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“Nice to see you two again,” Kelly says to Cass and Blake, and they chat for a few moments while I try to think of a way to cut the night short. A night I was enjoying until they showed up.

Then Kelly turns to me, saying the thing I knew was coming. “Where’s Reese, Eli?”

Fuck.

“Reese?” Cass asks, frowning.

“Oh yeah,” Jude says. “Haven’t you heard? Those two are a thing.”

I grit my teeth.

Neil’s eyebrows fly up. “Them too, Eli?!” He turns to Cass for some reason. “We discovered he was keeping their relationship secret from the staff, but we didn’t know it wasn’t common knowledge among the family either! Guess the cat’s out of the bag, eh Eli?”

My siblings are all gawking at me, and Seamus is looking at me like he’s concerned for my mental health.

“I’ve never known you to be so private, Eli,” Kelly says.

I shoot her a look. “You don’t know a lot about me,” I say, maybe a little too hard.

For a moment everyone’s quiet, and I hate how suddenly I feel like the asshole here. “I don’t need to broadcast my social life to the whole world, unlike some people.” I glower at Jude.

Jude shrugs, tossing a piece of calamari into his mouth. “I’ve got nothing to hide.” Nothing bugs that guy.

Kelly has an expression on her face that almost looks smug. But I realize she’s still waiting for me to answer.

“She’s on her way,” I say. Blurt more like.

What is wrong with me?

I try not to appear panicky as my eyes snap to Nora.

She looks like she wants to slap her forehead. Or mine. She definitely knows. “Well, she did have that thing,” Nora says weakly.

“What thing?” Jude asks, oblivious, like always.

I push up from the table, heart pounding. “I’m going to give her a call, see what’s taking her so long.”

With my phone in hand, I shoot off a text to Reese before I’m even a few feet away. I can practically feel Kelly’s eyes burning into my back.

ELI: Hey, what’s up?

I hit send, then I cringe.The fuck?

ELI: You busy right now?

Then before I can tap out another compelling bit of prose, I scroll through my contacts as I weave through the tables full of happy, boisterous people who aren’t pretending to be in relationships with people who can’t stand them.

There—Nora’s number I wasn’t sure I had. Relief blows through me. I fire off a quick text that says simply,Help!

Reese still hasn’t responded—never mind it’s only been thirty seconds—so I tap her number as I step outside into the crisp night air.

Hi, you’ve reached Reese Franc—

“Fuck.” I hang up.

Breathe!

For a moment, I’m deeply tempted to run the few blocks to Reese’s house to throw pebbles at her window. I try again.