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Shane pulled away from her and paced from one side of the room to the other. He raked his hands through his hair until it was a complete mess. “No, you weren’t supposed to. Madeline is manipulative. She wants something from me, but I can’t tell what.” He glanced at her, and his mouth snapped shut like he’d said too much himself.
This was all news to her. From the brief conversations she’d had with Marc and Madeline, she had assumed that while they weren’tclose,they still got along. Why else would Shane’s cousins come out all this way to be closer to him?
He resumed his pacing. “You don’t get it.”
“Then help me understand. What is it about Madeline that makes you so upset?”
“I’m not upset,” he muttered.
“Sure sounds like it.”
Shane snapped his head around to stare at her. “Just forget it. I’m under a lot of stress over a few things right now, and I don’t mean to take it out on you.”
She moved toward him, wishing she could do something to help alleviate the pressure he was under. “Is it the restaurant?”
He stopped his pacing, looking at her once more. “Why are you so good to me?”
Eloise laughed. “That’s an odd question.”
Shane closed the distance between them and took her hands into his. “No, it’s not. You’re the one thing in my life I still can’t believe I have.”
Her brows pulled together. The way he was talking, it sounded like he had quite a bit more he was dealing with that he wasn’t letting on to. She burned to demand an explanation just so she could help him. Heaven knew that venting was one of the best ways to get out of a slump like this.
He lifted his curled hand to brush his knuckles along her jawline. “You are… too perfect.”
Stomach knotting, she looked away. “I’m not perfect.”
Shane continued to hold her hands. “You’re perfect for me.”
That poisonous guilt she felt over Marc’s incessant calls eased somewhat.
“And you’re perfect for me.” She looked into his eyes, placed her palm against his cheek and rose on her toes to kiss him. When she pulled back, she let out a little laugh. “You should hear what the gossip is in the kitchen.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. Everyone thinks you’re dating someone.”
Almost immediately that troubled expression returned.
“Don’t worry. It’s not me. They think you’re dating Madeline.” She laughed again. “Can you believe it? Your cousin.”
“Well, she’s not related by blood. I suppose I could…”
Her eyes grew wide and she smirked. “Don’t even joke about that.”
He chuckled. “Okay, okay. How much time do we have left?”
Eloise glanced at the clock on the wall and grimaced. “Only like five minutes if I want to get back in time.”
Shane wagged his brows up and down. “I think I know just what we could do in that amount of time.”
She laughed, pushing away from him. “I know what you’re thinking. And you don’t want to do that.” Eloise took a step backward as if to emphasize what she was saying.
He snaked his arms around her waist, capturing her from her retreat. “Oh? And why is that?”
Once again, she pressed her fingertips to his chest. “Because once you get started, it’s that much harder to stop.”
A smile played at his lips. “Maybe this time would be different.”
