Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
The Fingernail Fiasco
I already know that Oliver doesn’t like me, so the silent treatment he’s giving me now is nothing new.
I don’t know why it’s bothering me so much.
Tina and Ryan don’t seem to notice his change in attitude.
He stays on his side of the car, only contributing to the conversation when one of them says something to him.
I think about how angry he looked back at the rest stop. The way he cornered me against the door. I’m used to his smug smirk when he says something just to piss me off. This anger is different. It’s new. It feels a lot like hate.
I watch him from my side of the back seat. His arms are crossed, his face turned toward the window beside him. I pick up the box of Girl Scout cookies and look inside. There are only two left. I take one and hold the box out to Oliver. He doesn’t see it.
“Cookie?” I offer.
He ignores me.
“It’s the last one,” I tell him. I pull it out of the box. “If you don’t take it, I’m going to eat it.”
“Why should I be surprised?” he says, still staring out the window. “I’m used to you taking whatever you want for yourself with no regard for other people.”
I roll my eyes and pop the cookie into my mouth. “Can’t say I didn’t give you a chance,” I mumble around a mouthful of cookie.
He turns to look at me for the first time in over an hour. “Did you really just eat the last one?”
“Do you want it back?” I open my mouth.
He looks at me with disgust. “You owe me a new box. Those were my cookies and you ate all of them.”
“Everyone in this car ate at least one,” I remind him. “Including you. And you weren’t even going to eat them anyway. They were in your freezer for a year.”
“That’s not the point. They were my cookies.” He scoffs. “You’re so entitled, it’s not even funny.”
I frown. No one has ever called me entitled before. I’m not sure we’re talking about the cookies anymore. I look down at the empty box, then back at him.
“You’re an irresponsible cookie owner. You probably walk around with cookies in your pocket and don’t even notice when someone else reaches right in and grabs them. Imagine if someone pickpocketed you at the game and stole all your cookies.”
“I would have been more protective of my cookies at the game,” he says. “I guess I didn’t realize that you of all people would reach into my pocket and steal them.”
“Today isn’t a good day for cookies anyway,” I tell him. “Someone else’s cookies will be much better.”
He frowns. Maybe I’m doing too much with this cookie analogy.
“It’s not for you to decide whose cookies are better,” he says. “Everyone would have been perfectly happy with the cookies in my pocket.”
Tina snorts out a laugh in the front seat. “This is the most ridiculous conversation I’ve ever heard,” she says. “But can we please do without pocket cookies? I’d rather not eat a cookie that’s covered in lint.”
“See?” I tell him. “Tina doesn’t want your pocket cookies.”
I can’t help but wonder if he might be right, though. Maybe my motivation for doing this has turned selfish. But then I think about how passionately Tina talked about her idea, and how excited she was to start planning it all. I feel torn.
“If I hear one more mention of cookies, I’m going to ban both of you from my car,” Ryan says.
I throw the empty box at Oliver. It lands on his lap. He looks down at it, then glares at me. I face forward, crossing my arms and counting down the minutes until I can be out of this car and away from him.
* * *
My legs are asleep when I finally open the car door and step out into the parking garage near Madison Square Garden.
I stumble and almost faceplant on the pavement.
I look around, hoping no one noticed. Oliver’s eyes are on me, but he doesn’t look amused.
Instead, he turns around, shaking his head like I’m the biggest idiot he’s ever seen.
Somehow his reaction is worse than laughing would have been.
I step up next to Tina as she and Ryan make their way out of the garage. I’m startled when I feel a hand on my elbow, pulling me back and away from them. I look down at my arm first, then up at Oliver.
“Don’t touch me.” I try to shake his hand off my arm, but he holds me back. “I’ve spent the last few hours dying to get out of that car and away from you. Let go of me.”
I try to move forward to catch up with Tina, but Oliver stays put, keeping me with him.
I groan as Tina and Ryan get farther away from us, in their own little world, not noticing that Oliver and I aren’t right beside them anymore.
I turn to glare at him. I’m caught off guard by how serious he looks.
“Where did you hide the ring?” he asks when we’re out of earshot.
“I told you that you’ll never find it.” I try once more to walk away from him, but his grip on my arm is firm. I end up taking a big step away only to almost fall backward when he doesn’t let me move.
“Is it in the car?” he asks, pointing with his nose at Ryan’s car.
“I’m not telling you where it is.”
“Your car?”
I roll my eyes.
“This isn’t funny, Priscilla. Ryan put me in charge of bringing that ring. He has a whole fucking thing planned out and you’re about to ruin everything.”
“You didn’t even notice the ring wasn’t in your pocket all that time,” I remind him. “It could have fallen out and been lost anywhere between here and Saratoga. Imagine how pissed Ryan would be if you lost his ring.”
I start to move again, but he holds his ground. “We’re not going anywhere until you tell me where it is.”
I look at Ryan’s car. “It’s not in there. Do you really think I would leave it unattended in a parking lot? I’m not as careless as you . ” I look ahead at Tina and Ryan who are almost out of sight. “They’re going to think it’s weird if they notice we’re not right behind them.”
He follows my gaze, then lets out a frustrated growl. He starts walking but doesn’t let go of my arm, so now he’s pulling me with him. I shrug out of his grasp and he finally lets go.
“Do you have any idea how pissed Ryan’s going to be when I tell him I forgot to bring the ring?” Oliver says.
I look up at him, a little bit surprised. “You’re not going to tell him it’s my fault?”
He presses his lips together, thinking about it for a moment. “If I did that, I would have to explain why you would do something like that, and that would ruin whatever Tina has planned. I would also have to explain how you knew about the ring, and why I didn’t tell him sooner.”
“I see.” I don’t know why I’m hoping he’ll take the blame to protect me. I don’t deserve the courtesy.
We catch up with Tina and Ryan when we make it to the Garden. They’re so engrossed in conversation that they don’t say anything to me or Oliver when we reach them. I’m not sure they even noticed we weren’t with them.
I’m dying to get to our seats so that I can sit down next to Tina and avoid Oliver for the rest of the evening. I’m sure Oliver will need some alone time with Ryan to break the news that he doesn’t have the ring. I notice Ryan and Oliver eyeing the concessions.
I’m about to suggest that Tina and I go find our seats while the guys get their drinks, but Oliver speaks first: “Priscilla offered to buy everyone drinks. Isn’t that nice?”
I glare at him, then force a smile and look back at Tina and Ryan. “Yeah. I did. I figured it’s the least I can do since you guys drove us here and got all the tickets.”
And also since I’m ruining Ryan’s proposal, which I’m sure is why Oliver is making me do this. I can’t exactly argue against it. He probably wants me and Tina to grab the drinks so that he can have a minute alone with Ryan.
“I’ll help her grab them,” he says instead.
I frown. I want to get away from him, but he’s making this difficult.
“Thanks, Priscilla,” Tina says. “Ryan and I will go find our seats.”
“See you in a minute,” I tell her.
I look back at Oliver as we make our way through the line. “You’re really making me buy the drinks?”
“You can afford it,” he says. “I’m sure you can keep that check since Tina’s proposal will surely go off without a hitch.”
We get to the front of the line. Oliver tells the cashier what we want.
I pull out my credit card and hand it over without paying attention to what he orders.
As the employee steps away to fill our cups, Oliver turns back to me.
His eyes wander down to my handbag as I tuck my credit card back inside my wallet.
I wonder if he’s figured out that the ring is in there. Maybe he suspects it.
“Do you really think Tina wants to get engaged at a basketball game?” I ask, drawing his attention back up to me. “She doesn’t even like basketball.”
He grabs his beer from the counter and holds one out to me. “You can’t just micromanage Ryan and Tina’s engagement.”
“I beg to differ,” I say, taking the beer from him. “Tina is paying me to do exactly that.”
“Are you sure that’s what she’s paying you for?” He steps away from the concessions stand and we head for our seats. “If she knew that Ryan was going to propose, she might not be planning to do it herself.”
I know that he’s right, but I don’t want to admit it. I know that this isn’t the proposal that Tina dreams of, but it’s not a terrible idea. She’s paying me to plan her proposal, not to sabotage Ryan’s. For the first time, I start to feel bad about what I’m doing.
I slow down. Oliver stops, waiting for me.
With a sigh, I set my cup down on a nearby chair.
I reach into my bag and dig around until I find the ring box.
It’s clear that Oliver doesn’t know what I’m doing, because he stands there dumbly until I grab his hand and put the ring box on his palm.
I wrap his fingers around it, then look up at him.
He frowns. “Really?”
“Be more careful with it this time,” I tell him. I pick up my beer, then pass him and head for our seats.