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“Yes.” A surprise because how could he think this was okay?
“You could say that,” Harris said right after her.
Rachel frowned. “Wait, what?”
Josh waved off her concerns. “It’s fine.”
No...Elisa tried not to use her son as an excuse to get out of parties she didn’t want to attend and work events that left her bored, but she used him now. The timing seemed right because she didn’t want to drag Rachel into the middle of this. None of what was happening now was her fault. “It’s just that we promised Nathan, our son, we’d pick him up from hisfriend’s house and take him for lunch to this place where he likes to play games.”
Rachel sharply inhaled. “I’m so sorry.” She glanced at Josh. “You said they knew we were coming.”
Josh made a humming sound. “Did I?”
Jackass. Elisa spent years mentally emphasizing Josh’s best features and trying not to dwell on his faults. Now the negatives were all she could see. “It’s fine, Rachel. I promise.”
“I didn’t want to meet your family in an unexpected rush.” Rachel frowned at Josh, treating him to await until we get homeexpression. “That’s not fair to me or them.”
Josh shrugged. “You heard Elisa. This isn’t a big deal.”
Not what she said, but Elisa decided not to dwell on that.
Rachel treated him to an eye roll. “To you it’s not, but I wanted to make a good impression.”
“You did,” Elisa said, trying to reassure the poor woman.
Elisa didn’t want to get to know Rachel and she certainly didn’t want to like another unlucky woman in Josh’s life, but it might be too late. Any woman who knew how to handle Josh, was unwilling to just accept his bullshit, had Elisa’s immediate approval.
“We like you just fine.” Harris leaned against his desk and took a sip of coffee. He eyed Josh over the rim. “My brother, however, could use a kick in the—”
“Tomorrow,” Elisa blurted out before she could stop herself or come up with a better plan.
“What?” Rachel asked.
Harris looked even more confused. Much more of that raised-eyebrow thing and he’d end up with a killer headache.
Too late to back down now, but Elisa really, really wanted to. Instead, she plastered a big fake smile on her face and issued a formal invitation. “Come over to our house for brunch tomorrow.”
Rachel shot Elisa a half smile. “Are you sure?”
“Of course she is,” Josh said.
He really was missing the point. Elisa tried to help him find it. “I invited her, not you.”
Josh laughed, but after a while no one joined in his amusement. He glanced at Harris for assistance.
“Don’t look at me.” Harris shook his head. “You created this mess.”
Elisa loved that answer. Josh did cause all of this. Maybe tomorrow, on her own turf, she could force him to clean it up.
Chapter Eight
“Thanks for not losing it with Josh today.” Harris made the comment as he unbuttoned his shirt and threw it on the chair by the window.
She sat on the edge of the bed brushing her hair and wondering how and when he would broach the subject. They’d spent all day and evening with Nathan, listening to endless chatter and rounds of singing. Now at night, alone in their bedroom, Harris circled back.
He wasn’t an avoider. She thought avoidance came in handy at times, but not tonight. She plunged in. “I did. On the inside.”
“He’s—”
