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Finally, the food no longer felt stuck. She wiped her hands on her napkin, then took a sip of wine. After clearing her throat, she glanced up at Eli, who was still on the phone.
"Everything okay?" she asked.
Funny question, considering she almost had to flag someone down to do the Heimlich maneuver. With her luck, it would have been Cherry, who would have probably been more than happy to let her choke.
"Yeah, one sec." He rubbed his forehead and held up a finger. A few moments later, he let out a sigh and pocketed his phone.
"That was a voicemail from my mom's nurse. Apparently, my mom wandered out of the house. They found her a block away in her nightgown, sitting on someone else's porch."
"Oh, no," Holly murmured. "Is she okay?"
"Yeah, but I'm going to have to get door alarms for the house now, so the nurses know if she tries to leave without supervision."
"But I thought—"
Eli waved a hand, interrupting her. "Do you want to head down and listen to some music soon?”
"Okay. If that's what you want."
"It is. I can't fix anything now, so there's no sense in focusing on it."
His voice sounded strangely calm, which set off alarm bells in her head.
"Are you finished with your dinner?"
"Yes." She wasn't going to chance eating anymore tonight, not after what had happened.
"Okay," he said, flagging down the waitress. "I'll pay, and then we can head down."
* * *
Holly sat in the corner of Regal's VIP section on a plush velvet couch, silently fuming while Eli hung out at the bar. She sipped a cola and watched as people hovered around him, stopping to chat and congratulate him on the win.
She narrowed her eyes as she glanced around the club. So much for him wanting to celebrate the win with her. He'd spent five minutes with her when they'd first come down here, then he'd gone to the bar for a drink and forgotten all about her.
For two fucking hours.
Shifting her gaze away from the ongoing spectacle, she tried to relax and focus on the music until a woman wearing a fitted black dress and a Regal name tag approached her.
"I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave. Your clothes violate our dress code."
"I'm here with Eli Donnelley," Holly muttered, gesturing in his direction. "He knows the owner."
"Unfortunately, it doesn't matter who you're with. We have a strict dress code, and your jeans violate that code. I assure you that you'll be welcome back here if you change into something suitable."
Holly glanced in Eli's direction, but he wasn't anywhere to be found.
Son of a bitch. Where had he gone off to now? If he'd left her here...
"You know what? Whatever," she muttered. "I'm leaving anyway."
She stood and headed for the side exit, too pissed off to even feel humiliated at being kicked out of the club.
Once he was surrounded by his fans, he'd dropped her faster than a hot potato. It was just another reason not to believe a word he'd said at the hotel. No matter how much he might have meant it at the time, Eli Donnelley was incapable of change.
Right now, she felt like nothing to him, and it hurt.
It hurt a lot.
