"What do you think they're talking about out there, Swan?"
Killian sat right next to Emma as they both took over the corner of the bar, necks twisted and bent to properly spy on the couple currently loitering at the far end of the pier. He didn't feel bad for spying on his brother — not when he was in public and pointedly ignoring the oncoming lunch rush they were about to get — but he didn't want to get caught, either.
"Whatever it is, it's definitely not the scenery. He could've picked a better excuse than 'going out to see the otters playing under the pilings,' you know."
"I don't think they were looking for a better excuse," he replied, meeting her eyes in what'd become a familiar look exchanged between the both of them. They both saw it when Elsa cornered Liam against one side of the railings and laid her hands on him, taunting him with her nose just inches away from his. "I'd reckon it was just the first thing he thought of."
Emma snorted and found it in her to tear her eyes from the pair, turning back to the half-finished plate of onion rings sitting between their elbows. He could see her mind working as she contemplated the smoked bluefish dip on the side of the plate, but even his faithful study of her couldn't prepare him for the moment when she turned more serious eyes on him.
"Is your brother a good man?" She asked tentatively. He dropped the small onion ring he'd been contemplating before when she faced him fully, knees nearly swiveling into his as she turned her chair. "If he has any intentions to get to know her better, are they good?"
It took him a second to place the spark in her eyes — fierce protectiveness mixed with loyalty and love — but he caught on eventually.
"She just — she didn't have the best home life growing up," Emma explained, choosing her every word carefully. He could tell she was trying not to give away too much, and he listened patiently as she bit the inside of her cheek and looked him over. "And if she's going to spend time getting to know him while we're here, I don't want her getting hurt."
Killian contemplated her more seriously then, trying to figure out just how much of her statement applied to her as well. If he had to guess, he'd reckon Emma was speaking just as much about herself as her friend. The corners of Killian's lips tilted up as he nodded, and his smile only widened at the relief that seemed to settle her shoulders. He hadn't noticed her stiffen up until he saw the tension melt away.
"Liam's a good man. He tends to miss certain things when it comes to details and he almost always misses cues to be subtle when the situation calls for it," he told her, nodding toward the window, "but he's not capable of much in the way of deception. You need not worry if something's brewing between them."
Emma seemed satisfied with that answer for the time being, but she did nothing to turn her calculating expression away from him. It felt a little she was scanning him somehow, like he was being searched, but the front door chimed open the second his mouth opened to ask her about it.
"Lunch rush," he explained wistfully, picking up the bar rag in front of him and tossing it across his shoulder. "You're welcome to hang about while I work, love, but don't feel you need to stay nearby on my account. I'm not likely to forget you while I work."
She huffed a little laugh at his flirtation, clearly soothed by their return to more lighthearted conversation, and rolled her eyes his way. The last thing he saw as he ducked through the swinging door to the kitchen was the faint blush on her cheeks, accompanied by her swift determination to study the small drink menu hanging over her head.
Killian paused at the hand-washing sink, biting back a smile as he caught sight of the calendar hanging by the door of the main kitchen area. Emma and Elsa had officially stayed a good five days over their initial week — Granny had cut them a deal on a room with two twin beds and an adjoining half-bath — and from what he could tell, they had no plans to leave any time soon.
It was interesting, getting to know two women who might up and leave any hour of the day. The sensible side of him kept remembering that they were only traveling through, that their spending money would eventually run out, but the more hopeful part of his heart kept insisting that he ignore it all. There had to be something behind their extended stay that didn't involve trips to the local naval museum and eating nearly every meal at their small, seaside restaurant.
"Party of five just walked in," Liam said, announcing his presence in the kitchen and pulling Killian from his thoughts. He made a bit of a show out of washing his hands, pretending that he didn't see the look in Killian's eyes. "What? I'm only a few minutes behind. The rush won't start for another ten minutes or so."
Calling it a "rush" was a bit of an ironic joke, given the small town they resided in, but early afternoon was always their busiest time of day. They were used to spending it together, maneuvering about the kitchen and managing the floor side by side.
Killian just shook his head and leaned against the clean countertop, crossing his arms across his chest. "You and I both know this has nothing to do with the rush."
"Do we now?" Liam asked him, quirking the corner of his mouth up. "Those mind-reading skills would come in handy out on the floor."
Killian sighed and rolled his eyes at his brother's terrible sense of humor, all while pulling out the ingredients they needed to make their fish pâté. "You can't distract me that easily, not when you're so easily distracted yourself. What were you out there talking about for so long, anyway?"
"You're awfully nosy, aren't you? I thought we were to be focusing on food for the next few hours."
"You've always been good at multitasking." Killian tossed the towel on his shoulder at Liam's face, laughing a bit when he just barely managed to grab the end of the rag. "Afraid I'll tell Emma?"
"You wouldn't be telling her anything she doesn't already know."
"Ah, so there is something going on."
Liam gave him a pained look, defeated and accusatory all at once, and pulled a cutting board out of its hold to rest atop the counter. "Don't act like I'm the only one around here who has eyes for visiting blondes. I've seen you and Emma together more often than not."
"That's different," he said defensively, a little too quickly for even his own liking. "She and I —" he paused there, unsure of exactly how he was planning to define their new friendship to his brother. Emma had gotten under his skin, he was sure of it, but he was far less sure of her feelings on the matter. Emma had been friendly, but nothing like Elsa to Liam. There were walls around her that he couldn't quite explain yet, ones she only seemed to fully lower when it was just her and her friend spending time together.
"She and I?" Liam interjected, reminding him that he'd trailed off. He looked concerned now, he's only supposed to be here for a couple more days.
"She's only going to be here for a couple more days," he said, both of them knowing he was trying to convince himself as much as his brother. "There's no point in getting carried away with something that might be nothing."
Liam stopped his search for the right knife and glanced back at him, eyes full of sudden understanding and pity that Killian wanted to ignore.
"Not everyone is going to be like her, Killian. Not every woman is going to leave."
He had nothing to say to that. Killian could only hold his brother's gaze for so long before he stepped away, muttering something about going to check on the entreés before rounding the corner. He knew Liam hadn't mean it harshly, and he knew he was even right, but it was hard enough pushing Milah from his memory without being reminded.
"I've decided something," Elsa told him and Liam the second they finished up after lunch, cornering them near the bar the second they emerged from the kitchen. "We're going sailing this weekend before Emma and I hit the road. I think we need to celebrate finding more in this town than we bargained for."
The blush that rose up on Emma's cheeks as she waited behind her friend was confusing, but not as much as the ambitious look Elsa shared with his brother. She wasn't just referring to Liam himself; she had something in mind for the weekend directly involving him and short conversation he and his brother had shared in the kitchen before.
"You want to go sailing?" He asked them, brow raised and eyes focused on the green-eyed blonde in front of him. His heart swelled a bit when she offered him a tentative nod, as if she felt the same reluctance to be a part of their scheming as he did.
"We want to learn," Elsa clarified, smiling widely when his eyes flicked over to hers. "What do you say, Jones? Can you show us the ropes?"
"Aye, love," he said, thickening his accent just to see Emma's smile widen a little more. "I reckon I could."