ELI'S POV
Something happened last night.
I don't know what, but Colt is in the kitchen with his feet on the table and a grin on his face that's too wide for 8 AM, and when Layla walks in, the air between them changes in a way I can feel from across the room.
She pours her coffee. He steals a sip without asking. She doesn't stop him.
That's enough information.
Then Rafe walks in and Layla says something to him I can't hear from where I'm sitting, and whatever it is makes his jaw tighten. He puts his arm around her shoulders briefly – almost protectively – and walks her out of the kitchen without a word to anyone.
I look at Colt. Colt is still grinning.
"What?" he says.
"Nothing." I close my sketchbook. "Everyone's acting weird."
"I'm always weird. This is baseline."
He's deflectin
