herself to be blind to for years.
There was only one man that had ever made Seylah feel this way, had made her smile and forget herself.
And Elliot was not that man.
Chapter 6
“Now this is quite a spread,” Elliot said, looking down the line of tables that had been assembled in the town square. Each and every surface was covered in dishes of every variety, and Seylah’s mouth watered when she caught sent of the delicious offerings. Her stomach rumbled, and her hands flew to her stomach in shock.
“Oh, I-ah, well, yes?” She offered giving him a chagrined look. In all of her excitement over the picnic, she hadn’t quite gotten around to eating breakfast that morning, and it seemed her appetite was making itself known now that food was readily available.
He laughed and patted his own midsection. “I’m hungry as well, so we don’t have to hide our appetites then, hmm?”
“Hide our appetites?” She asked with a confused look.
“Yes, I once went to a similar function with a lady friend who refused to eat in mixed company, but you see it’s quite rude to eat when your partner won’t take a bite. I spent the entirety of our outing locked in a pitiful battle of wills with the young lady.”
Seylah laughed at the anguished look on Elliot’s face. She handed him a plate and asked, “Well, what happened? Did you get to eat?”
He sighed and took the plate from her with a chagrined look. “Yes, I broke not long into the outing. I know it is impolite, but I was left with no choice and she bested me that night. But, to be completely honest with you, I was glad to lose. I think I nearly fainted at some point on account of my healthy appetite. I hadn’t eaten much before meeting the young lady, and it is a mistake I take pains not to repeat.”
“So, then you’ve eaten already?” Seylah asked, dishing potatoes onto her plate. The humor in her voice was evident and Elliot chuckled, taking the serving spoon from her when she handed it to him.
“Oh, but of course. I wouldn’t dream of ruining our first meal together.” He flashed her a winning smile, and Seylah was unable to keep from being affected by the sunny expression Elliot directed at her. Though he was not the man that set her heart to racing, he was, so far as Seylah could see, a sweet, gentle, and funny man.
Perhaps they could be friends. True friends. Not the sort that she and August were … but proper friends with no blurry boundaries existing between them. She gave Elliot a genuine smile at the thought.
“I think I would very much enjoy having meals with you in the future,” she told him, moving along the length of the table.
Elliot practically beamed at her. “That pleases me to hear, Seylah.” He served himself brisket and then leaned close to her. “Is it just me, or are we garnering a good deal of attention?”
“What?” Seylah asked, and at her confused expression, Elliot dropped his voice to nearly a murmur, the effect forced her to lean closer to him to hear what he said.
“Everyone is staring at us,” he whispered in her ear.
She glanced around them and nearly swore when she saw that he was right. The townsfolk in attendance of the picnic, of which there were many given the allure free food had on a frontier town in possession of voracious appetites, was akin to moths and a flame. The town square was packed with people milling to and fro. Seylah could scarcely move without bumping into a neighbor, the effects of which she felt acutely when a passerby jostled her into Elliot’s side.
Elliot reached out an arm to steady her. “Careful there,” he said, still leaning close to her to speak.
“Thank you. It seems the picnic has robbed people of their manners,” she muttered, giving the backside of the person, practically sprinting towards the cakes and pastries, a sour look.
“It would seem so, but I can’t say that I do not find the outcome … agreeable.”
There was no mistaking the flirtation in Elliot’s voice, and it was enough to make Seylah stand up straight. There was no need to encourage his affections for her, not when her own heart was pulled in another direction, even if that direction led her right towards the one man she couldn’t have.
It wouldn’t do to have Elliot as a suitor when she could not offer her entire