Chapter 4 #3
The waiter arrived with their entrées, saving him from explaining to her all the ways he’d seen people manipulate each other and all the reasons they’d given for doing it.
It also provided a distraction so he could study the couple standing in the middle of the restaurant.
He and Rosemary were the only diners on the patio, as it technically wasn’t open.
Rosemary knew the host and had convinced him to let them sit outside since Jaka was with them.
With the dim patio light and the bright restaurant interior, he could see clearly into the restaurant, and the couple’s odd behavior had grabbed his attention.
A tall, dark-haired, broad-shouldered man in a suit that, from a distance, looked like it cost more than most folks’ rent, was scanning the room like he owned it.
His hand rested on the waist of a short, curvy woman with wide eyes, full lips, and a mass of dark, wavy hair that reached the bottom of her back.
She wore black, flared yoga pants, a tight, black, long-sleeved crop top, and bright white platform sneakers.
One long-nailed finger rested worriedly between her teeth as she frantically surveyed the diners.
He had an odd hunch they were looking for Rosemary.
“Why do women wear half shirts when it’s cold outside?” he asked. “I get that it’s spring, but it’s still too damn cold for bare skin.”
Rosemary’s laugh was like delicate chimes.
“Don’t let my sister hear you say that. She lives in them. But she likes them for dancing and exercise. She always has a sweatshirt with her, so she’s practical.”
“Is your sister petite with a hell of a lot of hair and keeps company with a well-dressed guy who looks like he’s better suited for an alley fight than an office?”
He pointed to the couple making their way to the patio. The short woman was trying to rush, but the man had positioned himself in front of her, taking the lead. Protective, Aleksei noted.
“That’s... that’s...Sage...and her fiancé, Ryker,” Rosemary sputtered. “What on earth are they doing here?”
Despite her assurance that she knew the couple, Aleksei eased his chair back from the table so he had room to react if needed.
As soon as Sage reached their table, she said, “Oh my gosh. I’m so glad you’re okay. I was so worried.”
Rosemary’s cheeks flamed pink. She opened her mouth, closed it, closed her eyes, pressed her fingers into her hair, and blew air audibly from her full, rosy lips.
She reopened her eyes, stood, pulled her hands from her hair, and carefully folded her napkin, neatly placing it on the seat of her chair.
“Aleksei. Go ahead and start eating. I don’t want your dinner to get cold. I’ll just be a minute.”
He didn’t attempt to contain his smirk as Rosemary gave the couple a look that would have cowed a seasoned criminal and then dragged them to the corner of the patio. The low music prevented their words from carrying, but body language didn’t lie.
Scallops perfectly seasoned with lemon, garlic, and something delightfully bitter melted in his mouth as he watched frustration shift to concern, then to friendly ease, then back to frustration.
In the end, Sage stomped out, the tall man gave Rosemary a quick hug before dashing after his woman, and Rosemary returned to their table.
“Everything all right?” he asked.
“My sister has to go to DC with her fiancé. His brother’s in the ER with stomach pains.
They think it’s appendicitis. She was texting and calling me to let me know she was going out of town, and I wasn’t answering because my phone is in my purse, and I’ve been”—she waved her hand in his direction and took a long sip of her wine—“distracted. So, she used Life 360—which I didn’t want, but she bullied me into getting—to stalk me.
Who does that, I ask you? Who the hell actually does that? ”
Her cheeks had shifted from pink to red, and her blue eyes sparked and flashed while she spoke. He wouldn’t tell her because she’d probably toss her water at him, but feisty looked adorable on her.
“Apparently, your sister does,” he teased. “She should be happy she found you safe and sound. Why did she storm off like that?”
Her eyes flicked upward, as if she were searching for patience, and she took another deep drink of her Pinot Grigio.
“We’re supposed to go to the theater tomorrow.
Sage bought me a subscription to the Walnut Street Theater for my birthday.
I couldn’t go to movies or plays when I was younger because I was sick so much, so she’s trying to make up for that.
Now, she’s in a tizzy because she can’t come to the play since she’s going to DC with Ryker. ”
He refilled Rosemary’s glass of wine and then slid the bottle back into the ice bucket. The temperature was low enough that the wine probably would have stayed cold without it.
“Why is she upset? You two can go to the next one.”
“That what I said!” she exclaimed, her bright blue eyes flashing again. “She’s mad because I told her I still plan to go. She’s so ridiculously overprotective that she thinks I can’t go to the theater without her.”
He was starting to think Rosemary’s sister was a little melodramatic.
“She’s mad because you want to go to the theater alone?”
She smirked. “Not quite. She’s angry because I told her that, since she’s dead set against me going alone, I’m asking you to come with me.”