A claim.
My pulse jumps for entirely different reasons now.
He doesn't look at me. Doesn't touch me. But his presence is solid. Unmistakable. A line drawn without words.
"Cole," he says. Voice flat.
Cole's smile sharpens.
"Eli. Knew you'd make your way over eventually."
"Didn't mean to interrupt."
There's no apology in Eli's tone.
"You're not interrupting a thing." Cole's eyes flick between us. Satisfaction glinting there before he smooths it away. "Just catching up with Hazel. Mentioned I bought the Peterson place. Figured you'd heard."
Eli's expression doesn't change.
"I heard."
"Good piece of land. They held on as long as they could, but..." Cole shrugs. "Sometimes these old family operations just can't keep up anymore. Market's different now. Requires scale. Resources."
The silence that follows is thin. Taut.
Eli's voice stays level.
"We're doing fine."
"Sure, sure." Cole nods slowly. "Just saying—if things ever get too tight, I'm always interested in good land. Neighborly offer. No pressure."
The implication settles low in my gut.
A door opens behind us. Bell chimes. Someone steps out, glances between the three of us, slows just enough to register the tension. Keeps walking.
Eli shifts closer to me.
Still no touch. But his proximity is deliberate now. Protective.
"We're not interested," Eli says. "And we're not selling."
Cole holds his gaze. Measuring.
Then he smiles again. The easy mask sliding back into place.
"No offense meant, Eli. Just wanted to put it out there. You know where to find me if circumstances change."
He turns to me. Eyes sharp despite the pleasant tone.
"Good seeing you again, Hazel. Hope you're planning to stick around this time. Would be a shame to watch the place struggle while you're figuring out whether you want to stay or go."
He walks away. Stride unhurried. Confident. Like he's already won something I didn't know we were competing for.
I watch him go.
Heart thudding too hard.
Only when he's fully out of sight do I realize how tense my shoulders are. How shallow my breathing has become.
