Eli’s face warms. “Yes, Colby emailed you some resources. But first, well, Beau’s mom, Cindy, made this huge batch of chicken and dumplings for us. She dropped it off a bit ago, so it’s still warm. Are you hungry?”
“Not usually,” I bite out.
Benji squeezes my shoulder hard. “Thank you, Eli. A home-cooked meal sounds great. Also, Harper looks like he’s going to commit some type of petty crime. It’s terrifying.”
“Oh.” Eli laughs awkwardly and glances behind him toward the redhead. “Don’t mind Harper. It’s been a long day.”
Eli promptly turns around and skips toward the farmhouse, right into the waiting arms of the tall blond man. My nose wrinkles in distaste as Benji guides us forward, there’s so much love radiating around here that it’s borderline gross. I fight the urge to gag. I lean harder against Benji’s side, knowing he’ll easily take my weight.
I step onto the weathered stairs and wave. “Hello.” I point at Trevor and Jackson. “I know you both, for obvious reasons.”
The redhead blinks slowly. “No, please share, what are the obvious reasons?”
Ah, a possessive boyfriend. “Sorry, I fucked your boyfriend.”
Everyone stills. Jackson covers his mouth with his hand, but not before I see the smirk tilt his lips up.
The redhead's gaze sharpens. “Surely, he’s forgotten all about you by now. What with me being the best he’s ever had?”
“You’re very beautiful, so I get it.”
“I—” The man blinks rapidly and stares at me. “What?”
“Do you top?”
Jackson steps forward with a lethal glare. “Hey.”
The redhead slowly smiles before holding out his hand. “I’m Harper.”
I give his hand a firm shake. “Nolan.”
And then Harper drags me into the house with his small hand wrapped tightly around mine. “They’re all acting like the next world war is coming. Cindy’s chicken and dumplings are to die for, though. Whenever I have a seizure, they make everything so much less shitty.”
“Sorry about the seizures,” I mumble as he drags me along.
“Sorry about the depression,” Harper shoots back.
Oh, he’s my new best friend.
The house is warm and light with the hearty smell of something that makes my stomach growl in hunger. God, it’s been forever since I’ve been hungry. Harper leads me to a beautiful chef's kitchen that overlooks the sprawling fields behind the house. Harper bodily shoves me into a seat and takes the chair beside me. Resting his chin on his upturned palm, he blinks forest-green eyes at me.
Two dogs come skidding into the kitchen. The Irish setter yips at the golden retriever who just slowly makes her way over to Harper to sit beside him. Harper grins and aims his fond gaze down at the dog.
“This is Honey,” Harper says with a bright smile. “She’s my bullshit meter. If she sneezes, it means you’re full of shit. Want to play?”
“Sure.”
“You don’tactuallysing your songs. It’s some Milli Vanilli situation.”
I narrow my eyes. “That’s unequivocally false. I can prove it.”
Harper makes a disbelieving sound in the back of his throat. “Sure, buddy. After dinner you can sing us a tune but onlyafterI check your pockets.”
I leer at him just as Benji wanders into the room. “If you want to fuck, you only have to say.”
“Jackson wouldn’t like that very much,” Harper retorts.
Benji steps behind us and dips between us. “Nolan, be good.”
