Page 18 of Rules of Engagement
"He was here earlier but took the bike somewhere to scope out a business."
Mac had his hand in a little of everything. Investments, chain stores, restaurants. When debating an investment, he liked to go as a customer to check out the management and staff before making a final decision.
Carter nodded, a tug of envy in his heart over his friend's two-wheeled adventure. He'd put his bike in storage the day after Piper had been born, determined not to take any chances when he had a kid to raise. His parents had been killed in a car accident, and while he was a safe biker, far too many motorcycle riders were taken down because of other drivers. "Where's Amelia?"
"She's meeting Eliza and Izzy for a dress fitting."
"On a Sunday?" he asked, glancing at his watch to note the time.
"Eliza pulled some strings to make it happen so Amelia could get the ball rolling."
"Good. That's cool. I, uh, saw Eliza yesterday," Carter said. "When Piper and I went to the beach."
"So I heard."
After the nonstop interrogation by the ladies, he wasn't surprised the news had traveled. "Yeah, one of Eliza's workers didn't show and wasn't there to put together an arbor for a wedding, so I helped her out."
Carter felt Lincoln's gaze boring a hole into him.
"Why do I get the feeling there's more to the story?"
Carter inhaled and sighed, wondering how his older brother always knew when he was holding back. Some kind of sixth sense? Considering Linc had been his guardian since Carter was thirteen, Carter would believe it. He'd certainly given Lincoln reason to be thorough in his questioning during those years. "I asked her out."
Lincoln sat forward in his chair.
"You demanded a date for payment?" his brother asked quietly.
"I didn't demand anything."
"You couldn't have justhelpedher out?"
Carter grimaced at the lecturing tone of Lincoln's voice. Amelia and Marsali had thought it romantic when he'd mentioned the asking to them. "Ididhelp her out. She mentioned not knowing how to repay me so I—"
"Demanded a date," Lincoln growled. "Did you really think that would work?"
"I don't know, maybe?"
"Carter, Eliza isn't one of your barflies."
"I know that."
"Then why are you treating her like one?"
"Treating her like… How is asking her out a bad thing? I just tried to snag a date that way since she said she wasn't interested."
That sound. Carterhated itwhen Lincoln made that sound, sort of a cross between a sigh and a grunt and something else completely chock full of censure.
"When did Eliza say that?"
Ah, man. Would he ever learn to keep his mouth shut? "The, uh, night you and Mac went to pick up the girls and I tagged along."
"When you walked Eliza to her room."
"Yeah."
"Youtriedsomething with her that night?"
Carter's mind slid back in time to his first glimpse of Eliza in her tipsy state. She'd sat there with her dark hair and flashing green eyes. Beautiful, soft, classy—yet adorably kissable. "Not really."
