Page 11 of Furious
While Tristan liked to think of himself as an optimist, he still kept both feet in reality. He’d managed parties and small conventions before, but as maître d’, he’d be responsible for the brides and grooms all day at one of the biggest events in their lives. They wouldn’t give that task to someone with zero experience in weddings. He was wasting his time.
Someone knocked on the passenger window and Tristan jumped out of his skin. His head snapped to the right, and he found Rain and Mason outside his car, both of them bundled up against the cold. Trying to catch his breath, Tristan unlocked the doors, and the two of them piled in, Rain beside him and Mason in the backseat.
“What are you two doing here? Not that I don’t like seeing you. Hello, Mason.” Tristan nodded, and Mason silently nodded back. Smitten once again, Rain and his kitten Mouse had moved back in with Mason, andTristan had spent Christmas with them, meeting the quiet and taciturn photographer for the first time. He was the polar opposite of Eve, and Tristan understood why Rain liked him.
“We’re heading to the photo store and The Pointe is on the way, so I figured we’d stop and wish you good luck!” Settling down, Rain looked him over.
“What happened to texting? Calling?” Tristan sighed.
“What happened to parking next to the building? Tristaaaan, please go inside and talk to Owen. I swear, you’re exactly what they’re looking for.” Rain crossed his heart. “Don’t make me go in there and get the job for you.”
“Are yousurethat the higher-ups won’t have a problem with us working together?” His current job had him leaving his guard up, so he couldn’t help his suspicions.
“You’re fine,” Rain snorted along with Mason. “Owen is practically married to his old assistant, Liam, and Finn’s brother is one of the new sous-chefs. You’ll be fine. More than fine.”
Tristan shifted, watching construction workers walk in and out of the wedding hall. A fire had ripped through the place months ago, but the owner had greased every palm available to quickly repair it. While the outside looked immaculate, with white stucco walls and a golden-peaked roof that shone like a beacon, the inside was clearly still being worked on.
“Okay, okay, I’ll take your word for it. Thanks for looking out for me, kid.” Tristan chucked Rain under the chin, his doubts shrinking a little.
“You got this, Tristan!” Leaning across the center console, Rain hugged him.
“Good luck,” Mason said in a low tone before they left, and their encouragement bolstered Tristan. Steeling his shoulders, he parked in The Pointe’s lot and headed inside before his confidence wore out.
The scent of paint and the sound of power tools hit him as he made his way through the foyer, following Owen’s directions to the office upstairs, where the door was left slightly ajar. Knocking twice, Tristan stepped back as it swung open all the way, and a blond, blue-eyed man in his mid-thirties smiled at him.
“Hi! You must be Tristan. I’m Owen Parker, the venue manager.” They shook hands. “Come on in!” Owen gestured towards the couch insteadof the desk and they settled comfortably on either side of it, but things weren’t awkward. Owen gave off a fatherly, comfortable energy, and the rest of Tristan’s doubts began to fade away; maybe Rain had been right.
“I saw your resume,” Owen began, talking like they were old friends. “But before I get to the job stuff, Rain told me you hiked the Appalachian Trail? That’s impressive.”
“It changed my life. I’d been wanting to thru-hike since I was a kid.” Always eager to chat about his adventure, Tristan leaned into the ice breaker.
“Are you going to do another one? Like the big trail on the west coast?” Owen seemed genuinely interested.
“The Pacific Crest Trail?” Tristan shook his head, not liking that he had to lie, but if he told Owen that he was planning to work at The Pointe for two years at most, then he’d be shown the door. “I got what I needed out of this thru-hike, and even if I wanted to? I had to rehab my knee.” He pointed down at his right leg.
Almost healed, Tristan had one more week of physical therapy, and he considered skipping it since Jax had stopped showing up. Tristan thought that he might be under the weather, but as the weeks piled up, Tristan lacked the motivation to go, somewhat sad that he’d never see that striking face again. Even though Jax still haunted Tristan’s mind, he figured it would fade with time, and to be honest, he was sad about that too.
“Ouch,” Owen declared with a wince.
“It’s rare to do a thru-hike and not come out with some kind of injury, especially after thirty-five.” Tristan gave a self-deprecating snort.
“I understand. I’m young at heart, but I don’t know about the rest of me!” Owen grinned, and Tristan nodded along because lately his joints popped and crackled like a campfire. “Okay, job stuff! Rain said you’d be perfect, and now that I’ve met you in person, I agree. I know you don’t have maître d’ experience, but Marci wants to train someone, and your hospitality background already gives you a legandan arm up.”
Tristan chuckled at Owen’s strange sense of humor; this was definitely not a normal interview. “I appreciate your faith in me.”
After a few more minutes of conversation and another handshake, Tristan shuffled out of The Pointe with a packet of new-employee paperwork in his hand and a job offer that didn’t sink in until he got to his car.
Driving to a strip mall up the road, he parked and cheered for himself, dancing in his seat. For the first time since he’d gotten back, he didn’t feel like he was willingly being caged. This was exciting, a challenge, and he’d get to work alongside Rain and some other great people.
And the best part was that he’d never see another micromanaging, nitpicky text from his terrible manager.
Picking up his phone, he unlocked it, about to call Rain, but then he stopped, all of his joy draining away as he read the five-word message that sat across the screen.
Tris its eve call me.
He never replied to Eve and blocked her number.
One of the things he’d learned from his thru-hike was that his easygoing personality was far too close to doormat for his liking. While he’d been raised to always be empathetic, to understand where the other person was coming from, to turn the other cheek, it had caused him to grow up without a backbone, keeping him locked in a relationship with Eve for almost ten years.
