Eloise
Ever since I was a kid, my mom warned me that I was going to end up somewhere I didn’t want to be, standing in front of people who weren’t going to appreciate my fiery disposition. That someday I would regret the words that flowed so freely from my lips.
That someday was today.
Harmony Island Pub was packed for a Friday night. If the owner’s goal was to put butts in seats, karaoke night was a raging success. Everywhere I went, there were people bumping into me or talking over my head.
Good thing I didn’t get overstimulated easily, or I would have called it a night and headed straight back to the inn to curl up under the covers and hide away.
“Let’s get a drink.” Josalyn had to yell to be heard over the man who was currently singing “Sweet Caroline” and encouraging the crowd to shout “Bum, bum, bum!” every time it came up in the song.
The crowd was more than happy to oblige.
“Meet you by the bar?” Gaines asked. A group of rowdy guys in cowboy hats had separated Gaines and me from Josalyn.
She nodded, and I kept right behind Gaines as he pushed through the crowd toward the bar. Thankfully, two women in miniskirts had just collected their drinks and were heading back to their table, which allowed Gaines and me to slip right in.
Two men and a woman were busy making drinks behind the bar. From the shouts around us, I deduced that the tall, muscular man was Jax, the woman was Claire, and the larger, stocky man that was currently drying shot glasses was Remus.
“Hey, man!” Jax said when his gaze landed on Gaines.
“Jax!” Gaines shouted as they both reached over the bar to clasp hands and do the bro hug despite there being a huge slab of wood between them.
“Long time no see,” Jax said as they separated. His smile was wide as he glanced from Gaines to me. “Hudson said you were coming back for the wedding. Is this your bride?” He nodded in my direction.
I almost swallowed my tongue.
Gaines laughed. “That’s Eloise. My kid sister, remember?” He wrapped his arm around Josalyn’s waist and pulled her next to him. She’d been blocked from view by a large Viking of a man. “This is Josalyn, my fiancée.”
“Oh, sorry,” Jax said as he shot me an apologetic smile. “You look different.”
I wanted to joke and say, “I should look different, I’m older. That’s what happens when you grow up,” but Jax was no longer looking at me, and I didn’t really want to shout over the music to be heard. I forced a smile and waited behind my brother and Josalyn while Gaines and Jax caught up.
I crossed my arms and sighed. Nothing like being the third wheel.
“Bored already?” Hudson’s voice was low and close—too close.
Goosebumps raced across my skin, and out of instinct, I whipped around—bad idea. Due to the crowd of people around the bar, Hudson was standing mere centimeters away from me. It’s why I’d been able to hear him above all the noise.
I narrowed my eyes before I parted my lips.
I wanted to say something quippy. I wanted to tell him off.
But my brain wasn’t functioning and neither were my facial muscles.
I was completely frozen, and no amount of inwardly shouting at myself seemed to make a difference.
My brain had short-circuited, and Hudson could tell.
Hudson raised his eyebrows as if he were waiting for me to respond. When I didn’t, he reached out and patted my shoulder. Anger pricked my skin as I closed my lips and glared at him once more.
“Gaines here?” he asked as he looked around.
I nodded to my brother and his fiancée in front of me. Hudson stepped around me to join their conversation with Jax.
I was alone and annoyed. I wasn’t going to stand here any longer. I thought about saying something to Gaines before I left, but he seemed deep in conversation with Hudson and Jax, and I doubted he would even hear me. So I made my way through the crowd in search of a small sliver of peace.
It only took me about five minutes of lingering near the wall before a group of construction workers stood up to vacate their table.
I felt like a vulture as I waited until they moved far enough away to indicate that they were leaving while being close enough so someone else couldn’t slip in before me.
I had my butt on the seat and was scooting myself under the table when a girl who looked to be around my age walked up to the chair next to me with a relieved expression. But when her gaze met mine, her shoulders slumped. She was carrying a fruity drink with a tiny umbrella.
“Oh,” she said, and even though she tried to hide it, I could see the disappointment in her eyes.
“You can join me if you want,” I said as I nodded toward the other vacant chairs. “I only need one.” I paused at my words. Did that make me sound pathetic? Probably. I was a single girl at a very full bar.
She looked around as if she were trying to locate someone before she nodded. “Okay,” she said as she pulled out the chair across from me and sat.
I didn’t mean to stare at her, but she was right in front of me. She sighed as she took a sip of her drink and then glanced around again. I wasn’t normally a nosy person, but she’d piqued my curiosity.
“Are you looking for someone?” I asked as I leaned closer to her so I didn’t have to shout as loud.
Her gaze was back on me. She held it for a moment before her cheeks reddened and she glanced down at her drink once more. “My date.” She paused and then glanced back up at me. “I was set up on a blind date, but I think I got stood up.”
I could see that she was mortified to have to tell me this, and I felt bad for prying.
“What a loser,” I said before I could stop myself. She was quiet as she stared at me. It took a second for me to realize how my statement had sounded. “He is a loser,” I hurried to redeem myself.
Her expression was stoic as she studied me, and then she started laughing.
“He is a loser.” She started to visibly relax.
Her tight shoulders dropped, and her whole demeanor shifted as her smile emerged.
“Serves me right.” She sighed and pinched her nose.
“I guess that’s what I get for living in a small town.
” She dropped her hand and smiled at me. “I’m Isabelle. Did you just move here?”
I shook my head as I reached out and fiddled with the napkin dispenser on the table. “I used to come here to visit when my grandparents were alive.”
“I’m so sorry.”
I gave her a grateful smile. “Thanks.” I was never going to fully get over their passing, but I took some solace in the fact that I could now talk about them without tears welling up. “I’m here for the next week to help prep for my brother’s wedding.”
Her eyebrows went up. “Your brother? Who’s your brother? Do I know him?”
I shook my head. “Gaines Hamilton. He doesn’t live here either. But he knows Hudson Maxwell. They’ve been best friends forever.”
“Hudson? The owner of Sweet Beginning’s Bakery?”
I nodded. “The one and only.”
A knowing look passed over her face, and for a moment, I contemplated asking her about it. Hudson had a reputation back in college, and I wouldn’t doubt that it had followed him here.
“So your brother is Gaines, friends with Hudson. And you are?” She leaned toward me with her eyebrows raised.
“Eloise.” I reached across the table. “Eloise Hamilton.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” she said as she shook my hand.
Then her expression turned sheepish. “I wish we were meeting under different circumstances.” She sighed.
“I’m just…” Her voice trailed off like she was caught up in a memory.
Then she shook her head and blinked a few times before her focus returned to me.
I must have looked confused, because she smiled.
“I’m sorry.” She blew out her breath before she took another sip.
“That’s okay,” I said. It was apparent that she didn’t want to talk about whatever memory had just surfaced, so I decided to shift topics. “What do you do on the island?”
Just as I asked the question, Claire approached our table with her notepad flipped open and a pen poised over the paper. “So sorry it took me so long to get to you—oh, hi, Isabelle!”
Isabelle and Claire exchanged greetings while I sat and watched. Once they were finished, Claire glanced over at me. “Eloise, right? Gaines’s sister?”
I nodded. “Yep.”
She dropped the notepad and pen. “I remember him from the summers you guys used to vacation here.” She smiled. “I’m glad he’s having his wedding on the island. It definitely has the town buzzing.”
I smiled. “Yeah, I’m glad, too.” Even though Harmony wasn’t my hometown, it was my home away from home. I loved the memories we made here and the nostalgia this place produced.
“You’ve met Isabelle?” she asked. Her notebook was back up, and she was pointing in Isabelle’s direction with her pen.
“Yep.” I patted the tabletop. “We’re sharing a table.”
Claire nodded as I spoke. “Well, you have to check out her shop, Gelato Grove. The gelato there is incredible.” She punctuated her words with a chef’s kiss.
“Oh yeah?” I asked as I glanced at Isabelle.
She gave me a don’t-believe-her look before she smiled back at Claire. “Thanks. You’re sweet.” Then she turned her focus back to me. “My gelato is decent.”
“It sounds delicious,” I said.
“You should come by and have some this week.” She paused before she added, “If you’re not too busy.”
I smiled, grateful for her invitation. Gaines and Josalyn were currently the buffer between me and Hudson. But once they left, I was certain I was going to need some space. “I will for sure stop by.”
Jax called to Claire from behind the bar. She glanced over at him and nodded before she turned back to me. “Let me get your drink order quick,” she said, her entire body tense as she waited.