I let him stackserving dishes and gather cutlery, waiting for the linens I had no idea what todo with. “I’ll call you tomorrow, Molls!” Vera shouted behind me.
“Not till afterlunch,” I called back. Watching Killian guide Vera out of the restaurant didsomething funny to my insides. My heart swelled at the same time my stomachwobbled and pitched.
Vera was socomfortable with Killian. In a way I had never seen her before. I hadn’t gottento know Derrek very well while she’d dated him, but the little bits I had seenwere unsettling and worrisome. With Killian, she was herself. She laughedloudly and smiled all the time, she was obsessive over her craft and theirrestaurant, and honest with her weird sense of humor. She didn’t put up withKillian’s shit, but in this totally adorably infatuated way gave it right back.She was in love—totally, completely, healthily in love.
And I hated that Iwas jealous of her.
Dancing with Trenttonight had reinforced my staying single policy. He’d been obnoxiously over thetop in his efforts to seduce me and yet I found all of them tacky and easy to decline.It had been nice of Steph to think of me, but I was over being the singlefriend everybody wanted to set up.
Next time somebodycame at me with a blind date, I was going to point them in the direction ofWyatt or Vann. They were just as single as me.
Hopefully.
At least I liked tothink they were.
Chapter Eight
“Leave them,” arumbly voice ordered.
If I hadn’t been soinebriated, I would have jumped. Ezra had snuck up on me and I didn’t evennotice him standing to my right. “It’s fine,” I told him. “I want to help.”
He dangled mystrappy stilettos from his fingertips. Pointing at the tablecloth I was waddingup from the tabletop, he said, “Tell me where they go and I’ll let you handlethem, but right now you’re more of a menace than anything else.”
Glaring at him, Icontinued to ball the tablecloth in my hands. “Obviously they go in thehamper.” It was the first thing that came to mind and I realized how idiotic itsounded. The hamper? BecauseLiloualso had a laundryroom?
“So wrong,” he murmured.“So very wrong. Besides it’s a trick question. When the cleaning crew comes in,they’ll take the linens with them. It would be helpful though if you left themwhere they are instead of making the nice, hourly-waged people hunt them down.”
Throwing the linensback on the table, I reached for my shoes. He pulled them out of reach and Iswayed trying to right my drunken self. “If you’re not going to let me help,then you might as well let me go home and go to bed.”
“How are yougetting home?” he asked while holding my shoes in the air where I could notreach them.
I looked up at myshoes, debating on how badly I needed them. It didn’t matter how cold it hadgotten outside or that I was pretty sure it was illegal to drive without shoeson in North Carolina.
Just to bedifficult, I crossed my arms over my chest and said, “Are you hitting on me,Baptiste? Because holding my shoes captive is a tactic I’ve never seen before. Ormaybe it’s old school? Is this how people your age get dates?”
His eyes widened insurprise. He wasn’t expectingsnark. “People my ageand everyone else that doesn’t want you to die on the way home tonight. I’llgive you a ride.”
“I was going tocall an Uber,” I admitted.
He turned around,taking my shoes with him. “I’m cheaper.”
You’re also an asshole. But I didn’t say that out loud.“Seriously, it’sno big deal!” I hollered after him. “I have the app!”
Only, judging byhisLilouwebsite, he probably didn’t even know whatan app was. Great. Now I was going to have to explain all of modern technologyto him. This night was never going to end.
“I also have yourphone,” Ezra shot back. When Wyatt stepped out of the kitchen, Ezra paused toask him to lock up.
Shoes were onething, but my phone was vitally important to every aspect of my life. It wasbasically my soul locked up in gadget form. If he confiscated my baby, he’dhave access toallllllof my life—including my verysecret, very private Candy Crush obsession.
Ezra disappearedinto the kitchen and I hurried after him.
“Is he reallygiving you a ride home?” Wyatt asked as I zipped by.
“He’s holding myaccessories hostage,” I told him.
Wyatt stared at meagape, but I didn’t have time to explain before I disappeared into the kitchen.All the lights were on while Wyatt’s skeleton staff cleaned the remainingdishes and put away food. Ezra waited for me by the side door, holding my shoesand my purse.
“I’ve alreadycleaned out your bank accounts,” he said when I finally caught up to him. “Anddestroyed your credit.”
