Page 5 of Shiny Things

“Are you planning to work here all day?”

“Yup, or at least until Kim gets a break and has time to actually talk to me. She’s been acting weird all day. I’m worried about her.”

Gia blanched.

“You know something, don’t you?”

“It’s none of my business.”

“Tell me. I’m your brother. You’re supposed to have my back.”

“And she’s my best friend and tells me stuff in confidence, though honestly, Eli, are you really that thick in the head?”

“Wait. Did I do something to upset her?”

I wracked my brain trying to think back through to the last time I saw her. I came in yesterday morning for breakfast. We talked and laughed. Everything seemed normal. I had a couple of meetings in the afternoon and then that stupid gala last night that Aunt Ginny had hosted.

I spent pretty much all evening watching Kim from afar. She’d been working the event since The Diner had been contracted to cater it. Apparently, I was obvious enough that Dad even noticed and warned me not to let my mother catch me “ogling the staff,” which had pissed me off. Ryan had also madeat least three comments about my distraction, though as my brother, he was much more polite and teasing about it.

“Seriously, Eli, I’m not used to you having feathers for brains. Dean, sure, but not you. You’re smarter than that.”

I scowled. She was comparing me to our video game obsessed little brother? What the hell!

“Gia, tell me now. What did I do to upset her?”

She just grimaced at me and started to walk away.

I grabbed her arm. “Please G. Just tell me.”

“Weren’t you at Aunt Ginny’s party last night?”

“Yeah. I was there because our mother pitched a fit when I tried to bail on it. You know that.”

“Right, but you were there . . .”

“Yes, watching Kim all night. She was avoiding me even then. Why, damn it?”

She closed her eyes and sighed, but when she opened them, she glared down at me. My sister wasn’t born with the usual sleek black hair of a raven shifter. Nope, she had a mass of fiery red hair to match her temper that occasionally got away from her. I squirmed under her fierce frustrated look now.

“Because you let Felicity drape herself all over you last night. Look, this isn’t the time or place to get into this, but I told you not to lead her on.”

“Felicity? I’ve never led Felicity on. Besides, she’s our cousin, remember?”

“You are such a bird brain, Eli. And I know Felicity is our cousin and you don’t think of her as anything more, but that’s not how it looked last night. And you know Felicity doesn’t think there’s anything at all wrong with mating your cousin. Hell,allthe Davenports and Deans are our cousins. Maybe Mom and Dad inbred a little too closely and that’s what’s wrong with you.”

I snorted. “You’re from the same gene pool, G.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t get feathers for brains.”

Groaning, I shook my head. “She can’t possibly think I’d be interested in Felicity,” I said in a hushed voice.

“This isn’t the place to have this discussion. You wanted to know why she’s displeased with you, well, that’s why. So fix it, but not while she’s on the clock.”

I grinned. “Are you encouraging me to see her off the clock now?”

“That’s not what I meant. And you’re going to anyway.”

“I have a feeling that at this moment she’d slam the door in my face.”

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