Page 18 of Furious
“Likewise.” Tristan watched him head upstairs toward the bridal suite and then went back to work, trying to live up to the rumors.
Despite the pressures of the job, Tristan enjoyed being at The Pointe. He picked up new skills every day, and the energy at each event was palpable. To be honest, it was nice seeing people happy and in love instead of angry over their order or their table.
The money wasn’t so bad either. In a year, he’d have enough to thru-hike again, but he might be staying longer than that, because aside from the cash, the best part of the job was Jax.
Out of all the restaurants, hotels, and catering halls in the world, they’d both chosen to work at The Pointe, and Tristan didn’t know if it was luck or a curse. That stunning face had returned to the forefront of his mind, except this time it took over, and Tristan couldn’t resist seeking out Jax every morning. He had a vibrant, intense energy that made Tristan feel alive, but Tristan still couldn’t get over their age difference.
However, his doubts weren’t speaking to his libido because every time Tristan exchanged more than a few words with Jax outside of the kitchen,he’d wake the next morning with a yearning in his heart and an erection that could dent steel, feeling guilty as he took care of the latter in the shower.
“You should smash,” Rain declared at the end of the night, leaning against Tristan while they sat in one of the window seats. Most of the tables had been cleared, the DJ was playing the last couple of songs, and Marci was busy hugging the dozen guests who remained. It had been a long, successful wedding, but he had three weeks of running events ahead of him while Marci was on her honeymoon, so he’d feel pride once he got through that.
“Smash? What are you talking about?” Tristan blinked, confused.
Rain jutted his chin toward the bar where Finn and Jax stood, talking animatedly. Jax had shed his chef’s jacket, and in just a black T-shirt and pants, he was captivating. Even though the day had been beyond busy, Tristan had caught himself staring a few times, and apparently so had Rain.
“Jax?” He tried to play it off as nonsense, but he knew it fell flat. “He’s too young for me. He’s only four years older than you!”
“And Mason’s twelve years older than me, who cares?” Rain fiddled with his camera. He’d also worked Marci’s wedding as Mason’s assistant photographer, and he’d told Tristan earlier that he wouldn’t be serving at The Pointe for much longer. The exhibition had Mason in demand, and Rain wanted to manage the business and become a photographer in his own right. But right now, he was an executive at Nosy Stepsons Inc. “Do you like him?”
“It doesn’t matter. We work together.”
“Owen fooled around with Liam on the couch in his office when they were boss and assistant,” Rain scoffed. “You’ll be fine.”
Tristan’s eyebrows rose.
“You shouldn’t be telling me that. Besides, Jax might not be attracted to men.” Tristan knew the words were garbage the minute he said them, because the energy between him and Jax couldn’t be denied. He’d been playing their conversation in the parking lot over and over in his head, finally realizing that Jax had gone on a small fishing expedition, trying to find out if Tristan was single, and it had worked.
“He’s gay.” Rain pursed his lips. “It’s obvious.”
Tristan chuckled. “To you, maybe. But he’s also in his twenties.”
“That’s ageist!” Putting his hands on his hips, Rain scoffed again. “He’slike, what? Twenty-six?”
“And I’m almost thirty-nine.”
“You’re right.” Solemn, Rain held back a grin, his lips wobbling. “I should find an old folks’ home for you.”
“Stop it.” Tristan bumped his shoulder affectionately.
“I can help you out with him if you want,” Rain smirked.
Tristan didnotwant that.
“He wouldn’t be interested in me,” he deflected.
“Wait, what is this bullshit?” Rain looked at him as if he’d said he liked bugs on his pizza. “You know you’re a smokeshow, right?”
“Are you supposed to be saying that to me?”
“You’re also a nice guy, like, too nice sometimes, and you give off dad energy.” Rain’s smirk was back. “You’re basically the whole package.”
“I think you might be biased,” Tristan chucked Rain under the chin as Mason walked up, looking annoyed and exhausted. Tristan knew that wasn’t a reflection of the person inside; Mason’s batteries ran low at the tamest of events, but his talent couldn’t be denied.
With a huff, he sat on the other side of Rain, whose face lit up with delight, and the two of them instantly became absorbed in Mason’s camera. A buzz in Tristan’s pocket tore his gaze away, and he checked his phone, his blood running cold.
Look outside, tris.
The message was from an unknown number, but Tristan knew without a doubt that it was Eve. Was she at The Pointe? It had been weeks since the phone call, so Tristan had been hoping that Eve had either found a willing meal ticket or forgotten about everything; however, she’d just been biding her time.
