The woman let go of her husband’s hand. “Eli,” she said. “It’s so good to see you.”
She flung her arms around Eli’s neck. Her eyes closed as if she was relieved. His arms came up to fit around her, and he patted her back.
Once again, jealousy burned bright in Ava’s chest. She crossed her arms, but she fought hard to keep a scowl off her face. They were awfully familiar with each other. She snuck a look over at Niall, but he was looking on fondly. Maybe she was losing her mind.
Finally, Nora pulled away from Eli, and she turned her attention toward Ava. “You must be Ava. It’s so nice to meet you.” She hugged Ava, too, as if they were old friends. Instantly, the jealousy evaporated, and Ava hugged her back. It was weird, but she felt Nora’s sincerity. Nora really was glad to meet her, and she was reassuring Ava that she would never be interested in Eli as more than a friend.
Ava wasn’t sure how she knew Nora felt that way, but Ava was certain of it.
Minutes later, they were all seated and the waiter brought them a bottle of merlot. Ava had two glasses right away, and the conversation flowed easily among them.
As the waiter brought their desserts, chocolate creme brulee, Niall picked up his spoon and looked right at Eli.
“How’s the hobby coming along?” Niall asked. “Any weird signals lately?”
Ava picked up her own spoon and looked at her boss, intrigued. She had no idea what they were talking about. Eli had never mentioned a hobby to her. “Signals?”
Eli looked a little sheepish. “I do a little star-gazing when I have time.”
Nora finished her own dessert and stole a bite from her husband’s. “Star-gazing? He makes it sound casual. He’s got a full astronomy lab set up at his house.”
Ava was struck by how little she knew about her boss. “Are you alien-hunting?”
He ducked his head. “Maybe a little.”
She put her hand on his arm. She was genuinely curious, and she didn’t want to tease him too much. And Niall was an academic. She knew he’d be interested as well. “I think we all want to hear about it.” She smiled. “Will you tell us?”
He put down his spoon and started describing the equipment he kept at his house in Cape Meares.
She blinked. Nora was right. Eli’s setup would hardly qualify as a hobby. “So, you’ve found something?”
“I’ve been getting a signal for the last few weeks.” He began to tell them about the signals and the equipment he used to monitor them. As he spoke, he grew animated, far more animated than he was when he spoke about genetics.
She watched him talk, captivated by his obvious passion for the topic. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t known this about him. He must keep this side of himself locked down tight. And it was sexy as hell. She already had a thing for smart guys, and she was insanely attracted to Eli. Now, seeing him in his element, a low stirring of arousal swirled in her belly.
“You know, we have a lab over at the university,” Niall said. “You’re welcome to use it.”
Eli couldn’t hide his excitement. “Really? Now?”
“Of course. We can all go.”
Eli’s head whipped to the side. He looked right at her, then he hesitated. He chuckled. “I don’t want to make everyone go hang out in a lab.”
Nora smiled. “We love being at the university. And I’d like to learn more about your research.”
Niall nodded. “Me, too. I might be a geography professor, but I always want more knowledge.”
Ava chimed in. “I agree.”
“If you’re all sure,” he said. They finished off their dessert and their wine, and Niall drove them all to the lab.
In the backseat, Ava wanted to scoot closer to Eli, but restrained herself. She also wanted to take his hand, but she kept herself from doing that, too.
“If you want to go back to the hotel, we can make a stop there.”
She frowned. Did he not want her there? “I want to see the lab.”
“Okay. Great,” he said. But his voice was strained.
“What’s going on? You can tell me.”
He looked away from her first and then turned his head toward her. His handsome face was illuminated by the dim streetlights. “I’m not accustomed to anyone wanting to know about my experiments.”
“Your family gives you a hard time?”
As she’d told Eli earlier, her family gave her a hard time, too. She understood. They still didn’t understand why she wouldn’t join the law firm. At least once a month, she got a text telling her it wasn’t too late to take the LSAT and go to law school.
“Not my family.”
This was like pulling teeth. “Friends?” Then it hit her. He must be talking about women. Romantic partners. “Oh. You mean people you’ve dated. Relationships.”
“Yes.”
“She didn’t like your hobby? How is monitoring activity in space a problem? It’s not like you were hurting anyone.”
“She said I was obsessed.”
“Well, yeah. You’re a scientist. Comes with the territory.”
“Not everyone feels that way. She wasn’t the only one. It’s happened three times now.”
“Well, then. You just need to date people who have obsessions of their own.”
He grinned down at her. “I’m sure you’re right,” he said, and then they were at the university.
Ava watched Eli as he looked around the lab. It was a very nice setup. He skimmed his hand over the top of one of the monitors and then sat down at one of the computers. “Let me log into my work station at home.”
Then, he began to explain what he was doing to the three of them, and he showed them the map of the Arctic Circle where the strange signals were originating from. Niall and Nora
