Don’t think about that. Just enjoy the food.
Graham carries the paper sack with our food in it to the black marble dining table. He drops the bag onto the table and rips it open. But before he unpacks it, he hesitates.
“You better give me your phone,” he says.
I stare at him. “What?”
“Your phone,” he repeats. “Let me have it.”
“But… why?”
“It’s almost eight o’clock. Why do you need it, anyway?” He holds his hand out and wiggles his fingers. “Just give it to me so I can keep it safe.”
I pat my pocket, with my phone nestled inside. “It’s safe here.”
He drums his fingers on the table. “Right. But tomorrow morning, you’re going to have no idea where you left it. If you give it to me, I’ll put it somewhere safe. And I’ll give it to you first thing in the morning like I did today.”
What he’s saying makes sense, but I am reluctant to give up my phone. Considering I’m locked in here, the phone feels like a lifeline. “Can’t I keep it until it’s time for bed?”
He presses his lips together. “You tend to get more confused as the evening goes on. Once you put your phone in the freezer and it was wrecked.”
Is that true? I don’t feel at all confused right now. And like he said, it’s almost eight o’clock. “What if my father calls?”
“He’s on a cruise right now. He’s probably not going to be answering your calls.”
“My father is on a cruise?” That doesn’t sound like him. I don’t think he’s been on one date since my mother died. “Why would he go on a cruise?”
Graham shrugs. “Why not? Isn’t he entitled to have some fun?”
There’s a subtext there. That other people in the world are out there having fun, while we’re stuck in this horrible situation. For an entire year. And maybe for the rest of our lives.
“Tess, will you just give me the phone?” He shoots me a look. “If I don’t take it now, I’m going to spend half the morning searching for it. Let me put it someplace safe, okay?”
I know I should just hand it over, but I’m reluctant. I’m not even sure why. Everything Graham has said makes sense. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t hand over my phone. But I also don’t quite understand why I have to do it right this minute.
“Listen, Tess.” He folds his arms across his chest. “If we’re going to have an argument every night about your phone, then maybe it’s a mistake for you to have a phone.”
I jerk my head back. “Are you threatening me?”
“I’m not threatening you.” His voice is maddeningly calm. “But I hope you can see my situation. It’s an expensive phone, and you get confused easily. The doctor you saw after your head injury didn’t think you should even have a phone, but I wanted you to have it so we could contact each other during the day when I’m away. Was I wrong?”
I don’t say anything to that. I just stare back at him.
He lets out a sigh. “I know this is hard to wrap your head around, Tess, but you don’t always know what’s best for yourself. I have to make some decisions for you, and if you don’t like it, then I’m sorry. But that’s just the way it is.”
He’s talking to me like he’s my father. But it hits me that if what Camila said earlier is true, this man is my guardian. Because of my head injury, he has the power to make all my decisions for me. And if he doesn’t want me to have a phone, that’s his prerogative.
The thought of it makes me ill. But he’s right. This is the way it is. And if I let myself get upset over it, I’m going to be miserable.
I dig into my pocket and fish out my phone. I drop it into his waiting hand. “Fine.”
He nods at me. “Why don’t you unpack the food, and I’ll go plug this into the charger. I’ll also grab us some plates and water. Unless you want pomegranate juice?”
I gag at the thought of pomegranate juice. “Just water is fine.”
Graham disappears into the kitchen, and I’m tempted to follow him in there and see where he hides the phone. But I don’t know why I am being so paranoid. It’s not like anybody is going to call me tonight. I already spoke to Lucy, my father is apparently on an exciting singles cruise, and it’s not like my company is going to be reaching out to me anytime soon. Graham has that under control.
He’s gone for several minutes—long enough for me to have started eating some of the pad thai noodles straight from the container with the plastic fork they provided. Ziggy appears next to me at the table, nuzzling my knee and begging for food. I take a little piece of beef out of the container and hold it out to him. He laps it up.