Page 64 of Made Better Together

Grace looks at me curiously. “You will? I thought you had⁠—”

“I will.” Which means bailing on the Grady McConnell brunch with Milo. The prospect of missing out on time with Eden? I can’t stomach it.

My sister shrugs. “Okay, he will too.”

Eden gives me a small smile. “Great.”

Grace taps the papers in front of her lightly. “I think we have everything we need to get started. Do you have any other questions?”

“None for now.”

Shit, she’s about to leave—no more Eden. I give in to my impulse to prolong our proximity.

“I’ll walk you out.”

Grace looks at me again before turning back to Eden. “Nice to meet you, officially.”

“Likewise.”

Everyone stands, Grace exiting first with a last wave. I gesture for Eden to go next, and as she steps into the hallway, I can feel the heat rising off her ahead of me.

Two more steps, and I succumb to the compulsion to touch her, resting my palm on her back with the barest of contact.

“You look beautiful today.” Fuck, why did I say that? At least it was a whisper, so only she could hear.

Eden seems to stumble slightly. “Thank you. Isn’t that…”

It’s like I can read her mind. “It’s not fraternization to give you a compliment. Not to mention it’s true.”

She doesn’t press me on whether the hand that hasn’t left her back counts.

Regrettably, I’m forced to drop it anyway, as we reach the glass doors of the office building.

“See you soon, Eden.”

A few minutes after Eden leaves, Grace appears in the frame of my office door with a keen look of suspicion on her face.

“Connor Joseph Battle, what the heck was that?”

I play dumb. “What do you mean?”

Her eyes narrow. “Listen, I know you’re the secretive brother of mystery.” She’s clearly rocking her eldest-daughter mode. “Is something going on with you and Eden?”

My sister can sometimes live in her own world, but when she focuses on something, her intuition is scary.

“Why do you say that?” Deflecting again.

“Con, don’t play dumb with me.” Whoops. “You were making googly eyes at her, which is only notable because I’ve never seen you like that before.”

“I was not.”

“You were. And you’re going to give up your Sunday plans to meet a soccer legend so you can go to the game?”

“Well…yes.”

“So? Answer my question.”

“There’s nothing going on…now.”