—”
“I’m talking takeout. I’ll order some Chinese and we can sit on the floor.” She lifted her shoulders. “Just a small way of saying thanks.”
I didn’t have plans. It’s not like I was going to have a better alternative. “Fine. As long as you get Kung Pao Chicken.”
“You like it spicy, huh?”
“The hotter the better.”
Her eyes widened a bit as she realized the double entendre. “Get out of here. Seven o’clock. I’ll bring the dinner, you bring the beer?”
“Deal.” I didn’t bother with a handshake.
It wouldn’t do any good to touch her again.
The feel of her palm against mine had been seared into my memory.
No matter how much she wanted to pretend we were nothing but neighbors, nothing but two adults being friendly, I couldn’t shut down the kind of heat she’d stirred up inside.
Rather than walk around the outside of the building to the stairs in back, I decided to cut through Tapped to get back to my apartment upstairs.
I left the sunny day behind me as I stepped inside the dark interior of the bar.
Even though we shared the same building, the vibe on this side radically contrasted with the bright open space next door.
“Hey, Oliver. Got a sec?” Wyatt stood behind the bar.
I nodded as I crossed the room.
“Let’s chat in the office.” Wyatt gestured toward the back hall.
I followed, waiting for my boss to crack a joke about the offer he’d made last night. Even as I settled into the chair facing the desk, I expected him to downplay the conversation.
Instead, he kicked his feet up on the desk. “You think about what we talked about last night?”
Bracing my forearms on my thighs, I leaned toward the desk. “You’re serious?”
“Hell yeah. Without the space next door, I’m dead in the water. I don’t have a choice.”
I let my head hang down. I studied my shoelaces as I contemplated how to respond to Wyatt’s offer. How could I live with myself if I took active steps to shut Trinity down?
“Well?” Wyatt prodded.
“I can’t, man.” I stood. “I’m sorry, but I don’t play that way. I hate to say it, but you had your chance at buying the building. You should have taken it while you could.”
Wyatt nodded, the picture of calm resignation, completely opposite to the reaction I expected. Something didn’t add up.
“I’m not going to be able to help you.” I restated my decision. I wanted to be one-hundred percent sure that Wyatt got the message. Loud and clear.
“You’re positive about that?” He asked as he examined his nails.
“Yeah. I’m out.”
The silence dragged on. I waited for some sign of acknowledgement. When it didn’t come, I gave up. "I’ve got things to do. I’ll catch you later.”
Wyatt nodded. “So there’s nothing I could say or do that might make you reconsider?”
What the hell kind of game was he playing? I shrugged. “No.”
A sly grin spread over Wyatt’s face. “What if I brought up the idea of a partnership?”
Was he for real? “What are you talking about?”
“You, me, Tapped.” He stood, sending the chair rattling back to bump against the wall. “Seventy-thirty split. I cover the visa, you can stay in the country, you get part ownership in my bar.”
“Why?” I spread my arms wide. “Why do you need me? Why not just take care of things yourself?”
“If things went south, I’d be the first person they’d suspect. But you… what reason would you have to scare off the girl next door? Once I get the building, we form a new company as partners.”
I opened my mouth to protest but couldn’t seem to get the words out. No. My answer was still no. I couldn’t reach my goals by sinking down to Wyatt’s level. I shook the idea out of my head. No matter how much the idea of staying in the States appealed to me, I couldn’t be part of Wyatt’s plan.
“Sixty-forty split, final offer.” Wyatt held out his hand.
Dammit. Forty percent ownership of Tapped. A work visa that would give me an excuse to not have to go home. My parents wouldn’t be able to argue with that. Before I could let myself think about how Trinity might fare, I reached for Wyatt’s hand.
“You’re not going to regret this, my man.” Wyatt pumped my hand up and down.
It wasn’t too late. I could back out, tell him I’d changed my mind. But instead, I let go of Wyatt’s hand and tucked my thumbs through my belt loops. Something gnawed at my gut. Probably my conscience. How would I be able to go through with it?
“So when will you start?” Wyatt pulled his chair back toward the desk and perched on the edge of his seat. “I’d suggest doing something small. Gauge her reaction then amp up your efforts if necessary.”
I nodded.
“Do you have plans to see her again?”
“Tonight.” I ran a hand through my hair, picturing us sitting down with chopsticks to eat our Kung Pao Chicken while I plotted against her the entire time.
“Good. The sooner we get her out of there, the sooner we can get started building Tapped into the brand it’s meant to be.
Hell, we might even look into franchising if the concept takes off.
That’s where the real money is.” Wyatt nodded to himself as he gathered some papers into a pile.
“I’ll get my attorney to work up the agreement. ”
“Sounds good.”
“I’ve gotta say, I didn’t think you’d go for it.” Wyatt clucked his tongue. “But I’m glad you did. It’s going to be a pleasure doing business with you… partner.”
I stared at him, the weight of the world pressing on my chest. I didn’t respond, just ducked out of the office and headed toward the stairs that would take me up to my apartment.
I’d either just made a brilliant move or the dumbest mistake of my life.
Only time would tell, and at that moment time wasn’t on my side.
I had to come up with some sort of idea for my first move to force Trinity out.
Something simple, just to see how she’d respond.
She didn’t seem like the kind who’d give up easily.
Hopefully, for her sake, she’d prove me wrong.