can’t know any of that. Not yet, at least. I will be honest with him eventually, but that moment will have to wait until the time is right.
I bury the need to be truthful, schooling my features and hiding all the emotions churning inside me, and with an unassuming smile say instead, “No, I don’t think so.”
The lie hurts despite the easy way it slips off my tongue.
I can see from the way his brow furrows that he isn’t convinced. I know what the connection between us is; he doesn’t. It’s an unfair advantage I have—only unfair if you don’t count the agonising years I’ve spent searching for him.
I let him drink his fill of me as his eyes roam the planes of my face, open curiosity in his gaze, along with a hefty dose of disbelief, and I use the moment to do the same until a throat clears beside us.
Dropping my hand without getting that first contact is agony, and I once more turn to face Iris even though I don’t want to take my gaze off Ellis for even a second.
“Well, uh, now that introductions are out of the way, did you want to take a look at the room?”
I’m about to add a verbal affirmation to my nod when Ellis interrupts. His voice is deep and endless, sinking into my bones and settling there.
“I’ll take him up. You can cash in and head home if you want.” He tears his gaze away from my face and softens his tone with, “It’s been a busy day. Why not get an early finish for once? We can cope without you for closedown.”
Iris blinks, her eyes flicking from Ellis to me and then back again, and I can tell this isn’t something she was expecting or that happens often by the way her eyes bore into his, her expression asking questions her mouth hasn’t voiced.
“Are you sure? I mean I can—”
“Totally sure.” Ellis cuts her off once more. “Now get out of here before I change my mind.” Then he looks at me and through a tight jaw adds, “If you’d like to finish your drink, I’ll show you upstairs once I’ve sorted some things in the kitchen. Shouldn’t be more than ten minutes.”
He doesn’t give me a chance to respond, turning on his heels and striding back the way he came. I stare after him, legs restless with the need to follow until he disappears from view.
“Well, that wasn’t weird,” Iris mutters at my side, her gaze also on the door still swinging with Ellis’s departure.
I turn my head to look at her and paste on a smile I don’t feel.
That’s not the way it was supposed to go.
“He’s not usually that…” She struggles to find a suitable word and eventually settles on “brusque.”
“It’s fine.” I shrug, lifting my drink to my lips with a shaky hand. “End of the day and all that.”
She huffs out a laugh. “Yeah, I guess.”
Silence stretches out between us, and I can tell she wants to say more, but I don’t encourage it, sipping my drink and ignoring the feel of her astute gaze.
“Well, I’ll, uh, get myself out of here before he changes his mind. I can’t remember the last time he gave anyone an early finish. Let alone me.”
She offers a cheery wave to the man behind the bar who served me earlier, much to his bemusement, and then says, “Goodnight, Macsen. Maybe I’ll call over to the manor and see what plans you have for her. I haven’t been there in years. It will be good to see the old girl restored to her former glory.”
“Sure, anytime,” I offer, meaning it but needing to see Ellis return more than I need to make small talk with a pretty girl.
“Okay, great.” She smiles at me, but it still holds a little concern. “I’ll probably see you tomorrow. Hopefully, my grumpy cousin is in a better mood when he comes back out, and doesn’t scare you off us Lily Bay locals for good.”
I laugh at that. “I think that’s impossible. I’m not going anywhere.”
Iris slips off her apron, giving me one last goodbye before disappearing through a door at the other side of the bar. Moments later, she emerges with a bag and jacket, says goodbye to her colleagues, and gives me one last wave before heading off into the night.
“Refill?”
I look up to see the same barkeeper as before, only this time, he’s taking the measure of me alongside his