Page 57 of On The Rocks

I drew in a sharp breath and cried out, “Me too!”

His warm, leather-clad hands grabbed mine. “Is that your natural hair color?” he asked, his gaze roaming over me.

I grinned. “Yes! So’s all the frizz.”

“Stunning. Your look is chef’s kiss. If you were five inches taller, you’d be gracing the Paris catwalks. You’ve got that attractive, awkward, gangly thing going on, and I just love it!”

“You’re so sweet!” I exclaimed. “I love your coat and hat. Your style is just awesome.”

“So’s yours,” he whispered. My heart stuttered as I watched his eyes fill with tears as they turned on Maureen. “She’s exactly right.”

She shrugged. “Well, I told you so.”

“Does he know yet?” Tristan asked her ambiguously.

I frowned.

Huh?

“I think so, deep down, but he’s resistant,” Maureen answered cryptically. “I may need your help.” Her stare came to me, then back to Tristan, and she gave him an exaggerated wink.

“I don’t want to change a thing,” he said emphatically. “You don’t mess with perfection.”

“I don’t want you to change anything,” Maureen agreed. “But you can enhance what’s already there. We’ve got the big re-opening coming up; it’s the appropriate time. In actual fact, it’s the perfect time. He needs a hard kick in the goolies.”

Tristan’s full lips curved into an almost evil smile. “You know exactly what to say to get me excited, especially when it comes to your son’s goolies because I’m gonna turn her into a fairy princess. I can see the vision, and it’s so bright my eyes hurt.”

My gaze darted between them both. “I really hope you were talking about Donovan’s goolies just then.”

Tristan chuckled. “You, my sweet girl, are a dream. Come and have coffee with your Uncle Trissy because I need to get to know you. I have a feeling we’re going to be the best of friends. Now, before we hit the lemon heavens, tell me. Have you ever had a keratin treatment?”

I lowered my gaze. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, so it’s doubtful.”

Tristan tipped my chin up with his finger. “Don’t look down like that, eyes up, be proud. I only asked because you mentioned you think your hair is frizzy. Personally, I don’t see it that way. I call it a mass of untamed curls, and I think it’s beautiful, but if you don’t like it, I can put a treatment on it that’ll make it easier for you to manage.”

I gazed up at Tristan’s wonderful face. “You think my frizz is beautiful.”

He twirled a lock in his fingers, smiling lovingly at my hair. “I think your mass of untamed curls is stunning.”

“I can’t seem to get it right,” I admitted.

“So, we’ll do the keratin treatment. It’ll calm things down a little and add some gloss. You’ll love it.”

My loving gaze stayed glued to his face. “I’ve never met anybody like you before.”

Tristan smiled a beautiful smile and leaned down toward me. “Well, duh.” He stood to his full height again and clapped his hands before reaching out and pointing toward Martha’s. “What are we standing here for? I need coffee.” One hand sneaked through my arms; the other through Maureen’s. “And look at how lucky I am to have a queen on one arm and a princess on the other. Wait until I tell Meredith.”

We began to walk, and I looked up at him. “Who’s Meredith?”

“Meredith Grey, otherwise known as Doctor Sophie Green. Head of General Surgery at Baines Memorial. She’s Atlas’s wife and bezzies with Farrah Fawcett, who’s married to B-Boy, who’s brother to Cash and Bowie. You may have seen them around town. They wear a lot of leather and have a lot of power between their legs.” He sent me a smirk. “I’m talking strictly motorcycles, of course.”

It was as if he magicked them out of thin air because as soon as Tristan mentioned ‘motorcycles,’ a low hum rumbled through the air.

“I’m a witch,” he murmured, stopping at the door of the coffee shop as the low growl of engines filled my ears. “Here come my girls.”

Stopping, I turned, and my mouth fell open slightly at the sight before me.

Three big, beautiful, shiny motorcycles pulled up outside Martha’s in a line.

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