Travis Mason was in a very good mood as he walked down the street towards The Bella Bistro. Work had gone well with no mishaps and not a single person had dared to pull an April Fool's prank on him. As the boss, they would have been risking their jobs, but there might have been an "April Fool" bold or daring enough to try. He was happy that there hadn't been. Travis didn't have much patience for practical jokes. He tended to think that they were cruel and pointless.
He was a bit surprised that Mark hadn't pulled one of his stunts, although he supposed it was a bit too late for that now. His best friend since fourth grade loved practical jokes, even though Travis had told him consistently he had no stomach for them. He was always doing something that annoyed Travis, despite their friendship and the new relationship they now enjoyed since Mark had become family. Mark had insisted that Travis had pulled off the best practical joke of all, foisting him off on his sister, Casey. It was a running bit between them, because Casey had fallen in love with Mark from the time she was 11. The two-years older Mark hadn't noticed back then, few girls caught his eye. Sports were everything to Mark back then. It changed by the time he was in the 12th grade. Casey had turned into a certified blonde beauty and hadn't let moss grow under her feet. She made Mark come after her and once convinced of his sincerity, there was no separating them. She wouldn't have let anything come between her husband and brother either and often, she was the one playing peacemaker. Casey had some of her husband's sense of humor, but she was also the first one to tell him when he might be crossing a line.
As he passed one storefront window, Travis took stock of himself. He was wearing his best blue blazer, a very expensive shirt and tie and tailored slacks. He'd had his hair cut that morning and made sure shave himself as clean as a whistle. Unlike his buddy, no gray outlined Travis' hair, although the BS with Lise might well have added some. He still felt pangs of regret over the ending of their ten-year relationship and supposed that he always would. You don't love someone the way that he had her and not feel -- something. Still, his sister, who had never liked Lise, was right -- the woman was poison. The odd thing about all of that was Lise's best friend was also Casey's -- the two women just couldn't stand each other.
As he neared the restaurant, a normally confident Travis felt some butterflies. It had been over a decade since he had last been on a date. It felt strange to be nearly 36 and single, it also felt good. Lise had been a millstone around his neck for far too long. He had lost himself in her for several years and only therapy and some clarity had allowed him to see the truth. The entirety of their relationship had been about Lise -- her needs, her wants and even her sexual preferences. When Lise suggested that they have an "open" relationship, that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Travis went ballistic and stayed at Mark & Casey's that night. He went back to the apartment he shared with Lise the next afternoon and cleared out, not looking back for an instant. He and Mark spent the night tying one on and he lost count of how many times he said that he was glad they had never legally married. Lise's family had money, so most everything went to her and Travis threw himself back into his architectural work to forget his agony.
Mark and Casey had pushed him to jump back into dating and when they told him they had the "perfect" woman for him, he balked at first. Part of him still believed that he'd
had
the perfect woman and let her fall through the cracks, although he knew that wasn't realistic. Lise was selfish and condescending. He shook the cobwebs from his head and entered the restaurant, ready to face the future. Once he set his mind to making the night work, he also realized that he was hungry as a bear.
Casey had insisted that she give him the once-over, being overly solicitous. He thought his sister was overdoing it, although being nurturing was in her nature. It bugged him a lot more that
Mark
was so gung-ho about this date. His buddy wasn't normally quite this involved in his personal life.
When he got to the table and his date stood up, he saw why. He frowned. She scowled and both of them looked at each other in anger and then shook their heads. They had been set up! The "date" was an April Fool's prank! He was pissed and the woman standing in front of him looked as mad as a hornet.
"Travis."
"Juliette."
Juliette Wilde was his sister's best friend since the 2nd Grade and one of Lise's closest friends as well. She hadn't liked him ever since he could remember and the feeling was mutual. When he started dating Lise, Juliette didn't even disguise the fact that she did not approve. She complained to Casey, she complained to Lise and she complained to whoever would listen. Fortunately, both of the women in his life ignored her admonitions. It was a damned shame that Juliette was such a bitch, because she was a gorgeous redhead and damn, she looked hot in the slinky black dress and heels she had on!
"They got us," Juliette said through gritted teeth. "I'll kill her and
fuck
, I haven't eaten a thing all day," she complained as she sat back down.
"Me either," Travis said and sat down as well. If it had been anyone else besides Juliette, he would have already declared the date a success. Superficial or not, she looked amazing and a dose of "amazing" was just what the doctor ordered right about now. "Okay, how about this? We call a truce, have a meal, try to make some small talk and go our separate ways when we're done."
"Can you do that?"
"I can -- can you?" She smiled and he smiled back. Juliette nodded so he summoned the sommelier and ordered wine.
"I actually drink that all the time," Juliette said after the server left. "Good choice."
"My sister got me to try it," Travis told her.
"You realize she's dead the next time I see her?" Juliette said with a deadpan expression.
"So is Mark."
"What were they
thinking?
"
"No idea, although in the spirit of our truce, you look great. That is
some
