“Any questions for me?” she asked me.
I shook my head, and she clapped her hands against her thighs.
“Well, we’re all done here, but call if you have any concerns.” She opened the door. “The exit is to the right and then down the left. Take your time.” She walked out, leaving the door cracked.
All of them looked wound tight. I didn’t know what they were expecting after they’d caused all this. I stood, and it seemed to pull all of them out of their heads. They shuffled out with me, remaining silent as we all headed to the car. As always, they left the passenger seat for me.
In silence, Elias drove onto the freeway. I fiddled with my sweater’s sleeve. The cotton was soft and hugged my body. I recognized the well-known workout brand, but I never thought I’d be wearing it.
Elias took the exit through a more crowded area of the city.
“Where are we going?” A large shopping center surrounded the parking court. Elias parked in front of an Italian restaurant. “Why are we here?”
“We want to take you on a date.” He cleared his throat.
I didn’t know how to respond.
“Is that . . . okay?” He tripped over his words and scratched his eyebrow.
This was definitely new territory—them asking for my opinions and actually listening.
It made me want to see how truly apologetic they were.
If I let this happen, I’ll soften . . . Do I want to risk the possibility of forgiving them?
Would I even be able to forgive them?
“I’m hungry,” I finally admitted.
“Good.” Elias nodded curtly.
With speedy efficiency, he shut the engine off, and my car door was pulled open by Sinclair and his perpetual smirk. The curve of his lips was cemented into the position.
Kyan’s head lowered, his fingers flying over the screen. “The slot machines were delivered to the auction venue.”
“So, the plan’s coming together?”
Kyan lifted his eyes to me. “Yes, we should be set to go in a few weeks. We’re trying to drum up more chatter about it.” Kyan propped the door open and jerked his chin.
I went inside, and the low, golden lighting of the quiet restaurant washed over me, along with classical music.
“Reservation for Greymont Pack,” Elias said to the hostess. She didn’t look up as she tapped at the screen.
“Perfect, your table is ready, if you’ll follow me.” She raised her gaze, and it flared, but jumped across all of them and ended on me. Her face turned a plum color. “Yeah, um, this way,” she muttered and shuffled out from behind the counter. “Watch your step.”
She led us to a round booth in the corner, and I slid into the furthest end. Elias and Sinclair took up one side, and Kyan on the other.
“Four waters and a hot tea,” Kyan ordered, taking the menu from the table.
“I’ll let your waitress know.” She jerked her head in a nod and backed away, almost dazed.
I sat back to watch them—Kyan staring at the food options, Sinclair gazing down at his phone, and Elias, one arm stretched over the back of the seat, also scanning the menu.
Sinclair’s thigh pressed into mine. He scrolled through his cell phone and saw me watching, so he turned his phone toward me. There was a theme to the names he kept tapping . . . allwomen. He pressed numbers upon numbers, scrolled to a stop, then returned to the top of his screen and tapped on the ‘delete all contacts’ selection. Everything disappeared.
“Did you just delete?—”
“Every single woman on my phone.” He grinned, obviously proud of himself. “I want you to know, you’re the only one for me.”
