Right Man, Right Time (The Vancouver Agitators, #3)(46)

“Silas, oh my God,” she says as she steps right up and throws her arms around him.

He lets go of my hand and returns the embrace, leaving me standing there watching them, feeling foolish.

His hand falls to the small of her back, and his head drops down as she squeezes him tighter.

“It’s so great to see you,” Sarah says. Even her voice is sexy. When she pulls away, I notice just how breathtakingly beautiful she is with her ocean-blue eyes, full lashes, and carved cheekbones. She has an air of sophistication about her that I know I don’t have. She’s grown-up, mature, her own person, and I’m over here, still trying to figure out my life.

This was not what I was expecting when I considered meeting Silas’s ex-girlfriend. I thought I’d float in, show off, and make her jealous. Somehow, it feels like the exact opposite.

“Hey,” Silas says, his voice gruff.

“I’m glad you came. I was afraid you might not, given how I work here now.” She completely ignores me, and to my horror, so does Silas. “And that’s a stupid assumption since this is your home, but I want you to know I didn’t intentionally seek out this job. A recruiter approached me. I wouldn’t have taken it if it wasn’t a dream opportunity. The last thing I want to do is invade your space.”

“It’s fine,” Silas says as he pulls on the back of his neck while his eyes travel the length of her.

It almost seems like a hungry look.

She toes the ground, and it’s so fucking cute it makes me feel like an ogre, standing off to the side, wondering if he’s going to introduce me.

“You look good, by the way,” she says as she reaches out and touches his sweater. “I always thought dark blue looked the best on you.”

He nods. “You look good too, Sarah.”

Well . . . fuck.

It’s one thing to say hi.

It’s another thing to completely forget that your fake girlfriend is standing next to you, watching you interact with your ex-girlfriend that you’ve said you have no feelings for. Uh, it looks like someone needs to check themselves again because from where I’m standing, no way in hell is Silas over this girl.

Finally, after what feels like hours, Sarah spots me and smiles sweetly. “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry.” She holds out her hand. “I’m Sarah.”

As if that snapped Silas out of his Sarah-induced coma, he places his hand on the small of my back and says, “This is Ollie . . . my girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?” Sarah says in surprise. “Oh wow, I just assumed she was your assistant or an intern.” She shakes my hand, then gives me a once-over. “You’re so young.”

God, do I want to grow claws and scratch her across the face. It might not be obvious to others, but it’s obvious to me. She’s trying to make me seem less than I am, and to hell if I’m going to let that happen. If there is one type of person I know how to deal with, it’s a bitchy one.

“Thank you, I can give you the name of my night cream if you want. It works wonders.”

Her face falls flat.

“I know the eye area is so hard to combat when you get older,” I add for the hell of it.

“That would be sweet,” she says, plastering on a fake smile. She then turns her attention back to Silas. “Well, I’ll let you get back to your meal.” She touches his arm. “It was so nice to see you, Silas. Good luck this season. I can’t wait to cheer you on.”

“Thanks, Sarah,” Silas says, sticking his hands in his pockets.

And as she walks away, I watch Silas watch her.

Wow, just . . . wow.

After a few seconds, I say, “So . . . that’s Sarah.”

He nods, then presses his hand to my back and leads me toward the buffet where we quietly fill our plates. He assists me, scooping the food out that I want. He grabs us silverware and napkins, and when he finds us a seat, he grabs us drinks as well. It’s like he’s on autopilot, frozen in his thoughts with nothing to say.

Thankfully, after a few minutes of silence while we eat, Winnie comes over to our table and takes a seat. “Aren’t the meatballs divine? They have them at every gathering.”

“They’re really good,” I reply, feeling awkward and uncomfortable. Even though Silas sits next to me with his hand on my thigh, I catch him looking back at Sarah every so often. If this was a real relationship, my ass would be walking out that door so fast. I’m actually tempted to call it a day. Silas and I aren’t attached, but I do feel embarrassed. Anyone observing us would see that Silas is clearly distracted, like I’m not good enough to hold his attention.

“Hey dude, you okay?” Pacey says as he sits down and sets a plate in front of Winnie.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Silas says as he pushes a piece of broccoli around on his plate. “Pretty tired, though. I think I’m about ready to go.”

“I actually was hoping to talk to you for a second,” Pacey says and clears his throat. “In private.”

Silas glances at him, and they exchange some sort of secret conversation that forces Silas to nod and stand. And without a second thought to me, he and Pacey walk off.

What happened to not leaving me behind? Good God, this man.

When they’re out of earshot, Winnie leans in. “Are you okay?”