Page 71 of See You There

She shook her head.

“I wasn’t sure what you wanted to eat. I ordered a variety of stuff from the restaurant downstairs.”

“Thank you.”

“Do you need anything before I go?” James’s voice was glacial.

Dahlia’s eyes bounced between the two angry men. She suppressed the urge to ask what had happened. Her nerves were frayed, and she was holding onto her composure by her fingernails. “No,” she finally said.

“I’ll be back in the morning. We need to decide what the next steps are going to be. Get some rest. Both of you.” His eyes were pinned on Luke. “You’ll think more clearly in the morning.”

Luke slammed his glass down. “Does your halo ever slip or does the stick up your ass keep your head straight?” Even though the outburst was aimed at James, Dahlia felt it like a slap.

“One of us has to do the right thing,” James said, opening the door.

“And god knows ithasto be you!” Luke’s words were lost when James slammed the door.

Dahlia stood awkwardly in the living room.

“Fuck!”

Dahlia flinched at the outburst.

Luke pursed his lips, looking at her. Emotions shifted in his eyes. “I need a minute,” he said and stalked to his bedroom.

Dahlia sank onto the couch and buried her head in her hands. This was horrible. She should have insisted on staying in a hotel. That’s what she would do tomorrow. When James returned, she would insist they book her a hotel room. They could do it under another nameand use their own credit card.

Happy she had a plan to take back some of her control, Dahlia relaxed against the leather and closed her eyes. She had just dozed off when there was a loud knock at the door. Alarm shot through her as she jolted upright.

Dahlia could hear water running from inside Luke’s bedroom and assumed he must be in the shower. Dahlia chewed her lip, unsure what to do. The knock came again. Harder this time.

Pressing her eye to the peephole, she sagged with relief. A perturbed young woman stood just outside, holding a large bag emblazoned with a restaurant logo.

As soon as Dahlia opened the door, the teenager thrust the bag at her and turned to walk away. “It’s already paid for?” Dahlia called after her.

The teenager looked over her shoulder. “Yeah, the guy downstairs paid for it. Said it was his treat and left me a massive tip.”

“Oh.” Maybe James was trying to make amends with his brother for whatever it was they had fought over.

“Hey! I know you!” The girl had turned fully back with a delighted smile.

Dahlia forced an answering bright smile, even though what she wanted to do was escape back inside the condo.

“You’re in that new movie, right? The war one?”

“That’s me.”

“So cool! My cousin was an extra on that!”

“Please thank her for me.” Dahlia wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep up the small talk. Luckily, the girl’s phone dinged, and she was distracted. “Have a great night. Thanks,” Dahlia said, slipping back into the apartment.

Luke’s door was still shut, so Dahlia began pulling the various containers out of the bag, arranging them on the counter. She took the top off one and inhaled the savory deliciousness of fresh French fries. Her stomach grumbled in response.

Should she wait for him? The prospect of sitting across from Luke and his surly attitude didn’t sound appealing. Using the disposable cutlery in the bag, Dahlia began devouring one of the Cobb salads. Dahlia looked longingly at the French fries. Sheshouldbe worried about how she would look at the premiere…

Screw it! I almost died today. I’m eating the damn fries!

With that in mind, Dahlia opened one of the hamburgers Luke had ordered and took a huge bite. When was the last time she had a good burger? Dahlia licked the ketchup from her lips, and after two more bites, she set the burger down and wiped her hands on a napkin.