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“Okay, Sable. Fair enough. See you tonight.”
“I’ll be there.” She ended the call, a smile affixed firmly to her face.
Yeah, she wasn’t done with Eli.
It was nice to know he wasn’t done with her, either.
***
“I can’t believe it. Elijah Crane in the flesh.”
“Luc, he’s not a celebrity. Do not act awestruck.” Tag tipped his bottle of beer and drank.
“He’s right. I’m a broody loner with a bad attitude.” Eli slid his gaze from Tag’s best friend, Lucas, and back to his brother. Tag and Luc had been buddies since high school. Back then Eli had considered them a pair of knuckleheads, floating around with zero goals. Eli was proud of Tag, who’d managed to carve out a life that suited him. Guest and Restaurant Services wasn’t a department until Tag suggested it; then he ran it his way. Long hair and all.
Eli signaled the waitress for another round, then shouted at the football game on the TV over the bar. “Don’t suppose they could win one for me,” he griped.
“They never win. You should be used to that by now,” Tag said.
“No shit.” Eli glanced at his phone: 8:32.
Twenty-eight minutes until Isa gets here.
He’d surprised himself when he’d agreed to come out for beers, then surprised himself further when he’d called Isa to ask her out after. Maybe he was shedding the skin of who he’d been for years. The only problem was he had no idea whether there was a fresh, clean Eli beneath or a scaly monster.
8:33.
“You can’t be that much of a loner if you have a lady friend. Is that why you keep checking your phone, then looking toward the door?” A smirk slid onto Lucas’s smug face.
“Seriously?” Eli sent a glare at Tag, who, cheeks full of beer, swallowed it down and shrugged.
“What? I mentioned her.”
Eli should move out of the state to get some privacy, but he loved his house. He loved this city. And his brothers, the sons of bitches.
“It’s a sight to behold—you Cranes toppling like dominoes.” Luc crossed his arms over his chest. In a black sweater, black jeans, and boots, he looked a lot like the rock stars he produced instead of an executive. “I always said the right woman changes your world.”
“You always said the right woman fucks with your head,” Tag corrected.
Lucas let out a loud “Ha!”
Eli shook his head. He wasn’t participating in this, though he suspected they were both right. Isa had relocated his center so drastically he’d lost his balance.
“Eli doesn’t topple,” Tag said. “He’s completely in charge of his faculties around women. Isa happened to be the first to crack into his safe, but his security system is fully armed. No way has she taken anything of real value.” An elbow shot into Eli’s arm. “Isn’t that right, bro?”
“Yeah,” he agreed, because it was easier to agree with Tag than engage him. The waitress delivered another round of bottles as Eli drank the last of his.
Ah, right on time. No way was he mulling over Tag’s metaphor.
“I’m supposed to bring you a shot of tequila,” the waitress said, handing Eli his bottle. “That woman over there said you could pick a different shot if you no longer drink tequila.” The waitress pointed to an adjacent table. A brunette he recognized instantly gave him a casual wave, her two friends sitting at the booth across from her studying him over their shoulders.
“Shit,” Tag muttered.
Eli felt his frown deepen when her eyes met his. “No. Thanks.”
“I’ll let her know.”
“No, I will.”
