Page 71 of Roman & Olivia
Not yet.
And they were headed right for him.
Roman ducked into the booth and slouched as he jerked his head toward their target. Marcus nodded as he took his seat. Then he held up his menu and stared at the table over the top of it.
For a long while, nothing happened. Then Marcus stiffened and his eyes grew wide as he muttered under his breath. “I don’t believe it.”
“What?” Roman hissed.
Marcus’s eyes slid back to his brother. “You were right.”
Roman lurched, spinning so he could get a look at the two seated a small distance away. Sure enough, the two had their heads together like they were whispering sweet nothings to one another. Mason held the woman’s hand while he used his other one to brush strands of hair from her face. His touch lingered.
It was more than a simple, innocent gesture. He was clearly showing her the sort of affection he gave Olivia.
“What are you waiting for! Get the evidence you came for,” Marcus snapped. He fumbled with his phone as well. “That’s what you want, right?”
Roman startled at his brother’s voice. This was exactly what he was hoping to get. The fact that they were a couple of towns over could only mean one thing. Mason wasn’t being honest with Olivia about his evening meetings. If Roman was right, then Mason might even be on the clock and literally getting paid to take this woman out on a date.
His lip curled with disgust as he took a few shots of Mason kissing the woman before moving his mouth to her ear to saysomething else. When he got what he wanted he slouched in his seat and glanced up at his brother.
“What now?” Marcus whispered, his eyes darting to the couple who were so oblivious they hadn’t noticed they’d been caught. “Are you going to text Olivia?”
Roman turned his attention to his phone and his stomach sank. He knew Olivia right down to her soul. She wouldn’t want something like this to be revealed through a text message. And yet, he didn’t think he could go knock on her door and tell her to her face, either.
Seeing the pain on her face over losing the guy she liked would break another part of Roman’s heart.
He sighed, dragging a hand down his face. “I don’t know.”
Marcus shifted his focus to the couple for only a split second. “Maybe you should confront him.”
A derisive snort escaped Roman’s throat. “And dowhat, exactly?”
His brother shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s a public figure… sort of. Do you think he’d want people in our small-ish town to know what he’s been up to?”
Roman straightened.
“What about his dad? I bet the mayor wouldn’t want the town comparing him to his son if this got out.” Marcus was a genius. If Roman could get Mason to back down, then Roman wouldn’t have to confront Olivia and tell her what he’d found.
Oh, who was he kidding? He’d need to tell her no matter what because they were friends. Olivia deserved to know the truth. Even if it hurt.
He chanced a look in Mason’s direction. “Somehow I don’t think Mason’s going to react well to threats.”
“He slipped up. He made a bad decision and got caught.” Marcus hid a smile behind the cup he now sipped from. “No onesaid he was a smart man. I still don’t know what Olivia sees in him. Camilla told me all about him and her friend.”
Roman grimaced. Marcus hit the nail on the head. Mason wasn’t a good guy, and Roman should have seen it from the beginning. If he hadn’t been so focused on how good it felt to be dating his best friend, maybe he would have.
A sigh burst from his lips as his hand tightened on his phone. He gave Marcus a knowing look, then got to his feet. Each step he took felt like he was slogging through mud as he made his way toward the table where Mason sat.
The second Mason’s eyes landed on Roman, he went stiff. His date eyed him curiously. Cocking his head, Roman turned his full attention to Mason. He was fully aware he probably looked more like a wild animal at this point, but he brushed aside the thought and gave Mason a wicked grin.
“Tell me something, Mason. What would Olivia think if she knew you were here with another woman?”
That question had Mason’s date sending him a withering glare.
“What makes you think she doesn’t know?” Mason snapped.
Roman arched a brow. “Considering the fact that your involvement was in the papers? I’d say my understanding of the situation is more accurate than you’d like it to be.” He glanced at the girl. “You’re aware that he’s involved with someone else, right?”
