Sydney pokes her head between us. “Hello, ladies, what’re we discussing?”
I turn to her. “Well-trained men.”
She beams. “Oh, man, did I luck out in that area. Wyatt grew up with three sisters. Not only is he savvy to PMS, he always puts the toilet seat down.”
We laugh.
“Jenna and I were talking about much better training than that,” Audrey says. “The kind of guy that positively radiates Mr. Right. Like you just know right away.”
Sydney shakes her head. “Didn’t happen that way for me. Seriously, unless Right is his last name, I don’t think that exists.”
I hitch a thumb toward Audrey. “It’s what she’s waiting for.”
Sydney opens her mouth and then closes it again, probably refraining from mentioning Drew. We both want Audrey to move on. It’s just been too long. “I hope you find it, Aud.” Sydney throws an arm around her in a quick hug. “You should get back out there.”
Audrey groans.
I take pity on Audrey, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Does it get any better than this? Drinks with my girls on a crisp fall night. I love this time of year.”
Sydney leans across Audrey to look at me. “Okay, now you’re scaring me. What happened to jaded Jenna?”
“Can’t I just enjoy the fall?”
She studies me for a moment. “You hooked up with someone, didn’t you?” She turns to Audrey. “She has that freshly fucked look on her face, right?”
Audrey turns to me, her brows shooting up, a question in her eyes. She knows who it could be. She turns to Sydney. “Nope. That’s not her freshly fucked look. That’s her happy with my business look.”
Sydney and I both laugh. It’s always funny to hear prim librarian Audrey use the F word. She’s not really prim, she just looks the part. A lot.
Audrey sighs. “Must you always laugh when I speak frankly? I’m not a prude.”
“Frankly,” Sydney and I echo before cracking up.
“What’s all this noise?” a masculine voice demands.
My gaze collides with Eli’s, his hazel eyes sparkling with amusement even as he keeps a stern expression on his face. A shimmer of excitement radiates through my entire body, making every nerve ending tingle; even my stomach flutters. It’s only Eli I’ve ever reacted to like this. “Is there a problem, officer?”
He leans in. “I might have to arrest you for disorderly conduct.”
I offer him my wrists. “If you must.”
He holds my wrists manacled in one hand in a firm grip. My pulse races, a shock of sensation rippling up my arms. “Tempting.”
My breath hitches as I imagine the intimacy of being cuffed by Eli. Naked. What would it feel like, the weight of his big body, the heat of his skin. What would he taste like?
He trails a warm finger lightly over the inside of my wrist before releasing his hold. One corner of his mouth lifts. Could he feel my pulse pounding through the delicate skin there?
He inclines his head at Sydney and Audrey. “Ladies, as you were.”
He swaggers back to the other end of the bar, taking his seat with Drew.
Someone snaps their fingers in front of my face. I turn to Sydney, belatedly realizing my misstep. I was so happy to see him that I forgot to act cool and casual. “Yes?”
“Hello! What the hell was that?”
My gut does a slow roll. I face front, trying for a neutral expression as I take a sip of martini. “Nothing.”
“That wasn’t nothing,” she snaps. “You were coming on to Eli.”
“I wasn’t.” I feel myself flush. “We were just joking around.”
Audrey pipes up. “I’d say he was coming on to her. She can’t help it if he flirts with her. You don’t want her to be rude to him, do you?”
I appreciate Audrey’s support, but I’m not sure that’s any better. Sydney looks angry.
“Did something happen?” Sydney asks.
“No, nothing. We’re friends.”
Audrey looks between us anxiously. She’s the peacemaker of our little group.
Sydney eyes me. “Then what’s he doing here on ladies’ night?”
I wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans. It’s true we don’t usually see him here on ladies’ night unless he’s stopping by for a quick pop-in on his shift as a cop. “I don’t know. It’s his family’s restaurant. Isn’t he here regularly?”
“Yeah, on Saturdays twice a month to play guitar,” she says drily. “Do me a favor and don’t encourage him. I don’t want him to get hurt.”
“Got it,” I manage over the tightness in my throat. It pains me that Sydney sees me as the villain in this. I’m not a terrible person. I down the rest of my martini, my heart aching, my body going numb.
My gaze wanders back to Eli. He winks. My face flushes with heat, and for the first time I ask myself a question that makes me queasy and excited at the same time—
What would happen if I took a huge leap of faith and followed my heart?
But then that possibility vanishes as Sydney’s stool scrapes the floor in her rush to get out of her seat. “I need to have a talk with Eli.”
Eli
My sister approaches with a grim look of determination in her eyes. She grabs a chair from a nearby table and plops herself down at our small table, putting herself squarely between me and Drew, but it’s me she’s focused on. “Don’t get involved with Jenna.”
Drew’s head swivels toward her in surprise and then turns back to the game. He doesn’t want to get in the middle of our sister going mama bear in one of her overprotective gestures. She’s only like this with me and Caleb because we’re younger than she is. She means well, which is the only reason I tolerate it.
“Syd, it’s none of your business,” I say.
“It is my business when it comes to you. She’s only going to break your heart. And I say that as her best friend. You don’t know her like I do. She’s great at friendship, terrible at relationships.”
I let out a breath, reaching for patience. Sydney did a lot for me as a kid, but I’m not a kid anymore. “Since Mom died, you’ve looked out for me, and I appreciate that.”
She smiles and gives my arm a squeeze. “Of course. That’s what family’s for.”
I gesture toward Drew, the oldest in our family. “Just like Drew looked out for you when we were kids. But we’re all adults now.”
“I know that,” she says. “Doesn’t mean I don’t look out for you and Caleb.”
“Drew, did you get involved in Sydney’s love life in her best interest?”
He grimaces. “No.”
I lift a palm. “See?”
“That’s different,” Sydney says. “Drew didn’t know any of the guys I dated well enough to warn me off. I’m telling you, Jenna is not for you.”
“You say that like you know who’s for me.”
“I know what you deserve. Someone without a lot of baggage who can love you unconditionally. Someone who’s looking to settle down and hopefully, down the line, get married and have a family. You want that, don’t you?”