A cluster of cusses came from the entry area, and Trace shot her attention back to make sure it wasn’t Cole. Lips bit tight together, she scanned through the crowd. Adrenaline had surged fast, and released into her veins with a soothing warmth as she saw Cole walking in, stepping easily around the rowdy group and looking like he didn’t have a care in the world.
An elbow rammed into Trace’s side.
She quickly shifted her focus back and sported her friendliest smile. “Enchanté.”
“I don’t actually speak French,” the nice guy said, a blush pinking his cheeks, but he laughed it off.
Pippa jumped in to the rescue. “Eli teaches middle school science. He just moved to Foothills this year.”
“Yeah,” he answered, adjusting his weight from one foot to the other and sinking his hands into his pockets. He looked past her, flashed a subtle shake of his head, and looked back to Trace. “My brothers flooded town last night for my birthday.”
“That’s great,” Trace said, shifting her angle and glancing toward Cole again. “Where are you all from?”
“Boise,” he said, towering over the crowd that could easily have shoved him in any direction, but he seemed to be the pillar that traffic wove around.
Pippa sneakily slipped out of sight, leaving Trace trapped the moment it seemed Eli was settling in for at least a meet-and-greet.
“Are you from here?” he asked. He was cute. Those gooey brown eyes and that honest grin exuded an energy that eager young scientists would be drawn to.
“Yes,” she said, drifting a look toward the door one more time.
Damn, Cole was like no one else. That subtle swagger. She shouldn’t have been surprised after he’d showed off his multiple personas, a chameleon who could be whoever he needed to be. Tonight, he’d gone with the badass persona, the piercing gray eyes declaring he was not to be fucked with, the hint of a smile that said he knew everything everyone was thinking, and he was lightly amused to be here, but this wasn’t his type of hangout. Good strategy to deter friendly attempts to catch up in case he ran into anyone he knew.
“I grew up here. Just moved back last year,” she continued, brightening her smile for Eli.
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
Wow, okay, going for the full get-to-know-you, and not subtle about it. At least he was adorable. Adorable was not boring. She laughed vaguely, having no idea how to actually answer that question. “Not exactly.”
There was no polite way to escape without looking like she didn’t find him adorable. Pippa was absolutely going to pay. The timing could have been better.
She glanced back, but couldn’t see Cole anymore.
“What does ‘not exactly’ mean?” Eli teased, relaxing into his posture.
“It means sort of but not really,” she said, laughing at her own confusing remark and stuffing her hands in her pockets. “Sorry, that is a straightforward question, but the answer isn’t always straightforward.”
“No, I get it. I mean, we’re a pretty nontraditional family.” He gestured a nod toward to the guys at the billiard table, smiling sweetly as they ragged on each other. “Sorry, we don’t let them out in public much. I’m sure you can see why,” he teased, grimacing playfully as he watched them. Even a good sense of humor.
“They look like a fun group,” Trace said as she watched them for a moment. “I’m with those ones.” She pointed to her friends, right as Sophie was being coronated with the infamous penis crown, and Asher had his arms pinned down by Zane while Grady pinned a big, shiny gold “grand prize” ribbon to his shirt. “I swear, they’re not even drunk,” she said.
“Hey, oh, shit, was it… Tracy? I’m terrible with names.”
A squeal eeked in her jaw as she masked her grimace with a commiserating smile. “Legally. Please, just Trace.”
“Trace, huh? I, uh—“ Eli laughed under his breath, and a less than nice guy curiosity flashed in his look, and she could tell he knew how to not play it safe. But he stuck to safety. “Trace, of course. Can I get you a drink?” he offered, nodding to the bar. “I was actually on my way to order another round.”
Trace scanned the crowd again. Why wasn’t Cole at the table yet? She hadn’t meant to unleash on him in the car like she had.
“No thanks, I—“
Before she could finish her sentence, a palm spread on her low back, fingers around her waist, and a glass of white wine appeared in front of her face. Soft against the rumble of the music, so close she felt the warmth of his breath on her skin, Cole said, “I’ll save you a seat.”
Save you a seat? Trace growled low under her breath. Shitty timing. And confusing as hell. Before she could either thank him for the drink or elbow him in the middle for being an ass, he was gone.
Eli caught the interaction, suddenly looking uncomfortable. “I, uh, won’t keep you. It was really nice meeting you. Maybe I’ll see you around,” he said as he nodded toward the bar, a last-ditch hopefulness in his eyes, as if waiting for her to explain Cole.
There was no reasonable explanation for Cole.
