Page 36 of Five Alarm Love
A frown marred her shadowed face, but she didn’t appear to be in distress.
“Having a good evening?”Tuli asked.
“Itwasfine,” Hunter bit off, turning his back on Tuli.
“How are you?”Lou said, too brightly and with way more volume than usual.
“Good, good.Nice Salmon Festival this year, isn’t it?”Tuli strolled closer, hands in his pockets.
Hunter glowered at him.“We were having a conversation.In private.We’d like to continue.In private.”
One glance at Lou’s pleading expression suggested that she did not want to continue the conversation in private.
Tuli might not be quick on his feet anymore, but his brain function was snappy.“Oh sure.Uh, you don’t mind me grabbing some scenes for my social media account.”
“I do mind.”Hunter paused.“The festival is out there.”He lifted his cleft chin.“What are you doing here?”
“I told you.Social media,” Tuli said smoothly.“The Real Alaska page is trending from an earlier post, and I want to keep up the momentum.”He whipped his phone out once again and held it up before pointing at Hunter.“Oh, you mean me, here?Now?With you?Don’t get too hopeful.It’s a coincidence, buddy.Right guy, wrong time and all that.”
“Huh?”Hunter said.
Lou snorted.
“Well.Go film somewhere else,” he said.“Away from Lou, of course.She doesn’t like being on camera.”
She can speak for herself.
“It’s okay.I was leaving,” Lou said, turning on her heel.
“Forget it.I’m out of here.”Hunter got close enough to bump against Tuli’s shoulder.Under his breath, he said, “Keep your nose out of my business, man.I mean it.”He kept right on stomping his way back to the bonfire and the gaggle of Hunter fans there.
Tuli caught up to Lou, stumbling on the third painful and numb-ish step, but regaining his footing.“Hey, Lou.”He brushed her arm with his fingertips.
The urge to tug her into his chest and curl around her nailed him in the gut.
Instead, he dropped his hand and scanned her.“You okay?Can I help?”
Lou paused, her face half in shadow and half glowing from the light of the bonfire.Her dark gaze landed on him for a few seconds too long.“Just fine.”
“That wasn’t the answer to the question I asked.”
“It’s the answer I have to give.”
Tuli ground his teeth.“What’s going on with Hunter?”He waved his arm behind him, away from the laughing, chatting crowd of friends, family, and neighbors.“Is he bothering you?”
“He’s my cousin.”
Another nonanswer.So, it could be a yes.Damn it.
He knew Lou.She might be quiet, but her body language spoke volumes.He focused on the downturn of her mouth and the way she gripped her upper arms.“Seriously, what’s going on with you?We used to share all kinds of insider secrets and laugh about stuff all the time.Lately, it seems like you’re closed up like a frozen metal door.”
Her flinch and the shimmer in her eyes told the tale.He had hit close to home.Too close.What gave?
Tuli cleared his throat.“Oh boy.Hey, Lou.”He patted her shoulder.Suddenly, a wave of longing hit him harder than a falling pine tree.Every cell in his body needed to pull her into his arms and fight off whatever troubled her.“Look, I’m sorry if I said something wrong.Do you want to talk about anything?”
A pause, then she said, too brightly, “No need to worry.”
“I do worry.”His hands actually tingled, he wanted to touch her so badly.Connect with her.Provide support and comfort.He considered his state of mind and froze for a second.He wanted to provide way more than comfort.The realization made his head spin.
