seen an actual deer caught in headlamps, but he experienced a sudden onset of empathy. Bugger. If he’d been thinking with his whole brain instead of sniffing about after Tawny like some lust-driven horn dog, he would’ve seen this coming, should’ve anticipated the question. Instead she’d figuratively caught him with his trousers down. Simon didn’t feel like a very bright boy.
“It’s a bit of a mystery to me.” He was a terrible liar.
“Uh-huh.”
She clearly didn’t believe him. And he might stretch the truth to protect her from what he perceived to be Elliott’s selfishness, but he couldn’t knowingly lie to her. However, exactly how Elliott planned to handle this impending fiasco was a mystery to him.
She picked up her cell phone. “Let’s call Elliott. It’s not as if he’s busy or anything if he’s locked in the gallery without electricity.”
Simon winced inside. She’d be devastated to know just how busy Elliott might be at the moment.
Tawny speed-dialed the number and drummed her fingers on the counter.
“Hi, Elliott. Everything quiet over there? Fine... Nothing. We ate cold pizza and fruit. I asked Simon what it was you wanted to talk about tonight. Apparently he’s as in the dark as I am.... No, I didn’t intend that as a pun.... So let’s talk now.... I know you wanted to be here, but you might as well tell me over the phone, because you’ve aroused my curiosity. Don’t make me wait. You’ve got to satisfy me.”
Aroused...wait any longer...satisfy me. She talked to Elliott this way and he still got off on someone else? That told Simon all he needed to know about his friend. Since Elliott wasn’t dead, he must be gay.
“Yes. He’s right here. Okay.” She huffed out a breath and handed the phone across to Simon. “He wants to talk to you.”
Simon reluctantly took the phone.
Tawny planted her hands on her hips and glared at him. Brilliant. Forget a private conversation. Not that he blamed her. She had to feel jerked around.
Instinct told him he wasn’t going to like where this was headed. “Elliott?”
“Tawny wants to know what I wanted to talk to her about.” Elliott sounded positively panicked.
Simon leaned against the counter and crossed one foot over the other. “Right.”
“I can’t tell her over the phone,” Elliott said as if Simon had demanded he do that very thing.
Simon braved a glance at Tawny’s set features. “I don’t believe there’s a choice.”
“But there is.” He recognized Elliott’s wheedling enthusiastic tone. Whatever it was, Simon’s instincts were already screaming no. “The right choice. You tell her.”
Simon damn near dropped the phone. “No.”
“Yes. The more I think about it, this works out better.”
Maybe for Elliott. Cold day in hell and all that.
“Absolutely not.”
“Oh, come on, Si. You two already don’t like one another. And what else are you going to talk about? What have you got to do stuck there in the dark with one another? This blackout could last several hours.”
“Not a chance.”
“Think about it. It’d be better this way.” Was it only twelve hours ago that he’d declared nothing Elliott did could compromise their friendship? He was rethinking that position. “You don’t know Tawny the way I do. She’s not going to give up on this until one of us tells her. I can try feeding her some line about wedding plans, but when she finds out the truth, that’s just going to make it a thousand times worse.”
“I don’t see why your conversation can’t wait.”
“I’m telling you, she’s sexy and sweet but beneath those soft curves and big green eyes she’s relentless when she wants something. She’s a steel magnolia.”
Simon recognized that truth. He’d experienced it firsthand when she’d sunk her teeth into the topic of his love life. He considered banging his head against the counter or perhaps the cabinet. Anything solid would do.
Could this night possibly get any better? First he was trapped with a woman he wanted beyond reason. Now said woman was about to hound him to no end for news sure to crush her. And he was the lucky devil doing double duty. Not only was he in the firing line to be shot as the messenger, but who else was around to endure the messy aftermath? And when it was all said and done, he’d wade through hell and back if he thought she needed him.
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Simon, you are the best friend a man could have.”
“We’ll talk about that later.” This wasn’t for Elliott. This was for Tawny. Because she deserved