Page 154 of Loyalty

John slipped through a restaurant that shouldn’t be familiar to him because of who owned it, and yet it still was. He visited the business a couple of times a week just to spend time with Siena, but before her, he wouldn’t have stepped foot near the place.

She was already waiting for him at a table. Standing, too. He could see concern in her eyes, but he didn’t know why.

She outstretched her arms to him, and he took the embrace. Dropping one kiss to her forehead, and then a second faster one to her lips. Her sweet little smile made his grin grow.

“You didn’t answer my calls,” she said.

John shrugged. “Busy.”

“For three days?”

He didn’t like where this line of questioning was going, so his best defense was to simply ignore it. Apparently, she had been one of the people who kept blowing up his phone non-stop.

“Everything’s fine,” he told her.

“I didn’t ask,” Siena said.

John gave her a look, and then took a seat at the table. “You going to sit, or what?”

Siena did take a seat at the table, but she still had that look in her eyes. She was searching for something in him, but he didn’t know what to tell her. He didn’t know what the fuck she was looking for.

“I thought we were going to that show last night,” she said. “An early Valentine’s gift.”

Shit.

“I forgot,” John said.

He tried to wave it off, but he could tell she didn’t want to let it go. He knew what talking would do. Talking would only lead to a fight. The last thing he wanted to do was fight with Siena.

Not now.

Not ever.

“I’ll make it up to you,” he promised.

Siena frowned. “And how are you going to do that?”

“Give me a little bit to figure it out.”

“Maybe we don’t have a little bit.”

John heard her, but he was already waving to the waiter.

“Our usual,” he called out.

The waiter nodded, and headed for the kitchen.

“John,” Siena said. “Are you listening to me?”

“Yeah, I’m listening.”

“Then, where have you been?”

“Working.”

“Did you see your cousin?”

With one simple question, John’s attention was entirely focused on Siena again. “What do you mean, see my cousin?”