Crochet My Heart Read online

  “Do I really have to say?” Charlie’s tone was whiny, and Tristan found his interest piqued.

  “Yes.”

  “Fine. Ivy smacked me around the head, called me a chickenshit, and told me a few home truths. Then she shot down my reasoning and made me see what I was throwing away. I then called my mom for advice and got another stern talking-to.”

  Tristan reared back from the phone. “So you’re only agreeing to go out with me because your mom and some old lady told you to. I don’t need anyone’s pity.”

  “No!”

  Charlie’s yell froze Tristan’s finger over the End Call button.

  “I swear. I am not doing or saying anything out of pity. I really do want to go out with you. But I was scared. I’ve had a few bad dating experiences and had sworn off men for a while.” Charlie was babbling, and Tristan found himself finding Charlie adorable all over again. This was the Charlie he had been slowly falling for. Maybe there was a chance after all.

  “Dinner?”

  Charlie’s answer was immediate. “Yes. When?”

  Tristan thought for a moment. “Tomorrow, seven o’clock at Franks?”

  “I’ll be there. Thank you for giving me a second chance.”

  They bid each other good night, and Tristan stared at his phone after he ended the call.

  They’d have to see how things went. But he had a good feeling about this.

  CHARLIE FIDGETED with the fork in front of him and checked his watch for the umpteenth time. He hadn’t wanted to be late, and so, of course, he ended up arriving far too early. Three glasses of soda, a trip to the restroom, and he still had ten minutes before Tristan was due to meet him. He put the fork down and picked at the petals on the flowers he’d brought with him. He hoped Tristan liked flowers. If not, he had chocolates as well. He had to like one of the two, right? They were meant as an apology for his behavior when Tristan had first asked him out. Tristan might have agreed to this date, but Charlie knew he had to make the best impression he could.

  He’d talked to his mom again the night before, and she had lots of suggestions on what he should take with him to give to Tristan. Most had him blushing, and a few items had him hoping she didn’t know what they were supposed to be used for. Although he had a terrible suspicion she knew full well and he didn’t want to know how she knew.

  He looked around at the small restaurant. The Christmas decorations were colorful and shone in the low candlelight. Each table held a poinsettia and a wine bottle containing a candle. The candle on his table had been lit when he’d sat down. In the half an hour he’d been there, a waiter had offered him the menu three times. Each time he told him he was waiting for someone, and the waiter’s gaze turned pitying by the third time. The staff probably thought he’d been stood up and didn’t want to admit it.

  “Charlie.” Tristan’s voice had Charlie snapping his head up to stare toward the entrance.

  There stood the man who had dominated his dreams and nighttime fantasies for weeks now.

  Tristan was wearing tailored black slacks paired with a white button-down open at the neck. He had a dark coat over his arm and was sending a beaming smile at Charlie.

  Charlie snapped out of his thorough perusal of Tristan when he found him standing right in front of him.

  “Do I pass muster, then?”

  Charlie swallowed and nodded rapidly. He stood and held out a chair for Tristan.

  “Have you ordered yet?” Tristan sat and thanked the waiter when he offered a menu.

  “No, um, I got here early, so I had a few drinks and waited for you.” Charlie accepted a menu from a now slightly embarrassed-looking waiter and stared at it, not really seeing the words. It could have been written in any language for all he noticed.

  A chuckle drew his attention across the table.

  “You seem more nervous than I am, and I thought I was bad. Do you know I changed outfits three times and finally had to call my sister to choose for me? That way if you didn’t like what I was wearing, I had someone other than myself to blame.”

  Charlie joined the laughter and shook his head.

  “I haven’t dated in a while, and I’m out of practice. I called my mom for advice, and she suggested flowers and chocolates. She said you can’t go wrong with the classics. I hope you like them. They are an apology for my behavior so far and a thank-you for giving me a second chance.” Charlie handed over the gifts and watched the smile that lit up Tristan’s face. Looked like he owed his mom a really good Christmas gift this year.

  Tristan carefully put the gifts under the table and held out his hand, allowing Charlie to link their fingers together on top of the table. Their gazes met, and Charlie was captivated all over again.

  “Thank you. The flowers are beautiful, and I will enjoy the chocolates later before bed. No one has ever given me gifts on a date before.”

  The moment was broken by the waiter clearing his throat.

  Charlie grinned at the glare Tristan threw at him.

  “Excuse me, sirs. Have you had time to look at the menu? And would you like to know our specials for tonight? We have some wonderful sharing platters available if you don’t wish to order separate meals or wish to try a few different dishes at once.”

  Charlie liked the idea of the sharing platters, and they ordered several, along with more soda.

  “You can order alcohol if you want,” Charlie offered. “I only didn’t because I got here so early.”

  Tristan shook his head. “I don’t drink that often. I’m also a severe lightweight. I swear, two glasses of anything, and I’m gone.”

  Charlie chuckled. “I’ll have to remember that. For when I want to get you drunk and have my wicked way with you.”

  The heated look he received said Tristan wouldn’t need the alcohol to let him do whatever he wanted. He so wanted to take up the offer being made in that look, but he also wanted to take things slowly and get to know Tristan first.

  “So, I know you’re an accountant, but what do you do in your spare time? Except attend my crochet classes that is.”

  Tristan grinned. “I work out twice a week. Otherwise I’m pretty busy with work. Owning my own business means I’m working to keep all my clients as happy as I can at all times. I have a sister—I think I mentioned her husband, Andy, volunteers at the center the classes are held at. Her name is Lisa and she has two beautiful kids. Layla and Lyle are the best niece and nephew I could ask for. Of course, I may be biased. What about you? Have you got any siblings?”

  Charlie shook his head as he answered, “No, I’m a spoiled only child.”

  “I find the spoiled part hard to believe. “

  “Oh, you better believe it. When I was younger apparently I would throw such a fit if I didn’t get what I wanted. My mom said I grew out of it as I became a teenager. When I asked for things then, she told me to get a job and buy them myself. So I did. I washed dishes in a local café. Then I stacked shelves at a local store when the café shut down. Now that store has expanded and I am in charge of ordering and receiving deliveries.”

  Their food was delivered and the conversation stopped as they sampled a bit of everything they’d ordered.

  “What about your parents? They must be proud of you running your own business.”

  Tristan nodded but looked sad as well. “My parents were very proud when I got my first client. Unfortunately, my father died not long after. But my mom—her name is Maureen, but she prefers Mollie—has been there for everything. She celebrated with me when I saved up enough to buy my house and even helped to decorate it. What about you? You have an important job. Your parents must be just as proud.”

  “Oh yes. My mom—well you’ve met her—she is rather over the top, but she means well and she loves that I am ‘in such an important position.’” Charlie made quote marks with his fingers, earning a grin from Tristan. “If you ask her, she’d tell you I run the store and that they couldn’t function without me.”

  They chuckled and shared a
few funny stories about what their parents had done to embarrass them at different times. Tristan’s mom having out baby photos when a date arrived to pick him up won the impromptu competition hands down.

  “Um, I think they want to close up.”

  Charlie glanced up and around at Tristan’s words and saw that they were indeed the last ones remaining and the staff were all gathered at the bar watching them.

  Charlie flushed; he hadn’t even noticed the time passing. “Well, I guess we’d better pay and let these people get home.” He studied the tablecloth, rubbing at a stain in one corner. “Would you like to take a walk before you head home? It’s a beautiful evening.”

  Tristan covered Charlie’s hand with his, stilling it on the table. “I’d love to. After we settle the argument over who’s paying. Now, heads or tails.”

  Charlie grinned as Tristan flipped a coin with practiced ease.

  TRISTAN WHISTLED to himself as he brought up the next client’s information. People might think being an accountant was boring, but he loved taking the mess of receipts and numbers and forcing them into order. Accounts were logical, and if the numbers didn’t balance, he got to turn detective and ferret out the reason, be it human error or something more serious.

  As they had for days, his thoughts drifted back to Charlie. Their first date had gone perfectly. At first he had thought about not going. After all, Charlie only agreed to the date because his mom and Ivy gave him what for. But he knew he hadn’t imagined the heated looks and the way Charlie would lean in close when he was helping Tristan do a particular stitch.

  Tristan had to admit, if only to himself, half the mistakes he made were so he could get Charlie’s attention. He was fairly sure he wasn’t that subtle, and Ivy at least knew what he was up to.

  He was glad he went on the date. The dinner had been fun, and the walk after was romantic. They ended up on a hill and had a great night view of the town spread out below them. The lights looked beautiful, but not as good as Charlie standing beside him.

  “This night has been perfect,” Charlie whispered in Tristan’s ear and wrapped his arms securely around his waist. Tristan had melted into the embrace, and they stood there trading the occasional kiss until the chill of the night became too much and they headed back to their respective cars.

  Once he relaxed, Charlie was exactly what Tristan was looking for.

  They’d decided to meet again that evening to go see a movie, and after checking his watch, Tristan realized he’d better get ready or he would be only half-dressed when Charlie arrived to pick him up. As nice as that would be, especially if it led to being fully undressed, he was enjoying getting to know Charlie outside of the classes too much to rush things.

  An hour later he was slipping on his shoes when the doorbell echoed through the house. After bounding down the stairs, he yanked the door open to be confronted by Charlie’s grinning face.

  “Ready to go?”

  “Yep, just let me get my keys.”

  “What do you want to see? You said you like romances. The listing says they’re showing some romantic films to commemorate some anniversary or something. That one where the man takes a flower seller off London’s streets and tries to pass her off as a posh lady. Then there’s that nineties film where a man picks up a prostitute to be his date for some function and ends up falling in love with her. If you don’t want a romance, they have got some action films too.”

  “No, no, romance films sound great for a date. The sappier the better. How about we go see both?”

  “Okay, sounds great. Let’s get going or we won’t have time to get popcorn before the movie starts.”

  The movies were as great as Tristan remembered. But the company made the experience even better. It hadn’t taken long for Charlie to slide his arm along the back of Tristan’s seat, making Tristan smile, as Charlie obviously thought he was being so subtle. Before long Tristan had been snuggled up under Charlie’s arm and they’d had the popcorn settled in between them, their hands often brushing as they ate.

  Pulling out his phone to turn the volume back on as they exited the movie theater, Tristan nearly dropped it when it began to vibrate. His mom’s number and photo flashed up on the screen.

  “Mom? What’s wrong?”

  “Hi, honey. I’m sorry to interrupt your date, but I’ve fallen over and seem to be stuck. I can’t get my hands or legs in the right position to get any leverage. I would have called your sister but I know Andy is at work and he took the car with him. She would have no way of getting here.”

  “I’ll be there soon. Are you hurt? Do you need an ambulance?”

  “No, I’m only bruised. I just can’t get up.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Tristan, I’m fine. Now get here and get my old body up off the floor.”

  “Yes, Mom.”

  Tristan hung up. “I need to get to my mom’s. Sorry to cut the date short, but I need to find a cab and quick.”

  “Don’t be stupid. I’ll take you. Getting a cab at this time of the evening will be almost impossible.”

  “Thank you.” Tristan pecked a kiss on Charlie’s cheek and they headed back to the car.

  Once they arrived Tristan used his key to get in and beckoned Charlie with him. “Mom, where are you?”

  “In the kitchen, dear.”

  When they entered the room Tristan saw why his mom couldn’t get up. She’d managed to fall between the fridge and a cabinet. The space was small enough for her to get wedged on her bottom with her arms stuck to her sides, unable to reach the edge of the fridge or cabinet to pull herself up.

  Tristan looked down at her with confusion. “How did you manage to get yourself down there?”

  She huffed out a sigh. “I was reaching to get something from the bottom of the fridge. My foot slipped on something and I grabbed the fridge door to catch myself. That moved and I ended up twisted around and falling here. I can’t reach to pull myself up, and my hips are wedged tight enough I can’t shuffle forward to get out. Luckily my phone was in my front pocket and landed within reach when I fell.”

  “Lucky I brought help with me, then.”

  Mollie’s eyes widened when she seemed to notice Charlie for the first time.

  Tristan chuckled. “Charlie picked me up for our date. He then insisted on bringing me here instead of me finding a cab. Now I’m glad because I think it’s going to take both of us to get you out of this jam you’ve got yourself into. Before we start pulling, though, are you absolutely sure you’re not hurt and don’t need an ambulance?”

  Mollie let out a long sigh this time. “Yes, I’m sure. You know I used to be a nurse. I would know if I had broken anything. Anyway, I didn’t go down hard enough to do any damage except to bruise my pride. I only called because I got stuck. Otherwise I would be up and enjoying the snack I was getting myself before I fell.”

  Tristan held up his hands in surrender. “Fine, you know best. Give us each a hand, then. Let us do all the work and we’ll get you up slowly, just in case you realize you are wrong.”

  Mollie held out her hands and Tristan indicated for Charlie to take the left one. They held her with their hands at her elbows, their arms running the length of hers, and her hands locked on their elbows. On the count of three, they slowly began pulling Mollie to her feet.

  Charlie grabbed a nearby chair once they were high enough and swung it under her so they could settle her in it softly.

  They spent a while letting Mollie get her breath back and then helping her to the living room and into her comfortable chair. Tristan got her the snack she wanted, and Charlie made her a cup of tea. They then spent a while sitting with her, and Tristan spent his time blushing with the stories she was telling Charlie about him. Luckily the photo albums stayed safely tucked away.

  When Charlie dropped Tristan off at home, the good night kiss more than made up for the ending to their second date.

  Two weeks to go until the fair

  TRISTAN GRINNED as he thought
back on his dates with Charlie so far. After the movies they’d met up on one of Charlie’s days off and gone for a long walk through a nearby park. They’d stopped for a picnic and Tristan blushed when he thought about the way Charlie had teased while eating some of the food rather suggestively.

  Tristan wondered how they were going to behave in the session this afternoon.

  This would be the first one since they started dating, and while they had decided to keep it cooler with the others, Charlie had insisted they not hide what they were starting to feel for each other. Tristan had fallen for him a little bit more at that comment.

  However, Charlie was meant to be teaching a class, not pawing over his new boyfriend. So they needed to behave. Tristan still felt a warmth spread through him when he thought about the fact that he now had a boyfriend.

  The alarm on his phone went off, warning him it was time to save his work and shut down. He needed to freshen up before leaving to meet the others.

  CHARLIE LOOKED up when Tristan entered the hall and only turned back to Ivy when he heard laughter.

  “I take it the date went well?” Charlie could hear the barely repressed mirth in Ivy’s tone.

  Charlie rolled his eyes. “The dates went great.”

  He counted to five before Ivy burst out, “Dates? As in plural?”

  Tristan joined them and dropped a kiss on Charlie’s cheek. “Yes, as in three. So far. Unless this counts as one? What do you think, sweetie? Can we sneak off to the restrooms so I can have my wicked way with you?”

  Charlie stifled a chuckle at Tristan’s antics.

  He pushed Tristan toward an empty chair. “Behave and you might get a reward after this session.”

  Tristan grinned. “What punishment will I get if I’m not good? Maybe I want to be bad.”

  Charlie shook his head as Ivy rolled up in laughter and even Ashley had started chuckling. “I’m just surrounded by smartasses. Now to work, everyone.” He glared at Tristan, who was still grinning at him. “Tris, you’ve only got four sessions left to get more things made. I hope you’ve been practicing.”