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“You were doing the chicken dance during a slow song, and we had to carry you out of there before you got yourself kicked out.”
Her jaw tightens, and she scowls at us. “How the hell was I supposed to know that a full glass of straight whiskey was a lot of booze on an empty stomach?”
“Sweetheart, that’s a lot of booze with a three-course meal. And it was a glass and a half. It’s a miracle you were even allowed inside,” Tobias says.
She giggles and takes a sip of her drink. “OK. Fine. I was wasted, and it was awful. What made you think of that?”
I point at her glass. “Don’t think I didn’t see you chug a double before you came back with our drinks, love. Something tells me you’re over your two-drink limit.”
She blushes. “I’m nervous. And for good reason. Can we just… forget everything that’s going on and pretend to be friends again? Even if it’s just for the night.”
I look at Tobias, trying to read his expression, but he’s the king of schooled features, and I’m getting nothing from him.
Finally, he lifts his glass. “Cheers, friends.”
Chapter fourteen
Chapter 13
Bellamy
Theconversationflowseasiernow that we’ve gotten past the awkward. How is it that the three of us went from spending every waking minute together to not being friends for over a decade? As I listen to Tobias talk, I realize there is so much I’ve missed in the last decade. Where did he go? What has he been doing with his life? Now seems like as good a time as any to talk about it. When he finishes a story, I turn to him.
“I’ve told you all about what Owen and I have been up to since our engagement was first arranged. Why don’t you tell me where you’ve been? In some ways, it’s like you’re a stranger to me.”
I swirl the scotch around my glass and stare at Tobias. Will he answer or just brush me off the way he has any other time I’ve tried to ask him personal questions.
He meets my gaze and doesn’t look away as he sips his own drink. “I was finishing school and starting a company of my own. You remember how the three of us always talked about having something of our own outside our families? That’s what I was working on.”
“So why not include me?”
He looks away, and now I need the answer.
“Come on, Toby. Be honest with us.”
“Tobias,” he snaps. “I’ve told you not to call me that.
When I continue to stare at him, unfazed by his scolding, he averts his gaze, looking anywhere but at us, and a long silence passes before he answers. “Because you were a tie to that life. If I followed through with the marriage, it was something they could hold over my head. Neither of our families would let us walk away then. I thought I was doing you a favor.”
I close my eyes. “If that’s the case, why are you going through with it now? You understand how I feel about the contract.”
“Understand? Yes. But it doesn’t change anything. My brother is dying and can’t step up. The responsibility falls to me. Without a clear line of succession for control of the family, it leaves us weak. I won’t watch my family suffer because of my choices. Let’s talk about something more pleasant. We’re supposed to be putting the situation aside for the night.”
The three of us sit and talk for the next hour as people enjoy the club around us. Twice Owen is called away on club business, leaving me alone with Tobias.
“What’s the status back in London?” I ask him the second time Owen is called away.
Tobias shakes his head. “Nothing new so far. But I’m hoping to hear from a contact about your would-be kidnapper’s identity within the next couple of hours.”
“I’m sorry that happened. I’m sure you didn’t want to leave London.”
He gives me a half smile. “It gave me the opportunity to see this place.” He clears his throat. “I uh… I’m a member of a similar place at home.”
It’s a relief that he told me on his own. Still, I smirk. “It’s possible that I already knew that.”
He jerks up straighter and glares. “How the hell did you get that information?”
I laugh. “Calm down. I’ve been to Serendipity. Years ago. There’s a photo of you floating around the Internet of you coming out of the office building it’s in. The caption says you’re headed out of a business meeting. I just recognized the building.”
