Page 23 of Hard as Steel
Darkness had fallen nearly an hour ago. Buttercup fought her way through an ice cream cone. She was so tired, she could barely keep her head up. Likely, he would have to carry her heavy ass to the car. They had played on the beach for hours, taken a walk down the long line of food trucks, choosing things here and there. He couldn’t face going home to an empty house, so he lingered.
“Oh my fucking God, what is it about you? You’re everywhere.”
Krystof’s chin shot up. Timber claimed the spot next to him on the bench.
A genuine smile touched his lips not only at the sight of Timber but also at Buttercup’s half-assed attempt to growl.
“Oh, hush, girlie pop. You know you’re a big faker.” He petted Buttercup, proving she had no intention of biting him.
Krystof shook his head. “What is it with you? I thought you were headed back to Seattle the last I saw you.”
Timber never stopped smiling. “Yeah, I came in to work the awards night gig. I’m here for about three more weeks until a temporary client wraps filming here.”
“You live an interesting life. What have you been up to?”
Timber shrugged off the question. “Just working and fucking this cop. I’m not sure I even like him. What about you?”
A bark of laughter burst from Krystof. “You’re just a scandal waiting to happen, aren’t you?”
“Me? If you have Buttercup with you, I assume you’re messing with Steel again. Now tying him down is the gossip fodder of the ages.”
He didn’t know. Timber worked with Steel and didn’t even know they were dating. “Hmmm. Maybe wait on hitting the streets with the news. If no one knows, then I guess things really are as bad as they seem.”
Timber’s smile fell. “What’s up? I know he’s my boss and all, but we’re not tight. My fault. Not his. I just don’t like most people, and those I do still barely see me. But my faults leave you free to talk to me about whatever. I’d say I’m already more of your friend than his. You actually see me once in a blue moon. Steel just texts me jobs and I show up.”
A sad smile touched Krystof’s lips. “If you want to keep liking me, you probably don’t want to hear my story. I’m afraid I don’t come out looking so well.”
Timber shrugged. “Try me. You probably won’t see me for another six months.”
Despite everything, Krystof laughed. Timber was a likable guy for someone who didn’t like other people. “Okay. I’ll try to stick to the Cliff notes. I’m fairly certain you’ll be confused either way.”
“You don’t have to keep it short. In fact, let me carry Buttercup to the car, since she looks pretty done for the day, and we can just cruise the coast and you can unload. I’m not good for much, but I’m there for my friends. People say I give decent advice.”
Krystof almost said no, then he remembered seeing Steel with someone else earlier that day. The fresh wave of sadness had him nodding. “I think I’d like that.”
They stood, and Timber picked up Buttercup as if she weighed nothing. He nodded toward the left. “I’m parked this way.”
They strolled in silence. To Krystof’s surprise, the quiet between them wasn’t unpleasant. Krystof was uncomfortable with most people. He had been raised to be guarded against everyone. People with his level of wealth didn’t have friends. No one could be trusted.
“If you’d like, you can skip the part that makes you look bad and just talk about what’s going on now. That’s all that really matters anyhow.”
At the claim, Krystof remembered he should be talking. He didn’t want to keep Timber from enjoying his night. “Oh, it’s definitely a long story, but I can break it down fairly quickly. Basically, he was the love of my life, but I had to make a choice between saving my lifelong best friend from an abusive family or Steel. I chose my friend. We were married, and I adopted her son. It was never sexual or anything like that. She needed me, and I didn’t know what else to do. When my wife passed away, I rented a home in California and put everything into winning Steel back. He gave me another shot, except I’m not sure he was ever genuine about it. I think—maybe—he only took me back to punish me.”
Timber waited until they were settled in his car before responding. “What makes you think that’s his plan? That sounds like playing a damn long game to get even.”
Krystof felt dumb saying his thoughts out loud. “He’s always gone. I’m about ninety-five percent certain he’s cheating, and I can’t even balk because I’ll forever be the bad guy in our story.”
“Damn. I don’t even know what to say.”
Krystof’s hands rose and fell. “What could anyone say? I made my bed.”
Timber snorted. “Don’t even claim you have to lie in it now. If he said he would give you a chance, then it has to be a clean slate beginning. It’s in no way fair to expect you to spend the rest of your life putting up with whatever because of something that happened last time. In second shots, it’s either forgive and forget or fail. I’ve never seen a couple make it the second time around while clinging to the past.”
“That’s the thing, though,” Krystof said, sounding every bit as desperate as he was. “I don’t believe this is a real shot. If it were, it wouldn’t hurt like this.” Saying those words out loud had reality slamming into him like never before. They wouldn’t make it. Steel’s love for him had been dead for a long time. Every ounce of hope Krystof possessed had been completely one-sided.
Timber didn’t speak for several minutes. When he did, Krystof jumped slightly. He had gotten accustomed to the silence. “You deserve better than him. I’ve always thought Steel was a stand-up guy. But if everything you’re saying is right, I have no respect for him. You’re probably one of the most peaceful people I’ve met. Like, seriously, I love hanging out with you. It’s like you’re good for my nervous system or something. Truly, you deserve so much more. Maybe it’s time you see that too.”
Krystof kept his gaze locked on the road while his mind churned. Did he deserve more? He had spent so many years hating himself that he didn’t know any longer. All he knew was that he didn’t know how to keep feeling like this. He was on the verge of giving up. Not on Steel. On himself.
