“What a coincidence,” she murmurs. “What happened?”
“Nothing really, but he didn’t strike me as the type to sit back and let somebody take a swing at him without retaliating.”
“He isn’t, but…” Elizabeth turns to face me. “You have to trust Elliot. He knows what he’s doing.”
“I do. Still…I don’t want him making enemies because of me.”
“He isn’t. He was never close to Stanton. And from what I understand, Annabelle Underhill has plenty of dirt. She really shouldn’t have threatened you that way.”
Elizabeth’s words don’t really reassure me. I don’t think Stanton will lose his temper and gun Elliot down or anything. But then, I always thought Mr. Smith was pretty even-tempered, too…
We leave the bathroom together. I do my best to push aside the apprehension nipping at my mind, but it’s nearly impossible. The conflict brewing between us and the Underhills seems so daunting. Certainly the stakes are high—because despite what Elizabeth believes, Elliot is the real prize.
Annabelle Underhill is fighting because she wants him. And I’m fighting because I want to keep him.
Returning to our table fails to improve my mood. Nonny is texting someone, teeth digging into her lower lip. Elliot is frowning at her—probably disapproving of the boy she’s texting—and Traci…
She’s watching him very intently.
It’s a good thing that I know her so well. Otherwise I might think she’s interested in Elliot. But there’s no sexual speculation in her brooding gaze. I’ve seen that look before—when we were about to start a hockey match. She would study the players on the other team, assessing their strengths and weaknesses. I suspect she’s heard some less-than-flattering things about Elliot from Dennis and wants to judge for herself. Maybe I should talk to her privately when there’s a chance.
Elliot turns his head as though he feels her stare, his eyes as sharp as a brand-new razor, and she immediately looks away and reaches for her wine. He then spots me and Elizabeth, and his gaze warms. “The dessert menu came,” he says.
“Ugh. No thanks,” Elizabeth says. “I’m stuffed.”
“Same here.” I look at Traci and Nonny. “Unless you guys want some?”
Say no. The thought pops into my head. It’s an uncharitable wish, but I can’t help myself. For some reason I don’t want Elliot and Traci in the same room anymore.
“I’m full, too,” Traci says.
Nonny shakes her head. “I’m good.”
Elliot takes care of the bill and Traci and I hug goodbye. Traci says, “There’s gonna be a happy hour on Friday after work to welcome you properly to the company.” She shoots a quick glance in Elliot’s direction. “Hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course not,” he says with a lazy grin, although everything else about him remains as alert as a predator eyeing prey.
I cant my head, but Traci merely flashes me a smile that tells me nothing.
After Nonny slips into her room and Elliot and I are in the privacy of ours, I say, “What was that about?”
“What?”
He unbuttons his shirt with deft movements of his fingers. The more inches of his beautifully sculpted torso are bared, the more I find I can’t tear my gaze away from his body. My nipples tighten as though recalling how the hair on his chest feels against them.
“Belle?” he prompts, pulling off his shirt. A small smirk tells me he knows.
I shake myself. “You and Traci,” I say, remembering what’s been bugging me. “What happened while Elizabeth and I went to the bathroom?”
“Nothing.” He tosses the garment into a laundry basket for the housekeeper to do later.
“You guys didn’t have a ‘nothing happened’ vibe when I came back.”
He toes off his shoes and yanks his socks off. “She asked me how I knew Gavin, and I told her. That’s it.” He straightens and faces me. “Ask Nonny, if you like.”
I shake my head. “I trust you. It’s just…” Eyes closed, I pinch the bridge of my nose. “It’s probably nothing.” I’m overthinking this. Elliot has no reason to not like Traci anymore. Well, he thought she was a shitty friend back then, but he knows things are different now. If she were still a shitty friend, she wouldn’t have helped me. And Traci…
She was probably just making conversation, although I worry about her infatuation with Gavin. She’s a smart girl, but she sometimes has a bad habit of mooning over guys who are taken. I don’t think she’d cross the line, but I don’t want her hurt because her coworkers find out or anything like that. She deserves to be happy with her life.