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“You better not.” She yanked open the door and disappeared.
Shane let out a heavy breath. There was one problem solved. Now he just had to deal with the two bigger issues that had gone suspiciously radio silent. One thing was for certain. Dating Eloise would come with its own set of problems. She’d become a bigger target for Madeline to manipulate. He’d have to figure out a way to keep his cousin from discovering exactly what was going on.
14
Eloise
Eloise hurried up the steps and out of the rain into the country club. She stopped just inside before she shook her head to allow the droplets to cascade to the floor. An umbrella would have been a smart decision had she thought to grab one on her way out of the house.
Brielle had been distant since she’d gotten back from her date with Shane. She wasn’t exactly angry, but she didn’t seem at all thrilled either. Eloise had to come to the realization that Brielle would never truly be on board with her interest in Shane.
Unfortunately, her sister’s behavior was the one reason Eloise hadn’t done anything to pursue Shane since their date.
One week.
Eloise had been stealing glances and flirting horrendously with Shane for an entire week, and it still hadn’t gotten old. There was something to be said about the taboo nature of their budding relationship. She almost didn’t want it to shift into anything else—except if she never allowed it to go further, she’d never be able to satisfy the dreams she’d been having.
On more than one occasion, she’d dreamt Shane was about to kiss her, but then she’d be dragged from her slumber by her alarm or the crow of the rooster. Even in her dreams, his kisses eluded her.
Maybe she should just bite the bullet and ask him out. Would that be so bad?
Probably.
So many reasons why she shouldn’t be dating him.
Brielle.
Marc.
And the big one… he was her boss.
But none of them affected her as much as the simple fact she couldn’t get him out of her head. Shane Owens had taken up permanent residence in her thoughts.
“I love the way your hair looks when it’s wet.”
Chills rocketed through her body at the soft sound of Shane’s voice. She spun around to face him, offering him a smile. They were out in public where anyone could see them. Somehow, she knew that they couldn’t showcase their interest.
Then again, her interest might not even match his. There was a very real possibility he was toying with her, and she’d tried very hard to keep those thoughts buried.
She slipped a strand of hair behind her ear with her fingertips. “How are you doing today, Mr. Owens?” There was something to be said about the way he kept his emotions in check when he didn’t want anyone else to take note. This past week, she’d grown used to the way his eyes could cloud over. It was aways brief, but she’d gotten pretty good at catching it.
Shane didn’t disappoint. His eyes darkened briefly, and he glanced up at the clock on the wall. “You’d better get in the kitchen before your shift starts.”
He was so quick to send her off, to make sure nothing inappropriate occurred between them. She couldn’t decide if this was part of what made their interactions so exciting or if it was the thing that reined her in.
Eloise worried her lower lip. “I won’t be late. I just have to fix my hair before I head in. This rain did nothing but turn it into a mass of messy waves.”
His gaze darted to her hair, then swung back to her face. She almost thought he might say something to her, to compliment her or to flirt like he had all week, but he said nothing. She brushed past him, taking care not to let her arm touch his. The last thing she needed was to be caught by someone who spent the majority of their days gossiping about anything and anyone.
She made her way into the restroom to do something with her wet hair. She couldn’t help but feel that her reflection was staring back at her, judging her.
While she’d spent the week obsessing over her date with Shane, Marc had left several messages. She’d returned one of them but brushed off his request for another outing. One date with Shane had been all it took to win her over. She simply didn’t know what she should do about Marc.
Well, that wasn’t true.
She knew exactly what she had to do about Marc. She needed to make sure he knew her intentions so he didn’t think she was leading him on.
That was a lot easier said than done.
