Chapter 4

Sunday afternoon,Eli and James arrived at Parker's house, a bowl of potato salad clutched in Eli's hands.

Parker lived in a small one-story home on the east side of town. There was a huge redwood in the back, and Parker had landscaped his front yard, turning it into a lovely garden full of native plants.

James made his way inside without knocking. "Hey, we're here," he called into the house, leading Eli down the hallway.

Eli set the potato salad on the kitchen counter as James grabbed a couple of beers out of the fridge. He popped them open and handed one to Eli. They found Parker outside, sitting with Hazel around a gas fire pit on the stone patio.

Hazel eyed them from her lawn chair. "You're late."

James grunted in exasperation. "We aren't late." He took a seat next to Hazel. She and James had been friends all their lives, since before they were born if you counted their mothers' friendship during their respective pregnancies. The only reason Parker had the title of best friend was because Hazel and James were more like twins.

Eli took the last remaining seat, which happened to be next to Parker.

"Good to see you." Parker clinked his beer against Eli's.

"Yeah, same. I mean, you too." Eli's stomach twisted. Why was everything he said so weird and unnatural? At least Parker didn't seem to notice.

It was kind of cold to be sitting outside, but looking around, Eli figured he was the only one who thought so. Hazel wore an unbuttoned flannel shirt over her T-shirt, and Parker had gone without long sleeves altogether. His arms didn't even have goosebumps. Maybe his bulk kept him warm? Eli didn't know. James was in his typical leather jacket, but he almost never wore anything else, so having it on wasn't about the temperature.

Eli set his cold beer down, pulling his hands inside his hoodie's long sleeves to warm them.

Hazel leaned forward in her seat, resting her elbows on her knees. "I hear we have six months to convert you."

Eli looked around. "Convert me to what?"

"Accepting Moonlight Falls and moving home, obviously." Hazel took a pull from her beer.

Eli gritted his teeth. "I have to go back to LA to finish my degree."

"Of course," James agreed, shooting a glare at Hazel. "And whatever you want to do after that will be great. Wherever you want to live."

"Gee, thanks." Eli picked up his beer and took a sip. It was as bitter as the words that had just come out of his mouth.

Hazel's attention remained fixed on Eli. "Oh, come on, I thought we got over this moody phase."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"The summer before you left, you always had that look on your face." Hazel pointed at him with her beer. "Why are you back to that?"

Eli's mouth dropped open. "I'm not."

"Lay off, Hazel," James cut in, glaring harder at her.

She shrugged. Everyone probably thought she had a point, and Eli resented it. She'd been around a lot when James moved back to take care of him. Eli had never thought of Hazel as a sister the way James did, but she was undoubtedly part of the family. Meaning, she knew way too much about Eli, including all the embarrassing teen shit he wished everyone would forget.

"Maybe we need to go for a hike next weekend." Hazel hadn't taken her eyes off Eli. "You always liked poking around the woods."

Eli had loved playing explorer as a little kid, and James and Hazel had often tagged along because he wasn't allowed to wander too far on his own. He still liked getting out in nature and couldn't deny that a hike here would be more pleasant than the dusty trails and blazing sun he'd endured in LA.

"Yeah, sure. As long as it's not raining," he agreed.

Hazel seemed pleased, leaning back with a nod.

"Are you still into spotting rare mushrooms?" Parker asked.

"What?" Eli twisted around to face him.

"A few summers ago, you were all about finding stuff in the dirt when we went hiking." Parker gestured toward the garden lining his back fence. It was also full of native plants.

"Oh, I forgot about that." Eli took another sip of his beer. He'd taken a botany class as a sophomore and gotten really into identifying plants and fungi. He'd even considered minoring in biology, but the coursework didn't overlap with magical studies at all, and it would have meant taking an extra year to earn his bachelor's.

"I learned more about mushrooms that summer than I thought possible. I still spot them sometimes, and all the facts come popping out of the depths of my mind." Parker chuckled, his attention fixed on Eli in a way that seemed fond.

Eli looked at his drink. "I can't believe you remember any of it. I hardly do." He also couldn't believe he'd talked Parker's ear off quite that badly. Parker was kind for having humored him and indulged his fixations. But then, what else could Eli expect. James was the same, and he and Parker had a lot in common.

They talked about the different trails for a while, debating where they wanted to hike next weekend. Despite always being included, Eli couldn't help feeling he was an interloper in the group. These were his brother's friends. Hanging out with them would always feel like visiting someone else's life.

He'd had his own friends growing up here, but he and his best friend, Sam, had a falling out before Eli moved away, and they hadn't spoken since. The rest of the kids he grew up with had moved away and not come back. Yet.

Eli wasn't sure why he added that last caveat. He didn't believe Moonlight called to people. Though if everyone else believed and acted accordingly, the result would be the same. So it made sense to wonder if his old friends would eventually return.

Parker got up from his lawn chair to start the barbecue, and James and Hazel fell into talking about work. Eli tuned them out. He was proud of his brother for reopening their grandparents' electrical shop but didn't need to weigh in on all the day-to-day drama of running a business.

Instead, he watched Parker start the coals. Heat settled low in Eli's belly. Parker was just so graceful. Everything he did appeared effortless.

Parker looked over his shoulder and caught Eli staring. He seemed to bite back a laugh. "Want another drink?"

Eli tried to ignore the fluttering in his chest. "Sure, thanks."

Parker disappeared, and Eli drained his drink. He was thinking about Parker an awful lot, and only some of that could be explained away by them working together. The weirdness from that first shift hadn't gone away, but the more Eli considered it, the more he realized whatever this was might not have started at the diner.

There had been an odd moment here, in Parker's backyard, months ago. Eli had visited Moonlight Falls for the Fourth of July before realizing he'd be back here for half the year. He and Parker had been messing around, and Eli had made a joke that sent Parker laughing so hard he'd doubled over. He'd grabbed Eli's shoulder, grip firm, steadying himself as he'd wheezed through his amusement.

Eli had been overcome with sudden nerves, almost like he had a crush on Parker. The idea had come to him out of nowhere. Eli only got that flustered around people he had it bad for, but all those people had been girls, so it'd made no sense.

He'd decided the moment hadn't meant anything. It couldn't have been a crush. Eli didn't like guys. He was just an awkward person, and that was why he'd been flustered. It was what he'd told himself, and he'd had no trouble believing it.

But if that was true, why had those odd feelings lingered, and why did everything between him and Parker seem to be changing?

Eli didn't like Parker. Did he?

Parker returned with two drinks and a tray of meat. Eli got up from his seat to swap out his empty beer. He paused, watching Parker adjust the coals in the growing fire.

"You seeing anyone these days, Eli?" Parker sounded casual, his focus on the barbecue.

Eli fiddled with the label on his drink. His insides fluttered and his heart rate picked up. "No."

"Thought that might be why you're so keen to get back down south." Parker shrugged.

Eli had used girlfriends as an excuse not to linger in Moonlight Falls in the past, so it was a fair assumption. "No. I haven't been seeing anyone at all." He paused. "How about you?"

"Me?" Parker turned away from the barbecue, his attention resting on Eli. "Na."

Eli drank his beer. He'd only asked to be polite. Really, there was no other reason. Still, knowing Parker wasn't seeing anyone felt…good. "It's probably not easy meeting guys all the way out here."

Parker made a noncommittal sound. "I manage." He shot Eli a conspiratorial grin.

Parker knew Eli was straight, so Eli wasn't sure what that look was about. Probably nothing to do with him, just Parker being smug about his dating prowess. Eli didn't doubt Parker did all right, looking like he did, combined with his genuine good nature. He was a catch.

"How's working at the diner going?" Hazel asked, coming up behind them.

"Good." Eli nodded. He'd only had two shifts, and neither had been busy. He hoped he'd get to work a Friday night or weekend morning sometime soon. He could handle it, and the tips would be better.

"All smooth sailing for you compared to those fancy restaurants in LA, I'm sure." Hazel raised her brows in a mockingly impressed look.

"I mean, yeah, kind of." Eli wouldn't deny it, and Hazel's ribbing was best delt with head-on. "Nothing's going to give me trouble at the diner, not compared to some of the other places I've worked." No one would be as rude as some of his city customers, that was for sure.

"Except for the shades," Parker teased as he set several steaks on the grill.

James's eyes snapped up, flicking between Parker and Eli, his posture rigid. "What shades? Did something happen?"

Eli glared at Parker, who wasn't even looking at him. "It was nothing." He turned back to face his brother. "A shade popped out at me after my first night, and I got surprised."

James's brow creased with a familiar line of worry. "You didn't tell me." He sounded hurt.

"There was nothing to tell. Really, James. It was all good." Eli hated causing his brother stress, but it was impossible not to. James had never been able to stop seeing Eli as the kid he was responsible for.

James glanced at Parker as if seeking reassurance that the incident hadn't been a big deal.

Parker gave James a steady nod. "I didn't mean it was anything major. Just a very Moonlight welcome home, reminding Eli to stay on his toes."

James seemed mollified by Parker's comment, which annoyed Eli further. Couldn't his brother take his word for it? Couldn't he be on even footing with the rest of them, or was it always going to be James, Parker, and Hazel on one level and him on another?