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Since Hallie was standing very close to him, it would be ridiculous to try to pretend he didn’t know what Eleanor was talking about.
He slipped his arm around his date’s waist and squeezed her close. “She’s an incredible woman.”
Eleanor smiled. “You’re slow on the uptake, but I’ll give you credit for finally realizing it.”
“Gram,”Hallie scolded.
“What? I’ve always known how special my girls are.” With so much confidence ebbing off the Banks family matriarch, there was no way Hallie hadn’t inherited some of it.
“Boyfriends are overrated, but they do complement ball gowns nicely,” Eleanor added with a wink to Gavin. “Come on, girls, I want to introduce you around, and hopefully avoid that horrible Mags as long as possible.”
She ushered Hallie and Hannah away, and Gavin felt sweat prickle his brow beneath his hatband. Not at the mention of Mags—though she was far from his favorite person in this town—but at the word boyfriend.
“You need a refill?” Will asked. “Or a toilet? You look green.”
Gavin lifted his Stetson and swiped his forehead. “I’m fine.”
“This is new for you. Expect an adjustment period.”
“I am parched now that you mention it.” Gavin downed the few inches of booze at the bottom of his glass.
Will followed him to the bar, where they bumped into Cash and Presley and Luke and Cassandra, who had arrived as a foursome. Cassandra and Presley accepted flutes of champagne and took off in the direction where Hallie and Hannah and Eleanor had vanished. Gavin ordered another bourbon. He felt his brothers’ eyes on him as if he’d accidentally worn a tutu instead of a tux.
“What’s wrong with him?” Luke asked Will.
“Eleanor Banks referred to him as Hallie’s boyfriend.”
“Ah,” Luke and Cash said in tandem.
Gavin rolled his eyes. “Nothing’s wrong with me.”
“It’s weird, but you’ll get used to it,” Luke said. “And then you’ll be engaged.”
“Or married,” Will chimed in.
“That’s not—” Gavin blew out a breath and opted not to finish that sentence. He wouldn’t get far with these three hounding him. “Hallie’s great.”
“Being part of a couple carries weight,” Will said, not making Gavin feel any better. “You’re not used to it, is all. And her sister’s incredibly famous.”
“I told him that,” Cash said.
“You’re famous,” Gavin reminded Cash, his patience ebbing. “I’m used to you.”
“It’s different when you’re with a famous person,” Will said, piling on. “You’re going to have to set aside your inflated male ego. Wherever you are with her, she’ll draw more attention than you.”
“You speak from experience?” Gavin snapped.
“Yeah,” Will said simply.
“I want Hallie to be noticed. Why do you think I bought her that dress?” Gavin asked too loudly. He lowered his voice. “She’s a shark when it comes to business. It’s time she was recognized for how wonderful she is and not for her proximity to her famous twin sister.”
“Uh-oh,” Luke murmured. “Worse than we thought.”
“No kidding.” Cash raised an eyebrow.
Gavin glared at his brothers and was met with matching pitying expressions.
Will slapped Gav’s shoulder a little too hard. “Hey, I wanted to talk to you guys about this B and B we stayed in. You have to take your girls to France.”
Gavin recognized a purposeful turn of topic when he heard one, but he didn’t dare steer the conversation back to him and Hallie. He had a feeling his brothers were hinting that he was further in with her than he was aware.
They were wrong.
He’d taken Cash’s advice about being up front with Hallie. When she’d asked about family, he’d laid out how content he was with his bachelor status. She’d been okay with it. Right?
He rubbed the center of his chest, uncomfortable for some reason. Glancing down at his glass, he decided to blame the bourbon.
He wasn’t going to let his brothers get in his head any more than they already had. He and Hallie were good. Just the way they were.
