“Feels like a long time ago,” Vicki said.
“It wasn’t that long ago, Vicki. You’ve changed since then. I’ve changed, and nothing we say or do is ever going to go back to that.”
“What’s your point?” Vicki asked, sipping her spiked coffee.
“I’m not pitying you. I’m here for you. You may not think it, but it’s a huge difference,” Zoe said, taking the bottle of fruit juice from her.
The doorbell rang.
“I’ll go and answer that.” Before Zoe left the room to answer the door she took the spiked cup and threw it in the sink.
“Hey, I was drinking that,” Vicki said.
“I don’t care. It may be five o’clock somewhere, but it’s not that time in Law Castle.”
Rolling her eyes, Vicki started retrieving bits of broken mug from her sink. “You know, Zoe, you could have poured the coffee down the sink.”
“Zoe’s gone back to her men,” Tristan said.
Vicki froze. She lifted her gaze hoping to see his reflection in the mirror, but it was still morning out. All she saw was her back garden.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, collecting the last of the coffee mug. The scent of whisky was strong. She felt ashamed by how easily she’d been succumbing to alcohol.
“I needed to talk to you.”
“Why? Kate’s back, so I don’t see there’s anything to talk about.” Kate would get her husband back while Vicki remained alone. She was always alone. There was no one in Law Castle besides Tristan she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.
“You’re pushing me away.”
“I’m not. I’m being a realist.”
“I didn’t ask for Kate to return,” he said.
“But she’s here for you.”
He let out a sigh. The sigh sounded full of frustration.
“I asked Kate for a divorce.”
Turning to face him Vicki saw the honesty on his face. “You asked your wife for a divorce?”
“Yeah. I’m not taking no for an answer. She’ll grant me a divorce, or I’ll make things difficult for her.”
Folding her arms Vicki stared at him. “How?”
He leaned against the wall. The arms of his shirt were rolled up revealing the dark ink of his tats. “For a start I’ll bring adultery into the mix, either hers or mine.”
Heat bloomed in her cheeks. She felt it happen. If he chose to implicate himself, he’d be implicating her. She never knew about his marital status.
“I wouldn’t hurt you, Vicki. She left me first and shacked up with another man. I’d find some way for the judge to know she was the one to break our marriage apart.”
“Are you sure this is what you want?” she asked.
“I want you, Vicki.”
She stared into his eyes. They were dark as they looked back at her. “What?”
His arms went down to his sides as he moved closer. “When you told me you loved me, I pushed you away because I was married. You didn’t know I was taken by another woman. I thought if I kept you at a distance then you’d be safe, and so would I. I didn’t anticipate falling for you.”
Vicki snorted. “You expect me to believe you fell for me?”
He crossed the distance between them. Tristan cupped her face in his large palms. “You can believe what you want, baby. I’m not going anywhere, and I’m going to prove to you I mean every word.”
She really wanted to give in and believe his words, but every time she thought over their past she couldn’t help but feel it was another game or trick.
****
Vicki knew with all of her heart that she shouldn’t deliver cookies and cakes to the station. She couldn’t help it. Baking helped to relax her, and when she was relaxed, she was able to get over some of her fears. The only problem was eating the food she’d baked. Tristan was known for his sweet tooth, and he liked what she made.
Opening the door Vicki discovered the front desk was bare. It was Sunday, and she was due to work at the bar that night.
“Hello,” she said, calling out. The word echoed off the wall. Tristan’s head popped round his office.
“No one’s here but me.”
Staring at the box of baked goods Vicki felt the blush building up in her cheeks. The station was hot, but her body had suddenly heated faster than a volcano, or at least that’s the way it felt.
“I brought some baking. I …erm. Do you want me to bring it back another time?” she asked.
“No, come on through.”
Walking through to his office she heard him shut the door as she placed her baking on his desk top. Vicki hadn’t seen Tristan since the night he’d taken her virginity. She didn’t want to approach him in case he wished to talk about that night.