AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m sorry for being late. I just got back into town.” He went to the other side of the table and sat in the chair. “You look good, by the way.”
Don’t listen to him. It will only distract you.
She hid the involuntary smile behind the water glass in her hand. “Thank you, I guess.”
“You guess? Don’t tell me you’ve become one of those coy women who see self-deprecation as a way of begging for a compliment.”
She set down the glass and glared at him. That one comment zapped all the arousal she felt before.
Asshole.
“I know I’m a beautiful woman. I see it every time I look in the mirror. Why do men tend to think women need their smart-ass remarks to remind them of their beauty?”
Tristan held out his hands. “Whoa. I guess you’re mad at me.”
Giselle let out a long sigh. She was being petty. When Tristan called, she said she was worried about her sister. She didn’t want to tell him about Jada, but the whole story tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Not having any other leads or knowing where to look, she jumped at Tristan’s offer to help.
Her family left Trinidad for the States before Jada could walk. With a fifteen-year difference and Giselle angry about leaving her friends, she didn’t have much time for a crying baby. When Giselle left home for college, Jada was still young and entering an independent, defiant child, soon-to-be rebellious teen phase; they had nothing in common. They were barely talking to each other when their parents died, and Jada came to live with her. Jada’s high school graduation, two years later, was a blessing. Giselle hated to admit it was the longest two years of her life.
Almost five years ago, Jada called her to say she was in Washington and wanted to get coffee. That started a four-year period of reconciliation. Last year, Jada started traveling the country to music festivals and parties. She went through several jobs and stopped all regular contact. It hurt Giselle’s feelings because she finally felt like she had a sister.
“I’m not mad.” She dug into her purse and pulled out her phone. “Hey, have you ever seen one of these? It’s called a phone. With just a few buttons, you can call someone no matter where they are in the world. You could even call them and, hmm, I don’t know, tell them you’ll be late.”
Tristan pulled out his phone. “A phone, huh? Is that what they call these?”
A server came over and asked for his drink order. He glanced down at the red wine in Giselle’s glass. “I’ll take whatever she is having.”
“Good choice, Sir.”
Tristan winked at Giselle. “Yes, the lady has good taste. Instead of a glass, just bring us a bottle.”
A tiny zing shot from her heart straight to her already hot and damp core. This was going to be a long dinner.
The server walked away.
“When are you leaving?” Tristan asked her.
“I was supposed to leave in two days, but I got an extension.”
“Your ceremony was three days ago, and you’re already bending the rules.” Tristan shook his head and clicked his tongue.
“Don’t give me a hard time. I don’t technically have to be there for another week, but I had made arrangements to be there early.”
The server set an empty wine glass in front of Tristan. He poured a small amount and swirled the glass before inhaling the smell. He took a small taste and nodded to the server. The server filled the glass and placed the bottle in a wine bucket.
“So, tell me what you know about your sister. You didn’t tell me much when we talked on the phone,” Tristan said.
“I don’t know much. We aren’t as close as we once were, but she’s always good about eventually returning my calls and texts. She had planned on coming to the ceremony but didn’t.”
“If I remember correctly, you and your sister were never that close.”
“Things have gone pretty well over the last several years. She was very excited about coming to DC and the ceremony.” She uncrossed her legs, tucked her feet under her chair, and placed a hand on the table.
“When was the last time you heard from her?”
“At least three months ago, she sent me a text letting me know how excited she was about coming to the swearing-in ceremony.”
“Do you know anything about where she was or what she was doing?” Tristan stroked a finger along the edge of her hand.
