by Emma Hart
“You don’t agree with them?”
“I don’t know if it’s a matter of agreeing with them. I think it’s terribly egotistical of humans to blindly believe we’re the only intelligent life in an infinite universe, but I would rather they didn’t beam me up and probe me when said other life, who is probably more intelligent than us, finds us.”
“Well, their methods leave something to be desired,” Elle agreed after a moment. “But at least they’re not hurting anyone.”
“I’m not sure. Two years ago, they were protesting outside the town hall. The mayor sent a police officer out to move them on, but Maude took offence and hit him with her picket sign.”
Elle’s eyes widened. “She hit a police officer?”
“She did it in such a way she claimed it was an accident.” My lips curved to the side. “So she got away with it, but the police officer now runs in the other direction when he sees her coming.”
“What are they protesting outside the town hall?”
“The fact that the governments, local or otherwise, are hiding proof that aliens are real. They demand the truth at three o’clock every Friday afternoon.”
“What? Do they have a standing appointment with the mayor or something?”
“I wish I could say no. The mayor told them that daily protests were problematic and disruptive, but if they wanted to pick a day and time, he would take five minutes to entertain them.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “For real?”
“I’m not kidding. Go by there on Friday at around three-forty-five and wait. He’ll come out for the final five minutes, tell them they’re crazy, reiterate that he has no proof of aliens and even if he did, releasing it isn’t his call. Then, at four, everyone disbands, and life goes back to normal.”
“That… is a little strange.”
“Creek Keys is a little strange. You get used to it.”
“I’m not sure naked pensioners on the beach at night is something anyone could ever get used to.”
“You are not wrong.”
We shared a smile, and I turned back to my painting.
“I’m going to get some more water. Do you want some?” Elle asked, pausing next to me.
“Sure. Thanks. Do you have any ice?”
She smiled and nodded. “I’ll put it in a glass.”
Damn it.
I was starting to like her.
It didn’t hurt that she was fucking beautiful.
It was pretty hard to hate beautiful people. It was unfair—and also why I could never really stay mad at Arielle for very long.
I turned to dip my brush in the paint, but right as I did, Elle returned. I saw the water glass too late—we collided, and her gasp accompanied the shock of ice-cold water coating me. I was battered by ice cubes, and I let out a loud “Fuck!” when one smashed into my nose.
I was soaked.
“Oh, my God! I’m so sorry!” Elle dropped what she was holding—the water bottle and the glass. The glass shattered the moment it hit the wooden floor, sending tiny specks of glass flying across it. “Oh, shit the bed!”
“Bloody hell,” I breathed, dropping my paintbrush into the roller tray. “That’s cold.”
“I am so sorry! Oh, my God! Let me get you a towel!” She froze, holding out her hands. “Don’t move. I’ll get the broom!”
She rushed away like she had a rocket up her arse and grabbed the broom from where it was standing against the wall in the kitchen. She ran back over and swept it all into a pile at the side of the doorframe, then stared at me.
“Oh. Crap! I forgot the towel.”
I rubbed my hand down my face. Jesus, she was right when she’d said that she wasn’t loved for her grace or elegance.
“It’s fine.” I reached down and pulled my shirt up and over my head, then used it to wipe my face. The water had been oddly soothing—it was a million degrees in the humid mess that was Florida, but it was now uncomfortably warm from where it had stuck my shirt to my stomach.
Elle turned and froze, her blue eyes widening. Like the glass and bottle before it, the towel slipped out of her hand and fell to the floor, although that was decidedly less messy than the glass.
“What?” I asked, then looked down at myself.
I was shirtless.
“Oh. Sorry. Do you want me to put it back on?”
Her cheeks flushed a bright shade of pink. “No. It’s fine. I mean. It’s my fault. I wasn’t watching. Also. It’s, um. It’s your house.”
“I’ll run back to my place and get a new shirt.”
“It’s fine. It’s fine.” She held up her hands, then bent to pick up the towel. “Just, you know.” Her gaze drifted over my upper body, lingering for a second on my stomach before she swallowed. “Warn a girl before you start getting naked. Especially when you look like that.”
“Look like what?”
“A closet underwear model.” She clapped her hand over her mouth.
I fought back a smile. I was not an underwear model, but I appreciated the compliment.
She dropped her hand and parted her lips as if she were about to say something, then jolted when the sound of a phone buzzing filled the air. “That’s my phone.” She ran into the utility, past me, almost brushing right up against me.
I breathed in—not that it did anything—and hated that I caught the smell of shampoo that lingered on her hair. The unidentifiable scent mixed with the paint that was all over her, and I shook off any of those thoughts before it went too far.
The last thing I needed was to get too attracted to Elle.
And that was something that would be all too easy.
CHAPTER EIGHT – ELLE
The good news: Noelle Bond in Texas was willing to take on my case.
The bad news: I was now four thousand dollars lighter—and that was just the deposit.
It was worth it. I hadn’t lied when I told Theo I was conservative with money, but I also hadn’t let on to my earnings.
I made a lot of money.
More than I ever thought I would.
Until now.
There was no denying that my earnings were about to take a huge hit. Hell, they already had. It made me thankful for the lessons my parents had taught me before they’d died—the best one being that money was like the weather; it was always unpredictable.
I didn’t care about my apartment. As long as I could get my belongings, I had enough funds to rebuild my life, and that made me exceptionally lucky.
Or smart.
Maybe both.
With a sigh, I shut down my laptop. I’d spent the past three hours searching for a place in either Florida or Alabama or Georgia where I could stay but I’d come up empty. I’d even searched Cuba and the Bahamas, but that was pointless because my passport was at my sister’s house.
I doubted she would send it to me without packing her entire person into a mailing box with it.
I did not need UPS delivering my older sister in a box.
If I didn’t find a place to stay tomorrow, I was running out of options. There was no other option than having to speak to Theo and see if he would let me stay here longer. I wasn’t in any position to go home to my apartment or even Emily’s house, and I was quite enjoying Florida.
It was quiet here. It was sunny, it was crazy, and nobody cared that I was here.
I would have to publicly deal with the video soon, but that wasn’t today. Thankfully.
Hopefully, it wouldn’t be tomorrow either.
I grabbed a bag of cheese Doritos and stepped out onto the back deck. It was shaded at this time of day, thankfully, and I settled onto the rattan sofa to look out at the beach.
I almost had a flash of yesterday where there were three ladies gathered together, but it turned out the group was just a couple and their extremely large dog.
Thank God.
I was not here for another round of conspiracies with the old ladies.
Not tonight, anyway.
Besides, I was still
flustered after spending most of the day painting with Theo. I about had a heart attack when he’d taken his shirt off, and I wasn’t sure I’d even wiped the memory from my brain yet.
He was unfairly sexy. Like straight up, unfair, God was feeling generous with the good luck charms the day he was born.
Ugh.
The last thing I needed was to be attracted to a guy who just didn’t like me. No matter how nice he was to me today—I knew he didn’t like me. And that was fine. That was his right.
I just didn’t want to blush if I saw him half naked again.
“Any luck?”
I jolted at the sound of his voice. Turning, I saw him standing a few feet away from the edge of my deck. His dark hair was wet and dripping down his face, and a glance down at him revealed his soaking wet shorts and a towel wrapped around his shoulders.
“Huh?” I said dumbly.
“With the house hunting. Did you find anywhere?”
“Oh. No. I didn’t. Everywhere is booked.” I shrugged a shoulder and set down the Doritos, then licked my orange-dust-covered fingers. “I’ll keep trying. I know you want me to go.”
He rubbed the towel down his face with a sigh. “It’s not—I don’t—damn it.”
“What?”
“I judged you based on what I knew. Or what I thought I knew. I might not understand what exactly you do or why people everywhere are completely obsessed with you, but I don’t think you’re a bad person. Or the bad influence I thought you were.” He walked closer and rested against the railing at the bottom of the steps. “Yes, you made a mistake, but it’s not like you pulled a Kim Kardashian and made a legit porno.”
“I’m not quite that ballsy,” I admitted. “I don’t even like the lights on.”
His lips tugged to one side. “I’m certainly not going to force you to leave if you have nowhere else to go right now.”
“You’re not?”
Theo shook his head. “Elle, I’m not a bad person. I’m a judgmental one, apparently, but not a bad one. I can’t rent the house to tourists anyway. It’s off the website for the rest of the year. If you need to stay for two weeks or two months, I don’t mind.”
“You don’t?”
“No. Besides, having a pre-pubescent nine-year-old is bad enough without me throwing out her favorite vlogger.”
I laughed, bringing my hand up to cover my mouth. “I don’t doubt it. Don’t worry. I’ll still keep my distance.”
He shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. I don’t know why I thought I could keep her away from you, to be honest. She’d find a way like kids do.”
I smiled, because it was probably true. “Where is Ari?”
“At a friend’s house. She went over after her gym class, but she and Amy talked her mom into a sleepover, so I have the night to myself.”
“So you went for a swim in the ocean?”
“I can’t do that when I have Ari.” He shrugged again. “Besides, the water was the perfect temperature. It’s nice when the beach is quiet.”
“That’s why I’m out here.” I smiled.
He returned the gesture, grinning a little wider. “Well, I’ll leave you to your quiet.”
I nodded gently. “See you.”
Theo turned, but stopped after two steps. “Hey, Elle, did you eat yet?”
I froze. “Do Doritos count as dinner?”
“Yes. But don’t tell Ari I said that.” He grinned. “I don’t feel like cooking for just me so I was gonna go down to the diner and get some food. You wanna join me?”
My eyebrows shot up so far they almost went into orbit. “Really?”
“Yeah. Not like a date or anything. Just… food. I mean, if you’re gonna stay here, I’d like us to at least be friends. Plus, an Arielle-free night is a rarity, and I’d like to spend it with another adult.”
My lips twitched to the side. “I would really like that.”
“Brilliant.” His eyes matched his smile. “It’s not too far to walk. Why don’t we meet in fifteen minutes and walk over there? I’ll call Charity to keep us a table.”
“Sounds perfect.”
“All right. I’ll see you in a few.” Another fleeting smile crossed his lips, and this time, when he turned, he really did keep going.
And my stupid, girly stomach did a backflip of excitement and nerves.
Not a date, Elle. Not. A. Date.
I didn’t even want a date.
But dinner with a handsome, British guy? Well, I’d never done that before, and I could have worse plans.
Like eating Doritos on my own.
***
Deciding what to wear had been positively horrific. I was also really low on options and really had to venture into town tomorrow to get some more clothes if I was going to stay a little longer.
Honestly, I probably would have to arrange a removal company to empty my apartment, then have Emily send me down some of my stuff.
If Theo didn’t mind me staying, I wasn’t going to rush to leave.
That was a thought for another day.
Now, I smoothed out my light pink sundress and ran a brush through my hair one final time. After slipping my feet into some comfortable ballet flats, I grabbed my purse and headed out. Theo was already sitting on the front step waiting for me, looking far too good in a white t-shirt that showed off his deep tan and dark chino-style shorts.
Looks like neither of us could decide what to really wear.
“Ready?” He looked up from his phone.
“When you are.”
“Perfect. Let’s go.” He stood and pocketed his phone, then joined me on the road. “I’m meeting some friends for drinks after if you want to join us.”
I opened my mouth to refuse, then stopped myself. It had been a long time since I’d really had drinks with anyone, and if I was going to stay a little longer, it wouldn’t kill me to know more people than Theo, Arielle, and Charity.
“Sure. That sounds great.” I smiled gratefully. “I bet you don’t get to do that often.”
He snorted, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Almost never. Only if Ari stays over with a friend or Aunt Elsie has her. Maybe three or four times a year? And even then, there’s always a long list of stuff to get done without her. If you weren’t here, I’d probably find something to do at the house.”
I frowned. “You never get a break?”
“Nope. It’s just me.”
“But what about her mom?”
Theo sighed, shaking his head. “She died when Ari was eighteen months old. She made a bad call and drove after a night out. Hit a tree headfirst and died about two weeks later.”
Holy shit.
“I’m so sorry,” I replied softly.
“Why? You didn’t make her get in the car. We weren’t on the best of terms anyway, but it wasn’t the first time she’d done it. I was already fighting for custody of Ari because I didn’t trust her not to do with her in the car.”
“That’s how my parents died, too.”
“A drunk driver? Them?”
I shook my head. “Someone plowed into their car at an intersection several years ago. They died pretty much straight away.”
“I’m sorry.”
“People suck,” I said. “They don’t care about what they do to others.”
“True. I guess the only consolation with Freya is that she only hurt a tree. And herself, of course.”
“That’s not really true though, is it? Because it hurt you and it hurt Ari. Now she has to grow up without a mom around. It’s just selfish.”
“Well, you won’t find any arguments here. I agree with you. Anyway, that’s just the way it is for us. She has a lot of wonderful female influences in her life, and for that, I’m thankful.”
I nodded, and we spent a few minutes walking in silence. Theo kept us on the dirt track that lined the beach, one that was too small for a car, and I realized this was a walking path to the diner.
No wonder he said it wasn’t far.
�
��I have to ask. How did you end up here?”
“Huh?” He peered over at me. “In America? Or here specifically?”
“Either.”
He laughed. “My dad is American. He went to Oxford for college after he graduated here and met my mum. He got a job at the university after that and married her then. My grandparents on her side had a lot of property in the UK, and when they died, it all fell to them. I think I was fifteen when they decided to sell up and move to America.”
“Ouch. I bet that was rough.”
“I went from one year of school left to three. Yeah, that was shit.”
Dipping my head, I laughed.
“So they sold all the houses and came here, where my Dad’s family owned the beach house. They invested the money into building more like it, and here we are.”
“Where are they now?”
“Back in England. They come back every winter and spend six months here, so I get a little more time then, but I don’t like to impose on them. They split their time between Creek Keys and Key West.”
“And you own all the houses?”
“Yep. Dad was going to sign over fifty percent of the properties to me, but Mum told him that they were all mine, or none of them. The one at the far end—not the one you’re in, the one we passed a few minutes ago—is actually the only one they still own, but they pay me to maintain it.”
“That’s pretty cool. Are they full all year round? The houses?”
“For the most part. I’ve cycled renovations on them all so one is done at a time—or not done, in the case of yours.”
“That leaky bath because of the bloody plumber, right?” I grinned.
Theo chuckled, leading me to some rocky steps. “That bloody plumber indeed. He’s supposed to be coming this week, so I’ll let you know on that.”
“Good to know.”
“Here. These last few are rough.” He went ahead of me and stopped at the top, then held his hand out for me.
Welp.
I put my hand in his, hoping he didn’t notice the shiver that darted up my arm and left all my hairs standing on end. Carefully, I made it to the top and slipped my hand away before I did something stupid.
