“Amen!” one of the other guys around his age called out. Didn’t know who he was, but he had blonde surfer looking hair.
“Don’t y’all start in on Saffron when she’s not here to defend herself,” Bliss’s mother, Eva, scolded. She was giving her son a warning look.
“They’d say the same shit if she was here. We all know she deserves it,” Jimmy said with a shrug. I’d heard stories about Saffron from Bliss. I’d seen her once at the wedding and she was stunning, but she knew it. I’d seen her weld her beauty unfairly which I thought made her less attractive. The twin she had was her complete opposite. Which in my opinion made the twin the truly beautiful one.
The multiple conversations all began to start back up as if nothing had happened. I let my gaze go back to Eli who was talking to Nate. My brother didn’t look pleased with Eli, but Bliss was there at Nate’s right arm. She was saying something to my brother. Unlike the rest of the laughter and laid back conversations in the room, theirs seemed tense. Nate wouldn’t care about the difference in Eli. His dark scowl and darker mood would only piss Nate off more. Because in Nate’s eyes, Eli was upsetting Bliss and my brother didn’t allow his wife to be upset. I’d seen my father react to situations involving my mother my entire life. The men in my family were ridiculously protective of their women. Eli didn’t know this I was sure and I was tempted to go save him.
I didn’t necessarily think he deserved it. Being late tonight was a douchebag move. But I wasn’t so sure that he’d done it to be an ass. There was more to this change. It was possible he was dealing with his gran’s diagnosis in his own way and he needed space to accept it. Whatever the reason, I didn’t think my brother was considering any of this as he spoke to Eli.
Bliss was saying something to both of them and Eli looked as if he were somewhere else. Her words not even registering. The uninterested expression said more than he realized. Even though I knew good and well I should go upstairs and read a book . . . in a bubble bath . . . alone, minding my own business, I went back down the stairs I’d climbed.
I made my way back through the room and I was almost to the small group when Eli’s eye caught my approach and he turned his attention fully on me. Had I ever realized how amazing his eyes were before tonight? No . . . I didn’t think so. Until we had spoken outside, I had never truly looked at Eli closely. He’d just been Bliss’s best friend. His eye never being something I wanted to explore. The way they locked on me now was a bit unsettling. If I was a weaker woman, I would have turned around and left for the bedroom. The secrets I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to know locked inside those green pools were too damn intriguing to walk away from. It wasn’t that he appeared happy to see me either. Heck, he didn’t even look relieved.
The man could at least appreciate the fact I was here to save him from a situation he didn’t want to be in. I could see that from across the room. It wasn’t like I had come over here to flirt with him or get his attention. Even if he didn’t disturb me slightly with his odd behavior, I wouldn’t consider him relationship potential.
Eli Hardy was not an option. He was my sister-in-law’s best friend or he had been. The new Eli I wasn’t so sure felt the same. But he had been in love with her when she’d met Nate. He may not have loved Lila Kate when they had dated, but he’d been pretty damn attached to her when I first met him. Those two connections made him off limits. I didn’t think there was a girl code for something that complicated, but I was sure it would be a big NOPE if it ever was dissected.
“Hey, y’all are monopolizing the most interesting person in the room,” I said in a light teasing voice as I stepped up beside my brother and just inches away from Eli.
Nate shot me a glance as if to decide what I was up to. I could see his eyes studying me hard. I winked at him then turned my attention back to Eli. “They all got a look at you. Your parents have left with your gran. Want to walk me down the beach so I can get a break from all these voices?”
His eyes narrowed for a brief second. The flirting was a bit much for even me, but I was going with it for the sake of the audience in the room. Surely Eli could see that.