Chapter 6
Six
“Is this seat taken?” Jen drags a chair from a nearby table and slips into it backwards.
Paige stands behind her, shooting me silent questions over Jen’s shoulder. I know she’s trying for stealth, but if she keeps cocking her head at Elliot, people will think she’s having spasms.
“We haven’t met.” Jen flashes Elliot her sweetest smile and offers her hand. “I’m Holly’s sister. Her much younger sister.”
I fight the urge to sock her in the arm. “Elliot, this is Jen.”
“Charmed,” Jen says, then turns to me with a tight-lipped smile. “Didn’t you say his name was Jack? Jack Frost? Jack Hottie?”
“Um… No.” I glare at her to knock it off. “I never said anything of the sort.” I can feel Elliot’s eyes on me, no doubt wondering why my ears were steaming. I am never drinking around my sister again. “And you know Paige,” I mumble.
Elliot gives Paige a gruff nod.
Okay. I see what he’s doing. He’s playing bad cop. A man of few words. Rude. Basically, Elliot’s just being himself. I suppose that makes me the chatty, good cop. It’s a role I’ve been born to play.
“So we’re all here,” I look around the cafe, “we’re all introduced. Did you two have fun at the party? Everyone get enough to eat?”
Paige nods. “The food was spectacular, as usual,” she says.
“It was a Thanksgiving to remember,” Jen mumbles, and immediately changes the topic. “Soooooo, are we interrupting something?” she asks, gesturing to our empty cups. “How come you weren’t at Holly’s Thanksgiving party, Elliot?”
“He was celebrating with his family,” I say. “Celebrating out of town. But I definitely sent him an invite. Right, Elliot?”
Elliot gives me the barest hint of a nod.
Jen eyes the both of us and frowns. “Where ‘out-of-town’?”
I turn to Elliot. “Yeah, where?”
“Queens,” he says matter-of-factly.
“There you go.” I kick Jen under the table. “Done with your interrogation?”
“I didn’t know you two were…” Her fingers wag between Elliot and myself. “Acquainted.”
“Of course we’re acquainted. We work on the same street,” I say, feeling the inexplicable need to get defensive. My sister brings it out in me. “We’re friends. Friendly small business neighbors. Practically coworkers.”
“Friendly, eh?” Jen cradles her chin and bats her lashes. “How friendly? Sorry for being nosy, but is this a coffee date or is it a date date?”
Sometimes I can see the blunt Asian auntie Jen will be one day. I guarantee, once Jen turns forty, she’ll start matchmaking like our Aunt Cherry.
I turn to Elliot. A little help?
“What is this, Elliot?” I ask out of desperation. I’m out of lies. I’m a horrible liar, actually. Given that I’m running for mayor, I should get better at fibbing, but my brain is all muddled today. Finding a second turd in my basement really sapped the creativity out of me.
“Well, we might as well confess,” Elliot says. “Ladies, Holly and I are going to be spending a lot of time together in the future.”
Jen and Paige swap surprised glances.
Heck, I’m equally riveted.
What’s Elliot going to say? He’s not going to spill the beans, is he?
“Yeah,” I jump in, trying not to sound too awkward. “I told you we were friends.”
“We’re more than just friends.” Elliot leans back in his seat. “We’re dating.”