Page 29 of Wildflower Hearts
Elias glared at him. “Dude.”
“Sorry.”
She didn’t fail to notice he only shot his brother an apologetic look. “Elias may not want to stand up to you about this, but I do.” She ripped the cigarette out of his mouth and snapped it in half. “It’s bad for your health, and with your medication, I don’t think it’s entirely such a good idea.”
“Don’t do that again,” Noah growled.
“What are you gonna do, Mr. Big Shot?”
He stepped closer to her, his eyes flashing hot with sudden anger. “Don’t fucking do that again.”
“Guys, whoa.” Elias stepped in between them, pushing their shoulders gently. “What the hell has gotten into you two?”
Grunting, Noah threw the cigarettes, and the pack bounced harmlessly against the wall to fall onto the floor. The kitchen went silent as he limped into the dining room.
“I’m sorry, Elias.” She looked at him nervously. “I get rather uptight about smoking. My father smokes cigars all the time, and he thought blowing the smoke in my face as a kid was funny.”
He reached out to touch her face with his hand. “You two had me worried for a second. Thought you had some private war going on I didn’t know about.”
She bit the inside of her mouth and smothered her scream. “I don’t think he likes me.”
“Nonsense. You’re like the little sister he never had, one that hovers around a lot with a bucket of pills.”
“I don’t think that’s it.”
“Well, then what is it?”
She scrambled her brain for a quick answer. “It’s more like I’m the wicked stepsister.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” He grabbed the plate of sandwiches and the bag of chips on the counter. “Trust me, you guys spend a little alone time together, and I promise you won’t want tostop playing dolls with him. It’ll do him good. He needs more friends.”
She bit the inside of her mouth again just because.
Mark and Debra managed to untangle themselves long enough to return to the table. As they sat down, Billy swung stopped by the house to see Noah. Lyla sat nervously in her seat. He was currently sitting next to Mark and Debra. Elias had insisted she sit across from them between him and Noah. It was amazing to see them together, laughing and talking, while they passed the bowls and plates of food. She had insisted on making more than just sandwiches when Billy had shown up, adding soup and random steamed vegetables she found in their pantry. On days like this, she wished she could eat up her guilt or make it disappear by cooking more than humanly needed.
She took the sandwich plate from Elias, picked one to place on her plate, and handed it to Noah. He took it without looking at her, but the feeling of his fingers moving down hers when he accepted the plate made her eyes dart to his face. He didn’t look up, taking a sandwich, and he passed the plate to Billy.
“Babe, you okay?”
Her head swung sharper than necessary toward Elias. “Yes, sorry. I got caught up thinking about something.”
“I hope it’s not about work. You have a full week off from that place.”
She shrugged nonchalantly. “I hope they’re okay while I’m gone. That place can get hectic,” she muttered, taking a vegetable bowl from him. She dipped out green beans and passed the bowl to Noah without looking, jerking her hand away quickly as she felt him grip the side. She picked up her fork and stabbed a green bean without remorse. Someone cleared their throat, and she looked up to find Mark watching her. He took a sip from his glass. Immediately, she looked down and placed the bean into her mouth. She shifted in her seat, feeling her leg brush Noah’s cast. She quickly forgot her newly sworn vow of silence. “Are you okay? I didn’t mean to…”
“I’m fine. Pass me the corn.”
“Since when did you start eating corn?” Mark frowned. “You hate corn.”
“Probably around the same time you started dating crazy chicks.” Elias wiped his mouth, barely moving his head in time to duck the balled-up napkin from Debra. He extended the bowl to Lyla. “There you go, make Noah happy.”
The bowl slipped from her fingers and crashed onto the table. Lyla shoved her chair away from the table. Elias and Debra rose too, each patting at the small mess.
“I’m sorry. My fingers slipped.” She wiped the table, lifting the bowl of corn. “Here, Noah, sorry.” She shoved it at him.
“It’s no big deal,” Elias shrugged. “Sit down. I’ll get some more napkins.”
He escaped into the kitchen, and she retook her seat. She looked up at hearing Mark’s soft chuckle. He was watching her again, a small smile on his face, and his eyes darted between her and Noah. Slowly, he lifted his glass to his mouth.
