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“Yeah. Okay,” Eloise muttered with exasperation. “I can’t believe you did this.”
“Me? What did I do?”
“You’re a meddler. How about you start minding your own business and let the rest of us handle our lives on our own.”
“Now, where’s the fun in that?”
9
Shane
Shane couldn’t believe the lengths he had to go to in order to shield Eloise from Madeline’s nefarious plan—a plan he still didn’t have a good idea of. The only thing that made sense at this point was that Marc was set on dating Eloise for her money.
There was only one problem with that. Out of all of the men who had ended up with a Callahan, Shane hadn’t seen any of them profit from it. They were welcomed into this empire, and yet not a single man had taken advantage of it.
Well, except for Sean. His family had been struggling when he married Adeline. Only a few people were aware of that fact. He couldn’t recall how he’d managed to get that information, but he’d made sure to keep it to himself.
Now, as he sat in a booth across from Eloise and Marc, he couldn’t ignore how watching them made him sick to his stomach.
He probably should have just told her like Tristan had suggested.
But that thought only made the tightness in his chest worse. He couldn’t afford to let his reputation take a hit right now. There were too many balls in the air at the moment.
Shane let out a sigh and tore his gaze away from the couple to look out the window.
Eloise hadn’t accepted his offer to go on even one date. How was he supposed to pull her away from Marc when the guy exuded charm and wit?
This was a bad idea not just because of the deception, but because he was being outmaneuvered by such a slimeball.
He clenched his hands into fists in his lap. He had to up his game if he wanted any shot at coming out on top.
“Excuse me, I need to go to the ladies’ room.” Eloise stood. Her eyes landed on Shane briefly before she smiled at Marc. “I’ll be right back.”
Marc’s smile dissolved off his face the second Eloise was out of range. Instead, he replaced it with something a bit more sinister. “What do you think you’re doing? She’s obviously not interested in you. She’s here with me. She sat by me. You’re wasting your time.”
Shane leaned forward, punching his finger onto the table. “First of all, you’re not going to get anywhere with her. Or did you not see her sister? Brielle is one of the most protective women I have ever met. She doesn’t even let the men she dates meet her family.”
Marc settled back in his seat, one brow lifting. The smirk he wore was one that made Shane’s stomach churn. “So you dated her? Was she easier than this one? Somehow, I sense Eloise is one of those slow-burn kinds of women. Do you think she’ll kiss me at the end of our date?” He frowned. “Probably not. But that Brielle, maybe she’s more my speed.”
Hot fire consumed Shane and his finger curled into his fist before he slammed it down on the table. “You leave her out of this.”
Marc chuckled. “Madeline said we’d hit a nerve with this family. We just couldn’t figure out why… until now.” He leaned forward, his voice lowering to a whisper. “What do you think Madeline will say when she finds out the reason? Do you think she’ll shift her focus to Brielle?”
Shane’s fingernails dug into his palm. It took every ounce of control not to swing at his cousin. But they were in a public place, and if Eloise caught him in a scuffle with Marc, she’d never give him a chance. “You need to pack up and leave,” he muttered through gritted teeth. “You’re not going to win this one.”
“That sure sounds like wishful thinking on your part,” Marc chuckled. He leaned back again, crossing his arms against his chest. “No, I think I’m going to like it here. I think Madeline does too. The open spaces, the fresh air… I think she’s finally figured out what she wants to do with you, and I can’t say I hate the idea.”
His whole body went stiff. Marc knew the plan. He was in on it. Of course he was. Gone were the days when Madeline would keep things on a need-to-know basis. She was still the brains of the outfit, but it appeared she was giving Marc a little more freedom in their schemes.
Shane’s eyes narrowed. “What exactly is that?”
Marc laughed. “You think I’m going to tell you? Madeline would kill me for giving you anything you could use to stop her. This is bigger than you could ever imagine.” He chuckled again. “I almost envy you because you get to sit back and enjoy the show.”
His blood practically boiled. “Mark my words, if you even—”
“Everything okay?”
Shane snapped his mouth shut, his eyes darting up to meet Eloise’s as she stood beside the table with her hands on her hips. She sent an accusatory gaze in his direction. He gritted his teeth and settled back in his seat. So much for winning her over. Even if she only caught the last bit of that conversation, she wouldn’t trust him. He wouldn’t be surprised if she thought he was threatening Marc so he’d leave her alone.
