Tyler stared back at me for a moment and then he asked in surprise, “Oh, so Nick never mentioned him?”
I shook my head.
“Sai was practically Nick’s blood brother. They used to be neighbors, and they went to the same college. They took up the same classes. Sai survived university because Nick was always there, doing stuff for him and Marg. Nick was the smart one. Don’t know how he did it, but we always joked about him attending university for three people.
“But it didn’t matter to Nick. He wanted Sai and Margot to graduate the same year as him, even if he had to tutor them four times a week. They still graduated two years later than him. But there was nothing Nick wouldn’t do for them. They were like the three musketeers. Even when Margot and Nick started dating, Sai was still there, third-wheeling. He was the Chandler and Monica’s Joey of Nick and Margot.
“Margot and Nick never fought, never had a rough patch. Then one day, we just heard that they broke up and Nick was on his way to the States. He was gone barely a week after the news broke out.”
Shit! As much as this hurt me, I wanted to hear this. Not sure if the story was true, but I heard a lot from Blaze, who seemed to be anti-Margot. I wanted to hear it from somebody who wanted no one else for Nick but Margot. And obviously, he was giving me more information than he should.
“What did Margot say? You guys asked her, right?” I asked.
“She just said that he and Nick were taking a break. Nick wanted to see his options abroad. We always thought he was just talking about career options,” Tyler replied.
“You thought he’d come back to Margot. You didn’t think he’d find somebody else,” I said, raising a challenging brow at Tyler. “You didn’t think he’d find me.”
Tyler shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. That’s all history now. And I can definitely see why he’s enchanted with you. You are absolutely gorgeous. I saw you walk in with Nick and I barely even noticed him. My eyes were on you. I’m sure that was how Nick felt when he first saw you.”
“Thank you. But I doubt that’s the only reason why I’m here with Nick. He’s a lot less superficial than you think.” I gave him a wink and a sweet smile to mask the venom in that statement.
Tyler blinked back at me for a moment. Maybe he was expecting me to either fold or lose my top. After all, those two would be the typical reactions from a girl. When intimidated or insulted, girls usually either cry in one corner or lose their temper and become total bitches. Usually.
Emotional. Girls are sometimes wired that way.
But maybe not me. I’m still Ken Clarke. And I wasn’t raised to be hormonal. In fact, one of my many flaws was that I tend to be too cool and too insensitive sometimes. I vowed to change that. But maybe just for tonight, I could show this guy that I was no normal girl.
“I’m sorry, I’m sure there is more to you than just gorgeous looks. And I hope to get to know you better.” When I looked back at Tyler, he looked a little embarrassed. I remembered Nick’s conversations on the phone. If he was talking to Tyler, I remembered Tyler was plotting to get him back together with Margot.
“In the months that I’ve known Nick, he was spending time helping street kids and elderly people who were in need to save their means for a living; donating suspended coffees to those who needed it most; saving confused damsels in grave danger. The list goes on and on. No, Tyler, I do not think it was my looks that attracted him at all.”
“You made him do all those?” he asked, quite surprised.
I shook my head. “He was already doing those when I met him.”
“Nick didn’t strike me as a philanthropist,” Tyler said in an amused tone. “Talented gambler, yes. Brilliant architect, definitely. But charity worker? I’ve never seen him do charity since I met him, except when he did Sai and Margot’s homework for free.”
I shook my head. “Nick is a sincere person. I know everything he did for the people he helped back home was genuine and not just a put on to impress other people. And yes, he’s seen me at my worst and he still came after me. I don’t think it’s my looks that he liked about me at all.”
“Well, I guess I’m gonna have to find out more about you, don’t I?” Tyler said, smiling. I doubt I could change his mind though. He was probably the president of Team Margot.
I gave him a bright smile, which I put a lot of effort to. “You are most welcome to change your opinion of me, Tyler.”
Tyler nodded and then he looked away from me and over the table where Beatrice and Margot were, obviously watching us. What they wouldn’t give to hear my conversation with Tyler.
Margot was staring at me, looking at me from head to toe although they were a few tables away from us. There was a disappointed look on her face as she watched me. Perhaps, she didn’t expect that I would clean up nicely after she tricked me into coming to an exclusive party in my errand clothes.
Nick finally walked over to us and sat between Tyler and me.
“Sorry about that,” Nick said to me. “I haven’t seen those people in ages.”
“That’s all right. Tyler kept me company.”
“Have you seen Sai?” Tyler asked.
Nick didn’t answer immediately. Then he said, “You didn’t tell me he was coming.”
“I wanted to surprise you! I’m sure you haven’t seen each other in a long time.”
“And shocked, I was,” Nick said. I heard the cool sarcasm in his voice.
Tyler laughed. “I know you miss them. You, Sai, and Margot were an inseparable lot. Good to have the three you in the same room together again after all these years.”
Nick didn’t answer. He looked over at the stage, watching Blaze and his band set up their instruments.
“What do you want to drink?” Tyler asked.
“Coke,” he replied curtly.
“Seriously?” Tyler sounded abhorred.
“Yeah. I have to drive. I made plans after this. And we’re leaving soon. You know I don’t celebrate birthdays anymore,” Nick replied. His voice was hard, his face was stoic and it got me curious as to why his mood changed. Moreover, it was the second time I heard him say he didn’t celebrate his birthdays anymore and I wondered why.
Tyler called the waiter and in French, he told him to bring Coke but put three shots of their strongest rum. I stared up at Nick, who’s clueless about what Tyler planned to do.
Before the waiter left, I said, in fluent French, “That’s not very nice, Tyler. You’re purposely trying to get him drunk? Don’t you think he’ll notice you placed something in his drink? After all, everybody knows what pure Coke tastes like.”
Tyler blinked back at me and so did Nick.
“You speak French?” Nick asked me in surprise.
“Isabella was part French. I spoke French to her all the time.”
“What did you say to him?” he asked.
I gave Tyler a meaningful look. “I reminded him that you prefer diet Coke to regular Coke. Not too much ice and drop two slices of lemon on top.” Then I smiled at Tyler.
He looked at me with wild eyes and then told the waiter to give Nick exactly what I said.
Nick smiled at me. “She’s gonna be a chef soon. She’s programmed to notice the food preferences of the people around her,” he told Tyler.
Tyler turned to me. “So you study culinary arts?”
I shook my head. “Nope. Not yet. I’m graduating psychology in a couple of weeks.”
“She took up psychology for fun,” Nick said. “And she’s graduating magna cum laude.”
Tyler’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Wow,” he said. “You found somebody smarter than you.”
Nick laughed. “That’s debatable. But yes, she’s got good brains behind that pretty face.”
I looked over at Margot’s table and saw her watching us, throwing daggers my way. She looked ready to pounce and pull my hair the minute I come within a couple of feet from her.
I looked away and turned to the stage. Blaze took the microphone in his hand and said, “Thank you all for being here to celebrate the return of my prodigal brother,” he teased. The people laughed. “Okay, I’m kidding. We all know I was the black sheep in the family. Nick has always been the perfect son.” The crowd cheered in agreement. “Happy birthday, bro! You know I always got your back, right?”
I looked at Nick. He was trying hard not to smile, but I could see love shining in his eyes. The brothers didn’t get along well when they were together, but it was obvious that they love each other like real brothers, though they weren’t related by blood at all.
“This performance is for you, bro,” Blaze said. He strummed two chords and then suddenly, he stopped. “Oh, before I forget, I’d like to call on stage a very special person in my brother’s life. I saw a lot of you were curious about her. It’s time we all get acquainted with her a little bit more. Come up on stage, Mackenzie Clarke!”