Lizzy pulls in a deep breath, but instead of voicing the apology I’m expecting, she looks past me and says, “Hello, Rafe. It’s so good to see you. How is…everything?”
“Everything is fine,” the man—Rafe, apparently—says in a tight voice.
I shift back a step, turning to keep Lizzy and the volatile man she’s acquainted with both in my sights. So far, he looks too stunned to get violent, but I’ve seen how he reacted when all I did was touch his wife’s elbow. The next thing I knew, this behemoth had shoved me out the restaurant door, ignoring my attempts to explain the misunderstanding and threatening me in such swiftly-spoken Rindish I could barely understand him.
“You look well.” Lizzy’s fingers tangle in front of her for a moment before she waves a hand toward her face. “I’ve been ill, so… I’m sure I don’t look well. No need to lie about it. What with the hair and the pajamas. Gotta love sheep!” She giggles so self-consciously it makes me wince.
Noticing my grimace, Lizzy shoots me a glare before returning her attention to the man who must be her ex.
No one gets this awkward around an old friend or estranged family member.
She crosses her arms over her stomach, tucking the stained hem of her shirt under one forearm. “I’m sorry for whatever Jeffrey did to upset you. He’s a huge asshole.” I take a breath to defend myself, but she cuts me off. “Not another word from you, Jeffrey. You did something. I know you did, or Rafe wouldn’t be so upset. Rafe is a very nice person.”
“I’m not upset,” Rafe says, his voice steadier than it was before. “And I get it now.” He turns to me with a curt nod. “I’m sorry I pushed you out of the door. I didn’t like the way you touched my wife, but….” He glances at Lizzy before shifting back to me and continuing flatly, “I know how it is with her. She’d drive the sanest man out of his mind.”
Elizabeth lets out a soft squeak of surprise, but when I glance her way, anticipating a return volley, she doesn’t say a word.
She presses her lips together, her throat working as she swallows. Finally, after a strained moment, she says, “All right. If that’s sorted, I’ll just take Jeffrey and be going. Good luck to you, Rafe. I heard about the baby. I’m so happy for you and your wife.”
Rafe’s chest puffs up, and his jaw tightens. He doesn’t look pleased by the congratulations, but he tips his head in acknowledgment before adding stiffly, “My mom’s watching Gretchen so Cristina and I can have a holiday. We’re heading north to camp in Wettingfeld Forest for a few days. I assume you’re not going there?”
Elizabeth shakes her head. “No. We’re going back to our cabin here for a few more days, then to our respective homes.”
“Your castles, you mean,” he says, glancing my way. “You’re the prince her parents are making her marry, right?”
“His brother,” I offer.
He grunts, disgust and pain flashing across his face before he regains control.
“But it’s not like that,” Lizzy jumps in. “Not the way you’re thinking, anyway. Things have gotten…crazy, the way they do with my family. You know how it is. I can explain it to you later, if you’d like. Maybe via email? Or a call?”
“I don’t think that would be a good idea, Lizzy,” Rafe says softly, shooting one last pained glance her way before tucking his chin to his chest. “Good night.”
Without another word, he spins on his heel and marches back inside, leaving Lizzy and me alone on the path. All the people who were lingering outside when I first arrived have apparently been seated. Or perhaps they just wanted to avoid watching grown men solve their problems with their fists.
On the whole, the Rindish are a peaceful people. Rafe’s hairpin trigger is the exception, not the rule. It’s hard to imagine Lizzy involved with someone like that, but clearly it was serious between them.
“Your ex is…large,” I finally say, breaking the silence.
“He is,” she murmurs, still staring at the door where he disappeared. “He always was, but he’s gotten even bigger since we were kids. He would have squashed you flat.”
“He wouldn’t have squashed me flat.”
“Oh, yes, he would have. He rarely gets into fights, but when he does, he always wins.” She frowns as she looks my way. “What on earth did you do to make him so angry?”
“I touched his wife’s arm.”
She frowns harder, clearly dubious.
I lift my hands in surrender. “I promise. I wrapped my fingers around her elbow. True, it was a bit too firm a grip considering she was a stranger. But nothing worth starting a fight over. But he didn’t even give me the chance to explain or apologize. By the time I tried, he was already threatening to pound my ass into the ground.”