The night was one of those that should’ve belonged at the end of a heady summer’s day with a bonfire on a field and vats of moonshine, cut off shorts and no fucking worries in the world. And the courtyard was gorgeous, full of spring flowers and fairy lights. Plus, two too many members of my family. I stood up suddenly, almost rocking the table. “No. Why don’t we go to my room?” I wasn’t entirely sure where the words had come from, all I knew was that I needed a break from the constant parade of dramas that were unfolding throughout the venue. Then I thought about my words and laughed. “I didn’t mean it likethat. I’d just like some quiet for an hour or so.”
Eli stood up and started to put our glasses on the tray with the remainder of the bottle of champagne. “Same here. Lead the way.”
My brothers were oblivious to me being anywhere nearby. Had it been Max and Jackson, the eldest, they’d have had some weird sixth sense about me being there with Eli and on our own which would’ve made them look concerned and perturbed, probably more about Eli’s wellbeing than mine. We slipped away, through the hallways of the building to the small hotel where family and a couple of close friends were staying. “Are you staying here?” I said to Eli, slipping my hand into my bra for the key card to my room.
His brows raised at what I was doing. “That’s one place to keep it safe,” he said. “No, I’m heading home. It isn’t that far.”
I sensed there was more of a story there, probably one about his ex-girlfriend and them meant to be making a weekend of the wedding, especially as she hadn’t lived in London. My door clicked open, exposing a room that was thankfully tidy given that the getting ready had been done in the bridal suite. Had it been used for me getting ready it would’ve been a case of the room being coated in outfits and makeup and probably underwear, although pretty underwear in all fairness. There was a small table and two chairs near to the large windows that overlooked a small park. Eli headed over there without asking or waiting for me. Decisive.
I closed the door behind us and studied the man in front of me. Eli was broad and built, a long drink of something hard but smooth, served without ice because there was no way any woman would want to cool that heat. His ex must’ve had her reasons for ending it and I’d have been lying if I said I didn’t want to know what they were.
“It’s a nice room.” He added more bubbles to our glasses and passed me mine. “I know Max is staying here. Are the rest of your family?”
His tie was slightly askew and as I sat down opposite him at the table I resisted the temptation to straighten it, to see my fingers against the plaid pattern and feel its silk. “We’re all here. My mother’s beside herself. And Claire’s managed not to give birth yet, so it looks like we’re all staying.” My eldest sister was pregnant with her first child. Very pregnant. And very irritable. “Are you close with your family?”
He looked preoccupied, as if a ton of something prickly was sat on his shoulders. “Not as close as you Callaghans,” he said. “But we’re close. I’m only wanting to avoid Izzy because she’ll feel sorry for me about breaking up with Andrea. And ask lots of questions.”
“Why did you break up with Andrea?” I said, the words tumbling out before I had time to clamp my jaw shut. I chugged back some champagne.
His smile was genuine but knowing. “I heard from your brothers that you said exactly what you thought.”
“Shit, they warned you about me?”
He laughed, the sound warm and full. “They’ve mentioned you a couple of times.”
“I didn’t mean to pry,” I said. “Well, I did, but not in a gossipy way.”
He folded his arms and grinned, saying nothing. His eyes were hazel, flecks of gold brightening them and his features were chiselled. He looked nothing but masculine and for a nano-second I felt like the geeky girl in the corner. A nano-second. No longer than that, because I wasn’t the type to do shy or retiring. Elijah Ward was hotter than a kitchen fire.
“So tell Aunty Ava exactly why you’re now single and about to Tinder.” I folded my arms too.
“I’m not going on Tinder,” Eli said. “Ever.” He passed another shot glass over to me. “Drink.”
I obliged, downing the liquid in one and feeling the alcohol hit me, feeling how it soothed the busyness that I’d been swimming in all day. “There’s nothing wrong with Tinder,” I said. “Depending on what you want.”
“Ava, I’m thirty-five. I’ve swiped right in real time enough in bars and clubs.”
I opened the door that led onto the small veranda outside, the sounds of the party downstairs flying up to us. The cooler air was pleasant and fresher, the evening starting to dumb-down the unusual April heat. “So why did you split up?”
“Persistent, aren’t you?” His eyes met mine - those chocolate eyes. “She ended it. The long distance wasn’t working for her and she’d ended up meeting someone else who had just started working for the same company.”
I nodded, holding his gaze and not wanting to let it go. “Long distance is hard.”
He nodded. “The plan was for her to relocate and move here, but it never happened. She got a promotion and she had friends and a base there. We grew apart.”
“Relationships are difficult,” I said. “And I know you’re going to roll your eyes and question whether I’ve ever been in one and the answer is yes, but none for any duration. A year was the longest when I was at college, but that ended before I came back to England.”
“I wouldn’t patronise you.”
He didn’t smile when he said it and for a second I didn’t see my brothers’ colleague and friend, I saw someone else. I just wasn’t sure who.
“Yes, relationships are difficult.”
I put my non-drinking hand over his that was resting face down on the table. My hand was tiny compared, pale against his darker skin. I didn’t want to move it, and he seemed quite happy to keep it there. “You know what they say: the best way to get over a woman is to get under another one.” There was a hitch to my voice and I bit my lips together, realising what I was suggesting. My heart had started to tap out a dance and my head started to risk assess my current situation.
Sex was fun and I enjoyed it. Eli was attractive and not a douche, but he was also hugely connected to my family. But he wasn’t twenty-five and he wasn’t a bit of a kid. If he was interested.
He moved his hand away.
