"He was just pulling shit out of his ass again," Shannon said, nonchalant. He grimaced a moment later at the wording, but forged on by adding, "Nothing we couldn't handle."

It was probably in their best interests not to go into the specifics of what had happened back in the kitchen. Not that Shannon would really hide it from Eli, but there were certain hair triggers to look out for when it came to the younger man. Insulting Shannon or their relationship was definitely one of them, as were unfair comparisons to Nate. "Is he sulking?"