Page 23 of The Sebastian Guarantee
“What did he say?”
Color rose to Oscar’s cheeks. “He told her she wasn’t the kind of girl any guy wanted to date.”
“He said that? That’s bloody bullshit,” he shot back, anger slicing through his reply as he slipped into his old accent.
“It’s a mess,” Oscar continued. “She was excited because she’d been asked to attend that LETIS retreat. Jeremy had already gotten in, and she thought her getting invited would be a sign that he was her . . .” Oscar paused. “Her match.”
Match.
The word dropped like a lead weight.
Being another person’s love match had real meaning to them. His life, along with Aria, Oscar, and Phoebe’s, had been inextricably changed—for the better—thanks to nanny love matches. And the matchmaker had told them that their matches had already been made. Sure, it had a kooky hocus-pocus ring to it. But the four of them knew firsthand that the matchmaker’s prediction was about as undeniable as one could get when it came to falling in love withthe one.
The one.
That’s what Tula had called Phoebe.
“Jeremy was a douche about LETIS, too,” Oscar continued.
Sebastian pushed aside thoughts of Phoebe being the one. “What did he say?”
“He told her he didn’t want to hang out with her there, and then the asshat went further and blathered that she probably only got in because they had to fill some women quota.”
Sebastian saw red. This dude deserved a one-two punch to the gut. He balled his hand into a fist, then willed himself to cool down as he focused on the other bomb Oscar had dropped. “Phoebe got into LETIS?”
Oscar nodded. “She was over the moon about it.”
Sebastian tapped the email icon on his phone and found the email Briggs had forwarded. He held up his cell for Oscar to see. “I got invited to LETIS, too.”
Oscar’s expression brightened. “That’s great news, Seb. You can watch over Phoebe. She’ll need it with Jeremy being there.”
“Where’s the drooler now?”
A smirk pulled at the corners of Oscar’s lips. “The guy took off after Phoebe squirted a bottle of Dijon mustard on him.”
Sebastian couldn’t help but mirror his friend’s expression. Jeremy might have broken Phoebe’s heart, but he couldn’t stamp out her spirit. That was Phoebe Gale. Nobody burned brighter.
Oscar’s phone pinged. He glanced at it, and his demeanor darkened. “Listen, you need to get to Phoebe. She’s at a bistro a few blocks south of here. You can’t miss it—or her. She’s on the patio. I’ll warn you now, she’s hammered. She’s been rambling about some random woman who walked by the restaurant, and she kept going on about how she has to come up with a plan and it has to be big.”
Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “She’s not planning on hacking into the FBI again, is she? She could easily sic them on the drooler.”
Oscar chuckled and shook his head. “Jesus, I hope not. I’ll never forget when the agents stormed our classroom. But no, I don’t think we need to worry about her hacking into any government agency. But she did mention stilettos and duck lips.”
Sebastian crossed his arms. “Stilettos and duck lips?”
Before Oscar could reply, his phone pinged. He glanced at the screen again, and a muscle twitched on his cheek.
Sebastian took a step toward his friend. “Who’s texting you? They’ve got you worked up, man.”
Oscar exhaled a tight breath. “It’s not important. Listen, Phoebe’s all over the place. Do whatever it takes to get her home. Thankfully, she doesn’t live far from here. I wish I could stay, but I have to go. I have to . . . get somewhere.” He held up his phone, but his palm covered the screen.
“You’re talking in riddles. And you didn’t answer my question. Who’s sending you messages?”
“A friend who needs a little help. That’s all. It’ll be fine.” Oscar mustered a grin. “It’s good to see you, Seb. We’ve missed you. And if you see Jeremy, don’t kill him. I might be off the grid for a bit, and you won’t have anyone to bail you out of jail.” His friend was trying to lighten the mood, but the guy was wrecked about something besides Phoebe’s situation. He started to open the door to his truck, then stilled. “And don’t let Phoebe do anything too crazy.”
“This is Phoebe we’re talking about. It’s bound to be a little bonkers,” Sebastian replied as warmth radiated through his chest. How he missed Phoebe’s signature sense of open-hearted wonder. From the moment he saw her years ago, staring at him through the car’s window with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes, he knew his entire life was about to change.
“True enough, my friend.” Oscar gave him a quick salute and hopped into his truck.
