Page 6 of Revealing Mark
“I knew it. I told you not to trust that weasel!” Her voice rose slightly, drawing attention.
“Shh!” I angrily whispered to her, aware we had caught some people’s attention. Mark was watching as well. Just what I needed. At least my brother was too preoccupied with Sarah to have noticed.
“Sorry. He just makes me mad.”
I let out a heavy breath. “Me too.”
“What are you going to do now?” She looked at me expectantly.
“I don’t know.” I chewed my bottom lip as I tried to think of a plan of action.
“Call him and tell him if he doesn’t return the key, you’ll tellMatty,” Sophie suggested, but I shook my head. “Come on, maybe it’s time to call in the big guns.”
“I need to call Jack,” I decided. It was the only way to sort it out. Maybe he had a valid excuse for not dropping the keys off like we had arranged. I was hoping it would be that simple and it could still be sorted out without becoming a bigger mess.
“Cover for me,” I told my sister.
She nodded. I slipped out the side onto a dimly lit balcony, which would have been a beautiful romantic setting with the pinks and oranges of the sunset, but I was in the mood to yell a bit. Even the trickling of running water nearby did nothing to assuage my rising anger. I took a deep breath before I dialed Jack’s phone. I threw a cautious look over my shoulder as it rang.
Pick up, I kept chanting, just wanting everything sorted out, but it continued to ring before it clicked over to voicemail.
I disconnected the call and put my phone back in my purse. I clutched the banister and gazed down to the gardens below, trying to calm my anger so I could go back inside and pretend everything was fine.
“What are you doing out here?” Mark’s voice broke through the quiet night.
“Getting some fresh air.” I turned to face him. His presence unsettled me.
“What was the earlier phone call about?” he asked as I walked to stand in front of him. I swallowed, trying to think of a lie that would pass his scrutiny.
“It was nothing. An annoying client who wants their photos sooner than I can manage.” I felt the heat of his stare on me. Was he buying it? I should have just told him it was personal and none of his business but riling him up could make him more suspicious.
Not only did I have the task of keeping my bad breakup from my family but also from Mark—who was proving to bemore aware something was amiss no matter what my explanations were.
For a second I thought he was going to persevere with his question, but instead he said, “Your mom’s looking for you.”
“Thanks.” I made a move to walk past him, but he caught my wrist with his hand. I stopped.
“Again, if you need help with anything, all you have to do is ask.” He wasn't buying any of my lame lies.
I put my hand on my hip and leveled him with a sassy look. “I don’t need a knight in shining armor, Mark.”
He held my gaze for a few intense seconds before he released me and stepped out of my path. I hurried inside, wanting to get away from him.
There was no doubt in my mind Mark knew something was up, but he had no idea what. I just hoped he didn’t share his concerns with my brother. I didn’t want Matthew sticking his nose in my business, but my older brother wouldn’t see it that way. He had always been protective over Sophie and me, and regardless of the fact that we were adults didn’t make any difference, he would still take care of anyone who gave us any trouble.
From the boy who had teased me on the playground to the boy who had stood me up on my first date, Matthew had always been there to make things right.
But I couldn’t spend the rest of my life depending on him or anyone else. Besides, I couldn't take one more joke about my lack of organizational skills. I would show my family I could take control of my life, which included dealing with unsavory situations like an ex-boyfriend who was making a breakup more difficult than was necessary.
I spent the rest of the evening keeping my distance from Mark and he never sought me out again. Maybe there was some hope he would drop it.
I concentrated on taking some photos of my family,including a few loved-up ones of my parents, and when Mark wasn’t aware, I snapped a few of him too. It was a bad habit I had developed as my feelings for him had turned from platonic to the first flutterings of a first crush.
And, depressingly, I still felt the same. It hadn’t weakened through the years; in fact, it had intensified.
I’d doodled his surname linked with mine more times than I could count. When I was younger, I had been filled with hope, but now when I remembered things like that it was mortifying that I still harbored a crush for someone who didn’t see me like that at all.
I thought back to the specific memory of him working out with my brother with his shirt off that had stirred something for the first time. And even now it only took a look from him to make my stomach do strange things.
