Page 30 of Hazel and Elijah Find Out: First They F*cked Around

I resisted an eye roll. Banjo needed obedience classes, but like everything else, Dennis wasn’t concerned about it.

“Please don’t worry about it,” Elijah said.

“Hi, Hazel.” Dennis gave me a sweet, boyish—almost sheepish—smile. I couldn’t tell if he was as oblivious as the rest of our group, or if he knew there was something going on between Elijah and me. Or it could just be Dennis’ innocent face.

It kinda stung that everyone assumed Elijah and I weren’t together. As if they all believed my fears—that he was too far out of my league to even consider the two of us a possibility.

But then, Shane knew Elijah and I were becoming an item—he had made it a point to warn me a few hours ago. “Be careful, Hazel. You know Elijah’s reputation… He gets off on ruining good girls like you.”

I’d been instantly infuriated, but I hadn’t been able to express it. I’d wanted to tell him that I was a grown woman—not a girl—who didn’t need his protection, and couldn’t be ruined. That he’d never talked to me before today, and we should go back to that. But what I’d actually said was, “I’m fine.”

Shaking off my irritation at myself and Shane, I asked, “Hey, Dennis, how’s your day going?”

“Good. I really liked that shirt you picked out for me.”

“You should go back and get it in a couple other colors. It looked nice on you.”

I wanted to shift my focus back to Elijah, but it felt rude and dismissive to ignore Dennis.

Elijah picked up his menu and began scanning it.

“I’ll do that.” Dennis leaned back in his chair. “You getting your usual?”

“I think so.”

“You have a usual?” Elijah looked up through his brow, his green eyes piercing. How did just one look from him quicken my heart rate?

“Kinda. This is where we eat when Dennis drives me down to get supplies. We fill his truck every couple of months.”

Some of the light in Elijah’s gaze dimmed. Possibly. Maybe nothing changed at all. Maybe I was just seeing things because I was uncomfortable. There was nothing between me and Dennis, but we did have history. But then, Elijah had ahistorywith quite a few people in town; it was years ago, but it still existed. I was probably being quaint to think he’d be insecure about my past.

I wanted to go back to talking to him like we had before everyone interrupted, especially after he’d just opened up about his relationship with his parents. I really appreciated him sharing that with me, and I wanted to keep getting to know him better. And we would have, if the menfolk hadn’t blasted through the door and blown that plan up.

I was sitting in the middle of an incredibly uncomfortable sandwich.

We’ll have our date tonight, it’ll be okay.

“I should have driven my truck today; we could have loaded it up before I leave for my research program,” Dennis said.

“Yeah, I didn’t think about it.” I hadn’t thought about it because I’d been too excited to see Elijah try on clothes—which hadn’t happened. That was more than a little disappointing.

Dennis could be impossibly nice. He didn’t owe me anything, yet he valued doing this task that helped me. Sweat was prickling underneath my hair from the combination of guilt and awkwardness sludging through my body.

“I’ll rent something. We’ll get it taken care of,” Elijah offered.

Some of the tension in my shoulders released. The grateful smile I directed toward him was cut down by Dennis saying, “Thanks, man.”

He scratched at something on the table’s surface. “I hate feeling like I’m leaving people in the lurch.”

A muscle flexed in Elijah’s jaw.

“Hey, Denny,” Nora said from the other side of the table. “Tell me,” she paused, “againabout the research you’ll be doing.”

He sat up straighter before he began his lengthy and very thorough explanation, and I watched pain seep into her dark brown eyes. I mouthed, “Thank you,” and she nodded. I’d stock the work fridge with her favorite creamer, or something. She was the best friend I could ask for. I mentally apologized for anytime I’d called her irritating—while also noting that shecouldbe irritating on occasion. Not in that moment, though.

Nora. Was. The. Best.

I needed out of this situation.

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