He’s happy, she thought, and was glad of it. As a child, before his mother remarried, he’d been quite morose—which was understandable considering his home situation.
Chelsea watched him go to the deli counter. For all that he was very thin and looked like he could play Huckleberry Finn, there was a swagger in his walk that was kind of appealing. Maybe it was his adoptive father who’d done that.
As Eli stood there waiting to give his order, he looked around the store. There was a pretty red-haired girl to one side, and he smiled at her in such an inviting way that Chelsea nearly giggled.
When his wandering eyes got near Chelsea, she put the menu up in front of her face. He had changed! she thought. Maybe his looks were the same and he’d never be someone who’d set a woman on fire with lust, but he might be good company. The intensity of the young Eli that she’d been dreading seemed to be gone. Thank you, Frank and Miranda Taggert, she thought, and started to stand up. This was a man she could say hello to.
But when a second man walked up to stand beside Eli, Chelsea sat back down.
Hot! was all she could think. He was tall, towering over Eli, had longish dark hair, and a beautiful, chiseled face. He had on a black T-shirt that clung to a muscular, perfectly shaped body, then jeans that showed well-toned legs, down to a pair of heavy boots. Unfortunately, he—not skinny Eli—was the kind of man she always went after.
Chelsea couldn’t help staring at the man in the black T-shirt. Who was he? Eli’s bodyguard?
She watched Eli say something to the man, then he went to sit at a table, where he opened a leather notebook and began to write. He was two tables away from her, but the one separating them was empty. He really was one of the most beautiful men she’d ever seen.
“Eli?” the skinny guy at the counter said. When there was no response, he said louder, “Eli!”
The dark-haired man looked up.
“Do you want mustard or mayo?” the thin one asked.
“Mustard,” he said in a deep, rich voice, then went back to his notebook.
Chelsea’s mouth dropped open. Eli? This gorgeous creature was Eli?
When did he—? How did he—?
She couldn’t collect her thoughts. Vaguely, she remembered that long ago Eli had told her how weird his new father’s relatives were. “They spend so many hours in a gym they look like draft horses.” The two of them had laughed in that way children do because they know everything.
But it looked like somewhere along the way he had visited a gym. Often.
When Chelsea stood up, she found that her knees were weak and her hands were shaking. She could hardly pick up her bag. She didn’t dare look around for fear one of the men would see her.
Somehow, she managed to get out of the store. As soon as she was outside, she paused to take a few breaths. Coming toward her was a big man in a tan uniform and a leather jacket. There was a sheriff’s badge on his chest.
“Excuse me,” she said and he stopped.
“Welcome to Edilean and how can I help you?”
She smiled at him, the flirty smile she’d learned to use when she wanted something from a man. But this man didn’t so much as react, just waited for her to continue. His badge said Colin Frazier. “I was wondering if you might know someone named Eli Harcourt.”
“I do.” His voice was cautious.
“I don’t mean to pry, b
ut I haven’t seen Eli since we were teenagers, and I just saw . . . Well . . .” She didn’t know how to ask without sounding like a stalker. Pulling her wallet out of her bag, she removed an old photo from the hidden compartment. It was of her and Eli on their bikes. She was on her way to being the beauty she’d become, while he was scrawny and nerdy-looking.
Sheriff Frazier took the photo and looked at it. “This is Eli? He looks like Jeff.”
“Who is Jeff?”
Sheriff Frazier frowned. “I don’t give out information about Edilean residents.”
“Okay then, who’s the best gossip in town?”
For the first time, the sheriff smiled. “I’m not about to tell you that. Why do you want to know?”
“Eli invited me for a visit and I just saw him in the grocery, but then he called the other guy Eli. I found it all quite confusing.”