Page 23 of The Story of Us
“Did the coffee burn you?”
Her cheeks heated, and Eloise ducked her head. “It’s fine. I’m-I’m fine.”
“You should have a cool shower for twenty minutes or so. No hot water. I googled it.”
“Joanie will have burn cream at home.”
Nate gave her a stern look before turning back to the cooktop. “Dr Google says no burn cream.”
“Dr Google doesn’t know everything.”
He lifted a spatula, glancing at her over his shoulder. “True, but the article I read was from the Harvard Medical School. Feels like maybe they’d know what’s up.”
She fiddled with the clasp on one of her heels.
“Eloise.” Nate sighed. “Go take a shower. Just in case. I’ll find something for you to wear, too. Then I’ll feed you and take you home. Promise.”
“And we’ll never speak of this again?”
He flipped a pancake. Sent her a reassuring smile that made her feel almost human again.
“Never again.”
She was halfway down the hallway when he called out. His words stopped her in her tracks.
“We might need to talk about how your brother thinks we’re dating, though.”
She spun around, a hand reaching out for the wall to steady herself before she crept back to the kitchen. “Why would Charlie think that?”
Nate picked up his mug with two hands and leant forward until his elbows rested on the timber benchtop. His smirk melted into the most adorable little smile.
“Probably because you kissed me last night.”
8
If Garrett called Nate’s brothers ‘snacks’ one more time, his eyes were going to roll right out of his head.
“I thought all those brothers of yours would be hearing about this woman you’ve fallen for. Not that I’m complaining. Consider me a full-service agent. Come for the book deals and stay for the dating advice. When are you going to see her again?”
Nate should’ve just said his weekend was fine when Garrett had asked. Instead, apparently, he’d smiled.Really lit up.Garrett was always like a dog with a bone but when he could smell gossip? The man went full bloodhound.
“There’s something wrong with the connection.”
Garrett’s laugh was obnoxiously joyful. Damn him. “You must really like her. We’ve never talked about a woman before.”
“And we’re not going to start now. What’s the big news?”
“Nice segue, heartbreaker. Don’t think we won’t be circling back to this topic at the end. Or the fact that you still haven’t sent me the finished manuscript.”
Nate had wondered how long it would take for Garrett to bring that up. “It’s almost ready. I’m just polishing it.” Words had been pouring out of him all weekend. He’d barely eaten or slept, consumed by crafting the perfect end to his series. Well, Nate had also expendedsomeenergy imagining what Eloise had been doing in his bed with that rabbit. He shifted in his seat and forced himself to focus.
“You and your constant need to polish the story a million times. Send me what you’ve got. Now, slap a smile on your face and tell me I’m pretty.”
“Garrett.” Nate stifled a laugh.
“Nate.”
He exhaled loudly. “You’re pretty.”
