“This isn’t funny, Priscilla. Ryan put me in charge of bringing that ring. He has a whole fucking thing planned out and you’re about to ruin everything.”
“You didn’t even notice the ring wasn’t in your pocket all that time,” I remind him. “It could have fallen out and been lost anywhere between here and Saratoga. Imagine how pissed Ryan would be if you lost his ring.”
I start to move again, but he holds his ground. “We’re not going anywhere until you tell me where it is.”
I look at Ryan’s car. “It’s not in there. Do you really think I would leave it unattended in a parking lot? I’m not as careless as you.” I look ahead at Tina and Ryan who are almost out of sight. “They’re going to think it’s weird if they notice we’re not right behind them.”
He follows my gaze, then lets out a frustrated growl. He starts walking but doesn’t let go of my arm, so now he’s pulling me with him. I shrug out of his grasp and he finally lets go.
“Do you have any idea how pissed Ryan’s going to be when I tell him I forgot to bring the ring?” Oliver says.
I look up at him, a little bit surprised. “You’re not going to tell him it’s my fault?”
He presses his lips together, thinking about it for a moment. “If I did that, I would have to explain why you would do something like that, and that would ruin whatever Tina has planned. I would also have to explain how you knew about the ring, and why I didn’t tell him sooner.”
“I see.” I don’t know why I’m hoping he’ll take the blame to protect me. I don’t deserve the courtesy.
We catch up with Tina and Ryan when we make it to the Garden. They’re so engrossed in conversation that they don’t say anything to me or Oliver when we reach them. I’m not sure they even noticed we weren’t with them.
I’m dying to get to our seats so that I can sit down next to Tina and avoid Oliver for the rest of the evening. I’m sure Oliver will need some alone time with Ryan to break the news that he doesn’t have the ring. I notice Ryan and Oliver eyeing the concessions.
I’m about to suggest that Tina and I go find our seats while the guys get their drinks, but Oliver speaks first: “Priscilla offered to buy everyone drinks. Isn’t that nice?”
I glare at him, then force a smile and look back at Tina and Ryan. “Yeah. I did. I figured it’s the least I can do since you guys drove us here and got all the tickets.”
And also since I’m ruining Ryan’s proposal, which I’m sure is why Oliver is making me do this. I can’t exactly argue against it. He probably wants me and Tina to grab the drinks so that he can have a minute alone with Ryan.
“I’ll help her grab them,” he says instead.
I frown. I want to get away from him, but he’s making this difficult.
“Thanks, Priscilla,” Tina says. “Ryan and I will go find our seats.”
“See you in a minute,” I tell her.
I look back at Oliver as we make our way through the line. “You’re really making me buy the drinks?”
“You can afford it,” he says. “I’m sure you can keep that check since Tina’s proposal will surely go off without a hitch.”
We get to the front of the line. Oliver tells the cashier what we want. I pull out my credit card and hand it over without paying attention to what he orders. As the employee steps away to fill our cups, Oliver turns back to me. His eyes wander down to my handbag as I tuck my credit card back inside my wallet. I wonder if he’s figured out that the ring is in there. Maybe he suspects it.
“Do you really think Tina wants to get engaged at a basketball game?” I ask, drawing his attention back up to me. “She doesn’t even like basketball.”
He grabs his beer from the counter and holds one out to me. “You can’t just micromanage Ryan and Tina’s engagement.”
“I beg to differ,” I say, taking the beer from him. “Tina is paying me to do exactly that.”
“Are you sure that’s what she’s paying you for?” He steps away from the concessions stand and we head for our seats. “If she knew that Ryan was going to propose, she might not be planning to do it herself.”
I know that he’s right, but I don’t want to admit it. I know that this isn’t the proposal that Tina dreams of, but it’s not a terrible idea. She’s paying me to plan her proposal, not to sabotage Ryan’s. For the first time, I start to feel bad about what I’m doing.
I slow down. Oliver stops, waiting for me.
With a sigh, I set my cup down on a nearby chair. I reach into my bag and dig around until I find the ring box. It’s clear that Oliver doesn’t know what I’m doing, because he stands there dumbly until I grab his hand and put the ring box on his palm. I wrap his fingers around it, then look up at him.
He frowns. “Really?”
“Be more careful with it this time,” I tell him. I pick up my beer, then pass him and head for our seats.
