AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Who said you ever won me over?”
“I win everyone over. It’s what makes me a good valet. I’m a likable guy.”
“Until you start ranting about people’s favorite books…” I muttered.
“Favorite books?” Tristan said, striding into the parlor.
“You know you don’t have to dress up all the time, right?” I teased.
He looked down at himself—vest, dress shirt, and gray slacks. “Of course. That is why I removed my jacket after dinner.”
“What’s your favorite book?” I asked.
Tristan sat in the chair catercorner to our couch and grabbed the bowl of popcorn. “I prefer reading non-fiction in my free time. Most recently, I read Sapiens, by Yuval Noah Harari, which is a history of humans and their social structures. I intend to read the sequel, Homo Deus, next.”
“Sounds enthralling,” Andrew muttered, rolling his eyes for my benefit.
“I assure you it was.”
The bartender smoothly replaced the empty margarita pitcher with a fresh one, placing an empty glass in front of Tristan. The Englishman nodded his head in thanks.
“We read each other’s favorite books,” I explained. “Andrew’s is Red Storm Rising.”
“By that military tosser Tom Clancy?” Tristan scoffed haughtily. “His books are overly stuffed with bollocks acronyms and officer jargon. It’s the rare case where the movie counterparts are all superior to the books.”
“Even though Sean Connery doesn’t even attempt a Russian accent?” I asked.
“His performance certainly left much to be desired.” Tristan sipped his margarita and smacked his lips. “Although all the other actors are quite good in that movie. Particularly Sam Neill. His Russian accent was passable.”
“Tell us how you really feel,” Andrew muttered. “No, don’t do that. I’m afraid of what you might say about my favorite author after a margarita or two.”
“It is possible,” Tristan said, motioning his glass like a professor in the middle of a lecture, “that I have already consumed multiple alcoholic beverages prior to joining you both. The best way to combat jet lag, in my opinion.”
“The most fun way, at least,” I said with a smile. “Don’t listen to Andrew. I’m glad to hear your opinion on Clancy. You clearly have excellent taste in books.”
Andrew shook his head.
“And what is your favorite novel?” Tristan asked me.
Confident that he would not have read it, I told him.
Tristan snorted derisively. “Sarah J. Maas is evidence that the traditional publishing industry is full of rubbish. Those novels are the literary equivalent of eating Cadbury chocolate for dinner.”
“That’s not fair,” I said. “If you sit down and read them…”
“I have read all four books,” Tristan interrupted. “Including that Frost and Starlight novella nonsense. I can assure you my opinion is well-founded indeed. To begin, the riddle in the first book is so simplistic that—”
“Okay, I get the idea,” I said. “I don’t want both of you to rant about how bad my favorite book series is.”
“Very well.” Tristan looked embarrassed, so he stared into the depths of his margarita. “The sex scenes are satisfying, at least.”
“I’m actually impressed,” Andrew said. “You managed to walk in here and offend both of us in the span of a few minutes.”
“Oh, come now,” Tristan said. “Surely both of you have skin thick enough to withstand some basic criticism.”
Nodding, I said, “I do, but I don’t like the series because it’s high literature. It’s a series that meant a lot to me when I was a teenager.”
“That’s how I felt about Clancy books,” Andrew added. “I was a teenager growing up in a small town in Ohio, and his books gave me a wider view of the world.”
