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“So…not good then?” he corrected.
“Come on.” Beth fisted her hands at her sides. “You have to know how maddening it is to have you be this charming and then to…to…”
“To run hot and cold on you like I’ve been because of how much I like you and how much it kinda freaks me out that I do?” He leaned back against the driver’s side door.
Beth’s eyes widened.
Eli laughed. He wanted to turn off this feeling of lightness that had to be a mix of the wine and the nearness of her. He wanted to run as fast and as far as he could from this like he had for her. But he couldn’t seem to put enough distance between them. She just kept catching up, and Eli couldn’t deny that he wanted her to.
“Guess your sister got enough wine in me to at least turn off my filter.” He’d probably regret letting the truth fly out like that in the morning, but right now, he wanted her to know.
Her mouth opened, but nothing came out.
He raised a brow. “Charming or maddening, me saying what I said? Or maybe a little bit of both?”
“I…” Beth finally uttered. Then she fisted her hands at her sides. “I mean you…” She blew out a long breath, then held out her right hand. “Maybe you should give me the keys and see if I actually get us home safely before I go admitting how I feel about you saying what you said.”
Eli pulled his key fob from his pocket and dropped it into her outstretched palm.
“An admission, huh?” he teased. “Must be some big feelings.”
She scoffed and closed her fist around the offering.
He had no idea where this playfulness was coming from. It wasn’t him. From what he could remember, it had never been him. But with Beth—and a little too much wine—it was.
She nodded toward where he stood. “You’re kind of in my way.”
Right. The door.
Eli pushed himself off from the side of the vehicle, opened the door for his driver, then held out his hand.
Beth glanced from his hand to the running board and sighed. She tossed the key fob onto the driver’s seat and then grabbed his palm.
The second her skin met his, Eli had to fight the urge to pull her to him rather than hoist her into the truck. In the clinic, he had no problem being Dr. Murphy and only Dr. Murphy. But tonight? He didn’t want to be her boss or her landlord. He didn’t want to be the widower who couldn’t forgive himself for what he’d lost. And he didn’t want to pretend like he wasn’t feeling things he hadn’t felt in years. Eli just wanted to be, but he somehow couldn’t remember how.
“Um, Eli?” Beth glanced down at him from the driver’s seat. “I kind of need to close the door.”
Because again he was standing there, lost in his head, wanting what he didn’t think he deserved.
“Right. Sorry about that.” He pivoted away and rounded the back of the truck, swearing under his breath.
Once he was in the passenger seat, Beth pressed the ignition button and brought the truck to life. She grabbed the gear shift, and he grabbed her wrist.
“You do know how to drive, right?” he asked, realizing this tiny detail should have been established before they left Sam and Delaney’s backyard.
She rolled her eyes. “Of course I do. And my right foot is fine, so it shouldn’t be an issue, right? I just assumed it was kind of an unwritten rule that you didn’t drive when you were… Whatever. I’m perfectly capable of getting us home.”
She just hadn’t wanted to. She hadn’t wanted to be in this situation with him, period. He knew that. Yet despite Delaney’s less than subtle agenda for the evening, Eli was happy he was next to her now, even if it was only for a five-minute ride home.
He loosened his grip, but he wasn’t ready to let go.
“I know you are perfectly capable of doing this,” he told her. “I trust you. I’m pretty sure, cast or not, you could do any damn thing you wanted if you set your mind to it.”
Her cheeks flushed, and he let her go, not bothering to hide his grin.
They made it home without incident. Eli wasn’t sure why that disappointed him, but it might have had something to do with the five-minute ride feeling more like five seconds.
Beth turned off the ignition but made no move to exit the vehicle. Her hands still gripped the steering wheel, and she stared straight ahead as if a long road stretched out before her.
