His lips find mine again with a low, hungry rumble. I love his frustration boiling into my mouth, the passion lashing in his eyes as he rips away from me.
揑f I ever entertain this stupid chaste shit again, shoot me first,?he says, his hand sweeping my hip. 揑t has to be less painful than this. Definitely less brutal than the smurf balls I抣l be dragging home tonight.?
A few days later, I抦 in the lab, working on a frozen drink when I hear footsteps.
Troy stops at my side, wearing that pearly white smile that seems permanently riveted to his face.
揌ey.?I smile at him and return my eyes to my blender.
He comes over to the metal lab table I抦 working at and leans against it. 揑 had to see the campfire magic for myself. Cole insisted.?
揇id he??I try not to sound annoyed.
揧ep. I抦 just the bean delivery guy, but every so often I get a wild hair to see the final product. Especially the new stuff.?Troy winks at me.
揧our timing could be better. I抦 only working on frappes today...?
揥ould you mind showing me the campfire base? I抦 sorry to pull you away from your other work; it抯 just, you know what a hardass the bossman can be.?He makes an exaggerated panicked face, raking his fingers through his hair.
揥ell, it抯 no big deal to whip up a quick batch. Here, you can see it from the start...?I grab the blender, stick it in the freezer, and set up the grill. 揂ny particular drink??
揓ust the basic drip. That抯 the part you actually do over the fire, right??
揜ight. Kona or the Wired Cup brew??
揑s it the same process??he asks.
揃asically, yeah. With the peaberries, you use less flame and more time to get it just right. The home version brews faster because you can add more heat without burning the Sumatran and Brazil mix.?
揔ick-ass. I see you抳e done your homework.?He scribbles a few notes into his phone with a stylus. 揋ive me the Wired Cup stuff. No point in wasting precious peaberries for a demo.?
I get a pot going over the open flame on the grill and start the brew, setting the timer. I disappear for twenty minutes to my desk, taking care of records and saving myself from more awkward conversation.
But I can抰 stall him out forever.
When I return to my station, he抯 sitting in my seat by the grill and looks up. 揝o, you and Cole really hit it off like a house on fire back in Hawaii, yeah??
I blush, but I don抰 dare confirm or deny it.
Just because Troy knows doesn抰 mean it抯 open season.
I remember how much Cole stressed privacy. I also don抰 have any raging desire to get Troy started on our love life, even if he is a dear old friend of the man I抦 dating.
He shoots me that too-wide grin again. 揜elax, Badger Lady. You don抰 have to kiss and tell. It抯 all safe here among friends.?
I frown. Hearing that silly nickname from him is the only time it抯 ever annoyed me. I抦 not sure why his entire attitude rubs me so wrong.
Maybe it抯 because he抯 just too close to a mysterious past that keeps surfacing...
揝ay, can I ask you something, Troy??
揙f course.?
I clear my throat. ?..what do you know about what happened to the late Mrs. Lancaster??
He sobers up fast, that easy smile disappearing instantly.
揂ster??He scans the room like he抯 afraid of someone dropping in. Even though we抮e the only people in the lab, he still whispers when he says, 揧ou don抰 know? Well, it抯 only natural to wonder... Long story short, she killed herself. Everybody knows it, deep down.?
I gasp, rocking back against the counter.
Whatever I was expecting, it wasn抰 that.
揝-she did??
揧eah. She was...a good woman. Stunningly beautiful. Smart. Amazing head on her shoulders for art. She had a lot going for her before梱ou know. But she was also pretty messed up, mentally.?He looks away with a heavy sigh. 揚oor woman really had something going wrong in her head. Her family was all perfection, but I always knew there was something rotten in her life. It wore at her. It corroded her.?
Corroded? Interesting choice of words.
揟hat抯 awful,?I say softly, the only thing I can manage.
揧eah. Suicide is a hard fucking pill to swallow, and just between us, I don抰 think Cole ever came to terms with it. He probably thinks he抯 partly responsible for not keeping her happy even though she had an army of therapists.?He pauses, slowly meeting my eyes. 揇estiny was so young. I抦 not sure she ever totally understood it. I抦 just damn glad they抮e both finally moving on. For a while, I didn抰 think either of them would. They kept their distance from me for years. I think that big trip was a way of dealing with things for a lot of reasons.?He smiles brightly. 揌ey, you seem pretty close with Destiny, too. That抯 great. It was cute the way you made sure she had her phone before you let her join me on the boat ride.?
I shrug, forcing a smile.
揟hat抯 just what her dad does. I figured it must be the rule.?
揌as she ever talked to you about her mom? Just curious.?He levels a serious look on me.
揂 little. Not much. She only said that this was their first time back on the island since her mother died there...?I抦 downplaying that tearful conversation, yeah, but I don抰 know how much Troy talks.
He holds my gaze, something like hurt in his silver eyes.
揇estiny was happy there and I was damn glad to see it. That抯 her family house. Hell, the whole farm, really. The way they left it before this recent trip, I wasn抰 sure either of them would ever go back. But she had a great time, and she liked surfing so much, she抯 been begging Cole for a weekend in SoCal with her friends.?
揧eah? I wasn抰 sure how much she liked it,?I say.
揥hy抯 that??
揝he seemed a little apprehensive. Once she got going, she didn抰 hate it. But she mentioned how she used to be afraid of beaches. I wondered if it was a little overwhelming for her. I also got the feeling that surfing was almost like a way of confronting her fears more than any burning interest, unlike her time with the dolphins and turtles.?
揙h, damn. Wow. That抯 news to me. I抳e never met a kid afraid of the beach,?Troy says slowly. 揇id she say why??
揘o. She mentioned they found her mom there a long time ago. Maybe it抯 just the idea of being so close to that spot. Losing Aster so young must抳e been insanely traumatic.?
揊uck. She didn抰 see anything, did she??he leans closer, his face pulled tight before it relaxes into his carefree smile. 揝orry. It抯 still a little hard on all of us, sometimes, even if it was ages ago. I always thought Destiny was home with Cole when it happened.?
揑 don抰 think she saw anything. It抯 just knowing her mom抯 body was there...?
揧eah, sure. That makes sense. Thank God.?He mutters the last part to himself, nodding.
Huh?
The loud timer whistles through the lab, empty except for us. I wave my hand in front of the boiling pot on the grill.
揌ere we go. This is basically all there is to the campfire method. You need to make sure it always peaks around a hundred and eighty-five degrees.?I lift the digital thermometer in the pot to check. 揅lose. But we抮e not there yet.?
揅ool. I抳e seen just about enough to get the gist of it. If it抯 good enough for you, then it抯 good enough for me to call it right here.?
揘obody minds a shorter day.?I smile, feeling a little better about having him around.
揟hanks again, Miss E. For being there for my friend and his daughter, I mean,?he says, looking up from punching a few more notes into his phone.
I nod, mostly to myself as the man turns his back and starts walking.
揌ey, Troy, if you抮e this worried about him... Do you think he抯 over her??
He turns around and rakes me with a look.
揌e wouldn抰 lead you on, if that抯 what has you worried. He抯 not that kind of dude. Have you asked him about it and talked it out??
I hesitate, my throat suddenly feeling like cotton. 揘o. It just feels a little callous asking him to swear he抯 over his dead wife... I mean, it抯 not even my place to ask.?