Grace startled and turned.
Her brother was propped against the arm of the couch, legs stretched out, one arm folded across his ribs. His eyebrow was lifted.
“So,” he said. “Officer Bennett, huh?”
“Don’t,” Grace said immediately.
Eli grinned.
She crossed the room, busying herself with nothing—straightening a pillow that didn’t need it, adjusting the lamp shade. “It’s complicated.”
Eli snorted. “Shocking.”
Grace shot him a look. “It’s nothing. It’s just…casual.”
"Gracie," he said. "That man is head over heels for you.”
She blushed.
“I am sitting three feet from the window,” he said. “Hard not to notice my little sister making out with a cop on her porch.”
Grace groaned and dropped onto the armchair across from him, burying her face in her hands.
“Hey.” Eli shifted, wincing, but his voice stayed easy. “You’ve snagged the town’s golden boy. I’m not judging you. If anything, I’m impressed.”
She peeked at him through her fingers. “Impressed?”
“Yeah,” he said. “He’s hot.”
She laughed despite herself, the sound shaky.
“Okay,” Eli said. “So. How long has this been going on?”
Grace hesitated. Then sighed. “A while.”
“How long is a while?”
“Months.”
Eli leaned back carefully.
Grace swallowed. “He doesn’t want something real. Not with me.”
Eli’s expression changed. The humor faded, replaced by something sharper. Protective. “Why the fuck not?”
She stared at the floor. “He doesn’t want people to know." She looked away, picking at a loose thread on the arm of the chair. “I wanted more,” she said quietly. “But he didn’t.”
Eli’s jaw set.
She let out a small, humorless breath. “So we ended things.”
“And now?” Eli asked.
“And now,” she said slowly, “someone threatened me. And things escalated. And Luke—” She hesitated, choosing her words carefully. “He took care of me.”
Eli’s brow furrowed.
“He replaced my locks. Walked me to and from work. Made me sleep in his guest room.” She sighed and looked up at Eli then. “So maybe… maybe it’s different now. Maybe?—”
