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At least she was consistent.
Just as she arrived at the front door to slip her jacket on, someone knocked. Eloise exchanged a look with Brielle. “Wow. He’s really punctual, too. That’s a plus, right?”
Brielle rolled her eyes and reached around Eloise for the doorknob. She pulled open the door, then let out a bark of laughter. “Are you sure you’re going on a date withMarc?”
Eloise peered around the door to find Shane standing on the porch looking just as confused as she was. “Shane? What are you doing here?”
He rubbed the back of his neck, then shifted his focus to Brielle for just a moment. “I wanted to apologize for how I left things last night.”
“It’s fine.” Eloise attempted to move around Brielle, but her sister’s arm shot out to block her.
“What happened?” The edge in her voice was enough to make even Eloise flinch. If she knew the extent of what Shane had said and done, she wouldn’t be standing here having this conversation. She’d be hunting down their father’s shotgun.
Eloise darted beneath her sister’s arm. “I told you. He didn’t want me to go on a date with Marc.”
“And whyisthat?”
Shane shifted his weight nervously. “That’s actually something I wanted to talk to you about.”
Eloise and Brielle stared at him, waiting for him to continue.
It wouldn’t matter how hard Eloise tried; she’d never be able to come up with an excuse that made sense. She couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say.
Shane continued to fidget. He glanced at Brielle and then back to Eloise. “Could we have a word—privately?”
“Not on your life.” Brielle seethed. “Whatever you have to say to my sister, you can say to her in front of me.”
“Bri,” Eloise muttered with exasperation, “I’ll befine.”
“I’m beginning to wonder if you know what that word even means.” Brielle dragged her gaze to Eloise, then frowned. She was clearly not on board with leaving them alone, but she must have seen the determination on Eloise’s face because she let out a resigned sigh. “I’ll be inside if you need me.”
The door slammed behind Eloise, causing her to flinch again. “Sorry.”
He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.”
She clasped her hands together, waiting expectantly for him to clear the air. She almost wanted to let him know that he’d better have a good reason for the way he’d reacted to her the other night. However, due to the fact that he’d come to her, she thought it better to let him take the lead in this conversation.
Shane shoved his hands into his pockets and then looked away. “I can’t believe this is how I’m doing this.”
“Me neither.”
He shot a surprised look in her direction.
“You know… because of the way you left things last night.” She bit back a smile. It was actually fun watching him squirm. She still cringed at their conversation. What he’d said to her was still burned into her memory. It had made falling asleep incredibly difficult.
Karma. That’s what this was.
Shane broke eye contact, then he took a deep breath before releasing it. He let out a strained chuckle. “This wasn’t how I wanted to do this.” He met her gaze again, and she was taken aback by the way his eyes seemed to smolder.
“Shane.” She laughed if only an attempt to ease the tension that only continued to grow. “Just spit it out. Marc is going to be here soon and—”
“I’m interested in you.”
Eloise clamped her mouth shut. She couldn’t possibly have heard him correctly. “I’msorry, what?”
He took a step toward her, his head dipping a little and his voice lowering. “I find you… attractive.”
Her throat closed up. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought her lungs had turned to stone. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be. She shook her head. “No, you don’t.”
