Page 4 of Forced Proximity
“Oh,” Eugene mumbled. “Anyway, can I have your support?”
The waiter stopped by and grimaced at me before saying, “Is there anything else that I can do for you today, Miss?”
I shook my head before whispering, “The check, please.”
“Of course.” He sped away, likely excited that I was leaving and he could get a paying table in my spot and disappeared around a corner.
The two men behind me started talking in low whispers, making it damn near impossible for me to hear, then the man with Eugene stood up and said, “Thanks for the lunch, D.”
“Anytime,” Eugene replied.
There was a slap sound, and then the man gave me a great view of his backside as he casually walked away, his hands tucked into his pockets as he walked out of the room.
The waiter came back with my check, and I handed him a twenty.
“You can keep the change,” I said softly.
He looked like he swallowed a lemon.
I was sure the man was used to getting bookoos for a tip since they charged so much for a freakin’ steak, but he wasn’t going to get that from me today.
I felt slightly bad when he walked away in a huff, but not bad enough to change anything.
“…hey, yeah. I met with Mr. Reins.” Eugene spoke into his cell phone, and I scrambled to hit record on my phone, hoping that he was speaking loud enough for my microphone to catch his voice over the dining room noise. “He’s eating out of the palm of my hand. There’s no way that he’s not going to side with us on that bill.” There was a long pause and then, “Baby, no. I have it handled. You don’t need to come up here at all. I can handle Mr. Reins. And when the shit hits the fan, there’ll be no more Mr. Golden Boy.”
There was a lot to unpack with what he’d just said, but all my mind could focus on was the “baby, no.”
Mr. “I never call anyone baby because it’s overused.”
I remembered the one time that he’d accidentally used “baby” with Daniella, and he’d looked sick.
He’d never called her that again, and Daniella had been despondent when he’d told her a few weeks later that he didn’t like using that word and it’d just slipped out with her.
She hadn’t understood why, and now it was making sense.
Because he had another “baby,” and Daniella wasn’t it.
Damn, I sure hoped that I got that on my recording.
That would definitely hammer the point home with my sister.
At least, I hoped.
If that didn’t work, I didn’t think anything would.
The spiral was coming, I just hoped it didn’t reach peak with me anywhere around.
“Yeah, I’m on my way home, baby. I’ll see you soon.”
He stood up and rounded his chair.
I could feel him close, and I wanted to fidget and squirm, but forced myself to hold still.
I didn’t move a single muscle until the asshole was out of the building.
Only then did I make my move.
It was time to follow the lying scumbag.
