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“No,” she said, appalled.
“I’ll save you a seat.” He threw the Dixon men signature wink at her before sauntering off.
“I don’t want to talk about her,” I said once he was out of earshot.
“Good. Because this is about me.” My curiosity piqued. “Let’s move where it’s not so . . . busy.”
I followed her to the edge of the room. She wasted no time getting to the point. “I didn’t like you.”
“I gathered that. But you say that as if it’s past tense.”
“To be determined.” She fiddled with the gold necklace dangling to the center of her chest. “You were following Trish. And that’s creepy. But I’ve known her almost a year, and I’ve never seen her as happy as she was with you.”
“She’s married. And I thought this wasn’t about her.” I shoved my hands in my pockets, already craving a whiskey.
“Not totally.” Baker let the chain go. “Circumstance has made me the way I am. I automatically distrust people without giving them a chance. I’m trying. Not sure I can change. But I did that to you before I knew anything about you. It was a mistake.”
I cut my eyes toward the tables, spotting Patrick with my sister. “You’re trying to tell me I’m making one too.”
“I know you are, but it’s yours to make,” she said indifferently. “All I’m saying is you don’t know everything.”
“I know enough,” I countered.
She looked at me as if she felt sorry for me. “I’ve said what I wanted to. If you’re too stupid to listen, that’s on you.” Baker pivoted and made it about four steps before she looked back over her shoulder. “You don’t know shit.”
Momentarily stunned, I ignored the strong urge to get the hell out of there. All the mystery and shit I didn’t know was of no use. It changed nothing. Trish still belonged to someone else.
And then I saw her on the edge of the room not too far away. She looked frazzled. Her hair was pulled back, but several strands were loose. She batted them away, and I noticed a streak of what looked like chocolate on her cheek.
I took a step toward her before I realized what I had done, only to stop myself.
It was too late.
As if she’d sensed me, she looked in my direction. Her breath caught, and she leaned against the doorway for support. Our gazes held until a waiter stepped between us.
When he moved, she’d disappeared. I watched for a moment, but she didn’t return, so I made my way to the assigned table. Baker was seated between my brother and sister, though she looked like she wanted to get up.
I took the empty chair between Marlow and Dad.
“Everything okay?” Dad’s expression was one of concern.
“Fine. Fine.” I reached for the glass of red wine on the table for the crutch it was. Marlow had already downed half of hers. “Holt shouldn’t have said that on the way over,” I said in her ear. But even I couldn’t mention Jack’s name to her either.
She tensed. “Why not? It’s the truth.”
“How you choose to deal with it is your own choice.”
“Is that why you didn’t pitch a fit when Holt decided to talk to Mom?”
I cringed at the thought of her. Like mother. Like son. “I guess.” My brows dipped. “He told you about that.”
She shrugged. “We talked about it a little. He’s got things he wants to know.”
“There was nothing more to find out the day she walked out on all of us.”
Marlow held up her glass. “After having a child, I can’t figure out how she did it. If I had to give up my monster, there’s no way.”
“What are you two so serious looking about?” Dad leaned over me, lines creasing his forehead.
