“My burger. There’s mustard. You know I don’t like mustard.”
“Sorry,” he said, taking a French fry out of his carton and eating it, looking across the kitchen counter at his brother, who was looking grumpier than normal.
“How the hell do you forget something like that?”
Oh, good, Connor was hell-bent on being an ass. This would be fun.
“I just did,” Eli said.
Because his mind was on Sadie. Because his brother could starve for all he cared, except he couldn’t really let that happen.
So he was here, pretending like he was invested in the meal he’d brought in for the two of them, listening to Connor bitch about condiments.
“Ace knows I don’t like mustard,” Connor said, glaring and getting up from his seat, going to the counter to get paper towels and a knife.
“He didn’t ask if the burger was for you.”
“Who else would it have been for?”
Fair question. “Kate. She likes mustard.”
“And you remember that, apparently,” he said.
“Shut up, Connor,” Eli said, watching him flick the bulk of the mustard off the top bun with a knife before wiping it, seriously wiping it, with the paper towel, then scraping it thoroughly with the knife.
“You don’t normally forget.”
“If you want a flawless hamburger order, have Liss do it, since she actually likes taking care of you. Or better yet, why don’t you go and order your own damn food.”
Connor took a bite of the hamburger. “Because you do it for me,” he said.
“I should stop,” he said, putting another fry in his mouth.
He heard footsteps in the doorway and for a moment, his heart leaped up into his throat, his body tensing as he wondered if it was Sadie with a disaster of some kind, or...Sadie for any reason, really.
But it was Liss, speaking of, walking around the corner, holding a big white box. “Pie,” she said, smiling.
Connor looked at Eli. “See, I bet she got it without mustard.”
“If you put that pie down in front of me I’m going to squirt mustard all over it, Liss,” Eli told her.
“Connor doesn’t like mustard,” she said, setting it down on the counter.
“Yes. We know.”
She dropped her purse onto the counter and her keys with it, sighing heavily. “Is there anything for me?” she asked, turning and facing the fridge, jerking the door open.
Liss had a tendency to act like she lived here, which didn’t seem to bother Connor at all. But then, Liss had been a fixture during his marriage, since she’d been close to him and Jessie both. “Dear Lord, Connor, you need to go grocery shopping.”
“Still?” Eli asked. “I told him to go two weeks ago.”
“I did. I went out to fill up my truck and stopped and bought beanie weenies and beer.”
Liss gave him the evil eye. “That doesn’t count.”
“Why not?”
“I’m eating your fries.”
“That’s healthy.”
“Fries before pies,” she said, reaching over and snagging a handful of them out of the container.
And now that Liss was here, and would probably manage to keep Connor from drinking himself into a coma before bed, it was time for Eli to leave.
“I’m going to take off,” Eli said, standing, shoving another French fry in his mouth and pushing the carton forward.
“Are you going to finish your burger?” Liss asked.
“No.”
She reached out and pulled the carton over to another stool and sat down. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Where are you taking off to?” Connor asked.
“Tired,” he said, lying his ass off.
