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“What?!” she asked, outraged.
He’d never seen her angry. Frustrated, yes. Ready to rip someone’s head off, no.
“Sorry.” He held up his hands apologetically. “It’s none of my busine—”
“No. I’m not mad at you for asking. I’m mad that he told you that…wait when did he tell you that?”
“It’s all he’s talked about all week.”
In Ranger training they had hell week, which had been the hardest week of Nate’s life before the past four days had eclipsed it. He’d gladly subject himself to Ranger training hell week before suffering through another Neil and Eliza going to the ball week.
She took in a deep breath and lifted her arms and smoothed her hair as she visibly tried to calm down. But once she started talking, her hands began gesturing animatedly. “He came by my office on Tuesday and asked me to go. I explained that I would be escorting Mrs. Lewis, since Dr. Lewis had sponsored a table for Smiles but isn’t feeling up to taking her. It was like I was talking to air. He said it was a date and when I tried to reiterate that I would be going with Mrs. Lewis he made a joke, or at least I hope it was a joke, that he liked threesomes and he would see me there.
“Then he called yesterday to find out what color my dress was so he could get my corsage and again I relayed, in no uncertain terms, that I was not going with him. Or meeting him there. Mrs. Lewis was my date and I would arrive with her, spend the evening with her and leave with her. He said he understood but at this point I’m beginning to wonder if he’s an idiot or just delusional.” She ended her rant with her elbows bent and her palms facing up.
“No one said he can’t be both,” Nate said dryly, doing his best to disguise the fact that he wanted to do a victory lap around the block and high five every person he saw. He’d never understood the overused gesture before and had never wanted to initiate it, but right now that’s exactly what he wanted to do.
Her hand lowered to her stomach as her head bent back and the melodic sound of her laughter filled the air around them. She was still chuckling when her phone dinged. She rummaged through her purse, cursing underneath her breath before finally pulling out her phone.
When she looked at the screen her face dropped slightly. Her miniscule reaction may have slipped the layman’s eye, but not Nate’s. He was a master-level observer of all things Eliza Young.
“Is everything okay?”
Her face brightened, a little too much. As if she was trying not only to convince him of whatever she was about to say, but herself as well. She nodded. “Yep. I just…I have to go. It’s Bones, Balls & Bellyrubs. I dropped Farmer, not the Dell, off there to be groomed while I went shopping.”
As much as he’d like to delve deeper into her shopping trip, specifically offering to be an audience if she wanted to do a fashion show, he resisted. Instead he went with a safer follow up. “Not the Dell?”
“Your idiot, delusional brother thought I named him after ‘The Farmer in the Dell.’” She shook her head slightly. “Sorry, I don’t mean to keep insulting your brother. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“You never have to apologize for telling me the truth.” Even as he said the words, his own guilt rose up in him like a flash flood.
She grinned but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Thanks, for saying that and also saving me from being the dentist that knocked out her own teeth on the sidewalk.”
“My pleasure.” He hadn’t intentionally made the double entendre, but he couldn’t say that he regretted it.
The pink shade on her neck flushed a shade darker and she shook her head as she closed her eyes tightly. When she opened them again, they held a determined stare and she lifted her hand in a small wave. “Well, thanks, again.”
Before he had a chance to respond, she started down the street towards the dog groomer. She’d only made it a couple steps before she turned on a dime and snapped her fingers. “Oh, I can’t believe I forgot. Thank you so much for the security system. It’s amazing and I already feel safer.” She hesitated for a minute. “I stopped by a few times, to thank you in person, but you were busy.”
No, I wasn’t. He’d given Darla a standing order that he was not available if she stopped by. In fact, he’d almost run into her when Darla had paged him up to the front—which she claimed was “an accident”—but he’d had quick reflexes and dipped into an empty office before Eliza had seen him. He’d felt a little bad about avoiding her, but it was purely out of self-preservation. The more time he was around her, the more feelings, memories, wants and desires surfaced from the deep depths where he’d buried them.
“I got your arrangement. I loved it.” It had actually hurt how much he’d loved it. His chest had ached with a hollow pain of regret when he saw that it was filled with pineapple.
She’d remembered his favorite fruit.
When she spoke again, her voice held a formal quality to it, like she was speaking to a stranger or one of her patients. “It was the least I could do for your generous gift. I’m so glad you enjoyed it.” There was a short awkward pause before she hooked her thumb in the direction behind her. “I better go get Farmer.”
“Not the Dell,” he grinned.
“Right.” She smiled a real smile and just like that the heavens opened and a choir of angels sang the “Hallelujah Chorus.” Her smile was a religious experience.
She turned again and he watched her walk away from him. Before she made it halfway down the block he called out, “The Bodyguard.”
“What?” she asked as she pivoted back around.
“Farmer. He’s named after Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard. Right?”
“Yeah.” Her brows furrowed. “How did you know that?”
