Page 67 of Right Man, Right Time
It almost seems like a hungry look.
She toes the ground, and it’s so fucking cute it makes me feel like an ogre, standing off to the side, wondering if he’s going to introduce me.
“You look good, by the way,” she says as she reaches out and touches his sweater. “I always thought dark blue looked the best on you.”
He nods. “You look good too, Sarah.”
Well . . . fuck.
It’s one thing to say hi.
It’s another thing to completely forget that your fake girlfriend is standing next to you, watching you interact with your ex-girlfriend that you’ve said you have no feelings for. Uh, it looks like someone needs to check themselves again because from where I’m standing, no way in hell is Silas over this girl.
Finally, after what feels like hours, Sarah spots me and smiles sweetly. “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry.” She holds out her hand. “I’m Sarah.”
As if that snapped Silas out of his Sarah-induced coma, he places his hand on the small of my back and says, “This is Ollie . . . my girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend?” Sarah says in surprise. “Oh wow, I just assumed she was your assistant or an intern.” She shakes my hand, then gives me a once-over. “You’re so young.”
God, do I want to grow claws and scratch her across the face. It might not be obvious to others, but it’s obvious to me. She’s trying to make me seem less than I am, and to hell if I’m going to let that happen. If there is one type of person I know how to deal with, it’s a bitchy one.
“Thank you, I can give you the name of my night cream if you want. It works wonders.”
Her face falls flat.
“I know the eye area is so hard to combat when you get older,” I add for the hell of it.
“That would be sweet,” she says, plastering on a fake smile. She then turns her attention back to Silas. “Well, I’ll let you get back to your meal.” She touches his arm. “It was so nice to see you, Silas. Good luck this season. I can’t wait to cheer you on.”
“Thanks, Sarah,” Silas says, sticking his hands in his pockets.
And as she walks away, I watch Silas watch her.
Wow, just . . . wow.
After a few seconds, I say, “So . . . that’s Sarah.”
He nods, then presses his hand to my back and leads me toward the buffet where we quietly fill our plates. He assists me, scooping the food out that I want. He grabs us silverware and napkins, and when he finds us a seat, he grabs us drinks as well. It’s like he’s on autopilot, frozen in his thoughts with nothing to say.
Thankfully, after a few minutes of silence while we eat, Winnie comes over to our table and takes a seat. “Aren’t the meatballs divine? They have them at every gathering.”
“They’re really good,” I reply, feeling awkward and uncomfortable. Even though Silas sits next to me with his hand on my thigh, I catch him looking back at Sarah every so often. If this was a real relationship, my ass would be walking out that door so fast. I’m actually tempted to call it a day. Silas and I aren’t attached, but I do feel embarrassed. Anyone observing us would see that Silas is clearly distracted, like I’m not good enough to hold his attention.
“Hey dude, you okay?” Pacey says as he sits down and sets a plate in front of Winnie.
“Yeah, I’m good,” Silas says as he pushes a piece of broccoli around on his plate. “Pretty tired, though. I think I’m about ready to go.”
“I actually was hoping to talk to you for a second,” Pacey says and clears his throat. “In private.”
Silas glances at him, and they exchange some sort of secret conversation that forces Silas to nod and stand. And without a second thought to me, he and Pacey walk off.
What happened to not leaving me behind? Good God, this man.
When they’re out of earshot, Winnie leans in. “Are you okay?”
“Of course.” I smile at her because I’m not going to make a big deal out of being around Sarah—that would just mean I’m intimidated by her. And even though I am, I’m not going to show it.
When I imagined Silas’s ex-girlfriend, I assumed she’d be this average girl who maybe broke his young high school heart. I had no idea she’d be as stunning as she is or sophisticated with one of the most sultry voices I’ve ever heard. I truly felt like a tenth grader trying to gain her crush’s attention while standing next to him.
