“Finn’s not here. What do you need?” Carina’s petulant tone had begun to irritate him like a festering splinter.
“Since I called Finn’s name, I might want to speak to him.”
“Why not talk to me instead? Especially since you ignored me the entire evening.”
“Ignored you? Where do you get off saying that? I spent the last two hours with you.”
“Yes, but you didn’t hear a single thing I said.”
He wanted to deny it, but this time, she was right. When he came downstairs with Cole and Stephanie, he’d split his attention between wagering at craps and Stephanie’s conversation in his ear, rather than listening to Carina’s babbling. He’d hoped she wouldn’t notice. When Steph turned off the mic, he’d been too worried to give Carina his undivided attention. And Fordham’s phone message was driving him to distraction, as well.
“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, Carina. There was a lot of noise, and I had to listen carefully to keep up the
action on the craps table.”
“What’s your excuse now?” was her sarcastic response.
“I’m talking to you, aren’t I?”
“Yes, but you’re still grouchy. Why aren’t you drinking your champagne? I waited in a long line to get it for you. The least you could do is drink it.”
One drink. Why not? After all he’d been through in less than twenty-four hours, he needed it. Bran picked up the glass and took a sip, wincing at the unpleasant taste. He’d never cared for champagne, but then he didn’t really like the taste of any alcohol, except dry red wines. Might as well get it over with. He upended the glass flute, gulping it down and ignoring the tickling bubbles in his nose.
“Satisfied?” he snapped.
“You know what?” Her frigid voice could’ve made icicles form where her breath landed. “I’m going to find someone else to talk to. Someone who won’t bite my head off. I’ll come back after that drink has time to work.”
Before Bran had time to apologize, she was gone. He strained his ears, but failed to hear any of his friends in the milling crowd and Stephanie was still maintaining radio silence. He was about ready to get out his cell phone, when someone wedged beside him at the table.
“Hey,” said Cole.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Bran said. “Do you know what happened to Stephanie?”
“She went back upstairs. I couldn’t make her stay down here, even though she might’ve won the whole tournament.”
“I thought she’d at least come talk to me before she disappeared.”
“Really? You were busy with Carina, so why would you care if Steph went to her room. You know, Steph was watching the whole time. The longer Carina hung on your arm like a dog in heat, the quieter she got.”
“I had no idea it looked that bad.” Bran wadded up the cocktail napkin in his fist. “You think Stephanie’s upset?”
“In short… yes. Because I think she has a thing for you. Correction. She had a thing for you. Before she left, she asked me to give you a message.”
“What?” His heart stopped as he waited.
“She said, ‘Tell Bran the answer is no.’”
An expletive slipped out before he could stop it.
Cole let out a low whistle. “Branson Knight said a curse word. It just dropped below thirty-two in hell.”
“Shut up, Cole.”
“Guess this means you’re not denying it anymore?”
“Denying what?”
“That you’re in love with Stephanie.”