“Hope.”
I’m not giving this stranger hope that a mock relationship will lead to anything else. “Forget it then. Forget the whole thing. It was a stupid idea, anyway.”
He studies my face as though to commit each harsh line to memory, and then he beats me to walking away. I’m almost stunned. No one has ever walked away from me.
Ido the walking away.
I expect the pride he alluded to earlier will have led him out of the gala hall, but when I reach the family table a few moments later, he’s seated next to Fiona, listening to one of her stories. She’s probably telling him about her Irish ancestors. She so loves talking about her dead relatives.
I head toward Calanthe’s side of the table when Fiona calls out my name…loudly.
“Yes, Fi?” I ask as Cillian stands.
To leave? Is it too much to hope for?
“You’re right here.” She nods to the chair that Cillian has just pulled out.
I sweep my tongue over my teeth, wondering if it’d be in poor taste to swap my name card with someone else’s when most of the someone else’s are already crowding the table? Why didn’t I think of doing this sooner?
I glance at the remaining empty spots. Find that Malachi’s name has been etched on the little name card beside mine. Calanthe’s doing? Fiona’s? Gaea’s?
With a sigh, I unglue my boots from the marble flooring and amble toward Cillian. I still can’t believe he stuck it out after I shut him down. I suppose there’s networking to be done and new customers to be found.
Before taking my seat, I lean toward him to murmur, “I thought you’d be gone.”
His eyebrows flex into a frown. “It would take more than profound disappointment with how my evening’s going for me to abandon my gala date. I owe Mrs. Murphy so much.”
Right… He thinks his date is Fiona.
I untuck my napkin and lay it flat across my lap just as Malachi finally arrives with Ines. After pulling out her chair—frustratingly, on his other side—he eases himself into his.
“I was thinking…” Malachi’s voice trickles down my spine, pinning it straight. “What about going out for a run tomorrow? Like we used to do.”
And now he’s murdering running for me.
“Elle?”
I stop toying with the edge of my napkin to huff out a short, “Yeah. Fine. Let’s go for a run.”
“Great.”
I look at Ines. “Just us, right?”
“I’d prefer it to be just us so we can catch up.” His attention drifts to Cillian.
Is it me, or have Malachi’s eyes narrowed?
“We haven’t been introduced. I’m Malachi Hadez.” He reaches in front of me and extends his hand.
Cillian clasps Malachi’s palm and shakes it. “Cillian Lowry.”
“I hear you’re a friend of the family.”
“The Blooms and Mrs. Murphy have been very kind to me.”
I wonder if he’s thinking:As opposed to the girl sitting between us.
“Cillian, here, is the sweetest boy in all of Hadestown.” Fiona pats the hand he’s got balled on the tablecloth between them.
