Chapter 23
23
LIZ
L iz, incensed by the continual interruptions, snapped up the remote and paused her favorite horror flick, John Carpenter’s The Thing . With an aggravated grunt, she lumbered up from the sofa and shuffled over to her roommate’s forgotten phone. She intended to switch the phone off completely, but then she noticed that a few of the missed calls were from the same number. Robert’s, according to the caller ID.
Her eyebrows joined together above the bridge of her nose. Could there be an emergency? She felt it would be rude, answering a phone that didn’t belong to her, but what if something had happened to Olivia and this was the only way Robert could think to reach her? Putting an end to her waffling, she picked up.
“Olivia?”
“No, Robert, this is Liz. Olivia’s roommate.”
“Oh, I see. Hello Elizabeth. I hope this evening finds you well?”
“I’m okay.” She waited, but he remained mute. “So, you’re looking for Olivia?”
“Yes.”
“Sorry, she’s not here. I think she said she had a work thing. I actually thought she might be with you.”
“I’m afraid not.”
“She didn’t take her phone with her. That’s Olivia—she’s always forgetting the thing. I’ve been listening to it ring all evening ,” Liz said with curt emphasis. “I saw your missed calls. Is everything all right?”
“Yes and no.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
Robert sighed sullenly. “I don’t know if you can help me, Elizabeth. Perhaps you can.”
“Try me.”
“Last night, I upset Olivia in a terrible way, and now she doesn’t want to see me. I told her I’d stay away, but I’d like to offer her an apology. I’ve had some time to think, and I can see now how right she was.”
“What did you do?”
“She didn’t tell you?”
“No. Olivia can be private about her personal life, but she’ll usually tell me things when she’s ready. You didn’t sleep with another woman, did you?”
Robert gasped. “I’m not a scoundrel.”
Liz had to laugh. The man spoke like he’d stepped straight out of a Dickens novel. “So?”
“Too many things to recount, but mainly I overstepped some boundaries that I shouldn’t have.” He paused. “I also punched her former lover in the face.”
“Whoa! You hit Nick?” Liz shrieked.
“I’m afraid so.”
“Awesome!”
“This pleases you?”
“Does it ever! He totally broke Olivia’s heart. He—” Liz bit her lip, worried that she’d said too much already. It wasn’t her place to tell Robert about her best friend’s failed relationships. “So, what could I do for you?”
“Perhaps some advice—you are her closet friend? I simply cannot bear that I hurt her. I must make things right.”
Liz rested a hand over her heart, touched. David was an amazing boyfriend, but they didn’t make men like Robert anymore, did they? Olivia was lucky to have found him. She deserved some joy in her life. He obviously made her happy, plus he was a billionaire to boot. And sexy as hell.
“Would you be available to come to my home tonight and provide guidance?” Robert asked.
Liz stared at the bowl of half-eaten popcorn on the sofa. “You mean now?”
“If you aren’t busy? I know it’s late, but from what Olivia said, you’re a night owl like me. I can send a car for you.”
Liz tugged at her hair, undecided. “Hmm, the thing is, I don’t know if Olivia would be too happy about me going over to your house in secret.”
“I see.”
“ But . . . you do seem to genuinely care for her.”
“I do.”
“And I know she cares for you.”
“I hope that is still true.”
“Did you really punch Nick?”
“I did. Right on the jaw.”
Liz picked up the remoted and turned off the movie. “You know what, Robert? Send your car.”
* * *
Liz, thanks to the double espresso Robert had given her, fought against an overwhelming urge to pee. She jittered in her seat, crossing and uncrossing her legs in discomfort. She felt for the man, and for Olivia, but if he didn’t stop gabbing her teeth would soon be floating. They (mostly him) had been chattering nonstop for at least an hour. Robert would have to give his vocal cords a break eventually, wouldn’t he?
“So, you see, Elizabeth, it was not my intention to make Olivia to feel indebted to me,” he prattled on. “I paid off her loan simply because I have plenty of money to spare. I was in no way attempting to buy her affection or—”
“Uh, Robert?” Liz butted in swiftly. She couldn’t hold it any longer. “I’m so sorry to interrupt, but could I possibly use your bathroom?”
“Of course. I’m terribly sorry. I sometime forget the needs of humans—females—when they are in my home.”
Liz provided her host a perplexed look. “We ladies do tend to use the restroom more than the boys, I guess.”
“The restroom is down the hall. The door is on the right.”
“Thanks. I’ll be back in a jiff.”
Liz laughed under her breath. Robert was so weird , but he was clearly head-over-heels in love with Olivia. His adoration dripped from every word he spoke about her. They hadn’t known each other for very long, but they were like a perfectly fitted lock and key. Both were smart, thoughtful, and beautiful, yet they had a quirkiness about their personality that made them special. Robert’s face also showed the same tinge of loneliness that Olivia’s sometimes did, which made her suspect that he, too, had lived through a few hard times. Liz hoped the two of them could work out their differences. They belonged together.
She found the bathroom and emptied her bladder, feeling such relief that her eyes rolled back into her head. This was why she never drank coffee; it went straight through her. She removed her amethyst ring and set it on the black stone soap dish by the sink. Like everything else in the mogul’s home, the soap was lavish, a small white ball of scented glycerin carved in the shape of a lotus flower. She lathered her hands under the tap, taking pleasure in the simple ritual, making a mental note to ask Robert where he got it.
She jumped when her pocket chimed. David. She quickly dried her hands and answered.
“Liz, thaaaaaank God,” he slurred. “I misssss you, baby.”
She never knew what to expect on David’s nights out with the boys, though it was usually something that resulted in him later apologizing to her. They were probably halfway to Vegas by now, passing around a bottle of cheap vodka in the backseat of the car. At least he never drove drunk.
“How much have you had to drink?” she chided.
“Jus’ a couple.”
“Yeah, a couple six-packs.”
“Yep. You got me!” He cracked up. “Lissssen, I need my house key. I’ve locked myself out! Can you beeeelieve it?”
“ David .”
“I loooove you, my angel.”
“Okay, damn it, but you’ve just cost yourself a blowjob for this.” Liz checked the time on her phone and grimaced. It was just shy of midnight. “I’m not at home, so I’ll have to swing by the apartment to grab your keys. I won’t be there for at least an hour.”
“M’kay. Love you.”
“Love you, too, you big pain in the ass.”