Chapter 10
THEY spotted Casey outside Covent Garden Grill. The sunlight shone off her short, blonde hair as she paced, speaking angrily into her cell.
“You promised you’d be here. We picked this restaurant to give you a break from yours.” Casey listened for a few moments. “Fine!” She ended the call and turned to face her friends. “Oh, hey. Sorry about that. Ilsa can’t make it. Busy at Peaches.”
“Oh… sorry,” Alec said.
Casey’s gaze fell to Alec and Eli’s entwined hands. “Let’s go in, shall we?” she huffed.
The two men glanced nervously at one another and followed her into the restaurant.
ELI watched how quickly Alec was eating. He must have been hungry after his workout, because he wasn’t allowing conversation to slow his intake.
“I might head to Richmond on Wednesday,” he was saying, and as Eli gave him a cautioning glance, he added quickly, “Just to watch, mind you.”
“Just be careful.”
“I’m not even limping anymore.”
Alec had joined the London Kestrels, a local football team. And during his first game, as Eli, Ilsa, Tony, Lyle, and Casey cheered madly—and his loyal, but snarky, good friend Mirabell watched, calmly chain-smoking and occasionally clapping—he had raced up the field for a goal. Unfortunately he was limping after, and Eli nearly came out of the bleachers to look after him. But Ilsa had grabbed his belt and sat him down.
“I know this is a gay- and bi-friendly league, but Alec doesn’t need you fussing over him in front of his teammates,” she’d said firmly.
Even though Alec was all healed in time for the following Sunday’s game, he’d missed it in favor of Tony and Lyle’s move. Wednesday evening was their next training session, however, and Alec was determined to make it.
“I don’t want Casey to have to patch you up,” Eli said, and the two of them laughed, tangling their feet together under the table. They had practically inhaled their meals, but Casey still picked over her salad, scooting the cherry tomatoes off to the side in disgust.
“Huh?” she asked, having heard her name.
Eli sipped his tea and looked at her. “Alec’s team… the Kestrels? They train Wednesday in Richmond.”
Casey nodded, obviously still distracted, and Eli looked worriedly at Alec.
“Are you okay, Casey?” Alec asked.
“Yeah, just disappointed that Ilsa couldn’t make it.”
Eli brightened. “Speaking of… any ideas how you want to handle her birthday this year? It’s the first for you two as a couple.”
Casey grinned, suddenly becoming more animated. “At first I thought a nice intimate dinner party would be nice… very adult and all—”
“But?” Alec asked.
“But you and I both know Ilsa would never properly relinquish the kitchen to let someone else do the cooking. And if it were catered, she’d be critiquing all the dishes.” Alec and Eli nodded. “So I’ve decided on a big party at the house. I’ll invite everyone we know and ask them to bring a dish of some kind.” Casey smiled broadly at them. “She wouldn’t dare critique their cooking.”
Eli laughed. “True.”
“Is there anything we can do to help?” Alec asked.
Casey thought for a moment. “It’s still a ways off, but if I think of anything, I promise to let you know. Okay?”
“Good enough,” Eli said.
Casey glanced over the remnants of their lunch. “Dessert?” she asked hopefully.
“Casey, we just came from working out,” Alec said.
“And you’ve barely touched your salad,” Eli added.
She rolled her twinkling blue eyes at them. “The point of working out is so you can eat dessert without guilt.” She laughed, looking at them. “And I’m more in the mood for chocolate than salad.”
“None for me, thanks,” Alec said, paying his portion and standing. “I’ve got to get back to the university. But you stay, babe.” He kissed Eli. “Stay and indulge.”
“I think I will.”
They grinned at each other. “See you soon, Casey.” Alec headed for the door.
Casey and Eli watched him leave and then turned to each other, simultaneously asking, “What’s up with you two?” They blinked at each other and immediately followed that with, “What do you mean?”
They could read each other very well by now. Casey had been at Eli’s side during his recuperation and physical therapy. During that long, painful process, the two of them had become the best of friends. And the young nurse had fallen for Ilsa a bit more with each visit.
“Dessert?” their waiter asked, suddenly appearing.
Without even looking at the menu or the waiter, Casey asked for a warm nut brownie with ice cream, and Eli ordered peach pie à la mode.
When the waiter had gone, the two friends leaned closer, each reaching a hand across the table toward the other. “What are you talking about?” Eli asked.
“You and Alec were uncommonly lovey-dovey over lunch.” Casey grinned wickedly. “Don’t think I didn’t notice the foot play under the table.”
Eli blushed brightly. “Well, we… uh, we had an argument earlier.”
“About?”
He hesitated. “I… I pitched one too many tant—I got upset over Dray and—”
The waiter reappeared, placing their respective desserts on the table in front of them, and Eli dug in immediately.
“And?” Casey prompted.
“And nothing,” he said around a mouth full of peach pie and ice cream. “We made up.”
“Yeah,” she said, taking a bite of her brownie. “I know how nice making up can be.” Her expression grew dreamy, and he wasn’t sure if she was remembering something specific or if that brownie was very good.
“Your turn,” he said.
“Hmm?” Casey continued savoring her brownie.
“I noticed the tension between you and Ilsa at the party and earlier on the phone.”
She sighed, taking another bite of her dessert. “It’s just not how I thought it would be.” He just looked at her, not understanding. “I mean—hell, I don’t know what I mean.”
“You… you don’t….” He didn’t know how to finish.
“What?”
“You don’t seem like yourself when you’re around Ilsa, not like you are with me, with your other friends.”
Casey thought about this. “I’m afraid I’m going to need an example.”
“Off the top of my head… your outfit for the party last night.”
“What about it? You said I looked great.”
“You did! You were the best-looking bird there, but….”
“What?”
“Were you comfortable in that?”
“Clothes like that aren’t meant for comfort, Eli.”
He rolled his eyes. “What are they meant for, Casey? Making the woman you want think you’re someone you’re not?”
She stared at him, and then her eyes wandered over the remainder of her dessert. The ice cream had quickly melted, turning the once neat, perfect pairing into a delicious, sticky mess. “Been holding that in for a while, have you?”
He lowered his eyes. “I’m sorry, Casey. I just want the two of you to be happy.”
She looked out the window at the shoppers strolling through Covent Garden Market. “When I first began pursuing her, I remember you warning me that Ilsa and I were looking for different things.”
“And you told me you could do casual.”
She turned back to him and smiled. “I thought I could, but the thought of her with anyone else—”
“Makes you want to chew through a brick?”
She laughed. “Or hit the other woman with one.”
“I have a brick somewhere with Dray’s name on it.”
“Now, now, love. Isn’t that what you and Alec were arguing about?”
He looked around the room at the other diners, spreading his arms wide. “I don’t see Alec here, do you?”
They both laughed.
“What exactly is your issue with Dray?”
“He tried to come between me and Bennett, and now he’s sniffing after Alec.”
“But he didn’t succeed with Bennett, and Alec’s not interested in him.” He shrugged and took another bite of pie. She watched him finish it off. “Are you sure that’s all that’s going on?”
“What do you mean?” he asked, looking at her sharply.
“I get the feeling there’s something else on your mind.”
He began to fidget. “Well… this morning Alec mentioned something about us maybe finding our own flat.”
“Ooh, how exciting! Tony said there were units opening up in their building.”
“So you think it’s a good idea?”
Casey appeared surprised. “Don’t you? The two of you on one level and in your own home.” She paused, but he didn’t say anything. “Eli, what else would keep you in the house?”
“What about Ilsa? She’s already peeved at Tony and Lyle.”
“No, she isn’t.” He stared at her until she rethought her position. “Okay, perhaps… but—”
“I’m not…. I’m not ready to completely undo our family.”
“This is about Bennett.”
“No—”
“Yes, it is!” A couple of heads turned toward their table, and Casey lowered her voice. “What did Alec say when you told him you didn’t want to move out?”
Eli signaled to the waiter for the bill but didn’t say anything.
He finally looked into her eyes. “We haven’t talked about it yet.” Casey was clearly confused, and he told her about that morning and how he’d pretended not to hear Alec.
Casey smiled, shaking her head. “Smooth move, Casanova.”
He laughed. “What was I supposed to say? At first I was so stunned I couldn’t speak… and I sort of just let the silence stretch out, and then he was gone.”
“It’s obviously on his mind. It’ll come up again.”
“I know.”
“What will you say?”
“No idea.”
They paid their check, left the restaurant, and hugged.
“Good luck with your woman,” he said.
Casey grinned. “Thanks, but I don’t know if I can exactly call her mine, sweetie.”
They smiled sadly at each other and parted ways.