Eddie’s laugh was rolling. “Never heard it put that way, but yeah. ” He took a swig of his beer, and when he spoke again, Laura detected the slightest tightness in his voice. “She was a hellion all right. Still is. ” There’d been something off in how he’d said it, and an odd pause followed, but then he spoke again, his tone so easy, she wondered if she’d imagined the rest. “So, how do you guys know each other?”
Eddie had inserted himself into their conversation. She didn’t want him there, but a part of her didn’t want him to go, either. It was almost like she wanted to see him, but she wanted him to see her, too, with Dan. It was a jumble of adolescent impulses, and it gave her the inexplicable urge to be cruel—to make it clear that they were from two different worlds, and he was currently intruding on hers.
“Dan directed a webisode for us,” she said blithely. “Ages ago. ”
“Back when they called that crap webisodes,” Dan said, and she shared a knowing laugh with him.
“Webisode?” Eddie asked.
“I worked for an Internet company that did online reviews,” she said in an impatient voice. “Each episode was called a webisode. ” She turned to Dan, effectively shutting Eddie out and ending that conversation. “What’s the plan for the shoot?”
“I thought we’d start out by getting some B-roll,” he said, switching into producer mode. “Scout some locations, that sort of thing. ”
“How can I help?” She couldn’t wait to get to it. It’d been so long since she’d been engaged in any sort of professional endeavor that didn’t involve clean linens or electric bills.
“We need a place we can set up a small studio. Something soundproof. ”
She nodded. “I know exactly the spot. There’s a room upstairs—too small to be a guest room—you can do pickups there. ”
“Pickups?” Eddie grinned, trying to insert himself again. “Can I come around for a pickup?”
She glared at him—he would have to turn it sexual. “Is everything an innuendo with you?”
“Only where you’re concerned. ” He winked.
“I meant audio pickups. ” How was it he always managed to throw her off stride? Terrified that she was blushing, she had to look away as she added in a tight voice, “We’re talking about recording audio. ”
“Dude, I thought it was a good one. ” Dan clinked his bottle with Eddie’s. “And anyway, I don’t want to talk shop yet. ” He twisted in his seat, studying the array of pictures on the far wall—vintage signs with sayings about bounty and friendship, and old print ads for things like Kiltie Brand Lemons. They were all bordered with matching blue gingham mats that’d already been faded by the sun back when she was a kid. She’d been meaning to renovate them…right into the Dumpster.
Dan’s voice brought her back into the present, saying, “I want to hear about this place. Why are you here?”
She bristled at his tone. “You make it sound like I’ve moved to Mars. ”
“You kind of have. ” He saw the pained expression on her face and dialed it back. “Maybe not Mars. Maybe just…the moon. But seriously, your man can’t like this new development very much. ”
Eddie exclaimed, “Your man?”
She realized with annoyance how aware of him she’d been, how much she’d felt him sitting there in judgment. She’d refused to meet his eye, so she didn’t know what expression he wore, but she did hear something in his voice. It was disbelief.
“Don’t sound so shocked,” she snapped, then gathered her wits with a quick sip of her beer. It was still mostly full, well on its way to becoming tepid, and she put it down and pushed it away. “He’s not my man. Patrick and I have been over for a while. ”
Dan’s eyes goggled. “Oh really?” He jokingly spread his arms like he was yawning, and when he brought down his hands they rested on hers.
Eddie’s gaze flicked to their hands and away again. “Who’s Patrick?” He kept his face a careful blank, and she found herself wishing to see something else there. Jealousy, anger…something.
Dan ignored him and kept his avid attention on her. “Don’t tell me the queen bee is without a drone. ”
“Patrick wasn’t a drone,” she said. There wasn’t any aspect of this that she was enjoying.
“Babe, you’re made of honey. ” Dan grinned. “Gotta be some drones hiding out somewhere. ”
“Who’s Patrick?” Eddie asked again, sharply this time.
Dan finally emerged from his entrancement to answer, “Her fiancé. The lucky dog. ”
“You have a fiancé?” Eddie’s expression remained unreadable.
“Had,” she said sharply, feeling peeved that Eddie had chosen this moment to become so mysterious.