“I did not want to lose my damn case,” Abel grumbles. “I win. That’s what I do.”
“All right then,” Nick says dryly. “Pizza for you both and no more whiskey.” And this time, he doesn’t give me time to object. His arm slides around my shoulders as he sets us back in motion. While I can’t help but think that Abel and I oddly have similar reasons for drinking. He had an obligation to save a client that perhaps didn’t deserve to be saved, much the same as what I felt with my mother.
“How are you this clearheaded?” I ask, as we round the counter and Nicks pulls out the barstool for me that sits between his spot and Abel’s. “Didn’t you drink with both of us?”
“I drank a pot of coffee,” he explains, indicating the thermal pot on the counter as we both claim our seats.
“He drank his No.6 with you,” Abel comments, sounding less than pleased. “My bottle is beneath him, and for the record you better be damn special to score the No.6 over me.”
“Perhaps he needed No.6 to deal with my version of crazy today,” I rebuttal, with the full intention of dodging an awkward bullet.
He laughs and glances at Nick. “Quick-witted. I like that.”
“Until she outwits you, and she will,” Nick assures him.
“Game on,” Abel says, glancing at me. “You know this now, but to make it official, I’m Abel. Especially when I’m not drinking.”
I laugh, finding Abel, the official, or not so official version, easy to like. “You’re pretty humorous, Abel, especially when you’re not drinking.”
“A perfectly acceptable assessment,” he says, “unless it’s next week when I’m in court.”
“Ah well,” I say. “You might not be funny at all. I’m pretty sure I’m easily amused right now considering my alcohol intolerance.”
“That’s a horrible condition, I hear,” he says, refilling his glass. “Thank God, I don’t have it.”
“As you can see,” Nick interjects. “He’s a phone book of bad jokes, sadly, even when he’s not drinking.”
“My jokes amuse people with a sense of humor,” Abel comments dryly, glancing at me. “In case you haven’t noticed yet, Faith, Nick doesn’t have one of those.”
“You know what they say,” Nick replies. “If you can’t be the good looking one, be the funny one.”
Abel snorts. “If you are inferring you’re the good looking one, then you drank more than I realized.”
Nick offers me his cup in response. “Drink this. None of us need to numb our brains to the kind of stupid Abel’s attempting.”
Smiling at the banter between these two, and also eager to put the whiskey behind me, I eagerly sip Nick’s coffee, regretting it as the bitterness hits my tongue. “Oh God,” I murmur, unable to control the intense grimace on my face. “That is horrible.” Both men laugh fairly ferociously, and I shoot glowers between them. “It’s not funny. That might be poison. I don’t know how anyone drinks that.”
“It’s called lots of long work nights and building tolerance,” Nick says. “You’d be surprised how good bad can taste when you need to stay awake and focused.” His cellphone rings where it rests on the counter.
He grabs it and glances at the caller ID, his jaw setting hard as he stands back up. “I need to take this.” Apparently, that translates to alone because he’s already exiting the kitchen.
“And then there were two,” Abel says dramatically, pattering fingers on the table, as if creating music. “Don’t worry,” he adds. “I do awkward small talk better than the average guy. For instance, I hear you’re not only an artist but that you made a big sale last night. Congrats.”
“Thank you,” I say, feeling a bit taken aback and awkward that he knows about my payday. “I guess Nick has been talking.”
“Bragging,” he says.
A warm spot forms in my chest with the realization that Nick doesn’t just support me when he’s with me, but even when he is not. “That’s nice to hear.”
“Nice,” he repeats. “Nice and Nick don’t really want to compute for me, but maybe it’s the whiskey. What are you going to do to celebrate your payday?”
Pay back Nick a chunk of the money he paid the bank, I think, but that’s none of his business, so I settle on a generic, “Pay bills,” I reply.
“Huh. A new car or even shoes would be a sexy celebration. Bills. Not so sexy.”
“Sexy has never been on the top of my priority list,” I say. “And paying bills is much sexier than not paying bills.”
“That’s true,” he says. “And I’m sure Nick will help you celebrate anyway.”
“He did that by being with me at the gallery last night.”
He arches. “And gave you a gift, I assume? The man is rolling in money, which I’m sure you know.”
A fizzle of unease slides through me. “I know he has money.”
“A lot of money,” Abel pushes. “You know that, right?”
“He told me,” I say, my discomfort growing exponentially, as does my regret over the whiskey that still has me feeling less than sharp.
“Did he?” Abel asks, in what feels like feigned surprise. “Huh. He usually doesn’t share details because, you know, everyone wants something from him.” He stares me down, all signs of humor gone now, his green eyes cold, hard, as he adds, “Do you?”
CHAPTER NINE
Faith
I blanch at Abel’s question, and obvious accusation, but recover quickly. “That’s direct,” I say, realizing what should have been obvious. He’s sizing me up, looking for the vulture in a butterfly’s clothing.
“Do you have a problem with direct?”
“Actually, I prefer it,” I say. “Namely because I dislike secrets. So, to answer your question: Yes. I want many things from Nick, but none of those things include his money.” I think of my fake friends back in L.A. that turned out to be all about Macom and his fame, which spurs me to add, “And for the record, I find the idea of a friend who wants to protect him, enviable.”
Surprise flickers in his eyes and when I believe he’s about to reply, Nick reappears. “What’s enviable?” he asks, claiming the stool next to me again.
“My hot body,” Abel says, holding out his hands to his sides. “Which is why I stay single. I need to spread the wealth.” The doorbell rings and he is on his feet in an instant. “I’ll get that,” he announces, already walking toward the door.
“He’s a piece of work,” Nick says, and we face each other as he adds, “But I’m sure you figured that out.”
“I did,” I say. “But I think I might like him.”
“Think?”
“I’ll decide after I have more food than whiskey in me,” I reply, appreciating Abel’s loyalty to Nick, but not necessarily his approach in showing it. “Do you two work together?” I ask.
“No,” he says, “but we run cases by each other with surprisingly good results, considering our fields of expertise.”
“You trust him,” I observe.
“I call no one a friend that I can’t trust.”
A comment that brings my little chat with Abel full circle. “Because everyone must want something from you.”
His hand settles on my leg. “Where did that just come from, Faith?”