Trent sighed as his chin dropped to his chest. After the week he’d had, this was the last thing he’d needed.
“Seriously, Trent, why do you live in such a sparse apartment? I mean, you have nothing here. You could afford the best, and yet you live like this.”
Though he tried to tune out his sister’s whining, it just wasn’t working. Trent pushed up from the armchair and turned to face her.
“I live like this because I want to. I don’t need a fancy space. I have everything that meets my needs here.”
“Well, if I had known how you lived, I would have made reservations at a hotel.”
“You still can,” Trent pointed out.
Tiffany Hause-Ashbury wrinkled her nose at him. He wasn’t sure, but Trent thought maybe she’d had some work done since he’d last seen her. Most likely a nose job. Her hair and makeup were expertly done. Perfection was her goal in life. She was very much like their mother in that regard.
He wished that she had gone the hotel route since having her at the apartment meant giving up his bed for the next couple of nights. After the stressful week he’d had, his plan had been to order in, watch a movie and sleep until he felt human again. And if Victoria phoned to say she wanted to go shooting, he would have gladly gone.
Now everything good about his weekend had just been torpedoed by the unexpected arrival of his sister and her expectation that he would be her plus one at the wedding she was in town to attend.
“Why didn’t you let me know sooner that you were coming?” Trent asked as he went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of soda. “Getting a call this morning that you were arriving this afternoon was a little short notice.”
Tiffany’s lips tightened briefly. “It was a last-minute decision.”
“Yeah, I’m not buying that. This wedding would have required you to send in your RSVP months ago. What’s going on?” He settled back into the armchair and watched as his sister perched on the edge of his couch, slowly crossing her legs. He wondered if she ever just slumped comfortably anywhere.
“Fine. Andrew was supposed to have accompanied me to this wedding. He decided at the last minute not to come.”
“Trouble in paradise?” They’d only been married for two or three years. He couldn’t remember exactly.
“No. Something else came up that demanded his attention.” She didn’t meet his gaze, so Trent decided not to press.
It still didn’t make him happy that his weekend got trashed all because his brother-in-law decided to be a no-show at the wedding.
“Take me out for dinner, Trent.” She gave him a beguiling smile. “I’m hungry.”
Trent sighed. Her idea of going out for dinner and his were two different things. Anything that met her standards was going to mean going through a drive-through on the way home to get something that actually had substance. But she was his sister and he did love her—even if she was a bit of a handful—so he would take her to dinner. And try not to think about the home-cooked meal he could have been enjoying instead.
By the time Trent got back to his apartment early Sunday afternoon, he was surprised he had any hair left. Life with a high maintenance woman was definitely not his thing. It had been an endless flow of complaints. His towels weren’t soft enough. His pillows weren’t fluffy enough. His car wasn’t a luxury model. He should have worn a tux instead of just a suit. And the list had gone on and on…
When he’d finally waved goodbye to Tiffany that morning as she’d boarded her flight, he’d had a new understanding of why Andrew may have decided to decline to accompany his wife. No doubt the guy had spent the weekend lounging around, belching and eating greasy fast food.
He stripped the sheets off his bed, since they now smelled a bit too much like his sister’s perfume, and stuffed them into the washer. After that was taken care of, he grabbed the bag containing the burger and fries he’d stopped for and dropped down on the couch. With the remote in one hand and a burger in the other, Trent was back in bachelor heaven.
But once the burger and fries were gone, he flipped mindlessly through the channels. After contemplating it for a few minutes, he grabbed his phone and tapped the screen to call Victoria.
“I’m heading out to the compound for some shooting and sparring. You want to come along?” he asked when she answered the phone.
There was a beat of silence before she said, “Sure. What time were you planning to go?”
“I just have to get my stuff together.”
“Okay. I’m on my way home. I’ll see you there in a bit.”
Feeling like his weekend was finally taking a turn for the better, Trent packed a bag with his workout clothes and the weapons. After switching his sheets to the dryer, he left the apartment, a sense of anticipation filling him.
Victoria hurried into the house as fast as she could on her crutches to change. She’d gone out to lunch with Alicia and her folks after the service, so she was still wearing her church clothes. She would have liked to have had a bit more time to pick something to wear but knowing that Trent could arrive at any minute kept her from lingering too long.
In the end, she settled on a pair of black capris and a light blue T-shirt. She ran a quick brush through her hair and changed her earrings from the hoops she’d been wearing to a pair of studs. Since she still hadn’t heard the doorbell, Victoria took the time to freshen up her makeup.
She had been a bit surprised by his call. She’d figured that since their Saturday plan to go to the compound had been canceled, she wouldn’t hear from him again until the next weekend. It seemed that while they spent time together on the weekends, during the week he had other things that grabbed his attention.
After a quick debate, Victoria pulled out the container of frozen chicken from the week before. She put it on the counter to defrost while they were gone. Though he hadn’t mentioned dinner afterward, she’d be prepared if he did say something. If not, well, she had food for a couple of nights for herself.
The doorbell rang as she was putting on her shoes. She finished tying them, grabbed her purse and went to answer the door. Trent stood there, a broad grin on his face. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. He wore a pair of cargo shorts and a T-shirt, both in black, which give him a bit of an edgy, dangerous look. Not really a look she’d associated with him before, but it worked on him.
“Ready to go?” he asked.
“Yep.” She hesitated then grabbed her crutches before she stepped from the house and locked the door.
“Pop your trunk?” Trent called to her as he walked down the porch steps.
Using her key fob, she did as he requested and then followed him down the steps. He was waiting with her stool beside the car by the time she got there.
His brows drew together as he watched her come toward him. “What happened?”
When she came to a stop next to him, she lifted a crutch. “These?” At his nod, she said, “My hip has been giving me some problems lately. Particularly if I have to walk any distance.”
“Have you been using them for a while? I’ve never seen them before.”
Victoria was beginning to wish she’d left them behind and had just endured the pain. He was looking at her different now, she was sure of it.
“I’ve been using them for a few months now but only when I was on my own. Unfortunately, I’m having to be even more careful now so I don’t do more damage to the hip.”
It looked like he had more questions, but instead he nodded and stepped back so she could use the stool to get into the car. Suddenly, the joy of going shooting with him slipped away. Maybe he wouldn’t have asked her to come along if he’d known about the crutches. And he was no doubt counting his blessings that he’d stopped pursuing a relationship with her.
During the drive, Victoria half expected him to ask her more questions about it, but instead, he focused on the issues they’d had at work. She’d heard a bit about the incident from Eric, as well as high praise for Trent and his team.
&
nbsp; Despite the sadness that had taken up residence in her heart, Victoria enjoyed hearing about his work. It was clearly something that he took very seriously and did very well.
“So how was your week?” Trent asked. “Anything exciting happen?”
“Nothing too spectacular. Certainly nothing on the level of your excitement.”
“Well, weeks like this are few and far between, and for that I’m very grateful.”
“I did receive an email about providing some of our products to a local store. It sells accessibility products and is just starting up. I’m meeting with the guy this week to see what he’s looking for and to show him some of our stuff.”
“That’s great.” He sent her a quick grin. “You could end up supplying products on an ongoing basis for him, right?”
“That would be ideal,” Victoria said, happy that the questions he had decided to ask her weren’t about her hip.
“Where exactly do you get your products from?”
“My dad designed most of them with a little input from me, and we work with a company overseas to manufacture them. It’s sort of a ministry outreach as well. The company we work with has a high standard for its treatment of the people who work there. We wanted to make sure of that before we partnered with anyone. It would have been nice to have them made locally, but it would have made the cost prohibitive for individuals and companies alike. So the next best thing was doing what we could to ensure that those making the products were treated well.”
“You hear a lot about the substandard working conditions overseas,” Trent commented as he turned off the highway.
“Yes, which is why we wanted to make sure we weren’t contributing to that. The company we work with often employs both the husband and wife and provides care for any children they have. We fly over periodically to make sure they continue to provide for their employees the way they said they would. So far, it’s been working well.”
“Is this something you foresee doing long-term?” Trent asked as he pulled up to the gate and lowered his window.
Victoria didn’t answer right away. In truth, it wasn’t. It had been mainly due to her dad’s work to help adapt things for her that they had come up with the idea of providing them on a larger scale. She would have actually preferred a job that wasn’t tied into her dwarfism. Not that she wanted to pretend that side of her didn’t exist, but she wanted a chance to focus on other interests that were equally important. Even if she wasn’t sure exactly what those were. “Until something better comes along, I will assume that this is where God wants me.”
“What else would you consider doing if not this?” Trent swung the vehicle into a parking spot and came to a stop.
“No clue.”
Trent came around to open her door and help her out. “Well, if you keep improving your shooting, you could consider something that involves guns.”
Victoria laughed. “I’m sure that would thrill my family. None of them are exactly pleased that I’ve taken up this particular activity. Well, except for Brooke. She thinks it’s cool.”
“Are they opposed to guns? I guess I never thought to ask before suggesting we go shooting.”
Victoria glanced up at him as they walked toward the front door, Trent keeping his pace slow. “No, but it wouldn’t have mattered. I don’t need their permission to do something like this. I think they’d like me to, but the reality is, I’m an adult now and quite capable of making my own decisions.”
He opened the door for her and smiled. “That’s for good and sure.”
Victoria felt a lot more comfortable moving through the hallways of the building than she had the last time. This time around she knew what lay ahead and was looking forward to it.
“Thought we might have scared you off,” Justin said when they walked into the main room.
“Not a chance,” Victoria assured him. “I’m just getting warmed up.”
“It can be rather addictive.” A quick smile crossed Justin’s face but then his brows drew together. “Although I’m not sure how it will work to shoot with your crutches.”
“I won’t use them when shooting. I just need them when I’m walking to lessen the movement of the hip. Standing in one place for a little while shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Alright then, let’s get you some gear.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THIS time around, Trent stayed with her for about ten minutes, going over the basics once again. Victoria thought she remembered most of it but was glad for the refresher. Once she showed him she remembered what she was doing, he left her alone, apparently planning to do some shooting of his own.
He was in the section next to her so she paused for a few minutes to watch him shoot. For someone who spent most his days behind a desk, he was surprisingly adept at shooting. His cluster of shots was way tighter than hers. She discovered then that she had a strong competitive streak. She wanted to do as well as he did. Maybe even better. His height and her lack thereof didn’t come into play when shooting. She liked the level playing field.
After about thirty minutes of shooting, they cleaned up their brass and left the shooting range area. Victoria was pleased that her arms didn’t hurt as much this time when she finished, and even the pain in her hip was just a dull ache. She knew her arms would most likely still be sore the next day, but maybe not as sore as last time.
“You ready for some sparring?” Justin asked as he took their safety gear.
“If you’ve got the time,” Trent said as he finished putting away the guns. “And if Victoria’s okay with hanging around.”
“Sure. I don’t have anything planned for this afternoon.”
As before, she went with the guys to the gym and found a place to sit on the bench while she waited for them to reappear. This time, Than didn’t show up to keep her company, so she pulled her phone out while she waited. She was texting a message to Alicia when the guys came back out.
Victoria paused mid-text to watch as they took up their positions on the mat. Once again, Trent and Justin had a brief conversation before they began their session. Making a mental note to ask Trent about it later, she looked back down at her phone to finish the text to Alicia. She felt movement on the bench next to her and looked over, half expecting to see Than there again but instead it was a young woman.
She wore workout clothes that fit her body like a second skin. The tank top she wore showed clearly the muscled definition of her arms and shoulders. Her tanned skin served to highlight the light blonde hair that was pulled back in a long ponytail.
When she glanced over and saw Victoria watching her, she smiled. “Hi, I’m AJ.”
“I’m Victoria.”
AJ nodded her head toward the mat where Trent and Justin were now engaged in physical combat. “I know Justin, but do you know who the other guy is?”
“Yes. That’s Trent Hause.”
A small smile curved the corners of the woman’s mouth as her gaze returned to the sparring duo. Victoria looked back at the guys as well, trying to ignore the pit in her stomach. Who was this woman? She must be with one of the training teams that came to the compound since she knew who Justin was.
“Do you know if he has a girlfriend?”
Ugh. Victoria just wanted to ignore the woman and her question. Then she was tempted to lie and say yes, but she couldn’t do that either. “Not that I know of.”
AJ glanced at her. “Are you friends with him?”
“Yes. He and my brother work with Justin at BlackThorpe.”
The woman slid her hands under her thighs and leaned forward slightly. “Would you introduce me to him?”
Seriously?
Victoria wondered what it was like to have such confidence to approach a total stranger just because they liked what they saw. Well, technically the woman had approached her first. Clearly, she didn’t see her as a threat. AJ hadn’t asked if she was Trent’s girlfriend. She’d just asked if he had a girlfriend.
“I suppose.” She turned her
attention back to the guys and hoped that the woman would just stop talking.
Her phone vibrated, and she looked down to see a response from Alicia. Needing a place to vent, she tapped out an account of what had just happened. After sending it, she leaned back against the wall and watched as Trent rushed Justin and the two of them went down in a scramble of arms and legs. They didn’t stay down though. Both popped back up to their feet and began to circle each other again.
Too bad Than wasn’t around. Maybe he could have taken AJ’s attention from Trent. Victoria’s spirits had risen during the drive out and their time shooting, but now they plunged back down. And it was going to get worse. Trent and Justin ended their session and headed in their direction.
As they got closer, Victoria saw Trent’s gaze go to AJ. Fighting a yuck feeling in her stomach, she stayed seated even as AJ stood. There was just no need to reinforce the differences between them.
“Hey, AJ,” Justin said. “How’s it going?”
“Good. You guys were doing great out there.”
AJ looked at her, and Victoria let out a sigh, but thankfully, before she could say anything, Justin beat her to the punch.
Justin gestured to AJ. “Trent, this is AJ. She’s part of the team in from Washington for the month. AJ, Trent. He heads up the virtual security division for BlackThorpe.”
“Computers? Nice. Another important arm of security for sure.” She smiled at him, and Victoria fought the urge to kick her in the shin. “You’re in pretty good shape for a guy with a desk job.”
Trent’s brows drew together briefly. “BlackThorpe impresses on us the importance of staying in shape. And Justin makes sure that we don’t forget.”
“He definitely is a tough taskmaster.”
When Trent looked at her, Victoria hoped she had a pleasant expression on her face. She also hoped she had managed to keep every other emotion from her eyes when their gazes met. There was no reading the expression in his.
When There is Love: A Christian Romance (The McKinleys Book 3) Page 10