“We’re acquaintances,” Aria cut in. “I’m interviewing him for an article, but it can wait until Monday. Mr. Lockwood is just overeager.” As neatly as that, she’d managed to direct him to the door.

Was she embarrassed by him? He hadn’t considered the possibility, and it made him uncomfortable. Women had always been proud to take him home.

“Your company has bought the balance lot of the subdivision on the hill, right?” Cooper Simons asked without turning away from the barbeque. “Lakeview?”

“That’s right.” He sensed the mood in the room shift and wondered if perhaps he shouldn’t have been so honest.

“You’re making life difficult for a lot of people,” Justin said.

“I don’t mean anyone any harm,” Eli replied cautiously. “It’s business.”

“For some people, poor business means no food on the table,” Justin retorted.

“Oh, hush up,” Aria’s mother ordered, rolling her eyes. “I’m sorry, Elijah. My son fancies a florist who will be facing competition from your new mall. That’s why he’s being such a grouch.”

“Emily will be all right,” Avery said. “She’s clever and talented. Plenty of people will still buy from her.”

“We’ll see,” Justin grumbled, his cheeks flaming red.

“How long have you known our Aria?” Cooper asked, nimbly changing the subject.

“Just for a few days,” Eli replied, grateful for a respite from the questions about his business but wary of Cooper’s scrutiny as well. The other man didn’t seem as blatantly hostile as his brother, but experience had taught Eli that that didn’t mean much.

Cooper turned to Aria. “Say, what were you up to today, Ri? Heard from Hemi he saw you at the beach in Timaru.”

“Yeah,” she replied cautiously, begging Eli with her eyes not to give her up. “I was there with a girlfriend.”

“That’s funny.” Cooper grinned, his smile reminding Eli of a cat toying with a mouse. “Hemi said you were with a man.”

“My friend’s brother,” she said quickly.

Eli watched the interchange with interest, noting that Cooper’s gaze slid from him to Aria and back.

“You kiss all your friends’ brothers, Ri? Or just the lucky ones?”

Donna gasped and dropped the pack of cards. “You went on a date today? Why didn’t you tell us, darling? Who was it with? How did it go?”

Eli smiled despite himself. Aria pinned him with a look. If looks could kill…

“It went badly, Mum,” she muttered through gritted teeth. “That’s why I didn’t mention it.”

“Oh, but I’m so glad to hear you’re putting yourself out there again. It’s been long enough.” Apparently, Eli wasn’t the only one having a dry spell. At least he didn’t have to deal with his family pushing him to get back into the dating game. “I never understood why you broke up with that lovely Hemi,” Donna continued.