“Jamison heard the story and about booted me out too,” Iverson grumbles, but his shrewd gaze is taking in my bruised knuckles, my disheveled, fur-covered shirt, and the kitten giving me moral support.
“I’m just nosy,” Haven says, and my chuckle sputters out of me.
“At least one of you’s honest.” I rest my hand on Sage, letting her slow breathing soothe me. I meet Lane’s gaze. He’s guarded, like he didn’t have a choice but to lead the Hennessys to my doorstep. I give a shake of my head to let him know I don’t mind, but I try to convey that I’m not talking about Elodie’s business. I’d shone a spotlight on it once already. “I can’t tell you guys everything that happened. Elodie’s a private person.”
“Some jackass harassed her, and you took care of him.” Durban shrugs. “That’s all anyone has to know.”
Appreciation wells for their understanding when it comes to her.
Haven rests his elbows on his knees and presses his fingertips together. “Is he going to be a concern again?”
Lane nods before I can decide how to answer. “Between the five of us, we can keep an eye out for him. I’m sure her cousin will keep an eye out too.”
I nod and scrub my face. Good. If she doesn’t want me around her, there are still others looking out for her. “Thanks.”
“We’re worried about you,” Lane says. A smile teases his lips. “All of us, apparently.”
Haven taps his fingertips. “You left the bakery looking like we all took turns kicking Rufus, and just thinking about that breaks my damn heart.”
“I’d kill any guy who hit him. Just like I’d gut a bastard for threatening Elodie.” I swallow hard. “But she asked me not to and I did it anyway.”
“Give her time,” Lane says quietly. “It’s a shock to see someone get hit when it hasn’t been a part of your life.”
Everyone nods. Well, aren’t we a group? “What if she’s done with me?”
“You won her over once,” Iverson says. “You can do it again. She lights up around you.”
Fuck, that makes me feel worse. “She asked me not to interfere. I’ve worked hard to build her trust and then I broke it at the first opportunity.”
“But you’d do it all over again,” Durban says softly, “because it’d make her life better.”
“Feels selfish.” I’m only putting part of Elodie first. I’m using information she didn’t want me to know. I could make her situation worse too.
“In some cases, it’s not.” Durban flicks some of Rufus’s fur off his jeans. It’s not a long walk between his truck and the house, but enough to get corgi glitter on him. “Sometimes they can’t do it themselves. Elodie probably would’ve kept tolerating that guy’s shit out of fear. She only sees how he can hurt her or thebakery. It’s not selfish to step in. I did it for Campbell. I didn’t know if it’d work, but I had her family’s support.”
But Elodie’s family doesn’t know and she wants to keep it that way. Durban might have a point, but I could open a big can of worms and dump them right in her bakery. “I’d do it again, but I think it cost me her.”
I trail my fingers over the darker tabby lines on Basil. Tonight’s ending differently than I thought it would. I’d be inside Elodie by now. We’d at least be in the dark, talking about the fair and who we saw and our plans for next year.
Instead, I’m here, surrounded by a bunch of well-meaning nosy fuckers. “Thanks for stopping by, guys. I’m fine. Really. I just need to think things through and decide how to talk to her.”
I pretend not to notice them all exchanging looks.
“I’ll stay behind for a few minutes,” Lane says, and that seems to appease the Hennessys.
They all get up, and when I wrap my hands around the cats to rise, Iverson waves me off. “I’m not one to interrupt a guy covered in pussy.”
Haven groans. “That’s as good as a dad joke.”
“He’s going to be too far gone before we know it,” Durban says. The interaction lifts my mood for two whole seconds.
Lane walks them out, leaving me alone for a few moments. I return to where I was before they arrived.
How do I make Elodie’s problems go away? Blackmailing is fucking illegal, so why is Elodie suffering? How much has she paid that asshole ex of hers? I start to ball my hands into fists, but flatten them on the kittens instead. If the guys see my reaction, they might think I’ll do something brash.
I’m tempted to drive around town and make sure Damon’s gone. If I found him...
I’d be back to betraying Elodie.
