“Oh. Hi. I didn’t know you would be here.”
Dear god, my cheeks were on fire. I let my hair fall forward, hopeful it would cover up some of my embarrassment. I’d been so brazen yesterday, emailing him all sorts of snarky remarks. It had been easy from behind a screen. Facing him again was a whole other ballgame. If I’d known, I might have changed out of my hiking gear. The leggings and long-sleeve T-shirt weren’t exactly my best look.
Elliot cleared his throat. “Neither of them was invited. At the gym this morning, I mentioned I would be having a quiet brunch with my sister and they glommed on.”
Luca lifted his glass. “I never turn down bottomless mimosas.”
Weston opened his hands. “I couldn’t be left out, could I? I would have been utterly grumpy.”
Dear. Freaking. God.
Why?
If it had been possible to douse myself in water and melt into a puddle like the Wicked Witch of the West, I would have. Weston, Elliot, and Luca would have been left gawking at the pile of clothing and gelatinous goo in my chair, but I would have been dearly departed, away from this awful moment.
Luca guffawed. “Like you’re not always grumpy.” He grabbed my hand again. “Anyway, you interrupted our discussion. Elliot objects to taking me on as a brother-in-law. Can you believe that shit? I’m offended.”
Weston cocked his head. “Wouldn’t you have to win Elise over first? Actually, you might want to stop sleeping with any woman who’s sentient before you do that. An STI test would be a good next step. I don’t know, it seems like you’re putting the cart well before the horse.”
There was something harsh in Weston’s tone and mocking in his smirk. In all the years I’d known him, or watched him from a distance, I’d never seen him with an expression like that, much less directed at his good friend.
Luca kept my hand in his, but his humor fell away. “That’s a low blow, West. What crawled up your ass?”
I glared at Weston. His smirk had fallen flat. “That was unnecessary,” I admonished.
His eyes landed on me. “It’s unnecessary for Luca to shamelessly flirt with you when it obviously makes Elliot uncomfortable.”
Elliot lifted his coffee to his mouth. “Speak for yourself, West. Although the idea of my sister succumbing to Luca’s flagrant advances is repellant, I do have a sense of humor. They’ve been playing at this same joke for years. I’m not worried about my friends going after my sister. We all know she’s a no-go zone.”
I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t realize I was a zone. I was under the silly impression I was a woman who could make my own decisions.”
Elliot put his cup down, his movements casual and easy. “You can. I trust that you find the idea of succumbing to Luca as repellant as I do.”
I snorted, goading him a little more. “I don’t know…” I lifted Luca’s hand to my cheek, pressing it there, “Luca’s looking awfully good today, and I’m single now. It might be our time.”
Luca shot me a wink. “Is it? Jesus, Elise. Give a guy some warning. I haven’t had the chance to have a full-body wax.” He gestured to his T-shirt and jeans. “I’m basically a human sweater under my clothes.”
I bit my bottom lip and let my lashes flutter. “Oh, keep talking, you filthy, fuzzy bear.”
Our waitress stopped at our table, taking our orders, and I climbed aboard the bottomless mimosa train with Luca. Based on Weston’s permanent scowl, I was going to need to drink to get through this brunch without snapping at him.
Must not tell grumpy boss he’s a dick.
Elliot leaned forward, his elbows on the table. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you were late. What were you doing this morning?”
“Saoirse and I were supposed to go on a sunrise hike this morning, but she was too hungover to get out of bed.”
Weston let out a low growl. “You went out alone before sunrise?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I’m late because I waited until it was daylight to go on the hike and misjudged how long it would take to get here. And honestly, Elliot, I was ten minutes late. Is that really a crime?”
If I’d told them my Uber driver had taken the long way and driven fifteen miles under the speed limit, all while turning around in his seat to speak to me, he probably would have found a way to block my account so I could never order another rideshare.
Which was why I wasn’t going to mention it.
I wanted to continue being able to drink bottomless mimosas and not worry about driving my tipsy self home.
Elliot raised his chin. “It’s not a punishable crime, unfortunately. You know how I feel about prioritizing commitments.” His fingers steepled. “West raises a good point, though. You went hiking alone?”