But Archie didn’t look at Jag.
She only had eyes for her brother.
“Do you care?”she asked.
“Ar—” Elijah started.
“I spent an hour at the grocery store.Hours and hoursstraining passionfruit and making meringues and mixing and layering cream andmascarpone.Chopping veggies.Cleaning my place.All this because my man’sparents were coming over.I met them all of five minutes ago, four of thosefive minutes spent talking about you.Now you have a bee in your bonnet, andyou bust intomy homeand you askmewhat’s going on?”
“I could hardly know this was happening when you don’t pickup my calls, Archie,” Elijah pointed out.
“And so you’ve decided now is the time to chat, you hammeron the door and push your way in?”Archie asked.
Elijah looked embarrassed by that and was not making eyecontact with anyone but Archie.
“I’m sorry my timing is off, but that does not negate thefact we need to have a conversation and we can’t do that if you don’t accept mycalls or return my texts,” Elijah shared.
“So write me a letter, send me an email, don’t barge into myhome when the timing suits you,” Archie shot back.
Lafayette entered the discussion.
“I think now it might be good for a few of us to leave.”
He took Joany’s hand but looked pointedly at Elijah.
Elijah ignored Lafayette.“We need to set up a time totalk.”
“And I’ll get on that when I’m ready to talk,” Archiestated.“Not now, when I’m having a dinner party for Jagger’s parents.”
Elijah appeared to be getting angry.“You can’t just leaveme hanging until you’re ready to speak to me.”
Archie shook her head.“I’m not doing this now.I havesomething happening.Go.I’ll get in touch.”
“When?”Elijah demanded.
“When I get in touch,” Archie replied.
“I spent all week worried about that scene you instigated atDad’s—”
“Eli, really, you can’t miss I’ve got something happeningright—”
“And now you want me to just take off and wait until youdeign to—”
All right, Jag was done.
“Listen, friend,” he began, starting to move closer toArchie.
Archie looked to him and he didn’t stop moving until he wasat her side, but he shut his mouth.
She turned back to her brother.“Go, Elijah.”
“We’ll have brunch on Sunday,” he decided.
“No, we won’t,” she refuted.“Sundays are my days withJagger.I’ll be in touch.”
“Archie—” Elijah tried again.
But finally, she lost it.
