Lisa, and Lou leaned over the railing to watch. Each of them offered some version of, “Take care of our girl, Hutch!”
“They’re drunk,” Elli said with a wave of her hand. “I mean, I am, too, but only a little. Sorry you had to hear that.”
“Don’t be,” Brady said.
Elliott bent to nuzzle Lila. “Aren’t you so cute! I love dogs. I couldn’t have one before. Neil didn’t like pet hair. But you’re probably too good of a girl to shed, aren’t you?”
Lila wagged her tail, pushing against Elli and almost knocking her over. Elli scratched Lila’s flank and murmured to the dog some more.
Despite the adorable scene of his girls getting along, he gritted his teeth the way he did whenever Elli mentioned her ex. In his line of work, he came across men who abused their power in relationships. It never failed to piss him off. Hell, Lila’s former owner had been one of them.
“Come on, Lila.” Elli’s tone turned somber as she walked to the patio and let herself in to the house. No kiss for him, evidently.
Inside the house, he unhooked the leash. Lila glued her nose to the floor and began blazing a trail.
“She’s house-trained,” he said when Lila disappeared around the corner. “Just nosy.”
“She’s a great dog.”
Again, he thought how Elli sounded sad. “You okay?”
“I’m going to miss girls’ night.” At the sink, she filled a glass with water. “Want anything? I have water. Beer. Wine?”
“I’m good, thanks. What do you mean, you’ll miss girls’ night? You’re not gone yet.” Lila wandered by, her nose still on the ground.
“Yeah, but…” Elli ran a fingernail along the edge of the countertop, not meeting his eyes, “I’m leaving soon.”
“Soon?” News to him. “I thought you were staying another month.”
“Well, I need somewhere to go when I leave, don’t I?” she asked a tad defensively. “I’ve been job hunting this week. Once I find a job, I can find an apartment close to work. I like the idea of living in the city. I love Chicago.”
He’d known from the beginning she would be leaving, but he hadn’t expected her to leave this soon. Or maybe what he hadn’t expected was for six weeks to zip by so quickly. And he definitely hadn’t expected to like her as much as he did.
Elli bent and addressed the dog, “Can you sit?”
Lila put her butt on the floor, tail wagging.
“Good girl!” Elli looked at Brady. “What else can she do?”
“Tell her to put ’em up.” He pointed his finger like a gun.
Elliott mimicked the gesture and repeated the command. Lila pushed to her back legs and stuck both front paws in the air. Elli’s laugh carved into his chest like a knife.
He wasn’t ready for her to leave. Now wasn’t a good time for that conversation, but hell, when would be a good time? “Were you planning on telling me you were job hunting?”
She blinked at him, looking scarily sober. “Why’s it matter? I’m sure there are plenty of women who’ll gladly fill my shoes.”
Anger spiked his adrenaline, which shot down his arms in twin lightning streaks. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
She busied herself by filling a teakettle with water. “May and Lisa think you’re hot. I’m sure finding a woman to warm your bed won’t take long after I’m gone.”
“You think that’s what you are to me, Elliott?” Still pissed, his voice was louder than he intended. “A bed-warmer?”
Her shrug was weak, her eyes tired. “I don’t know.”
“Let me enlighten you.” He stalked over and gently gripped her biceps. He needed her to hear him. She tilted her head back to look up at him, and he was floored by the vulnerability evident in her wide, brown eyes. She’d seen pain in her recent past. She’d been kept down, marginalized. Controlled. She believed she meant nothing to the asshole that had trapped her in a relationship before. Brady would be damned if he let her believe he could shrug her off as easily.
“You weren’t supposed to mean as much as you do, Elli Bean,” he said softly. Her eyelashes fluttered, but her gaze held his. “I’d never stop you from pursuing the life you want. Never. You deserve to run down your dreams the way I ran down mine. But you’re not walking away from the Cove—or me—without me giving you a few reasons to stay.”
Chapter 17
Fear trickled into Elliott’s stomach as she looked up at Brady. Big, strong, handsome, safe, fun, sexy Brady. She wasn’t scared