Misunderstood: In Love with the Nerd (The Miss Series Book 2) (12 page)

Her life consisted of parties, drinking, men, and fun.  And not necessarily in that order.  She didn’t have time to coddle a sweet and gentle man who believed women deserved respect and that everyone should be treated with the morals and ethics from which he was raised.

The door to the deli opened and Maura and Audrey made an exit, smiling up at Daniel.  They didn’t appear in the least bit surprised to see him.  She figured they must have been watching through the deli’s many glass windows.

Maura greeted him first.  “Hey, Daniel.”  Then shifted her attention to Sonya who was enveloped in his leather coat.  “Warm?”

Sonya narrowed her eyes in warning to her friend’s taunt.  “Yes, thank you.”

Daniel had only met Maura the few times.  Mingling with Sonya’s crowd was not permitted, but Maura, on the other hand, was far too nice of a person to snub him deliberately.  She had always made it a practice to go out of her way to be friendly.

“How come you haven’t come around the bar lately?”  Audrey asked with the slightest trace of a smirk in her smile.

He chuckled.  “I have the distinct feeling I’m not quite welcome.”

They exchanged smiles and Sonya stiffened.  “Daniel, your friend is waiting.”

He glanced back at her and she forced a cold and determined expression on her face.  She didn’t want him there.  Didn’t want him getting along with her friends.  She knew the instant when he had read her thoughts as an offended look briefly entered his eyes before he blinked it away and muttered, “Right.”

He offered the other two women a nod of farewell, shot an angry glance at Sonya, then went into the deli to meet Jamie.

Sonya noticed his deliberate snub and frowned at his retreating form.  He was angry with her again.  This time she was not certain for what.  But that old feeling of hating when he was mad resurfaced.  Tonight when she went over to his place for dinner, she would straighten everything and get their relationship back where it belonged.

That was if she was still invited.  He didn’t mention it again before he left and it was possible that he regretted the offer in the first place.  Well, that was too bad.  Sonya was going whether he wanted her or not.

“I’ll call you later in the week and finalize the details for the weekend.”  Maura’s voice drew her from her thoughts.

“Sounds good.”  She nodded absently then bid her friend goodbye.  Audrey fell into step beside her and together they returned to the bar located on the main street.  After finding a safe place to store Daniel’s leather jacket, Sonya searched out her friend.  She was in the kitchen filling a tray of clean dishes.  Picking up a tray herself, she joined Audrey beside the steaming glasses.

“Can’t I convince you to reconsider the long weekend?”

The girl gave a short apologetic shake of the head.  “I already told you, Tristan is short staffed.”

Sonya ignored the pang of guilt.  “But you’ll have so much fun and you deserve the break.”

“Truly, Sonya, it’s not because I don’t want to go.”  She told her over her shoulder as she examined glasses for spots before placing them on her tray.  “But my car is on the fritz again and I wouldn’t have wheels to get there.”

“You could pool with me.”  The flicker of hope lit her eyes, but the petite blonde simply shook her head.

“I have to work both Friday and Saturday night.  I wouldn’t be able to come until at least Sunday morning, but with my car at the shop I’m stranded.”

She frowned.  “I could always come back and get you.”

Audrey threw her a grateful look.  “That’s good of you but very inconvenient.  I couldn’t ask that of you.”

Her shoulders slumped.  The idea hadn’t really appealed to her as well considering the drive was a three-hour commute one way.  However, at the prospect of spending the weekend with Maura and her love-struck boyfriend, she was becoming desperate.

“Besides, didn’t you say it was a two bedroom cottage?  Where would you put me?”

“My room is big enough for the both—” She began but was interrupted by someone clearing their throat behind them.

They both spun around to see Tristan standing in the entrance, his arms crossed over his chest.  Sonya was awed once again by his flawless male aura.  Her smile appeared automatically.

“Have clientele moved into the kitchen?”  He gave them a gentle smirk but with a hint of authority.

“No, of course not.”  Audrey was first to react, quickly gathering her tray up to make a hasty exit.

Tristan’s teasing grin disappeared.

Sonya ignored her friend’s sudden show of anxiety and turned to their boss with a set of imploring eyes instead.  “Tristan, why won’t you let Audrey have the weekend off?  She works hard and rarely takes any time.”

His eyes shot to the topic of their discussion.  “She never requested it.”

Her frown was instant and she tossed an accusing glare at Audrey.  However, it made more sense.  Audrey was far too considerate to put her own wishes first.

“It’s an annual tradition.  My best friend and I book a cottage along the beach at Grand Bend.  I invited Audrey to join us this year.”

“Sonya.”  Audrey uttered, her voice quiet but edged with warning.

She ignored it.  “Can you spare her this one weekend?”

His eyes remained strained on Audrey’s downcast face.  “I believe she’s scheduled to work this weekend.”

The girl pushed past Sonya to cast apologetic eyes upon their boss.  “It’s all right Mr. Mann—”

His brow arched with what looked like a reprimanding scowl, haltering her mid speech.

“—I mean Tristan.  I had no plans on going.”

“You don’t work Sunday or Monday.  Why don’t you join your friends then?”

For a short uncomfortable minute the duo stared into each other’s eyes, then Audrey jerked herself away.  It was Sonya who cared to explain.  “Her car isn’t working.  If she came Friday she could hitch a ride with me.”

He studied the women for the longest time giving Sonya hope that he was considering the scenario and possibly in her favor.  At last he spoke.  In doing so, however, completely shocking both of them.  “I have a place up there and was planning on going up Sunday as well.  I can drop Audrey off.”

The tiny kitchen went completely silent.  It certainly wasn’t what she had expected.  The gesture was sweet and considerate but wouldn’t do her any good.  That still left Friday and Saturday night alone with the lovebirds.

“That isn’t necessary—” Audrey began, but Sonya broke in.

“That won’t do!”

He pulled his eyes away from the blonde to give Sonya an exasperated look.  “It’s the best I can do.  You already requested the weekend off from the moment I hired you.  That leaves me short a waitress on one of my busiest weekends of the year.”

She clenched her jaw and pursed her lips.  He was being unreasonable.  Maybe if she used a little female persuasion, she might get him to change his mind.  Sliding up to him she dropped a hand on his arm and leaned in close.  “Just this once?”

“Sonya, please.”  Audrey silently pleaded from behind.  The small hint of anger went unnoticed by Sonya.

Tristan stared down at the hand covering his arm and the provocatively closeness of her body.  He took his time surveying her completely, lingering on her bosom beneath the thin material of her blouse.  At last his eyes continued until they met with eyelashes thick in black mascara and fluttering in what she hoped was her best alluring manner.  Sluggishly, he raised his face and looked over her shoulder at the woman standing and observing them.

“If Audrey would like to have the time off, she’ll have to come and ask me for it.”  Then turning his gaze back to Sonya, gave her a wink before turning and left the women looking blankly after him.

Chapter 7

Audrey turned a set of glaring eyes on her friend.  “How could you have done that?”

Sonya didn’t feel any better.  It certainly wasn’t her intention to put her friend into an uncomfortable predicament.  She would have to go and clear the matter with Tristan.  His flirting was far too inappropriate for someone as sweet as Audrey.  “I’m sorry, Audrey.  I’ll go and talk to him.”

“You’ll do no such thing.”  She angrily threw down her tray, thankfully minus any glasses.  “You’ve got me into enough trouble as it is.  I’ll clear this with Tristan.”

She watched as her friend marched angrily out of the kitchen.  Sighing heavily, she wished Audrey well.  Though their boss was a huge flirt, he was pretty harmless.  If anything, he may tint Audrey’s cheeks a shade pinker.

Feeling selfish, Sonya didn’t care how Audrey convinced Tristan to let her go.  Just as long in the end she was allowed.

It wasn’t until thirty minutes later that Audrey finally resurfaced.  Sonya was actually beginning to worry.  It wasn’t her intention to get her friend into trouble and she knew Audrey needed the job.  She couldn’t risk losing it.

When she did see Audrey emerge from the ladies room, she hurried over to her side.  “Where have you been?  Not with Tristan all this time?”

The girl’s eyes looked slightly glazed and as predicted a hint of pink colored her cheeks.  She blinked at Sonya then cast her eyes away as if she were hiding something.  Sonya felt the first pang of trepidation.

“I’ve got the weekend off.”  She cleared her throat and straightened her already straightened blouse.

Sonya’s eyes grew in excitement then just as swiftly to anger.  “What did he make you do?”

“Nothing!”  Her friend cried in disgust, her eyes shooting to Sonya’s face then just as quickly away.

“Just like that?”

“Sort of.”  Her friend looked agitated as she nervously shifted from one foot to the other.

“Audrey, what aren’t you telling me?”

“He did some rescheduling so I could get the whole weekend off.”  She stopped fidgeting long enough to stare into Sonya’s face.  Then she spat out quickly as if afraid she may chicken out, “And, um, he invited us to stay with him at his cottage.”

The wave of relief she felt, had her exhaling heavily.  She didn’t know why but a fear had gripped her chest and wasn’t willing to let go.  “That’s it?  He’s asked us to be his guest for the weekend?”

She nodded.

“I thought he needed to be here, “his busiest weekend of the year?”” She repeated his words.

“Apparently, he’s leaving Tony, the night manager in charge.”

Pleased, Sonya arched a lewd brow at the possibilities and thought maybe this weekend wouldn’t be so bad after all.  With Tristan there at least she wouldn’t be short a date and have to spend the entire weekend lusting after strange men.  Her eyes shifted to Audrey.  Talk about a fifth wheel.

“I’ll understand if you still don’t want to go.”

Audrey’s eyes grew into two saucers.  “After all that, you don’t want me to go now?”

“No, I didn’t say that.”  She bit her lip.  “I mean, I just don’t want you to spend your weekend feeling uncomfortable.”

She frowned.  “How do you suppose that?”

Sighing, she hated having to spell it out for her friend.  “With Maura and Patrick and Tristan and me, you might feel, well, a bit singled out.”

Audrey stared at her with her jaw gaping open for so long, Sonya wondered if she wasn’t clear on her meaning.  “Sonya—”

She raised her brow waiting for her friend to continue.  Surprisingly, she looked distressed and slightly pained.  “You’ve been interested in Tristan a long time now and—”  She bit her lip, looking as if she was unsure how to continue.

Sonya frowned at the girl.  What was so difficult to spit out?  “Of course I have.  I’ve made no secret of it.  Even he is fully aware.  What’s your point?”

Holding her friend’s eyes, she softly said, “He’s asked me to be his guest this weekend.  I said I would agree if I could invite you and Maura along.”

Her hearing must have gone haywire because she misunderstood Audrey.  She must have.  There was no way what she said could be true.  Tristan was hers.  Had been from the moment she laid eyes on him.  But her friend continued to stare unsmiling at her with a look of concern in her eyes.  She felt the blood drain slowly from her face and a chill run down her spine.

He was a dirty, lowlife, scum of a man.  How could he openly flirt with her then just as quickly turn his attention to another woman?  Easy when your conquest is as gullible as Audrey.  The attention and attraction of a man such as Tristan would give any woman’s self-esteem a boost.  But his regard held no truth.  He was interested in only one thing.  All men were.

“I’m sorry, Sonya.”

Her face felt tight as she gave the girl a short nod saying, “I see.”

“I can cancel if you want.”  Her eyes looked pleading and the very evident concern was etched across her face.  It was apparent the last thing she wanted to do was hurt Sonya.

Well, Sonya wasn’t so easily hurt.

“No, this is probably for the best.  Our cottage only had the two rooms.”  Then forcing herself to sound cheerful, she smiled tightly and added, “Where would I have slept?”

“Are you sure?”

Nodding, she picked up her tray and turned to go.  “Of course.  It will be fun.  This will give you and Tristan a chance to get to know each other.”

This last sentence was forced through clenched teeth as was her smile for the rest of the evening.  She could hardly wait to end her shift and get home.

At six o’clock, she plucked up Daniel’s jacket and left the bar.  On the way home, she stopped off at the liquor store and bought a bottle of wine, snatching up a second one at the last second as she had a feeling tonight would be one of those nights.  Deciding she wasn’t the best of company, she disregarded Daniel’s invitation for left over dinner, preferring her own solitary company instead.  It wasn’t as if she was sure he still wanted her anyway.

She closed her apartment door quietly behind her then placed her sandals in the vacant spot on the shoe rack, feeling the smallest onslaught of self-pity.  Her stocking feet dragged across the floor as she made her way into the kitchen.  She left Daniel’s leather jacket draped over her shoulders, savoring in the warmth and comfort it created.

From one of the cupboards in the tiny kitchenette she pulled out a wineglass, examined it, and then placed it neatly back on the shelf.  It wasn’t nearly big enough.  Instead, she took a hi-ball tumbler from the shelf then hunted around her utensil drawer until she came across the corkscrew remover.  She had just filled her glass to the brim when her phone rang.

For a brief second, she contemplated ignoring it, but then changed her mind.  Maybe someone was calling to invite her to a party.  She could really let loose tonight.  With very little energy, she dropped onto the sofa and picked up her cell phone lying on the side table next to it, and placed it against her ear.

“Hello?”  She burrowed further down into the pampering warmth of Daniel’s leather coat and raised her glass to her lips.

“Are you still coming for dinner?”  It was Daniel, and the way his voice had the ability to sound unusually appealing over the phone, gave her an unexpected shiver.

She drew the coat closer.  “I don’t think so.”

He went silent for so long, she began to think he had hung up.  Then at last he said, “Through with me already?”

Her eyes squeezed shut feeling the beginning of a headache, so pressed the cool glass of wine to her forehead.  What was he talking about?  “Look, I’ve had a really bad day and the only thing I want to do is drown in my own self-pity in this here glass of wine.”

“You seemed perfectly fine at lunch.” He sounded a bit perturbed.

“Well, yeah, that was before Tristan invited Audrey up to his cottage for the weekend.”

Again the line went silent and the thought that Daniel didn’t give a damn about her personal life crossed her mind.  “Look, thanks anyway.  But I’m not in the mood for company.”

She hung up before she gave him a chance to respond.

Leaning her head back against the sofa, she closed her eyes and drew her knees up and under the warmth of his coat.  Her mind drifted back to earlier that afternoon and her conversation with Audrey.  She still could hardly believe it.  What game was Tristan up to?

A knock on her door brought her head back down and her eyes open.

Frowning, she got to her feet.  She already knew it was Daniel.  Didn’t he understand rejection?  Sighing heavily, she walked at a sluggish speed over to the door, peered through her peephole and saw him standing on the opposite side of her threshold carrying a slow cooker.

She couldn’t stop the grin that made an automatic appearance.  Gosh, he could be so sweet.  Unlocking the door, she then opened it and arched her brow at him.

He had changed from his office attire and was wearing a clean-cut pair of loose jeans along with a royal blue jersey.  Looking sheepish, he nodded to the food and said, “I hate to see a good meal go to waste.”

She stared at him for the longest time while many thoughts raced through her head.  Beginning with the fact that Daniel Keller was probably the world’s nicest guy, most forgiving friend, a very convenient shoulder to cry on, then finally but not necessarily the least, that he looked damn sexy in royal blue.

Pulling the door wide, she allowed him to enter.  As he did he kicked off his shoes and brushed past her, his eyes sliding with interest to his leather jacket she still wore, but refrained from commenting.

“Is it hot?”  She motioned toward the slow cooker.

He nodded then placed it in the center of her table.  “Ready to eat.”

When he raised the lid the delicious aroma of warm stew drifted into her apartment.  Sonya hadn’t realized how hungry she was until her stomach let out a grumble.  He heard and offered her a smile.  “Tuna salad still not sitting well?”

Puzzled, she stared at him.  Then she remembered their conversation at the deli and gave a short absent nod before pulling out a chair to drop down into it.  “It smells wonderful.”

“It tastes wonderful as well.”  He glanced at the glass in her hand then back to her face.  Though she saw the question in his eyes, he turned toward the kitchenette and asked, “Where do you keep your plates?”

“Last cupboard.”  As she watched him, she drew her legs up under her knees and pulled the hem of his coat around them.  She had to admit, it felt nice having someone serve her.

He returned with two bright yellow plates.  After filling them, he handed her the one first then sat down in the opposite chair and began delving into his meal.

Sonya simply watched him.  He sat straight and proper in his chair with his back erect and his legs flat on the floor.  One arm was tucked under the table while the other scooped up a forkful of steaming beef and vegetables before he delivered it to his mouth.

His lips moved in a precise manner as he chewed his food slowly, his jaw flexed as he rolled the meal around in his mouth before swallowing.  Her gaze was transfixed as she watched him run his tongue along his mouth to gather the last trace of food.  Then he began the process all over again.

He looked up all of a sudden and caught her attention focused on him.  He frowned then pointed to her plate.  “Eat up while it’s still hot.”

Nodding, she reached up and began to unzip his coat.

“Leave it on if you’re cold.”  He surprised her by saying.

She shook her head. “I don’t want to get it dirty.”

“Suit yourself.”  He turned his attention back to his meal.

While Sonya turned hers back to watch him.  Reluctantly, she withdrew her arms out of the warm embrace of his coat and laid it across the back of her sofa, giving the soft material a final touch before returning to the table.

As she sat there staring at him as he ate without a care in the world, gave Sonya a queer feeling in the pit of her stomach.  She didn’t know why other than it just felt so homey and comfortable and he looked so relaxed and happy.  At last, she picked up her fork and took her first taste.  It was as delicious as it smelled.

“Well?” he inquired.

“It’s very good.”  She smiled then took another taste.  “I didn’t know you were such a good cook.”

“One gets tired of frozen dinners after consuming an unhealthy quantity of them.”  He motioned toward the bottle of wine on the table.  “Did you want some more?”

Noticing her nearly empty glass, she nodded.

After giving her a refill, he asked, “Mind if I help myself?”

“Of course not.”  After all, she had bought the two bottles.  There should be plenty to go around and some left over after he left.

He got a wineglass down from her cupboard, opting not to choose the tumbler such as herself, then poured himself a glass.  Holding it up, he looked across at her and said, “Shall we make a toast.”

Her eyes grew in disbelief.  “For what?  Losing my boyfriend to my best friend?”

His eyes continued to hold her stare.  “I was thinking to us.”

Her face dropped.  “Us?”