Page 44 of Enticing the Elf
I point the bottle in his direction, and he puts his hands up to ward me off.
“No, please. I apologize. This shirt is silk. The water…” He shudders, as though even thinking about it is painful. I’m not sure if he’s joking or not.
“Why are you wearing a silk shirt to work?” Caolan asks as Alistair takes the mop and gives the floor a few cursory swabs. “David says work clothes should be practical.” His adoration of his boyfriend shines through the simple sentence. It’s sweet… and also weird. David Carew is admirable, I don’t mind admitting that, and he’s definitely a hottie, but I don’t think he’s worthy of worship. Is that a side effect of love? If Eoin and I stay together, will I one day consider him to be the ultimate authority on everything, including shirt fabrics?
“David wears polyester blend shirts,” Andrew replies with a sniff. “I don’t know where I went wrong with him.”
There’s clearly some very complex history here that only makes sense to the Earth species, and honestly, both Andrew and David have boring taste in shirts, whatever they’re made of, so I’m going to move this conversation along.
“Well, if there’s nothing you need from me?—”
“We do!” Alistair cries. “We need an update. The first date was on the weekend, wasn’t it? The panel needs details in order to offer feedback, and we’re the designated representatives of the panel.” He waves a hand to encompass the four of them.
I’m never getting control of this situation back. Note to self: Be careful when asking for help; it might not end up being what you had in mind.
“What do you need to know?” It’s the fastest way to get rid of them.
They exchange glances. “You were going to a baseball game, right? You said you like baseball,” Hagen prompts.
I narrow my eyes. “You knew it wasn’t just the game, didn’t you?”
They look guilty. “Maybe.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? Do you know how close I came to not being appropriately dressed?” I plant my hands on my hips.
Alistair frowns. “But you knew it was a ball game. How could you be inappropriately dressed for a ball game? Jeans, T-shirt, maybe a hoodie and ballcap. Done.”
Sighing, Andrew shakes his head and says to me, “I’m sorry about him. He thinks clothes are to keep you warm—unless it’s a costume.”
“Huh?” The overgrown hellhound still looks confused, so I take pity on him.
“It was a luxury suite, Alistair. Some of the other guests were wearingdiamonds.” Some were in jeans and tees, too, but that’s not the point.Iwould have felt underdressed in that.
“Oh. That sounds like a good way to make a ball game less fun.”
They all look at me expectantly, waiting to see if I agree.
I shake my head. “It was the best,” I inform them. “All the benefits of baseball with the added fun of free-flowing cocktails, food, and gossip. He showed how well he knows me.”
“So your clothes were okay after all?” Caolan asks.
My smile is involuntary. “Yes. Eoin told me to dress nice without ruining the surprise.”
“He gets points for that,” Hagen murmurs, “and for planning a date that suits your interests.”
The ball of hope that I’m no longer able to push down compels me to add, “After, we took Elsking to the park and lay in the grass under the stars.” They don’t need to know what elsewe did under the stars, but Eoin deserves extra points for ending our date on the perfect note.
“Aww,” Caolan says. “That’s so romantic. You don’t have a yard, do you?”
I shake my head. “No.” He and Hagen will understand how valuable time spent just lying in the grass is for me—for any elf.
“Wait.” Andrew holds up a finger. “Who’s Elsking? Do you have a child? Nobody told me that.”
“He got a pet rabbit last week, remember?” Alistair looks at me. “Elsking is the rabbit, right? There isn’t another person involved that we should know about?”
And just like that, any tolerance I was feeling flees. “Elsking is my new pet,” I confirm flatly.
“Why a rabbit?” Hagen asks. “They don’t do very much.”
