Tainted Love Series Boxed Set Read online

  One minute they’d be getting on just fine, the next, he’d be pissed off and she had no idea why.

  “Tell me what?” Tyler asked, a frown painting his face.

  “I got accepted for the course.”

  “That’s great.” He sat where he was, hands on the table, face hard. Which annoyed her further because she thought, after the excitement he’d showed this morning, that he would be more than happy for her.

  “Looks like we’re all moving on,” said Ethan brightly. She could almost feel that Ethan sensed the iciness, but being Ethan, he was doing his best to buoy things up.

  When the doorbell rang again, Tyler got up and looked at her in puzzlement. Neither of them was expecting anyone else.

  He returned a few moments later with a huge smile on his face. He gave an exaggerated introduction. “We have the future Mrs. Adams,” he said, moving out of the way.

  Nadine walked in and waved a “hi” to everyone. Zoe watched as Nadine greeted Ethan warmly.

  She got up and welcomed Nadine who sat down beside Ethan. As she turned, she caught Tyler looking at her oddly again. She couldn’t gauge what kind of smile he was giving her and she wasn’t sure of his game either.

  “It’s becoming quite a get together—just like the old days.” Zoe forced herself to laugh, as she looked around the table. She was feeling uneasy. Not so much because Nadine was here next to Ethan, in her face. It had more to do with Tyler and the games he was playing.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude,” Nadine said. Zoe looked as Ethan and Nadine joined hands, resting them on the table.

  “No,” Tyler and Zoe both rushed to placate her.

  “It’s good to see you again,” said Zoe. “And congratulations, once again.” She’d already seen the ring but couldn’t help her gaze falling on the large sparkling diamond once more.

  “May I see?” asked Tyler. He was acting like an excited woman, thought Zoe.

  “I find myself stopping to stare at it every now and then,” confessed Nadine happily. Zoe cast a furtive glance at the ring again, as Tyler examined it carefully.

  “Must have cost you a few art sculptures,” Tyler guessed, giving the ring his seal of approval. He let go of Nadine’s hand.

  “She’s worth it,” replied Ethan, a man content. “Show Zoe,” he urged Nadine, who sat next to him. Both of their chairs were pulled snug against one another and it was hard to tell where Nadine began and Ethan ended.

  “No.” Nadine replied, a little embarrassed as she snuggled closer to Ethan. For a brief moment she rested her face against his shoulder. “I’m sure Zoe is bored of it.”

  Zoe felt privately relieved at Nadine’s refusal to shove the ring under her nose again.

  “Now that’s what I call a magic moment.” Tyler had grabbed his camera—and snapped away.

  The moment he snapped a photo, Ethan and Nadine both turned to look at Tyler in surprise and he caught another picture. “Nice.” He sounded real pleased with the shot he’d just taken.

  And just as the doorbell rang again, Zoe turned to look and he’d taken another shot. Of her.

  She pulled a face at him. “We’re having a photo shoot all of a sudden?” She rolled her eyes and got up to see who was at the door this time. “Crazy day,” she muttered then let out a loud whoop of laughter when she saw Becca.

  “What a surprise!” Zoe was secretly relieved to see her friend. She needed someone on her side. “Come and join the party.” She knew Becca’s mind would be blown away as soon as she entered the kitchen.

  As she started to walk Becca towards the kitchen, the sight of a flashing light on a cell on the table by the entrance hall caught her eye. As soon as Becca went through, she heard her friend’s loud yelp, Ethan’s even louder yelp, and an outpouring of laughter.

  But Zoe lingered in the hallway, looking at the cell phone. Tyler’s cell phone. Briefly it flashed. The phone was on silent and it had eighty-two missed calls.

  Eighty-two.

  She left it where it was—the temptation to pick it up and see who might have called him was gone. It could only be that woman he’d been talking about. Margaux.

  When she walked into the kitchen they were all laughing, all sitting around the table, talking away excitedly.

  Becca ooohed and aaahed over Nadine’s ring.

  Zoe tried to read Tyler’s expression, to see if there were any signs of worry, but his face remained composed, not giving anything away.

  She wondered what could have happened between him and that woman to make her resort to this.

  Chapter 17

  For entertainment value, it had been as riveting as watching an episode of Breaking Bad.

  Right from the moment when he’d walked in, he’d felt as though he’d interrupted something.

  His mind was working in overdrive again. The paranoia was back. She’d started calling and sending her stupid texts again.

  As before, he ignored them. He had no obligation to answer them before and he as sure as hell wasn’t going to let her take up any more of his time now.

  The evening had been the perfect distraction for him. The type of evening he needed to take his mind off Margaux and to stop him contemplating his father’s impending visit.

  Tyler knew his father wouldn’t be passing by just to see how his youngest son was doing. There was more to it—perhaps a little sweetener.

  Having visitors for a change, meant that he and Zoe didn’t have to deal with what had happened lately between them. Not that it had meant anything to her, he guessed, having seen her giggling like a schoolgirl around Ethan again. Until Nadine had turned up.

  They’d ordered pizza as usual. It was universally liked by everyone, and made for an easy meal. Getting Ethan to stay for pizza had been a no brainer. Nadine had tried to cry off, citing a huge workload until Ethan reminded her again that they had a few more days in the city before returning to Fresno. Looked like they were going to be traveling back and forth for a few weeks. He remembered Ethan’s quiet reluctance to move to a more upscale apartment and wondered how that would work out.

  They’d all joked about Becca thinking of this place as her second home, and when, more than an hour after Ethan and Nadine had left, she still made no tracks to leave, Zoe reminded her that there was only one long couch to sleep on and that Ethan hadn’t yet vacated his room. And that maybe it was time for her to head home.

  Now it was just the two of them in the kitchen and Tyler felt a pang of regret at his earlier jibes. Zoe turned around, crossed her arms against her chest and watched him.

  “It turned out to be quite an evening, didn’t it?” he said.

  “It did.” She watched him closely, probably the same way he had been watching her once Nadine had walked in.

  “They’re good together, aren’t they?” Tyler said, more than anything because he wanted to see what she’d have to say about that.

  “That’s the sort of comment a woman would make.”

  “I’ve been known to be in touch with my feminine side.” His lips threatened to curl into a smile.

  “That’s the type of comment you’d never really hear a guy say out loud.” This was good. At least she wasn’t yet pulling him up on his snarky comments.

  “Where do you think they’ll move to? Pacific Heights? Knob Hill?”

  “Ethan isn’t really too concerned about status. He’s a down to earth guy, not into labels.” She gave him a look which implied that he was.

  Tyler felt his body tense up. She seemed to always side with Ethan. “You don’t like Nadine much, do you?”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “Just…the way you sometimes act.” He was testing her now.

  She rushed to deny his accusation. “Nadine’s the right person for Ethan, and he’s the right guy for her. They complement each other—you’d see that, if you knew them better.”

  That told him.

  “I’ve never seen him happier. Billy said the same thing. You only w
ant the best for your friends.” Her voice trailed off and she turned around, got busy wiping the sink down.

  “Maybe you’re right. I had my reservations, too. I thought she was a bit snobbish, arrogant even, at first, but once you get to know her she’s really down to earth. She’s funny, too.”

  “I don’t think she means to be funny. She’s just quirky.” Zoe looked at him defiantly as if to prove a point.

  “I didn’t think you and Ethan were so close, such good friends, I mean.” He had to put it out there.

  “We are—were. We got close—living together; that’s what happens. He and Billy were almost best friends, even though it was Billy’s older brother that Ethan knew from school.”

  Tyler let her say what she felt she needed to say. He’d never have guessed before that she had the hots for Ethan. Now that the evening was over, he felt she’d handled it well—all of it: their engagement and having to sit through and watch Ethan and Nadine being so loved up.

  He even felt a little sorry for Zoe.

  “Great news about your course.”

  “I’m not sure I’d have even made it to the interview if you hadn’t woken me up. I owe you.”

  He shook his head and dismissed the idea that he had anything to do with it.

  “I don’t usually get a hangover.” She tried to explain.

  An image of her in the skimpy vest assailed him and he tried to wipe it away. “Do you remember signing up for the speed-dating event?”

  She raised her hands to her face, in embarrassment. “We did, didn’t we?”

  “It was your idea.” He reminded her. Zoe looked at him blankly. “You said since we were both single, it seemed a great idea, at the time.”

  She attempted a smile, and he found it endearing the way her cheeks lifted. “Well, we are both single, aren’t we?”

  “I don’t have a girlfriend.” He said slowly, watching her reaction. He wondered how much of last night she remembered, or cared to think about. Had she lain awake at night going through the scene, wondering if it might have ended differently.

  “And I’m officially over Billy, so—,” her voice trailed off, and she looked away.

  But are you over Ethan?

  “Do you still think we should go to this thing?” He asked, no longer sure he wanted her to go speed dating. Seeing her with Ethan had gotten him feeling all tense as it was. He didn’t think he could handle the idea of her sitting around talking to lots of different guys.

  “Hell, yeah.” She attempted exuberance, but her voice was lacking. She was quiet for a moment. “It’ll be a chance to get out for the evening. It could be fun.” Her cheeks lifted again, and he was sold.

  Fun it would be and he’d get to spend an evening with her again. He found himself looking forward to it already.

  She went over to the cork notice board on the wall and scribbled down the date and time. “This Friday, at seven. I’m going to arrange my shift so that I can start earlier. It’ll be a great way to end the week—because my course starts next week.”

  “You’re going to be really busy. Will you keep on waitressing?”

  She moved away, gave a yawn. “I have to. It’s the only way I’ll be able to afford the rent.”

  He followed her lead and made tracks to go; it was late. Along the way he picked up his camera. Processing these shots would be interesting.

  Earlier, after meeting Bailey, he’d braved the Loin. It was safer during the day, though he wouldn’t be able to get any shots of the lit up seedier sights and signs. But he’d captured enough—the debris and dilapidated buildings, sidewalks speckled with people living on the streets. In the past he’d tried to ask them if he could take their pictures a couple of times, but being met with vacant stares and nothing more, he didn’t. So he captured their environment instead, complete with its raw bleakness and gray desolation.

  Every so often he would send his images to the local magazines and papers who sometimes used them and paid him a small fee. It helped get his name out there.

  But this time around he was also interested in looking at the photos he’d taken this evening. They’d be telling too.

  “Do you always have a camera on standby?” asked Zoe as she passed him. He put the camera back in its case. It was one of his prized possessions.

  “Whenever I can.”

  “I never had you down for the paparazzi.” She overtook him as she slipped out into the hallway.

  “I never had you down for a programming geek.” He turned the kitchen lights out.

  She turned her head and raised an eyebrow at him.

  He could tell by the sly look on her face that she was fighting hard to keep her comment at bay. He saw the flashing light on his cell phone which lay on the table. He picked it up and glanced at it. “Shit.”

  Bat shit crazy; that was the only way to describe Margaux Scott.

  “Anything wrong?” Zoe asked him, lingering around.

  He shook his head. “Nothing,” he said quickly. Then headed off toward his room. He stopped and turned to Zoe who was starting to go into the living room.

  “Want to see something?” he asked, and she turned around.

  “Come here a minute,” he said, when she didn’t move.

  She followed him into his bedroom and looked all around. It used to be her and Billy’s room not so long ago. He’d kept the furniture and the arrangement of it the same. But he guessed it would still feel odd, to be seeing his things lying around, instead of hers.

  He saw her give the room a cursory look, before her eyes caught sight of the photos he had blutacked to the walls. She let out a small gasp and walked up closer to them. They were mostly pictures he’d taken downtown, a couple of months back. They caught a moment or a mood. A couple sharing a cigarette; an elderly couple pushing a stroller; a woman out walking her Shit Tzu. These pictures intermingled with some of the sleepless, homeless shelters he’d been to—a sharp contrast of the worlds inhabited by people only a few miles apart.

  “These are yours?” Zoe asked breathlessly.

  He nodded. “Yeah. This is why I usually have my camera with me…when I’m wandering around.”

  “Just like Ethan.” She breathed, moving in closer to look at the photo of an old homeless man drinking out of a beer can.

  Nothing like Ethan, he thought. “Why would you say that?’ he challenged her, suddenly wanting to know.

  She walked around his room, carefully analyzing each and every picture. “Just because you’re both artistic, creative guys, when you look like anything but that.” Her voice was dreamy as she gazed at the images on display in his room. “They’re…stunning. So moody, so emotional,” she gushed. When she turned to look at him it was with an almost seemingly newfound pair of eyes. “Have you ever sent them off?”

  “Yeah, sometimes. But I mainly do this because I enjoy it so much.”

  “You’re very talented.” She moved closer to look at a photo of the sunset over the Golden Gate Bridge. It was in the minority, being one of the few he had developed in color.

  “Awesome. I can almost see this on a poster somewhere.”

  He grinned, breaking out into a huge smile. “Thanks.” He didn’t often show his art to anyone, but it felt good having Zoe look at it.

  “Why don’t you find a way to make a living doing this?” she asked.

  “I’m trying but it’s not easy.”

  She looked at him, arms crossed over her chest.

  “What’s the one thing you’d do if money, rent and bills weren’t anything to worry about?”

  It came out, unbidden without him needing to even think about it. “I’d shoot photos all day long.”

  “So maybe there’s a plan right there, in there somewhere.”

  He sincerely doubted it. But it was nice of her to be concerned about him. His cell vibrated again on the bed where he’d thrown it down and he felt a rush of heat through his body.

  “More calls?” Zoe asked, watching him again. But he was too se
ething with anger to pay any attention to her words. He turned the cell off.

  “Is it her?” she probed.

  But he didn’t want to involve her in his shit.

  “Late night booty call,” he said, with a straight face and watched as hers crumpled.

  “You’d better answer it then,” she replied, her cheeks suddenly flush with color.

  When she left him, Tyler jabbed at his phone and turned it off.

  Chapter 18

  “You’re looking well, son.” Rufus Moore patted his son on the back and hugged him tightly.

  “You too, dad,” said Tyler, slowly extricating himself from his dad’s hug. “How is everyone?”

  It was all so polite and civil. Distance and time had ensured that it would be so. “Good, good. We’re all doing good. Your mom wishes you would call more.”

  Tyler nodded again. “Maybe I’ll come by soon.” Or something. Maybe not. He didn’t feel any particular pull toward his home, or his family.

  His father ordered himself a bourbon and Tyler ordered a beer, even though it was too early in the day for him to be drinking. Being with his father fueled his need for drink. He relaxed when the cool liquid slipped down his throat.

  “I suppose you’re still playing around with your camera?” His father chortled. “Still looking for the perfect shot?”

  That’s what Tyler hated the most: the way his father always managed to make him feel so worthwhile, usually within minutes of their meeting.

  He ignored his father’s digs. “What brings you here this time, Dad?” He had to be careful how he phrased his words—he didn’t want his father thinking he was having any aspirations of actually coming to work for him. Goodness knows it had been hard enough wrenching himself away. The man had a desire for control. Josh and Teddy weren’t strong enough to stand up to him, and they’d been lured by the promise of easy money, never having to make it out on their own.

  With his options drying up fast and the choice of working in a men’s boutique looming on the horizon, Tyler needed to keep his options open. Bailey was still waiting but she was obviously in no hurry. She just wanted him to say yes.

  “We’ve acquired a new dealership near Marin County, if you’re interested.”