** Eli **
The pasta proved itself to be good indeed. Eli succeeded in coaxing Harper to try the sage butter scallops with house-made gnocchi, and he had quite a few good laughs as the girl stared suspiciously at the creamy white sauce before lifting a dripping bite into her mouth.
At the same time — much to his relief — Tyler didn't spend the rest of dinner frowning on those laughs, or on any further starry-eyed sips that the two shared over their Lovebirds drink. Between praising his own food in pleasant surprise and dodging Chelsea's many hilarious comments on both the restaurant and the company at the table, the grumpy guy's mood visibly lifted over time, and he even deigned to share a toast with Eli without grudging snark involved.
It looked like Harper was truly a genius for setting up this dinner arrangement, making it work out so well to their advantage and successfully easing her meddling brother into the new role of a future brother-in-law.