Sunkissed (10 page)

“Dinner was great,” Brent complimented her again. He wiped his mouth with a blue cloth napkin. “I love Spanish food.”

“Thank you,” Trista said, scooping up the last bit of cheesecake from her plate.

All through dinner, Trista tried to steer the conversation away from herself and toward Nicolette. Talking finance and real estate, which Brent and Nicolette both had in common, she thought they would make a connection. It was hard to tell if Brent was into her sister or not. He was very polite and paid equal attention to both women.

“I’ll get the dishes while you two enjoy the sunset,” Trista offered, picking up the dirty plates from the table.

“I can help,” Brent said, getting up from his seat. He picked up his own plate and wine glass. “It’s the least I can do for such a lovely meal.”

“Thank you,” Trista said, looking over at Nicolette. She just smiled back at Trista as she refilled her wine glass.

Brent followed Trista into the kitchen. She filled the sink with hot soapy water and dumped the dishes in. “I got this. Why don’t you keep Nicolette company?”

Brent put his hand on Trista’s shoulder and turned her away from the sink so their eyes met. “I just wanted you to know that I had a really nice time tonight.”

“I’m glad you took me up on my offer,” Trista said.

Leaning in, he caught Trista off guard by kissing her lightly on the lips. She tried to take a step back, but she was already pushed up against the sink. Just as she was about to push Brent away, Trista heard a noise. Nicolette cleared her throat as she walked into the kitchen. Brent pulled back quickly.

“I was just seeing if I could help, but it looks like you guys have everything under control.” Nicolette set her wine glass on the counter and left the room.

Trista blew out a breath. This wasn’t turning out like she had hoped.
One problem at a time
. “I think you have the wrong idea, Brent.”

“What do you mean?” Brent leaned against the kitchen counter, facing Trista. “I thought you invited me to dinner, to you know…get to know each other better.”

Trista wiped her soapy hands on a dish towel. “Look, I like you Brent. I’m just not interested in dating anyone right now. I just got out of a relationship and…”

“You were trying to set me up with your sister.” Brent stood up straight and looked toward the balcony where Nicolette was sulking on the chaise lounge.

Trista nodded. “I’m sorry. I should’ve told you. I didn’t mean to lead you on. You and Nicolette have a lot in common. I just thought—”

He held up his hands. “Hey, it’s okay. You had good intentions.”

“Yeah, well…you know what they say about good intentions. Road to hell, and all that. I guess I should stick to acting. Matchmaking, apparently, is not my forte.”

“Really? I think you did well. I really like your sister. She’s pretty, sweet, and very smart.” Brent looked toward the balcony again. “Should I go out there?”

“Not unless you want to be tossed over the balcony.”

“I see.” Brent rocked back and forth on his heels. “Well, maybe I should shove off. I’ll see you around the theatre next week. Please say goodbye to Nicolette for me.”

“Sure,” Trista said. “She just needs some time. Maybe call her later?”

Brent nodded before walking out the door.

Trista returned to the sink and rinsed the dishes before putting them inside the dishwasher. A door slammed, causing her to jump. She didn’t have to turn around to know that Nicolette was in the room. She could feel her sister’s presence, her eyes throwing daggers at Trista’s back.

“What’s on your mind, Nicolette?” Trista aked, without turning around.

“What the hell was that all about?”

“I was trying to set you up with someone.” Trista threw down her dishtowel and turned to face her sister. “It wouldn’t hurt for you to give people a chance, Nicolette. He’s a nice guy.”

“Are you kidding me? I saw him trying to kiss you! He was interested in you, not me.”

“I invited him to dinner for
you
. I’m not interested in him!”

“Well, obviously he wasn’t interested in me.” Nicolette smacked her hand on the counter. “It’s always about you! You were the most popular girl in high school. Always getting what you wanted from Dad. Everything came easy for you. You even had my mom under your spell.”

It wasn’t lost on Trista that Nicolette referred to Marla as “my mom.” She crossed her arms over chest, prepared for a fight. “Is this what this is about? Mom?” Trista thought she had cleared the air with Nicolette in the Bahamas. Obviously not.

“She wasn’t even your mother! She just felt sorry for you! Because you were the little bastard child. My dad’s
big
mistake.”

Trista felt like she had been stabbed in the heart. She knew that Nicolette had feelings of anger against her but she never knew how deep they ran. Until now.

“Nicolette, I never asked for this. I was just a little girl when Sam came out to California to find me. What was I supposed to do? Refuse to come to Florida?”

“You’ll never be a part of this family! Why did you even come back here again?” Nicolette shouted.

Trista started to answer but Nicolette cut her off.

“No, wait…don’t answer that. I already know. Things didn’t work out for you in California, so you wanted to come back here and mess things up for me. You like seeing me miserable.”

“That’s not true.” Trista fought back the tears welling up. “I came back to mend fences with you. Which I thought we had done last week!”

Nicolette let out a small laugh. “Yeah, you expect our problems to be fixed with one weekend in the Bahamas?” she asked, her words stabbing Trista in the heart.

Trista had reached her breaking point with her sister. She was tired of fighting the same old battle with Nicolette. “You know what, Nicolette? I’ve been trying to make friends with you ever since we were kids. All you have done is shove me away. You blame all your problems on me. Well, I’m sick of it. When mom got sick, I was the one here taking care of her. Sam was working all the time, and you stayed away at college.
I
changed her,
I
bathed her,
I
gave her meds to help with the pain, and
I
held her when she moaned in agonizing pain. She may be your biological mom, but she’ll always be
my
mom too. And if that makes you angry, then so fucking be it!” Trista felt her face flush with anger. “I’m tired of trying to get you to like me. I’m done.”

“You’re a real piece of work!” Nicolette grabbed her purse off the counter.

“Where are you going?” Trista asked, watching her sister pull her keys out of her purse.

“I’m not staying here another minute longer to listen to your bullshit. This is your house, not mine.” Nicolette yanked the door open. “I’ll be back for my things later.”

Trista was shaking with fury. She felt her knees start to buckle and she let herself slide to the floor. Suddenly she was so tired. She curled up in a fetal position, and finally let the tears flow freely. After years of trying to get her older sister to accept her, to love her, to allow her to be a part of the family, it was over. She couldn’t do this any longer.

Trista thought she heard the door to the garage open. She figured that Nicolette had come back for the rest of her stuff. Lifting her head off the kitchen floor, she saw a pair of black, dusty work boots.

“Trista? Honey, are you okay?” Riker’s voice was filled with concern. He kneeled down in front of her. “What happened?”

She crawled into his arms. “Nicolette and I had a fight. It wasn’t good.”

“Are you hurt?” He asked, slipping his fingers through the silky stands of her hair.

Trista shook her head. “Nothing that you can see on the outside.”

Riker kissed her on the top of her head. “I’m sorry, baby. Your sister can be a little….a little…”

“A bitch?”

He continued to run his fingers through Trista’s hair. ”Want something to drink?”

She looked up at him and placed a finger on his lips. “I just want you.” Their eyes met, and Trista wondered if Riker was feeling what she felt at this very moment. A desperate need that had nothing to do with sex, but everything to do with a longing to be known, inside and out. She wanted Riker in her life, despite the impact it would have on her relationship with her sister. Quinn was right. It was time she started living her life for her. Not anyone else. Trista gently pressed her lips against his, relishing the softness of his lips and the intoxicating scent of his cologne.

“I’ve missed you,” he said, giving her tiny kisses around her neck that sent electric jolts throughout her body.

“I’ve missed you too.”

“Want to go upstairs?” He nibbled on her earlobe after whispering in her ear.

“I don’t think I can wait that long.” She needed him more than ever. “I want you, right here. Right now.”

He pushed her dress over her hips, planting his face firmly on her sex. “I’m going to make you feel so good, you’ll forget about everything.”

* * *

The incessant ringing of her phone pulled Trista out of a deep sleep. She rolled over and squinted at the sunlight coming through the blinds. Her cell phone was lighting up and dinging, letting her know she had a missed call and a voicemail. She reached out for Riker, but the other side of the bed was empty. She began to wonder if it was just a dream until she noticed a note on his pillow.

Good morning Gorgeous,

Ran out to get us some breakfast. You look so beautiful sleeping I didn’t want to wake you. Be back soon. Riker

Trista smiled at the note before dropping it on her nightstand. She checked her messages. The first one was from Michelle telling her that tonight’s rehearsal was canceled. They would pick up rehearsals next Thursday. The second one came from her agent with an urgent message to call her back. Trista hit the speed dial number for Kate Peterson.

“Hey, Trista,” Kate greeted her as soon as she picked up the call. “Are you sitting down?”

“Yeah.” Trista lay back on the pillow and waited. “What’s up?”

“I’ve got great news! You have a special invite to casting for
Love Potion #9
.”

“You’re kidding me!” Trista couldn’t believe her luck. She had read on the Backstage Broadway website that they were about to start casting calls for that production. The lead role—or any role for that matter—would be a dream come true. An invited call was different than an open call. Anyone can audition for an open call. But to get an invite means that the casting director only wants you to audition for a certain role.

“I’m not kidding. How soon can you get here?”

Trista thought for a moment. She had to wrap up the voice-over job this morning. After that, she was free. She would think of something to tell Riker. “Tomorrow morning?”

“Great. I’ll set it up with the casting director.” Kate hesitated for a moment. “Are you sure you are ready for this?”

“Of course! Why?”

“Don’t take this the wrong way. It’s been awhile since you’ve done Broadway.”

“I’m ready, Kate.” Trista told her about the work she’d been doing with the children’s theatre. “I haven’t lost my touch.”

“Okay. I’ll text you the details.” With a click, the phone was disconnected.

Trista heard the garage door open. She wondered what Riker had brought back for breakfast. She was hoping it was a chicken biscuit from her favorite deli. She threw on her pink, fluffy robe and took the back staircase down to the kitchen.

Trista thought about the phone call from her agent. She needed to get everything together fast if she was going to make the next flight out in time. She wasn’t ready to tell Riker about the audition just yet. Trista didn’t want to jinx getting the role and thought it would be best to wait until after she returned home.

“Good morning,” Trista said cheerfully, coming around the corner to the kitchen. She stopped short when she realized that Riker wasn’t the one standing in her house. It was Nicolette who greeted her instead.

“Well, good morning to you,” Nicolette put her briefcase down on the breakfast table.

Trista studied her sister. She was dressed for work in a conservative, navy blue dress and nude pumps. Her hair was pulled in a high ponytail. Trista recognized the outfit as one Nicolette usually reserved for big real estate closings or important client meetings. And Trista noted a big smile on her sister’s face. It was a totally different Nicolette than the one who had left here yesterday with an ugly scowl. But Trista never knew which Nicolette she would be facing, did she? She seriously thought Nicolette had some kind of mental thing going on…bi-polar? ADHD? Her mood swings were legendary.

“Good morning,” Trista said again cautiously. Where the hell was Riker? She hoped he saw Nicolette’s car in the driveway before he returned.

Nicolette looked at her sister like she was out of her mind. “Mind if I have some coffee?” She grabbed a mug from the cabinet, not waiting for an answer.

“What do you want, Nic?” Trista wasn’t in the mood to play games.

“I came by to say I’m sorry about yesterday.” Nicolette drummed her fingernails on the counter waiting for it to brew.

Trista grabbed another mug from the cabinet. She wasn’t going to let her sister ruin her good mood today.

“I said some things that I regret. You know, I let the ole Italian temper get the best of me. Blame it on Dad,” Nicolette continued.

“You need to take responsibility for your own actions and quit blaming them on other people,” Trista responded.

“Hey, I said I was sorry. I’m trying to make nice.”

Trista turned to face her sister. “That’s all I’ve been trying to do since I got in town. I wanted our relationship to work, but it takes two.”

“I know that. That’s why I’m here.” Nicolette put a hand on hip. “Well, and also to get some of my stuff.”

“Where are you going?” Trista asked. She wasn’t going to ask her to stay again. She was beginning to think it was best for Nicolette to get her own place.

“I made an offer on the townhome. It was accepted last night, and the owners want to close next week, but the renovations are going to take a few weeks. I’m renting the place next to the unit so I can be there every day to supervise the work.”

“Well, congratulations. I’m happy for you.”

“How about we have dinner at my new place tonight? I can show you the plans the architect is drawing up today for the renovations.” Nicolette glanced at her watch. “As a matter of fact, I’m meeting him in a few minutes.”

“Thanks for the invite, but I can’t tonight.” Trista put her palms down on the countertop. “Listen, I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“I have a meeting in New York tomorrow. My agent called me this morning and wants me to get on the first flight out.”

Nicolette sipped on her coffee. “Is this an audition for another TV series?”

“No, it’s not.” Trista wasn’t ready to share the details with her sister either.

“All right. Well, when are you leaving?”

“Tonight. I’ll be back in a couple of days. So, it’s no rush for you to get out.”

Nicolette smiled. “Does this mean that you’ll be moving soon?”

Trista didn’t know if her sister was smiling because Trista may be moving to New York or if she was genuinely happy for her. With Nicolette, it was hard to tell. “I have some things in the works, so yeah, I might. One step at a time though.”

Nicolette came around the kitchen counter and hugged her sister. “Well, good luck. Whatever it is that you having going on, I’m sure you’ll be happy!”

“Thanks.”

“I’ll be back after my meeting to pack.” Nicolette started to leave when something caught her attention. Trista followed her sister’s gaze to the breakfast table where an Atlanta Braves baseball cap sat. Her whole body tensed up.

“Is that James’s hat?” Nicolette asked, walking over to it and picking it up.

Oh crap.
Trista tried to come up with something fast. Riker must have taken it off when he came into the kitchen last night. “Is that his hat? I found it in the house when I was cleaning up the other day. I meant to ask you about it.”

“Huh,” Nicolette said. “He must’ve left it over here after his birthday party. I’ll return it to him.”

“Okay,” Trista said, relieved she had just dodged a bullet. She breathed a sigh of relief when Nicolette left. She would have to remember to tell him about it so they could keep their story straight.
Fuck.
Trista just hoped Nicolette didn’t say anything to Riker about her going to New York, either.

After the morning melee, she had a big headache brewing. Opening her kitchen’s junk drawer, Trista plucked out a packet of Goody’s. She opened her mouth and poured the bitter powder down her throat, chasing it with a gulp of coffee. “That’s what you get for lying to your sister
and
your boyfriend,” she said out loud.