“If you burn out for this show, I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”
“Yeah? If I recall, you’re the one who insisted I had to come down here and compete.”
“Don’t go turning the facts around on me.” She sighed and the line crackled with static. “So, how’s your new lover coming along?”
Tristan flushed hot immediately and glanced at Henry, wondering how much of Lucia’s end of this conversation was bleeding through. From his placid expression and seeming lack of attention, all was well. “It’s coming along... all right.” Aside from the wholegetting caught by one of their fellow contestantspart. “Pretty well. But I don’t really want to talk about that right now.”
A pause. One second, two seconds. “He’s in the room with you, isn’t he?”
“Possibly, yes.”
“So I could screw with you and talk about all kinds of embarrassing things, right?”
“And I could hang up the phone.”
She laughed,notsoftly this time, and Tristan couldn’t help but enjoy it. He loved to hear her laugh, and it was so rare in the past months. Years. He certainly never got to hear her laugh around Robert. So if it was at his expense now, that was fine.
She finished with a sigh. “I’m sorry. I won’t do that to you. But I’m glad you called. I’m glad you keep calling.”
“Of course.” His stomach clenched, and all the sudden he wondered if maybe Henry shouldn’t be there after all. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, of course. What makes you think something’s wrong?”
“You were saying you were glad I called.”
“You’re my brother. I kind of like you. I don’t know if you’d put that together yet.”
“You know, I had a suspicion. Thanks for the confirmation. Now, are you sure you’re okay?”
“I am better than I’ve been in months, Tristan. All right? Do you believe me? Or do I need to put Karen on so she can tell you too?”
“It would be nice... but I guess I can trust you. As long as you promise you’re not fibbing.”
“‘Fibbing’? Jesus, what are you, seven?”
Tristan’s belly relaxed. Yeah. She was fine. Acting more like real Lucia and a lot less like Robert’s meek, polite, unopinionated wife Lucia. “‘Fibbing’ is a perfectly valid word. But I believe you. You’re fine. And you love your big brother so much that you’ll definitely call if you’re not. I’m sure of it.”
“Of course I will.” She sighed. “Really. Thanks, though.” He could almost see her squirming and fidgeting over the phone. She was probably flicking her fingernails off each other right then and there. “I mean, you know, you’re always there, and you always let me stay, no matter what.”
“Don’t even worry about it.” It was Tristan’s job to worry. It was Lucia’s job to stay there, to stay away from Robert’s manipulative ass. And to hopefully take the time away from him to recover as much as she could. “I like having you around. Plus, God knows how many people would have broken into my apartment if I didn’t have you there while I’m gone.”
She chuckled. “Glad to know I can be of service. You could have just asked me to come watch your place for a while, though.”
And have Robert constantly there, and have him hitting her while Tristan was gone, and, and, and. “Well, it worked out either way.” Another glance to Henry, who was lying back on the bed, staring up with an unfocused little smile on his face. Tristan couldn’t help the corners of his mouth pulling up at the sight. “Okay, Lucia. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“I’d tell you that you don’t have to, but you wouldn’t listen and I like the conversation. Karen’s great... but she’s no you.”
“Oh yeah, me, the stunning conversationalist. Often compared to a rock at parties.”
“People at parties are too busy getting drunk or getting their rocks off to have a conversation with you. No one as smart as you with your job could possibly be bad to talk to.”
“Maybe not, but I can sure convince people otherwise.”
“All right, I see I’ve run into self-deprecation o’clock, so I’ll leave you to it.”
“Thanks, the flagellation begins in ten minutes. With or without you on the phone. Night, Lucia.”
“Yeah, yeah. Good night, Tristan. I love you.”
