money did, too.
Chapter 7
Eli
Sunrise on Ember Isle was beautiful. As golden rays of daylight streamed across the horizon, they lit up the top sides of the few clouds still lingering from the night before. The lush green hills, light beaches, and rolling blue shoals around the island glowed under the fresh morning light. Despite himself, Eli smiled as he rolled over in bed to take in the spectacular view through the walls of windows.
He and Dean had hired a housekeeper to tidy up daily and a chef to cook twice a day for them until the restaurants were open. It was still a while before lunchtime, though. He decided to get up and head to the grocery store. Generally, the staff took care of ordering and delivering food behind the scenes, but he wanted to get out for a walk.
“Mmm,” he sighed to himself as he flung his arm out to the empty side of the bed, then scooted over to take up the middle of the bed. Somehow, it felt a little less like conceding the empty space in the bed to Tom.
“What's next? Bargaining? Fuck, no, I'm not bargaining with him,” Eli mumbled to himself, then raised his hands to rub at his eyes and slowly sit up. He glanced around at the open windows, smiling at the memory of the previous night. While Dean had gone out partying, it was hard to match the peace and quiet of Eli's evening. He'd fallen asleep to the sight of stars across the ocean.
He'd fallen asleep alone.
No, I'm not going there. Eli stopped his train of thought in its tracks. He slid out of bed and stepped into the walk-in closet to choose a light pair of trousers and collared shirt for the day. After a quick shower and shave, he was ready for the day.
He knocked on Dean's bedroom door, but since he didn't hear an answer, he figured Dean was still out with someone or else fast asleep. It was only around seven in the morning, after all.
It wasn't until he reached the ground floor that he realized where Dean was: outside. Dean was making out with some guy who was sitting on the patio wet bar with his back to the window.
Not just any guy, either. Troy, the friend or partner of the guy on the wharf yesterday who had caught his eye.
Eli didn't know if Dean hadn't slept yet or if this was a “good morning and goodbye” kiss, but either way, he didn't especially want to see all the details. He rolled his eyes to himself and headed through the living room to get his shoes on and head out the front door towards town. Dean would text if he wanted company, but it looked like he was fine with Troy right now.
He walked slowly along the sidewalk down from the hill where his and Dean's rental property sat and overlooked the beach, glancing left and right as he went. It was already a warm morning, and with the clouds burning off and the sky turning clearer and bluer seemingly by the minute, it was set to be a gorgeous day.
Every day here was gorgeous. He'd forgotten how much the sight of the open blue sky seemed to open his spirits up, too. It had taken a bit of a beating over the past week. Feeling lighthearted again was a wonderful change. His left ring finger felt light, too, but in a good way.
He still had a bit of a tan to work on there. Wearing a ring for a couple of months had left a faint white line there, and he wanted that gone. I can work on that today, he decided as he walked.
Eli's first stop was the grocery store, which was always an odd experience. He'd only visited it two or three times last summer, since Tom had preferred to have “the help” bring the groceries in. Tom had been a bit of a dick to their hired help, actually.
The oddness of the store was emphasized by the way nobody looked up and greeted him or bowed like they tended to in the other stores. It was easy to tell who was there to work and who was there to play, and Eli naturally radiated a powerful kind of presence that tended to turn heads even when he didn't want it to.
In here, though, everyone was going about their own business. He could see
Chapter 7
Eli
Sunrise on Ember Isle was beautiful. As golden rays of daylight streamed across the horizon, they lit up the top sides of the few clouds still lingering from the night before. The lush green hills, light beaches, and rolling blue shoals around the island glowed under the fresh morning light. Despite himself, Eli smiled as he rolled over in bed to take in the spectacular view through the walls of windows.
He and Dean had hired a housekeeper to tidy up daily and a chef to cook twice a day for them until the restaurants were open. It was still a while before lunchtime, though. He decided to get up and head to the grocery store. Generally, the staff took care of ordering and delivering food behind the scenes, but he wanted to get out for a walk.
“Mmm,” he sighed to himself as he flung his arm out to the empty side of the bed, then scooted over to take up the middle of the bed. Somehow, it felt a little less like conceding the empty space in the bed to Tom.
“What's next? Bargaining? Fuck, no, I'm not bargaining with him,” Eli mumbled to himself, then raised his hands to rub at his eyes and slowly sit up. He glanced around at the open windows, smiling at the memory of the previous night. While Dean had gone out partying, it was hard to match the peace and quiet of Eli's evening. He'd fallen asleep to the sight of stars across the ocean.
He'd fallen asleep alone.
No, I'm not going there. Eli stopped his train of thought in its tracks. He slid out of bed and stepped into the walk-in closet to choose a light pair of trousers and collared shirt for the day. After a quick shower and shave, he was ready for the day.
He knocked on Dean's bedroom door, but since he didn't hear an answer, he figured Dean was still out with someone or else fast asleep. It was only around seven in the morning, after all.
It wasn't until he reached the ground floor that he realized where Dean was: outside. Dean was making out with some guy who was sitting on the patio wet bar with his back to the window.
Not just any guy, either. Troy, the friend or partner of the guy on the wharf yesterday who had caught his eye.
Eli didn't know if Dean hadn't slept yet or if this was a “good morning and goodbye” kiss, but either way, he didn't especially want to see all the details. He rolled his eyes to himself and headed through the living room to get his shoes on and head out the front door towards town. Dean would text if he wanted company, but it looked like he was fine with Troy right now.
He walked slowly along the sidewalk down from the hill where his and Dean's rental property sat and overlooked the beach, glancing left and right as he went. It was already a warm morning, and with the clouds burning off and the sky turning clearer and bluer seemingly by the minute, it was set to be a gorgeous day.
Every day here was gorgeous. He'd forgotten how much the sight of the open blue sky seemed to open his spirits up, too. It had taken a bit of a beating over the past week. Feeling lighthearted again was a wonderful change. His left ring finger felt light, too, but in a good way.
He still had a bit of a tan to work on there. Wearing a ring for a couple of months had left a faint white line there, and he wanted that gone. I can work on that today, he decided as he walked.
Eli's first stop was the grocery store, which was always an odd experience. He'd only visited it two or three times last summer, since Tom had preferred to have “the help” bring the groceries in. Tom had been a bit of a dick to their hired help, actually.
The oddness of the store was emphasized by the way nobody looked up and greeted him or bowed like they tended to in the other stores. It was easy to tell who was there to work and who was there to play, and Eli naturally radiated a powerful kind of presence that tended to turn heads even when he didn't want it to.
In here, though, everyone was going about their own business. He could see
Similar Books
Hell's Legionnaire
L. Ron Hubbard
Men and Angels
Mary Gordon
The Last Days of My Mother
Sölvi Björn Sigurdsson
Dance For Me
Alice Dee
The Winter People
Bret Tallent
Protected
Shelley Michaels
Moving Parts
Magdelena Tulli
01_The Best Gift
Irene Hannon
Modern Mind
Peter Watson