25. Oliver
Oliver
I needed a roll of duct tape. Maybe then I’d prevent myself from spilling my guts to Trinity. We only had a few weeks left together. Why couldn’t I just keep my secrets to myself?
I finished the rest of my sandwich and threw the wrapper in the trash bin, then put the lid back on Trinity’s salad and popped it in my fridge.
There were signs of her everywhere in my apartment.
And I didn’t mind. Much to my surprise, I actually liked it.
I fingered the project she’d been working on.
Her cast on was almost there. If she’d just switch up one of the stitches, she’d probably have it.
Unable to resist the urge to fix it, I picked up the needles and yarn.
A few minutes later I’d cast on using the stretchy technique my mother had shown me when I was a kid.
She used to pay me to knit up scarves and beanies with the wool we spun into yarn at the farm.
I hadn’t held a pair of needles in years, but I supposed it was like riding a bike.
Once you knew how, your fingers always remembered.
All Trinity needed was a little help. But I couldn’t let her know it was coming from me.
I grabbed my phone and snapped a few pictures of the work.
Then I ripped it out and shoved her supplies to the side where she’d left them.
How could I give her some help without her knowing it was me?
I pulled up the website she’d created for the co-op.
Maybe I could send an anonymous email. I could pretend to be a potential customer with a question about a project.
The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to help.
Within minutes I’d created a fake email address.
She’d never suspect that GrammaGolden was me in disguise.
I attached one of the images showing how I’d cast on for the cowl.
Then I made up some question about wanting to knit a gift for a granddaughter and asked if any of the knitting experts at No Limits had ever seen the one in the picture.
That ought to give her some anonymous inspiration.
I was pretty pleased with myself as I walked down the stairs to start my shift at Tapped.
My good deed might almost make up for the fact that I’d been the one to call the city and report her sign.
Though Wyatt was still counting on me to drive Trinity away, my heart wasn’t in it.
It hadn’t been from the start. She deserved a chance to make her own success, and I didn’t want to be a part of anything standing in her way.
The afternoon passed slowly, giving me too much time to think about how it was going to feel to have to leave Newbridge.
Hopefully my professor would come through with a lead or two.
Something that would keep me in the States at least long enough to see Trinity’s grand opening.
Wyatt wouldn’t take the news well that I’d changed my mind, but that wasn’t my problem.
I never should have agreed to sabotage her in the first place.
I was almost done with my shift when Trinity walked in. We weren’t keeping things between us on the down low anymore, so when she got to the bar she hopped onto a stool and leaned over to pull me into a deep, long kiss. I’d never get tired of the way she felt in my arms.
She broke away first, just far enough so our foreheads still touched. “Guess who’s got good news?”
I grinned. Her excitement hovered around us, wrapping the two of us up together in some sort of magical bubble of happiness that not even thoughts about me having to leave could pop. “Who?”
“Me, silly.” Her hands clasped together behind my head, and she nudged her nose against mine. “My new sign passed inspection.”
“That’s great.” I pressed a kiss to her cheek. “We should celebrate. Gin and tonic?”
She let her hands drop and settled onto the stool. “You know I won’t turn one of those down. Especially not since I taught you the proper way to make them.”
“Proper, huh?” I reached under the bar and pulled out a tumbler. “Proper is the last thing I’d consider you.”
The sound of her laugh lightened my mood. “Oh, and I made progress on my pattern, too.”
My pulse skittered. “Really?”
“Yeah. The weirdest thing happened. I got an email from a nice grandma who’s making a cowl.”
“Oh yeah?” I tried to tamp down the way my heartbeat thundered through my chest as I poured her drink.
“She attached a picture of a cast on she was trying and wanted to know if I knew the name for it.”
I slid the drink across the bar to her. “And do you?”
“No. But when I took a closer look, I realized it might work for my pattern. And guess what?”
“What?” I rested a forearm on the bar and leaned toward her.
“It did.” She reached into the bag she’d slung over the back of the stool and pulled out her project. The needles held the cast on I’d photographed along with a couple of inches worth of work.
“Nice. Looks like you’re well on your way.” And none the wiser to my involvement either, it seemed.
“I am. But there’s still so much to do.”
“You’ll get it done.”
She shook her head. Damn, she looked cute with her mouth quirked into a bit of a frown. A tiny crinkle bisected her brow. I wanted to kiss away her worries, tell her that she ought to have smooth sailing now that I’d decided to tell Wyatt to take his offer and shove it.
“I hope so. I did meet with two artists earlier who signed rental agreements on studio space. That should help with making the mortgage payment.”
“That’s great. Are they knitters too?” The way her eyes sparkled as she talked about her business—that’s the kind of excitement I wanted to find for myself.
Deep in my heart, I knew going back to the farm wasn’t the answer.
But sometimes you had to put other people first. Seeing Trinity get closer to her dream was almost as good as reaching for my own success.
“No. One’s a metal artist. He recycles all kinds of material into awesome sculptures and art.”
A pang of jealousy twinged in my gut. I’d never been the jealous type. Hell, I’d never been a lot of things before meeting Trinity. “Oh yeah? Is he an old-timer?”
Her eyes narrowed as a smirk played across her lips. “Are you asking if he’s old?”
I didn’t like the way she cocked her head, like she knew I was foraging for information. “No. I just figured someone who worked with old metal might have been around for a while.”
“Mmm hmm.” She lifted her drink to her lips and took a slow, small sip while her gaze stayed trained on me.
“So?” I still wanted to know.
“So what?”
Damn, she frustrated the hell out of me sometimes. I placed my palms flat on the bar and leaned closer. “Is he an old-timer?”
Her tongue flicked out to swipe a drop of her drink from the corner of her mouth. “If you want to know if he’s hot, the answer is yes.”
My cheeks heated. “That’s not what I was asking.”
“Isn’t it?” Her eyelashes batted against her cheeks.
She knew that was exactly the kind of info I was after and now she’d use it against me, teasing and taunting me with it like I was some lovesick, jealous boyfriend.
Which I wasn’t. Not entirely. It was only natural to wonder who she’d be spending a lot of time with after I left the country.
“How about the other one?”
“Oh, she’s a doll. You’ll love her. She creates her own essential oil blends and reads tarot cards.”
“What makes you think I’ll love her?”
“She’s older. You seem to have an unnatural desire to stock my studio with artists of a certain age.” She tilted her head the other way, clearly enjoying the shift in conversation.
Before I could figure out an appropriate response, one that turned the tables and got me out from the hole I appeared to be digging for myself, Tapped’s regular delivery driver came down the back hall.
I lifted a hand, signaling I’d seen him.
“I’ve got to go sign for some stuff and stock the cooler. You staying over tonight?”
Trinity finished her drink and set the glass down. “I promised Macy I’d help her with a project she’s working on for her mom. After all these years of me trying to teach her, now she wants to learn how to knit.”
“Why the sudden interest?” Relieved we were back on neutral ground, I reached for her glass and tucked it into the dishpan under the counter.
“Her birthday is coming up. So now Macy thinks she can just learn how to knit and whip up a handmade scarf. Like it’s that easy.
” She climbed down from the stool and picked up her bag.
“Want to meet for lunch tomorrow? I’m expecting a delivery and if you’re really nice to me I’ll let you help me stock the shelves. ”
“How can I refuse an offer like that? Although, what does ‘really nice’ entail?” My stomach warmed thinking about all the ways I’d like to be nice to her. But they didn’t involve shelves or yarn or even lunch.
“Stop by around lunchtime and I’ll show you.” She put her hand to her mouth and blew me a kiss as she walked backward toward the door.
I let my head hang toward my chest as I shook it from side to side. No doubt about it, I’d be there for lunch. And hopefully the rest of the afternoon.
As I headed down the hall to meet the driver, Wyatt called out. “Hey, Oliver, got a sec?”
I stopped in the doorway to his office. “I’m heading out back to sign for a delivery. Can it wait?”
“Just wanted to show you something.” Wyatt got up and rounded the desk. He held something in his hand, like a business card. “Here, have a look.”
“What is it?” I scanned the card. Oliver Martin, co-proprietor, Tapped. “You had business cards made for me?”
“Yeah. If we’re going to be partners, you’re going to need a card, right?” Wyatt clapped a hand on my shoulder. “My attorney drew up the paperwork, too. Stop in when you’re done with that delivery and we’ll make it official.”
I wanted to put an end to it right then and there.
I opened my mouth to tell Wyatt what he could do with those new business cards, but I stopped myself before I could speak.
Trinity looked so happy with the way things were working out for her.
Didn’t I have the right to have something go my way for once?
So instead of backing out of the deal with Wyatt, I shoved the business card in my back pocket. “We’ll talk about this later?”
“You got it.” Wyatt grinned.
I gave a half smile in return then hustled down the hall to meet the delivery driver. I had some decisions to make, and I was running out of time.