Page 97 of Slow Burn

“Nash, you lucky fuck, your sister saved your ass and brought dinner!” Benny yelled out, taking the food from her.

Her brother came over to her, lifting her in a hug and spinning her around. “I know you didn’t do this to bail me out, but I owe you.”

“Why else would she have brought food?” Scarlett asked, opening the box of wings.

Georgia’s eyes darted around to find Elijah. She was startled that his colleagues, his damn friends, had no idea why she would show up. He didn’t move, holding the refrigerator door open, his back to the group.

Benny shrugged. “No clue, but Nash didn’t call her.”

Elijah slammed the fridge shut and turned to face everyone.

“Does it matter why one of the doctors in our community came to bring us food?”

Ouch, she winced at his word choice.

Nash had to have seen the look on her face or how she deflated like a balloon at Elijah’s attitude because he glared at his friend. “Why don’t you discuss this with George in your office?”

“Good idea.” Elijah tersely responded.

He stormed past her brother, Benny, and Scarlett to his office. Georgia was tripping over her feet to catch up with him. Once they were in his office, he slammed the door shut.

This was not the reaction to the surprise visit she was expecting.

Elijah put space between them when he sat in his office chair, not the couch or the two chairs in front of his desk.

Something was wrong.

“What’s going on?” Georgia sat down on the chair, hating how her hands were shaking.

“Why are you here?”

Part of her heart cracked at his accusatory tone. But she wasn’t going to feel bad. She did nothing wrong. “I brought you dinner, which you should be grateful for since my brother forgot.”

He huffed, not giving a response.

“What I’d love to learn,” she wasn’t backing down, “is why you’re mad at me. Or why we’ve been dating for a month and outside of my brother and Anna, none of your friends know we’re together.”

“Did you assume I’d pin the news on the bulletin board?” Elijah snapped.

“What is happening right now?” She fought hard not to let any of the tears building up spill over. “Yesterday we had sex before you left, and today you’re annoyed I’m here?”

His hands grabbed his hair, a tell he was frustrated. “This is my place of employment, not happy hour.”

“What does that have to do with other people knowing we’re dating?”

Damn it, her voice cracked.

“I’m not ready,” he said barely above a whisper.

She stood, her hands in fists. “I love you, and you’re not willing to tell your friends we’re together?”

“Can we just slow down?”

Throwing her hands in the air, she stared at him. “Slow down? We’ve been sleeping together for months!”

And why wasn’t she enough for him?

FUCK, HE WAS making a mess of his brand-new relationship.