"Oh yeah? That is magnanimous of her," Taylor said turning his blue eyes to where she stood between them. It was uncomfortable and she wondered how any woman in the middle of the love triangle trope didn't burst from anxiety. This was two minutes into one and she had the urge to call off dating for good.
Not that this was a love triangle.
Why was her mind racing, her thoughts tripping over themselves?
"You ready to go?" Graham asked her. Neither men were aware of her inner turmoil and the wildness of her heart.
"You're going on a date now? How spontaneous," Taylor said with a wide smile and eyes that didn't match.
"Yeah, figured I finally got to meet the enchanting Eloise Willow, and why not? We're going to a movie."
"And when a man calls me enchanting it's hard to pass up," she joked.
"Well sure," Taylor said. "An enchanting woman needs romance." He looked like a formidable statue next to Graham who was not privy to Taylor's tone, and what his eyes were saying. His scent, too, was swirling through her mind like it was trying to take over her. Smoked hickory took on a sharpness, similar to that night in the graveyard when she'd told him about what had happened to her.
Was there a hint of anger in his eyes?
"Yeah, just give me a few minutes," she said, needing to squeeze out from between the two men. She found Ursula and Jessica chatting and looked up surprised when she saw that Taylor was next to her.
"What are you doing?"
"Coming with you," he said with a nonchalance that was on the side of arrogant.
"Why?" she asked.
When he looked down at her, his nonchalance vanished as something else took over, causing her heart to clench.
"Hey, Taylor," Ursula greeted. "Do you want to come over for dessert? Jenson is driving back from Marblehead and we made bourbon pecan pie." She looked at Eloise who was about to explain her plans when Taylor did it for her. In a very cop way.
"Well, enchanting Eloise here cannot because she's going on an impromptu date with Graham," Taylor answered, his smile bright and charming. And fake.
Ursula's look of surprise shifted to curiosity as she looked between him and Eloise.
"Yeah, so Graham asked if I would go to a movie with him so just wanted to let you know I'll be home after."
"Alright," Ursula said nodding. "I mean, great! Have fun." Her smile matched Eloise's. Jessica was watching silently and trying to read the energy, which between the two of them and Taylor was oddly bright and felt like a horribly acted play.
"Uh, I need to go relieve the babysitter. Great seeing you," Jessica said, hugging Ursula and Eloise. "Taylor," she said with a small smile."
"Jessica, nice to see you," he said kindly.
"And I need to go on my date," Eloise said throwing a thumb behind her where she assumed Graham still was.
"You ready?"
Graham's unexpected voice made her jump.
"Sorry," he reached out, clasping a hand to her shoulder in apology.
And then his hand was being removed from her shoulder by someone else. Eloise and Graham looked at Taylor in question. Ursula looked at him with raised eyebrows and a small smile she was trying to keep small. And Taylor himself frowned, looking at his hand which he pulled back after dropping Graham's hand like it had betrayed him.
"Sorry. Cop in me. I see a man reach for a woman after scaring her and," he shrugged. "You obviously have pure intentions toward our Eloise, or else I would have to step in," he added with a crooked smile and just a hint of threat.
Eloise gave him a disbelieving look, which he tactfully ignored.
Graham thankfully laughed it off. "I hear you. Work really does become us."
"Well," Eloise looked around the three of them awkwardly before she turned to Ursula, who really was losing that fight with the smile. "See you when I get home."
