I held up a finger. “Well?”
“You didn’t call all night. All night,” he added, as if that meant something important.
“Your point? I’m on frigging vacation.”
“Nighttime is Oliver’s prime time,” he said meaningfully, and I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing out loud.
“Oh, is it now? What does that mean, exactly? Does he don a superhero outfit and leap from tall building to tall building?” I couldn’t keep from snorting.
“Sage, give me the phone.”
I switched the finger I was holding up, pretending not to hear the shocked gasp from the table behind us. No one would ever accuse me of being classy. So sue me.
“You know what I mean. I understand if you feel smothered by our concern, but we have reason to be. Me more so than Ally, because she truly didn’t think things would swing that way.”
“Oh, but you did?”
Seth neatly sidestepped that question. “My brother has far more experience than you, and my wife’s misguided attempt to make sure you were safe in Vegas might have led to—”
I didn’t hear anything after that. Just that white-noise fuzz in my head that let me know either a panic attack or a rage meltdown was coming on fast.
Possibly both.
“Talk to you later.” I clicked off on the call and immediately more missed texts from Ally started filling my screen. Someday I’d have to replace this old, crappy phone.
I could do that now, since I’d won some money yesterday. Money I’d barely thought about since I was high on Oliver.
High wasn’t the word for my feelings toward him right now.
“Sage?”
“Ally asked you to come babysit me.” Rather than look at him, I looked at my partially eaten sandwich. My appetite was gone.
For a lot of things.
He didn’t deny it. He simply picked up the napkin in his lap and folded it beside his plate. He’d finished his meal while I was speaking with his brother. Why should his lunch be disrupted? He wasn’t the one who needed to be protected and coddled.
“It wasn’t babysitting,” he said quietly. “Did any of this seem to you as if I was put out, or wasn’t enjoying your company?”
I only half heard him. “I knew it was fishy you were on that plane. Business…yeah, right. But that’s on me. I didn’t want to examine your motives too closely because I was happy to have someone with me—even a sort-of friend like you.”
“And we’re much more than now, are we not?”
“Was that part of your caretaking too?” I had to force out the question. “I know Ally would never have requested it, but maybe that was your bonus with purchase.”
Before he could respond, I stumbled to my feet and ran to the gate that bordered the patio, escaping to the street.
I stood on the sidewalk and fisted my hands at my sides. Where was I going to go? Back to the suite he’d “upgraded” for me? Or I could take an Uber and run home. Tail between my legs, pride thoroughly tattered. And I wasn’t even entirely sure what I was angry for.
That Ally had asked him to watch over me? That he’d agreed?
Most of all, that he hadn’t told me?
He’d let me believe he’d come of his own twisted volition, business or no business. I’d taken it mostly at face value because I wanted to think it was happy circumstance that had led to us being together—minus the few minutes when I’d wanted to kill him, present moment excluded.
“Sage.” His footsteps sounded behind me.
I gazed around blearily, needing space. I couldn’t process any of this when he was close.