19. Sage
19
SAGE
S age was more than ready for the LilyTech welcome dinner. Her stomach was ready for fancy steak and the appetizers she couldn’t pronounce. Plus, she knew almost everyone at the table. It was fun to hang out and recharge after a day of travel. Leo looked like crap, which was hard to do considering how fit he was. (What? It was hard not to notice with the way he was always hanging around. And how he took his shirt off in the yard after his runs to do his pushups…and how those pushups just looked so effortless…) The flight looked like it took all the wind out of Leo’s sails and she was not weird for noticing that. She knew a migraine pulling into the Pain Station when she saw one.
But he looked better now. Leo laughed and joined in the fun, still he constantly scanned the small crowd. He wore a name tag that said “Bob” and assumed the personality of a dopey but semi-competent personal assistant. He was like a cute blonde Labrador that could retrieve tea.
“So, Bob,” Alice said, chewing on her straw. “Sage tells me you’ve been pretty helpful these past few weeks.”
Sage choked on her rice.
“That’s a lie,” Leo—Bob—said. Then he winked at the table. “I am the only reason she gets anything done!”
The table laughed.
Alice sighed and elbowed her boyfriend, Andy. “Would be nice to have a man around to get all my crap together.”
Andy threw an arm around Alice. “Honey, you’d need four assistants to keep up with your tornado.” Alice only shrugged and laughed. “But what do you do most of the time?” Andy asked, directing the question at Bob.
Sage internally screamed. Andy had unknowingly set up Leo with the perfect lineup of insults and backhanded remarks. He could talk about how he had to fetch her dog from under the porch when she fell through the rotted stairs (and then fix the rotted porch) or how she begged and begged him to take her to Taco Bell for a Crunch Wrap Supreme because she needed it and how he only agreed if she joined him for a walk outside “so you can actually remember what that glowing orb in the sky is.” She had looked up and asked, “What?” He groaned and pretty much yelled, “The sun, you idiot! You need some vitamin D before you turn your insides to liquid with Taco Bell.”
She had joined him and it was actually a lovely walk.
Or Leo could tell the table about how half his job was cooking for her. Or how he spent a few days a week corralling Filbert and guiding him back to his house and cooking for him too after the state forgot to send out a caregiver.
Or Leo could talk about the night Sage screamed and Leo frantically raced into the den where Sage had spilled cherry juice all down her front and on the floor and it looked like a crime scene. He had helped her clean up and even done her laundry because he was certain she would forget his very detailed instructions for getting the stain out.
Instead, all Leo said was, “I pretty much drive her around so she can do stuff on the road. Book tickets. Fulfill orders.”
Okay, now he was being too modest. How dare he actually do his job well and make her feel valued and important? That wouldn’t do. She cleared her throat. “He’s being too nice. He’s also a fantastic cook and I bribe him into making me dinner from time to time.”
Leo rolled his eyes but smiled anyway. “Despite her creepy house, the kitchen is massive. A chef-wannabe’s playground.”
“Is that what you want to do?” Iris asked.
Leo scoffed. “In another life maybe, but I’m content for now.”
But it made Sage wonder. What did Leo want to do? In life? At work? She had been so focused on herself, trying to get herself in order, that she hadn’t even bothered to consider what her uninvited roommate had plans for. Not that it mattered. When this was all over, he’d go back to Washington to protect some prince or something and she’d go back to watching her rom-coms alone without Leo’s most recent pastry experiment. Or his low snore when he dozed off. Or the smell of cedar and cologne. She could smell it now on him. Outdoorsy and refined and?—
“What?” Leo whispered.
“What do you mean?” Sage hissed.
Leo’s eyes darted around the restaurant. “You’re leaning in like you have a secret. Something making you uncomfortable?”
Only you and in a whole new way. “No, sorry. I was just?—”
“Guys!” Iris said, downing the rest of her soda. “We gotta get going.” Iris was another gamer sponsored by LilyTech. She severely burned her hand in a fire and it had essentially melted together. Sage wasn’t proud of the fact that it took her some time to get over the queasy feeling she got when she saw Iris’s scarred hand. Sage could almost feel the discomfort and pain. Iris was one of the models and gamers used to show off some of LilyTech’s gaming controllers which could be formed and created for anyone's needs, even Iris who had limited use of her fused digits. She mostly stayed in the cozy gaming niche.
“Going where?” Leo asked.
“Time to let loose!” Sage said. Leo booked horrified as if she had just thrown a bomb on his plans. To be fair, it had been a last-minute invite, and Sage really did want to go so she figured blindsiding him in front of a group was better than arguing about it in the stairwell.
Now she felt bad .
“And what does this group of gamer geeks do to let loose?” Leo asked, glaring at Sage but she was trying not to notice.
“Trivia!” Iris exclaimed.
Leo sighed. “Good grief.”
Sage smacked his shoulder. “Be nice! I might just give you the day off tomorrow!”
He grumbled, “Like I’d ever let that happen with these crazy people surrounding you.”
Andy looked offended for a moment, then got the joke. “Not much of a gamer yourself?”
Leo shook his head. “Not my thing.”
They were edging too closely to work-related topics and good ol’ Bob was about to blow his cover, so Sage grabbed Leo by the arm and stood them up. “And your job has just begun. Tonight, you are our driver! To the Tavern!”
Leo drove her, Andy, Alice, and Iris to a cozy tavern with a wild night of trivia gearing up. Seriously, some of the teams had matching shirts. Sage was almost jealous. Leo gave Sage an eye roll as if to say, “This? This is the wild night of partying for you?”
But he also looked mildly intrigued. Dare she say even amused? Like the posh prince was actually having fun in a strange little tavern with a giant sign above them displaying their team’s name (Gamer Girls).
“I’m not even a girl!” Andy complained.
“You’re on our tab and our guest so be thankful we’re considering you an honorary girlfriend here.” Alice kissed his cheek and gathered up the flier with the rules on it .
It was simple. Press the button on the table when ready to answer. It would let the host know the order of tables to question their answers. Easy peasy.
And Bob was the star of the show.
“Fun fact: elephants are the only mammal that can’t jump.”
How did this guy know so much about everything? Iris asked him as much, pouring him another celebratory lemonade for another round won—all thanks to Bob.
Bob just shrugged. “I read a lot. Articles are my favorite. Kinda on a sea animal kick right now. Did you know beluga whales can live up to sixty years in captivity?”
“Weird,” Sage said. “Now Do whale sharks.”
Bob shrugged. “They’re posers.”
The table laughed and Sage couldn’t help but notice the sparkle in Leo’s eye. Was he poking fun at himself? Did they have a little secret inside joke? Why was she getting all warm and fluttery?
Bob played his part well. Too well.
“In which city was Beethoven born?”
Answer? Easy, Bonn, according to Bob.
“What is a duel between three people called?”
A truel, duh. (Seriously, how did he know this stuff?)
And for the tie-breaking questions, what is measured in "Mickeys?”
Leo thought for half a second before slamming his fist on the buzzer.
“Final answer?” the announcer asked.
Leo shrugged. “Pretty sure it’s the speed of a computer mouse. ”
“Correct!”
And the crowd went wild. Lemonade was flowing, backs were slapped, and Sage had to dodge a million “Where did you find this guy” questions.
“To Bob!” Iris yelled, wrapping an arm around Leo. Sage bristled and decided not to dwell on that unpleasant feeling, instead, she ordered another round of iced teas and beers, smiling at the table.
They eventually made it back to the hotel, high on their victories.
She dreamt of Bob and trivia and maybe a little bit of Leo.
T he following day was a blur of panels both as attendee and panelist. Sage even hosted an event. It was chaos, and Bob was right by her side all day handing her water, bringing her snacks, reminding her of certain names, and even taking pictures for some fans. He acted like a real-life secretary. A butler and a bodyguard all rolled into one. He was rather smug when he snuck into the green room where Sage had explicitly told him he wasn’t allowed because she had been afraid he’d embarrass her. She’d been right of course, he sweet-talked his way in when she gave him the slip and he thought it wise to announce that he had finally found her and handed her some juice to “get that coal train moving again.”
She wanted to die of embarrassment. He leaned in close, his whisper tickling her ear. “Don’t sneak off again or it’ll be worse. I’ll make up some nonsense about a meeting with your parole officer and then your fans will really go crazy.”
Her skin tingled. His whisper tickled her skin and his breath smelled of minty toothpaste. Goosebumps erupted across her skin and she tried to regain her focus, but she was flustered. “Hey. But that’s?—”
“An effective threat I will carry out. Jared may kill me for the scandal but that’s okay. Maybe I’ll drop hints about a secret boyfriend instead.”
She nearly choked on the pomegranate juice.
“Easy,” he exclaimed, snatching the bottle away from her and thrusting a napkin into her hands. “I spent ages getting that stupid cherry juice out of that stupid shirt of yours and now you want a repeat performance. Good grief.”
“Well quit smothering me and maybe I could actually breathe.”
He rolled his eyes and asked, “Black or green?”
“Green please.” There was a strange comfort in knowing that Leo would be back in about two minutes with a cup of tea prepared exactly how she liked it. Was that friendship or was that him just doing his job? Or was there something more to the way he handed off the tea, hand lingering just a moment too long on hers? And was there something more to the gentle way he said, “Good luck, you got this” every time she was about to jump on stage?
She hadn’t been lying. It was getting harder to breathe around him and she needed to Get. A. Grip.
Leo returned with the tea. It was perfect. Of course it was. He whispered, “Good luck, you got this” as she was called to the stage, taking her cup from her, fingers grazing over hers. Ugh, why did he have to do that? Things were far less complicated before he arrived and filled her brain with his…presence. His habits. Just him.
The interview went fine. Everything was fine. She was in control of her feelings and not falling into a comfortable rhythm with Leo. She wasn’t at all worried about what life would be like when he left for his next job. She wasn’t worried that she’d miss his cooking and foodie snobbery and movie nights and the smell of his cologne and those long quiet walks around the neighborhood that she had gotten used to.
Okay fine. She was a little worried about it.
But everything was fine.
And speaking of fine…the suit Leo packed. How dare he look so good in gray?
After the final panel, she was whisked away to her room where she frantically tried to figure out how to put on the needlessly strappy and complicated gown Lily had sent to her room for the event tonight.
Tonight was a Big Deal. She had it written in the calendar as “Fancy auction gala thing for Children’s Hospital” and on paper, it seemed like a great event. It was a fancy live and silent auction with some of the most successful and connected businesses invited. LilyTech had gotten started in the orthopedic and pediatric centers, fitting mobility devices. Now they were leading the way with inclusionary gaming devices and empowering women. Sage felt a little weird about being included on the guest list. But Jared had explained it well to her, “You’re the money maker this quarter! You’ve brought in a lot of new revenue and advertising. You’re important to the company. You’re a peach!”
She didn’t feel important. Well, important in the sense that she knew she was important to the company in the way that computers were important to businesses. She made them money and was valuable, but if she burned out or broke down, they’d just get another computer. Another person.
Sage sighed at herself in the mirror. It really was a lovely satin dress, a deep blue so dark it was almost black and she wore silver hoops and a matching necklace. Her shoes were simple black heels and though she wasn’t used to wearing them, she knew she’d be sitting for most of the night anyway.
It would be fine.
And circling back to that subject of fine…
“Ready?” Leo asked as he opened the adjoining room door.
“I guess.” She smoothed out her hair. It was in loose curls and hung down her back. She was already itching to throw it up in a bun. She hated the way it tickled her face.
“You look…”
Wait, did he just? No. He didn’t just check her out. And yet, was that little redness creeping into his cheeks? Did she catch him in the act?
She totally did. And now she didn’t feel so awkward in the dress after all.
“I look ready to go?” Sage filled in for him.
“Exactly.” Leo cleared his throat. “It’s going to take us about twenty minutes to get to the venue. I have already checked in with the staff and we will enter through the back door. There is an upper floor, but there is no reason for you to go up there. There are two main bathrooms on the primary ballroom floor. You may use either, but do not, under any circumstances, go into them unless you check with me first and I escort you?—”
“Surely I don’t need your help with that!”
“To them. Get your mind out of the gutter.” Leo checked his watch “And don’t go anywhere without informing me first. There are a lot of people going to be there today and while the clientele does not look like they’re the vandalizing type, there’s enough public around and enough cracks in security that someone could slip in relatively easily.”
“I think you are being paranoid.” Sage didn’t say it with much conviction though.
“It’s my job to be paranoid and to keep you alive.”
That sobered her. “You don’t really think there is a threat on my life, do you?”
Leo didn’t meet her eye.
“Leo, what is it? What do you know?”
“It’s nothing.” Leo opened the door and ushered her out. “No need to freak you out.”
“Well, now I am properly freaked out!”
They walked to the stairwell and Sage took the stair awkwardly enough Leo grabbed her hand and placed it on his arm. She didn’t have enough time to appreciate his bicep because he said, “One of my co-workers had a similar job going on down south. A stalker from the lady’s work. Despite the obvious security, the stalker tried attacking her at church. She’s okay, my buddy is a little beat up, but she’s okay too. ”
“Wait what?” Sage’s heart dropped to her stomach, which was a shame because she would really like to be focusing on his muscular arm and cologne right now. She should be imagining herself as a princess being led down the stairs in her pretty dress, not imagining her own murder, darn it! Way to ruin her momentary fantasy, Leo.
Leo swallowed hard. “The agent had been on the job for months. I’m not saying she got complacent, because I don’t think she did. But the stalker got bolder. And if that could happen to her—” He took in a deep breath. “I take my job seriously and I won’t let anything happen to you, alright?”
“Alright,” Sage said, taking in a deep breath. She was supposed to be hyping herself up for a night of socializing with fancy people. Instead, she spent the car ride over thinking about all the people in her life who would want to do her harm. Mom? Who knows where she is, she took off years ago like a fart in the wind. Brother? Prison, and despite how smart he was, even he couldn’t orchestrate a prison break. Probably. And then there was Jason…
“Leo…”
He glanced at her briefly while making a slow turn into the ballroom’s parking garage.
“I have a confession. I think.”
He put the rental car in park. “I don’t think I’m the right person for that.”
“Don’t be mad.”
“Please don’t tell me you forgot something vital at the hotel and we will not traverse the nightmare that is Downtown L.A to go back there. I mean, I am Bob in public, your charming and brilliant assistant. In private, I am not.”
“Yes, so charming.”
Leo growled. “Watch it. You are confessing something.”
“There is a guy that is going to be there tonight, probably not at our table, but uh, he kind of hates my guts.” Sage wrung her hands in her lap. She felt a tension headache coming on. She wanted to rub her eyes but that would ruin the professional make-up artist's handiwork and Sage, despite living like a nocturnal raccoon at times, was not keen on looking like one.
Leo gave her a hard stare. The silence threatened to choke her so she pushed on. “He asked me out a while ago, and I rebuffed him. It was sometime last year and we did some streams and honestly, I was interested in him and we kind of flirted and people thought we were going to get together but when I actually met the guy, there was absolutely no chemistry so I kind of let it fizzle out. I guess he hasn’t gotten the hint that I’m not interested because he still drops my name occasionally.”
“No, he most certainly got a hint. But he’s a dumb guy and when a beautiful woman shows him an ounce of attention, they’ll do anything to keep it. What’s his name?”
“Jason Jones.”
“Lovely,” Leo said, in a way that conveyed that this was actually not lovely at all. “Just a new migraine-inducing mental backflip I have to do on the fly. I’ll figure it out.” He was tapping away on his phone. “He’ll be here tonight? ”
“Probably.” Definitely. “I saw him at the hotel. I really didn’t think he’d be at the convention. He wasn’t on any panels or anything so I assumed…”
“I can’t do my job if you’re not honest with me!” He let out a breath. “This is serious, Sage.”
“Well, I never felt comfortable telling you about it before. I never felt comfortable letting you in on anything before. But now…”
“Now that I have explained to you that this is real life and real-life bad things can happen, do you decide to take me seriously?”
Sage threw up her hands. “Now that I actually trust you!”
“You didn’t before?” He looked hurt.
“Trust you to do your job? Yes. Absolutely. Trust you to take what I said and not twist it and make me feel like a total idiot. No.”
Leo let out a long breath and for once Sage decided to stick to her guns and keep her mouth shut. Silence could be a powerful weapon. He finally spoke. “I’m sorry I made you feel that way. I’ll be the first to admit I have been a jerk, especially at the beginning when neither of us was too excited about the task at hand. But I’d like to think we have made professional and personal progress. So, thank you for telling me about this Jason guy.”
Sage blinked back the water pooling in her eyes. “Thank you. I know you take your job seriously. I feel guilty for not having been more honest with you.”
Leo smiled his easy smile, checking his watch. “I meant what I said. He’s a dumb guy. And you are a beautiful woman. But you’re also a pain in the neck. ”
She didn’t even have time to respond because he jumped out of the car, circled around, and opened her door, offering his arm to her. “Bob, at your service.”
She laughed, leaving the awkwardness in the car. Still, she had been hoping for a little more Leo and a little less Bob tonight.