Page 33 of Finding Home

“Stop objectifying me. I’m not a piece of meat, sir.”

“I’m aware you are a very smart and talented woman. I will ask you about your thoughts on Brexit and climate change after I ogle you in this getup.”

“The only person you should be ogling is over there.” She tilted her head toward Tobey, who stood with his back to them, near the small buffet table.

“Oh, I plan to do that for the rest of my life.” A spark twinkled in his brown eyes as he admired his fiancé across the room.

“I am so glad he found you.”

“Not as glad as I am that I found him.”

“Stop! Tobey has me on strict no crying duty for the next twenty-four hours.” She elbowed him. “Hey, I have something for you all. Where’re all the parents and Clayton?”Elle looked around the room.

“Clayton is around somewhere. Mom and dad are upstairs with my dad talking to the manager about the post-wedding brunch. They should be back shortly. Here, let me take that. How rude am I? Don’t tell my soon-to-be father-in-law.”

Jerome took the six small shiny gold gift bags, and one bottle-shaped bag she’d clutched and placed them on a high-top table. The smaller gift bags contained a single flute with the still chilled bottle of champagne in the larger one, a celebratory token before tomorrow’s festivities for the wedding party.

Clayton strolled in, stealing Elle’s breath in his camel-colored slacks and a pale blue button up with sleeves rolled to his elbows.Good god.In the last six days, she had only seen him wear workout clothes, T-shirts, jeans, and shorts. Casual Clayton was handsome, but dressed up Clayton was knee-wobbling gorgeous.

He surveyed the room, as if looking for someone. When those piercing eyes caught her gaze, he paused, seeming to drink her up like she was the last sips of nourishing water in the middleof the desert. A lazy smile lit his face, making heat crawl up her torso. He walked, no—sauntered toward her with the grace of a prowling wolf.

“Hey,” he murmured when he reached her side.

“Hey,” she said breathlessly.

“Well, hello Jerome,” Jerome joked with a slight grumble.

They ignored him.

“Thank you.” Clayton’s eyes glimmered.

“For what?” She bit her lip.

“Lunch.”

“They weren’t supposed to say anything.” Her cheeks flamed.

When she picked up lunch at Daryl’s, she’d ordered several pizzas and buckets of wings to be delivered to the clinic for Clayton and the staff. She asked Big D, the pizzeria’s owner, to keep the lunchtime benefactor anonymous.

“They didn’t.” He smirked.

“How did you know it was me?”

“I knew.” He stepped close, his citrus scent almost caressed against her skin. “You look beautiful by the way.”

“You too, but handsome.” Hopefully nobody heard the loud drumming in her chest.

“Oh, Jerome, you look dapper in your green shirt. It brings out the chocolate in your eyes,” Jerome quipped. “Why thank you for noticing.”

Clayton rolled his eyes as Jerome went on having a conversation with himself.

“This will be lovely.” Janet’s voice filled the room as she walked in with Pete and Jerome’s dad.

“Good, you’re here. Lady Eleanor has something for us.”

“It’s just something small, but I wanted to give it to you all tonight before everyone arrived.”

“This is awesome!” Tobey beamed, holding the flute in his hand, turning it to examine the engraved script proclaimingHouse Coates-Evansbeneath a silhouette of a black lab.

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