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“It’s fine,” Scarlett jumped in. “He’s just playing around. I know enough to keep my distance.” Her light tone might have been enough to fool everyone at the table but not Elijah. And he had a feeling Annabel could hear it too. But his sister wasn’t doing anything about it.
She sighed, rolled her eyes, and then gave her friend a pointed look. “If he does anything stupid, you have my permission to slug him. Heaven knows he deserves every bit of karma the world has to offer.”
Elijah watched this whole conversation play out as if it were on a stage, and by the time he realized that he hadn’t picked his seat at the table, there was only one spot left—right next to the princess herself.
Scarlett settled into the seat beside Lucas. It wouldn’t have been so bad if she’d done what she always did—ignore him or put him in his place.
But this time she played along, much to the irritation of the birthday girl.
Annabel wasn’t the only one frustrated.
For some reason, Elijah couldn’t stomach what was taking place right beside him.
Scarlett laughed at every dumb thing Lucas said. She nudged him with her shoulder or her elbow. And she scooted closer to Lucas so the distance between himself and her continued to grow.
She’d said herself that she could handle him, but Lucas was laying it on thick. He was using every little trick in the book. From the way he let his arm brush against hers on the table to the way he said her name with more huskiness than was necessary.
Elijah’s blood boiled. There was no easy way to describe what he was experiencing in that very moment. And there was no logical explanation for his reaction. He itched to pull her away from him and force her to trade seats so he could become a buffer.
“Elijah, are you okay?”
He jumped and stared across the table. Charlie was staring at him, which only caused the others at the table to take notice. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and grabbed his glass of water. “Yeah, why?”
“Your face is red and you look like you’re going to throw up.”
All he could do was snort. Or cough. Both sounded the same to him in that moment. “How can I look sick and angry at the same time?”
“She’s right. You do kinda look sick and angry.” Lucas chuckled. “I’ve never seen that before.”
Elijah shot him a withering stare. Then he turned his attention back to his baby sister. “I’m fine. I had a… strange day at work.”
“Aren’t you working with Scarlett?”
He wasn’t sure which of his brothers asked that question, and at this point, he didn’t care. Elijah returned his glass to the table and pushed his chair out. “You know what? I don’t feel all that great. I think I’m going to turn in.”
“Elijah?” Annabel’s voice was the last thing he heard as he headed for the kitchen door. He should have done what he had planned and gone to his room, but something stopped him. Instead, he adjusted his course and walked straight for the front door.
If he knew Lucas like he thought he did, his brother would try to put the moves on Scarlett as she was leaving. If Scarlett was lucky, then Annabel would be with her. The problem was Annabel couldn’t always be on guard like she was right now.
Scarlett can make her own decisions. If she wants to be with Lucas, you have to step aside. That obnoxious voice in his head returned with a vengeance. What was he trying to do? If Scarlett let Lucas take her out and it didn’t go well, the chances of her leaving went up dramatically.
That’s what he wanted, right?
Elijah reached the front porch and settled down on the top step. He rested his forearms on his knees, contemplating all the possible outcomes, not surprised in the least that he hated each and every one of them.
“I thought you said you were going to turn in.”
Elijah stiffened. He hadn’t even heard the door open. And now he was alone with the one person who probably shouldn’t be spending any time with him. He didn’t move, didn’t dare breathe. “I realized I probably could use some air,” he ground out.
Scarlett’s footsteps shuffled until she finally stopped to the side of him. She leaned against the porch railing and let out a sigh. “So, are you going to tell her?”
There it was. The moment he’d been expecting since he’d gotten home.
“Tell who what?”
“Don’t play dumb, Elijah. We both know that you could do some damage with the information you have.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Annabel would probably blame me.”
