Page 42 of Crave
Chapter Twelve
Bryn Christmas
“Could you make room for two more?” Eden asked.
It seemed her eyes had trouble settling on Alex or Jamison. I really wanted to say no, since we were halfway through dinner. Before I could turn to Jamison, who was so good at reading my facial expressions, and show him that I’d rather Eden and Dale found their own table for dinner, Eden had called over the waitress and asked her to add a table to the end of ours and two extra chairs.
The waitstaff was pleased to make Eden Newell happy. She ended up sitting on my left and Dale across from her. I loathed having a view of his face. I decided to pretend as if Dale wasn’t present as I introduced Eden to Alana and Alex and told her they would be joining me at her house in the morning.
“Alana and Alex? Are the two of you a couple?” Eden asked.
“No,” they said simultaneously.
Then Alana smiled as she shot Alex a cursory glance. I was surprised at how flushed she looked as she forced herself to concentrate solely on Eden. “I can’t wait to see your house, though. It looks lovely in pictures.”
Dale flung himself forward and reached over to shake Alana’s hand. “By the way, I’m Dale. Your boss forgot to introduce me. Dale Rumor.”
I rolled my eyes as Alana studied him.
“Dale Rumor,” she muttered. Her eyes widened. “Oh, Dale Rumor.” She tilted her head when she looked at me. “Bryn? Do you have to go to the ladies’ room? I have to go to the ladies’ room.”
I shook my head. “No, I’m fine.”
“So, Bryn,” Dale said extra loudly. “How are your brothers?”
I narrowed my eyes at him and wondered why he cared. Neither of my brothers liked him, not even Asher, who was prone to give anyone I wasn’t fond of the benefit of the doubt.
I faked a smile. “They’re fine.”
Alana looked at me with puzzlement. She wasn’t used to me being so curt with others.
Dale directed his attention to Jamison. “I thought I heard of you before. Didn’t you run her brother’s campaign? Is that how the two of you met?”
I could feel Eden grow rigid.
“Yes and yes,” Jamison said.
I wished I could have signaled for him not to respond. Dale was like a fish in a bowl, who’d keep eating if you kept feeding it. Pay Dale too much attention and he’d keep being a dick. I was certain he had an angle. I put my money on the theory that he’d spent the rest of the afternoon learning everything he could about Jamison Cox so that he could throw something salacious about my new boyfriend in my face. As for that fake apology he’d given me earlier that day, he could take it and shove it where the sun didn’t shine.
Dale rubbed the back of his neck as he grinned. “But I heard it didn’t end well.”
Jamison nodded calmly. “It’s all relative.”
“Relative to what?” Dale shot back.
“Relative to the contract between me and my client.”
I smiled.Score one for Jamison.His answer was enough to make Dale slouch in his chair and pout.
But I wanted to put the nail in Dale’s coffin, so I crossed my arms and asked, “By the way, what are you doing these days, Dale? Are you employed?”
Dale sneered, which made me feel disappointed in myself for taking that jab. He got a kick out of making me behave that way. Also, it gave him hope. If I got scrappy with him, he would take it as me giving a damn about him. And I couldn’t care less about who he banged or lied to or whatever new scheme he was cooking up and calling a job. I was certain that whatever he was doing with his life was making him very, very unhappy and was all the dopamine hits Dale needed to get through any day.
If that’s the case, then why am I still so angry? What’s that about?
“Well, glad you asked. My beautiful babe and I are writing and producing a movie. Not like the one we tried and failed at because, well… only one of us knew what we were doing,” Dale said.
Bait. Bait. Don’t take the bait.
