Happily Ever Laughter: older man, quirky younger woman romance (HEA Book 3) Read online

  Happily Ever Laughter

  older man, quirky younger woman romance

  By Haley Travis

  Copyright 2021 Haley Travis. All rights reserved. Edited by Rosemary Stewart. Cover Design by Lexie Renard.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted or duplicated in any form whatsoever without express written permission of the author. This book is intended for sale to adults. All main characters are over 18. This is a work of fiction. Any similarities to actual people or specific locations or details is completely coincidental, or intended fictitiously.

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  ***

  Scrappily Ever After

  Happily Clever After

  Happily Ever Laughter

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1 ~ Tanis

  Chapter 2 ~ Felix

  Chapter 3 ~ Tanis

  Chapter 4 ~ Felix

  Chapter 5 ~ Tanis

  Chapter 6 ~ Felix

  Chapter 7 ~ Tanis

  Chapter 8 ~ Felix

  Chapter 9 ~ Tanis

  Chapter 10 ~ Felix

  Chapter 11 ~ Tanis

  Chapter 12 ~ Felix

  Chapter 13 ~ Tanis

  Chapter 14 ~ Felix

  Chapter 15 ~ Tanis

  Chapter 16 ~ Felix

  Chapter 17 ~ Tanis

  Chapter 18 ~ Felix

  Chapter 19 ~ Tanis

  Chapter 20 ~ Felix

  Chapter 21 ~ Tanis

  Chapter 22 ~ Felix

  Chapter 23 ~ Tanis

  Chapter 24 ~ Felix

  Chapter 25 ~ Tanis

  Epilogue One ~ Felix

  Epilogue Two ~ Tanis

  Other Books & About the Author

  CHAPTER ONE

  ~ Tanis ~

  Thump.

  I muffle a curse as my shin connects with the edge of the coffee table yet again. Normally I adore my cozy studio apartment, but not so much when I’m restless.

  There’s really nowhere else to go on a Monday night, which is why Mondays are usually spent reading.

  But I just don’t feel like it today. I need something different. Something new.

  I could take my laptop to Henry’s coffee shop and edit some of my artsy video clips. But the coffee shop is always my go to.

  If I want to be truly creative, shouldn’t I go somewhere else? Every article on creativity says to get out of your comfort zone and try something different.

  The thought of that fills me with…not anxiety, exactly. Prickliness? No. Trepidation – that’s the word.

  I shuffle across the green shag rug to find my shoulder bag, quickly packing my laptop, camera and phone. “Be good while I’m gone,” I call out to my plant babies, then I lock the apartment door behind me.

  It’s a quiet neighborhood, with very little foot traffic at seven o’clock on a weeknight. I usually stroll north, so instead I decided to turn east, walking past a diner I try not to go to very often so that I don’t become addicted to their onion rings. More than once a month might become dangerous to my waistline.

  Further down the street is a huge kitchenware store, a brightly lit juice shop with orange and neon pink accents, and a corner store.

  I turn south, hoping to find a quiet restaurant where I can have a glass of wine and work in peace in a completely new environment.

  To the left is a residential street, with big old houses. Yet there is a crisp red and white sign in front of one of them. Walking closer, it looks to be some sort of lounge: “The Bohemian’s Apartment.”

  A tall blonde woman in a snug fitting black dress and plenty of dramatic make up is out front having a smoke. She waves for me to come closer. “Are you looking for the ladies night party?” she asks.

  “Not really – I’m just out for a walk.”

  She drops her cigarette and stomps it out under her pointy-toed boot. “Listen, the owner wants to start Monday ladies night specials, and there’s hardly anyone here. If you’re looking for somewhere to kill some time, drinks are on the house.”

  A mostly empty bar and free drinks? That certainly sounds like a different environment where I could get a bit of work done.

  “Sure, maybe just one.”

  “Awesome,” she grins, grabbing the elaborate handle of the giant oversized door. “I’m Jenna.”

  “Tanis. Thanks.”

  As we go inside, I see that the entire main floor has been decorated as an upscale but at the same time down-at-heel lounge. It truly was a bohemian space: ornate antique sofas and far too many chandeliers mixed with kitschy nautical art and old-fashioned portraits of long-gone aristocrats.

  It’s perfect. Exactly what I need – just strange enough, and at the same time completely comfortable.

  I follow Jenna to the long old-fashioned wooden bar, where she hands me a short cocktail menu. “I can make you absolutely anything you want, but this is what I’m supposed to push,” she shrugs.

  Skimming the list, I try to stick with my theme today of trying new things. “You know, I’ve never actually had a lemon drop.”

  “Do you like them tangy or sweeter?” she asks with a huge smile that tests the strength of her vinyl finish lipstick.

  “Sweet. Thanks.”

  I could certainly use a bit of sweetness in my life. I would never have thought that even four or five months ago. But seeing how my book club friend Claire has blossomed from the sweetness of her new boyfriend Shane, I have to wonder whether that sort of thing would be good for me.

  Diana, another one of our little Wednesday night reading group, has also found herself the perfect man, and Milo seems to adore her quiet, thoughtful nature. It could almost inspire a girl to think about what she’s looking for in a guy, if she were indeed looking at all.

  Which I’m not.

  But it certainly would be a new thing to try.

  Pulling out my camera, I zoom in just before Jenna pours the contents of the shaker into the elegant martini glass.

  She remains absolutely silent as the yellow liquid splashes and dances. Then she steps back with a flourish. Once I stop filming, she smiles. “I wasn’t sure if you were recording audio as well.”

  I laugh slightly. “No, I’m just into the visuals.”

  “You’re an artist, then?”

  My head shakes swiftly. “Oh no. I just dabble.”

  Her perfectly arched pierced eyebrow raises higher, lifting a slim ring of stainless steel. “If I knew you better, I’d give you hell for not talking yourself up.”

  I return her enthusiastic grin. “Thanks. I’ll try to work on that. And thanks for the drink.”

  I slide a five dollar tip onto the counter and she goes down to the other end of the bar where an older man is sitting with an empty beer glass.

  Taking my drink, I settle into a huge green easy chair in a corner with a wide coffee table. Looking around, there are only eleven other people in the whole bar. It would take at least forty to make this large L-shaped space look remotely busy.

  Strangely, I love it. The feeling of space in a place that’s usually crowded was fascinating. The music is mellow but funky, and not overly loud.

  I boot up my laptop, then take a healthy swig of my drink. It’s absolutely incredible. Maybe it will make me mellow enough to experiment with my videos a bit more.

  I load the clip of the martini pouring, along with over a dozen other clips I’ve
recorded today. Even though I’m not quite sure what I’m ever going to use these for, I can’t stop making them. It’s usually everyday things like slicing a bagel, or tying shoes.

  But for some reason I focus a bit more on liquids. Coffee pouring. Pasta water bubbling. Waiting until the shower gets hot.

  I’ve never worked with bright yellow liquid before. Starting with that clip, I edit it so that the start and end timing is clean, then speed it up so that it’s precisely fifteen seconds long. This gives it a bit more energy.

  Duplicating the file to keep the original intact, I take another sip of my drink then find myself falling into the zone. It feels wonderful to completely space out and simply play with video effects and textures with no particular end goal in sight.

  Most of my work is doodling over the existing footage, then exploding bits apart. Shatter or rainbow effects play up the linework, then things come back together as if nothing ever happened.

  I’m not sure why I’ve always found that hilarious. As if the martini glass was off having a psychedelic acid trip adventure when nobody was looking and then slinking home again.

  I completely forget where I am for about twenty minutes, and when I look up I see several more people have come into the lounge.

  It’s a mix of business people, folks who clearly live in the neighborhood, and one group of guys that seems to be computer techs or artsy sorts in the corner. It was hard to tell.

  One of them leans forward in his easy chair, and my breath catches as his face is illuminated by the light of an old-fashioned living room lamp.

  He’s so remarkably gorgeous that I’m tempted to grab my camera and ask him to model for me. Would that be rude? Maybe. It would certainly be way too far outside of my comfort level.

  I can’t tell his height from the way he’s sitting, though his broad shoulders and thick chest make me think that he definitely works out a lot. But it’s the angular planes of his face and those bright, animated eyes that capture me most of all.

  He is a strange sort of handsome. Certainly striking, but it’s also the way he speaks and gestures with such a confident energy. He’s engaging.

  It’s almost overwhelming how much I’m drawn to him.

  But going up and talking to a stranger is something I definitely do not know how to do. Maybe I should practice while I’m supposed to be in my creative try-something-new zone?

  After another swallow of lemon syrup that slides deliciously along my tongue, I turn back to my laptop. My eyes flick once more to the gorgeous man in the corner who is rolling up the sleeves of his dark gray button down shirt.

  He catches my gaze, those sharp eyes locking on mine for several seconds before I manage to tear myself away. Hunching back over my laptop, I realize that my stomach is tingling just from that direct glance.

  Maybe it’s time for me to start thinking about considering looking into the possibility of dating again someday.

  Maybe. Someday.

  CHAPTER TWO

  ~ Felix ~

  Wow. Just… wow .

  Those beautiful eyes genuinely feel like they are staring into my soul. Never in my life have I felt such an instant attraction to a complete stranger.

  My roommates and I have been coming to the Boho every other Monday night for a couple of years, since according to Dan, they have the best free pool tables in the city. But I’ve never seen her here. I would definitely remember that gorgeous face.

  Her long dark hair frames a delicate, classically sculpted face that’s both pretty and elegant. I also love the way she’s out for the night dressed casually in a plain t-shirt and jeans, with just a few simple layered necklaces. I’ve always loved that look and don’t know why.

  There is something about her that I can’t even put into words. Beautiful doesn’t begin to describe her vibe. She’s natural, fresh, and wildly sexy.

  Years ago when I was looking around for women to date, she would’ve been perfect. But since absolutely nobody interested me for longer than a five minute conversation, I stopped bothering.

  This strangely unique girl makes me want to bother again. Makes me want to drop everything in my life just to get to know her.

  The question is, will I come off like a creep if I approach her? She looks like she’s working, in a bar of all places. But then again, a bar is a social place where people are expected to chat.

  I realize that I’ve been completely ignoring Dan and Oliver as they discuss whether or not we should redo the kitchen backsplash as our mini renovation project for next month.

  “I’ll be back in a few minutes, guys,” I say, standing up to walk slowly around the perimeter of the bar. They know that I’m a bit of a weirdo, and don’t think anything of me disappearing mid-conversation.

  I walk to the side windows as if I’m looking for someone, so that I can pass directly by her table. She seems to be completely focused again, eyes riveted on her laptop as her fingers fly over the keys and the trackball swiftly.

  I love that she’s barely wearing any makeup. I adore that she’s wearing sporty black leather boots to a club. She’s the girl of my dreams, from a dream I haven’t even had yet.

  Shuffling slightly to the side, I’m able to glimpse the screen of her laptop, displaying a video clip of the full version of the almost empty lemon drop on the table beside her.

  I recognize the bright purple nail polish of Jenna’s fingers in the video as she pours the drink into the fancy glass. But then the colors explode, shattering into rainbow shards that dance in an intricate pattern before settling back in the glass.

  It’s as if she manipulated the video, then animated a delicate network of movement lines over top of it. The entire effect is absolutely magical.

  “How did you do that?” I blurt out, completely forgetting my manners.

  The girl jumps and flinches away from me as if I’d tased her.

  “Oh my God - I’m so sorry,” I say, keeping my distance as I sit down in the chair beside her. “Are you okay?”

  She takes a slow breath, holding up her hands. “Sorry. I disappear when I’m working, and it takes a lot of energy to come back from that other dimension. Sorry if that sounds weird.”

  “I understand. I do the exact same thing, so I should know better.”

  Her eyes are even more beautiful when they’re staring into mine. The feeling of her attention on me is unusually satisfying. Having a pretty girl notice me is always a bit of an ego boost, but this is different, like the difference between a glass of water that you have every morning, or the first glass of water you have after being stranded in the desert for years.

  I’m fully aware that my mind is spiraling madly, and that I need to pretend to be much more normal, for her sake. Sticking out my hand, she shakes it automatically as I say, “I’m Felix.”

  “I’m Tanis.” Her voice is light and sweet.

  “And you’re a video creator?”

  Her rich brown hair flows around her shoulders as she shakes her head quickly. “No, I just doodle.”

  My lips purse as I reluctantly release her hand to wag my finger at her as I narrow my eyes. “Don’t do that. Don’t sell yourself short. This is really cool, and you know it.”

  She exhales loudly and rolls her eyes. “Fine. It’s kind of pretty sort of neat, okay? But there’s no purpose to it. There’s no point in making these. It’s just something I...do.”

  “The purpose will present itself eventually,” I said.

  “That’s a nice theory, but until I see the scientific paper proving it, I don’t really know if it holds water.”

  Wow, I love how quickly she makes me laugh. “Well, that’s something that my grandmother used to always say, and swore it was the truth,” I explain, trying not to stare at the elegant lines of her collar bone and the slight hint of cleavage just below.

  She throws up her hands again. “Oh, well now, Grandma wisdom is totally different. That I will always believe.”

  “You’re hilarious,” I say, completely
losing my mental filter and dropping my attempt to appear cool. “You’re so damn beautiful that I honestly wasn’t expecting hilarious too.”

  Her head jerks back an inch, then tilts to the left. “I have no response to that.”

  “May I buy you a drink?” I ask.

  “Thanks, but drinks are free for ladies tonight,” she says smoothly, her lips curling up into a delightful smirk.

  “Then may I buy you dinner tomorrow night?”

  She pauses, tearing her eyes from mine to glance around the room. “I don’t know. I mean, you seem like an all right guy.” Her eyes narrow as she stares back at me. “Except for the sneaking up on me part. But how do I know you’re not an ax murderer, or worse?”

  I wave my hand towards Oliver and Dan. “You can ask my roommates. In the past two years, my biggest crime has been leaving unwashed coffee mugs beside the sink when I’m in a big hurry. You know, on a mission to sneak up on beautiful video geniuses in bars.”