Part 18 (1/2)
”Your friend. Yeah, you should.” He'd said 'friend' like someone would say, 'I have to clean the bathroom of the YMCA. With my tongue.'
I didn't know why I felt the need to explain, because what, or who, he thought I was doing shouldn't matter. But it did. And he did. And I needed to deal with the facts. ”If I leave her alone too long, her terrible taste in men will get her in trouble.”
”Does she have long straight hair?”
”Yeah.”
”Was she wearing some kind of sparkly green s.h.i.+rt?”
”Why?”
”She left while you were playing peek-a-boo.”
”Oh s.h.i.+t.” I spun around, looking for her, my unsober mind figuring a quick glance around the lobby would help me see a few minutes ago. Duh. Sure it could. ”Where was she headed?”
”They went to the valet line.”
”They.” Great. I reached for my wallet/phone case and found myself out of luck. ”d.a.m.n it.” Sara had used my phone to take a picture of me and must have stuck it in her purse, so I had no phone and no money. ”d.a.m.n it, d.a.m.n it, d.a.m.n it.”
Hayden stepped forward cautiously, like I was a panicked animal, which I actually was-a drunk and panicked animal. ”She's not allowed to do that?”
I shook my head. I shouldn't have left her alone. ”I have to find out where she went.”
”It seemed like she went willingly.”
”Of course, she did. She always does. That's why I need to find her.”
”Can I help?”
”You could let me borrow your phone.”
He handed it to me, and the first thing I saw was my fake name in a very short list of favorites. I ignored that and dialed Sara's number. No answer. So I tried mine. No answer on that one either.
Sara would never take a guy to her place, so it was useless to go there. I needed my computer. So, if I could b.u.m bus fare from Hayden and be home in an hour and a half or find a ride and be home in fifteen minutes. And the only person who could give me a ride was...
d.a.m.n it. ”I need a ride home.”
”My car is just a few blocks away.”
I looked at him. ”Normally I would ask to see your ID and a major credit card, but I already have access to that information.” His pa.s.swords, account numbers, home and office addresses, and pretty much everything else there was to know about him. If he was an ax murderer, he didn't use his credit cards for duct tape and shovels. But taking him to my house? That would bring him into my life, and I wasn't sure I was ready for that to ever happen.
”Can I trust you, Hayden?”
”You know me better than 99% of the people in my life. So you tell me.”
”Yeah, I can.” The bigger question was: Could I trust myself?
24.
Andi I put the cup of coffee Hayden had bought me on the way out of the hotel into a cup holder, careful not to spill it all over his very expensive, very pristine car, and then dialed Sara's number again from his phone. There was probably no reason to panic, but the reaction was visceral for me.
I was still pretty tipsy and needed to pay close attention to what exactly I said. Or did. So I didn't say anything else to Hayden. I could tell he was watching me out of the corner of his eye while he drove. Every time I checked, his face would turn slightly but not all the way, and his lips would separate as if he was about to speak. Then they'd clamp together tightly.
”Hayden, maybe things would be less awkward if you just said what you want to say.”
”I was just wondering why you're trying to rescue a friend who probably doesn't want to be rescued.”
That was an explanation I owed him. One of many. ”Sara doesn't always think things through. I know because I used to be the same way.” And guess how well that had turned out. ”Back then, she took care of me.” Then, overnight, our roles switched and I became the responsible one.
The most troubling part was knowing why I'd been like that-I'd been punis.h.i.+ng myself. Sara knew all about my screw-up, but I still didn't know her reasons. Anything that turned a happy and hopeful person into someone who couldn't go a weekend without getting into trouble wasn't good.
”All I can do is make sure she's safe, you know?”
Hayden nodded, probably wondering what any of that actually meant, but thankfully not asking. ”Doesn't it get confusing with both of you named Sara?”
I looked out the window to hide my I'm-such-a-terrible-liar expression. I really should limit the time I spent in public...to none. ”Well, I don't speak in the third person, so if I say 'Sara,' people usually know I'm referring to her.”
”Right.” He laughed, his smile showing off perfect teeth and a small dimple in his cheek. No one should be allowed to look that good-it was bad for everyone else's self-esteem.
”Can you drive faster?” I asked. Having a big freak-out about being so close to a disgustingly gorgeous man should wait until after I'd made sure Sara was okay. Since there wasn't much I could do about it on the way home, I might as well bide my time with a medium-sized freak-out. ”How did you know I was at the bar?”
”On my way back from a dinner meeting, I pa.s.sed you and Other-Sara on the street. You-Sara said something truly obnoxious very loudly, and I recognized your voice. So I followed you in a completely non-stalkerish way, just to see if I was right.”
”What did I say?”
”I'm not sure it should be repeated.” He winked. ”Ever.”
I grimaced. ”See? I embarra.s.sed myself, and you are completely un-intimidated by me now.”
”Actually,” he said softly, ”sitting next to you, I find myself quite intimidated.”
”You're just saying that to be nice.”
”I'm saying that because it's true. I've wanted to meet you for a long time.”
”And now you have. Impressive, ain't I?” I'd considered pulling down the visor to see what three bars and no-idea-how-many drinks had left behind, but what would that do besides make me feel even worse about this whole situation?
”Very.” He smiled, keeping his eyes on the road as we got closer to my neighborhood.
This was a seriously lousy time to confront him, but unfortunately, all that liquor still hadn't blurred out the detective's visit. ”Hayden, did you tell anyone how I found out who was stealing your s.h.i.+t.”
”My s.h.i.+t?” He laughed. ”No, I thought you didn't want me to, but I'd be happy to give you credit.”
”No,” I said quickly. ”I don't really want anyone to know. I don't like getting mixed up in that kind of thing.” Wasn't that the truth. ”Plus, you know how it is-as soon as someone finds out you do something well, they're constantly asking for favors.”
”People never ask me for favors. Do you think that means no one thinks I do anything well?”