Page 86 of The Bet
Chapter 25
He’d ordered her the halloumi and mushroom burger as well as a few other dishes. Salt and pepper edamame and crispy vegetables in tempura.
When she was halfway through the burger and Xavier still hadn’t come back, she went looking for him. He was at his desk, working.
“You look harassed,” she commented. And he did, compared to the flirtatious guy she had come to be wary of.
“I wouldn’t say I’m harassed.” He let out a sigh, short, and sharp, as if annoyed. “But I hate paperwork.” He seemed a little out of his depth, as if he didn’t belong in his office, in his lounge pants and hoodie, taking some papers off his desk, then shuffling them into order. His table was still a god awful mess. He’d cautioned her against tidying it up, and she’d left it, even though she was sorely tempted to make everything neat and tidy on it.
“I have stuff to get done, an important meeting to get ready for. Why don’t you go and eat?”
“I was waiting for you.”
“I don’t want anything. I ordered it for you.”
“Just for me?” She felt guilty, and happy, at the same time. “That’s a lot of food for one person. Just come and have something.”
“It’s too healthy for me.”
“Maybe you should give it a try,” she suggested.
“Yeah.” He seemed distracted, as he scanned a few more sheets in, and she sensed she was being a burden.
“Okay. More for me.”
“Yeah.” He didn’t even look up.
She walked back to the kitchen. Why waste good food? It had been thoughtful of him—ordering take out from that burger place they’d gone to with Jacob’s grandparents.
Sitting alone at the table, she filled her plate up and ate alone. A short while later, when she had nearly finished, Xavier joined her, taking a seat opposite.
“What?” he asked, when he caught her looking at him.
“I’m not used to seeing you looking hassled.”
“Believe it or not, I work, and I have pressures like everybody else.”
“I’m beginning to see that. You’re always such a party animal and Tobias seems so serious. It’s hard to think that you’re both brothers.”
“My brother’s always been the moody, broody type.Miserable, is what I’d call it, but women seem to think he’s intense and all that shit.”
She shifted on the stool, noting that he seemed a little tense.
“I don’t mean to say that you’re not serious about your work. I’m sure you are.”
“Thanks.”
He wasn’t smiling when he said it, and the air seemed to chill and turn sour. She wasn’t prepared for him not to be able to take a joke especially when their relationship seemed to be built on ribbing one another.
“Are you feeling sorry for yourself today, Stone?” she asked, hoping to resurrect the type of conversation they usually had. She managed a no-hard-feelings smile because she didn’t want to leave him in a miserable mood—not after he had been thoughtful enough to order her a takeout that he himself hadn’t touched.
“You’ve caught me on a bad day, otherwise I’d match you, sarcastic word for word.” He dipped his hand into the takeout box and pulled out a sweet potato chip.
“Anything I can do to help?” If she could get a few more hours of paid work from him, especially now that she was here, it would be a good thing. Besides, she’d only be returning home to an empty apartment.
“I’m putting together a report for an investor. I have all the data, and I need to resize all my charts, and shit. He needs it a few days after Thanksgiving, before he goes away for business.”
“But if you’re looking for funding, why don’t you ask Tobias?”
