Even after she’d been less than friendly during their chat, he’d saved her from humiliation with Karina Black. Then, he’d walked her outside and made sure she was breathing, even using his old technique of distraction to stave off her hyperventilation. Her preferred method had always been him kissing her on her forehead, and against every ounce of self-preservation she had, she’d been disappointed that he hadn’t.
The truth about Eli Bishop was simple. He’d caused her more pain than any other person ever had or ever could. Her brain knew that. Her body was more focused on the flip side of that coin. He’d also given her more pleasure than any person ever had, or she feared ever could.
That was the Yin and Yang reality she’d have to come to terms and make peace with.
Before they’d even come to a full stop, the front door of the B&B opened. Deanna had said that Lucky’s brother Levi owned and operated the bar and the B&B with his wife Shelby who they were meeting here. A woman with chestnut brown hair stepped out onto the large, wraparound porch. She wore a long sleeved shirt and jeans and despite her casual attire, looked as gorgeous and glamorous as a movie star.
“Damn.” Theo whistled under his breath.
“She’s married.” Mackenzie reminded him.
“I know I was just…Is it me or is everyone here ridiculously hot?”
“I was thinking the same thing.” She agreed with relief that the subject had moved off of her and Eli as she stepped out of the car.
From what she’d seen so far, the ratio of good-looking people in Hope Falls skewed very high. It was almost as if this town was a real-life soap opera where only beautiful people lived.
“Hey, you must be Theo and Mackenzie, I’m Shelby.”
“Hi!” Mackenzie lifted her hand in a wave.
“Soooo, I have good news and bad news.” Shelby walked down the steps from the porch and looked back and forth between Mackenzie and Theo. “Which do you want first?”
“Bad news,” Mackenzie replied.
“Good news,” Theo said at the same time.
They both grinned at each other.
“Bad news,” Theo conceded.
Shelby nodded. “When Deanna contacted me last night about the rooms, I didn’t have access to my booking system, but I was sure that we had rooms.”
Hope Falls was a small town, and she wasn’t sure how many lodgings there were. She’d seen a sign for Mountain Ridge Outdoor Adventures on the way into town, but it had read No Vacancy. Other than that, she hadn’t seen any hotels or motels. If that were the case, she would have to start looking for rooms outside of Hope Falls and since the closest town was twenty miles away, that would make early call times and late-night shoots very inconvenient.
A gust of wind picked up and Mackenzie ran her hands up and down her flannel- covered arms as a chill ran through her. “You don’t have rooms?”
“We have a room,” Shelby held up her pointer finger. “As in one.”
Theo slung his arm around Mackenzie’s shoulder the way he had a habit of doing. “We don’t mind sharing.”
Speak for yourself.
She did mind sharing, but she forced herself to be positive. As much as she’d wanted some time alone, she and Theo had had to share rooms the first few years out of school when their budget couldn’t handle separate accommodations. And at least they’d be able to stay in town.
“Is that the good news?” Mackenzie asked, figuring she already knew the answer.
“No. The good news is I have a line on a cottage. It’s secluded, but it’s close to Lucky’s gym. And I just spoke to the owner Crazy Jay, and he says it’s available for the entire month.”
“I’ll take it!” Mackenzie’s hand flew up.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay here?” Theo asked, his brow furrowing. “I don’t like the idea of you being somewhere remote.”
I do.
Remote sounded like just what the doctor ordered. “Yes, I’m sure.”
“It’s secluded, but there are two other cottages and the main house on the property which are all occupied,” Shelby assured him, and Mackenzie wanted to kiss her.
“Great!” Mackenzie clapped her hands together. “Where am I headed?”
Shelby pulled out her phone. “I got your info from Deanna and am texting you the address now.” Shelby finished typing, and she put her phone back in her pocket as her lips curved in a devilish smirk. “Check in at the main house. The owner will take good care of you.”
Mackenzie’s eyes narrowed and she wondered what this Crazy Jay character must be like to cause such a mysterious smile to spread on Shelby’s face, but before she could get a read on that Theo interjected, “I’ll drive you over.”
“No,” Mackenzie snapped. The last thing she wanted was to be grilled anymore about Eli. She tried to temper her stern tone as she smiled. “I’ll be okay. I’ll call you when I get settled in.”
He stared at her for a long minute before handing her the keys and taking his bags out of the back of the car. As he shut the trunk, he asked, “Are you sure about this? I can go stay in the cottage.”
“No, it’s fine. Really.” She insisted as she went around to the driver’s side. “I’m sure you’re going to get much more traction out of staying next to a bar than I would.”
He nodded as a wolfish grin tugged on his mouth.
She opened the door and Theo put his hand to his ear mimicking a phone. “Call me. Don’t forget.”
“Okay, Dad.” She teased as she got in and started the engine.
As she drove away, she glanced in the rearview and saw Theo following Shelby up the steps. The B&B was beautiful and the king bed and fireplace would’ve been heavenly, she was sure, but she had a feeling that she’d like her new accommodations even more. She couldn’t put her finger on why she felt that way, but she did.
*
“Son of a bit—” Another loud knock sounded as a sharp pain seared up Eli’s leg. He’d jammed his toe into the bed frame.
After he scrubbed his hand over his face, he squinted in the darkness and shot a quick glance toward his nightstand. It was ten o’clock. He’d been asleep less than an hour.
“I’m coming!” he shouted as he hobbled out of the room.
He started to mumble that whoever was at his door better have a damn good reason for being there when he remembered that earlier this afternoon he’d seen Mr. and Mrs. Pell from Cottage B packing up their SUV. That meant that Cottage B was vacant and the person or persons knocking were more than likely the new tenants.
For months he’d planned on putting a sign up that stated clearly that this was private property and in no way affiliated with rentals in the back. That sign was going up first thing tomorrow.
He was cranky, exhausted, and not in the mood to deal with anyone. He’d spent the past twelve hours playing his and McKenzie’s conversation over and over in his mind. There were so many things that he could’ve…that he should’ve said.
He might not be able to tell her how beautiful she was or how much he’d missed her out of respect for her marriage, but other things could’ve been said. She hadn’t wanted to talk about the past, but at the very least he should’ve told her that he was happy to see her and that he was proud that she was following her dreams and doing what she’d set out to do. He should’ve asked how she was and if she was happy.
He hadn’t said any of that, and it was driving him crazy.
The hardwood floor squeaked beneath his bare feet as he stalked toward the front door. When he snatched it open, he planned on giving whoever it was Jay’s phone number and sending them on their way. That plan flew out the window when he saw Kenzie standing in front of him.
He stared at her and wondered if he was dreaming and if he was still lying in his bed. Her hair was pulled up on top of her head just like it had been earlier today and she wore the same jeans but had added a flannel shirt. The tiny strands framing her face blew across her cheek from the wind that tended to pick up at night.
She had dark circles beneath her eyes, and her perfect, pink lips were parted.
It took him a moment to register that she looked as shocked to see him as he was to see her. She was staring at his chest, not making eye contact, her mouth open.
Stepping to the side so that she could come in he said, “Hi, is everything okay?”
“Um…” Her eyes shot up to his before she wiped the back of her hand across her lips. Then she glanced down at the phone she was holding in her other hand and over to the address numbers beside his door. “Is this…I’m um…looking for Jay, er um, Crazy Jay.”
Crazy Jay?
Was she the new renter?
Eli’s heart rate sped at the thought of her staying here, on his property, for the duration of her time in Hope Falls. “He doesn’t live here. He rents bungalows in the back, though.”
“Oh, okay.” Her brow was still furrowed as her head shook back and forth in confusion. “I was supposed to be staying at Mountain View B&B, but there was a mix-up, and Shelby sent me here. She said to check in at the main house.” She turned to leave. “I thought it was the owner…I’m sorry there must be some mistak—”
“No! It’s fine. I can show you to the cabin. It’s no problem,” he tried to temper the panic that raced through him at the thought of her leaving.
He stepped onto the porch.
She retreated as her eyes widened. “Don’t you want to put on a shirt? Shoes?”
Eli looked down and saw that he was only wearing sweats. He chuckled, “Yeah that would probably be a good idea.”
He went back inside thinking she would follow, but when he turned to shut the door, he saw that she was still standing stock still on the porch. “You can come in and wait.”
She reacted the same way he would imagine if he’d asked her to walk barefoot on broken glass. Her expression was part nervous, part terrified. Not exactly the response Eli was expecting. Was she afraid to be alone with him?
Her jaw quivered slightly. “I’m good.”
“You’re shivering, Kenz.” Eli tried not to let the fact that she was treating him like a stranger affect his tone or demeanor. “Come inside. I’ll only be a minute.”
He waited, knowing that if she still insisted on staying outside, there’d be nothing he could do to sway her. When she set her mind to something, there was no changing it. You had to catch her when she was on the fence if you had any chance of influencing which yard she’d end up in.
Several beats passed before she begrudgingly said, “Fine.”
There was still a hint of hesitation as she crossed the threshold and stepped to the right, putting distance between the two of them. Her eyes darted around the room, not once meeting Eli’s.
He shut the door, and the second the latch caught the energy in the space shifted, becoming supercharged. At least on his end, it did. The air was thick with electricity and all the things that hadn’t been said, that couldn’t be said, hung heavily between them.
Kenzie was in his home. Seeing her there brought up feelings that he hadn’t expected. It felt intimate. Eli wondered if she felt it. And if she did, what was going on in her head. He couldn’t be the only one that felt the change in the atmosphere.
Today when they’d talked, he hadn’t been himself. He’d held back. But now she was here, and he had a second chance. He wasn’t about to waste it. “This is weird, huh?”
“What?” She looked up at him like she had no idea what he was talking about. “What’s weird?”
“You. Being here. In my house. Seeing each other after all this time—”
“It’s not weird. It’s a small town,” she cut him off and crossed her arms in a defensive stance.
“I know, I was just saying—”
She started to reach for the doorknob. “I’m tired, and I can wait outside if you—”
“No. Sorry.” Eli turned and started walking back to his bedroom. “I’ll be right out.”
A sick feeling settled deeper in his stomach with each step he took as a realization settled into his bones. In all the years they’d been apart, he’d known that she was most likely hurt. That she might still be angry with him, but he’d never believed that she hated him. But now he knew the truth. She did.
She hated him.
Chapter 8
‡
She was standing in Eli Bishop’s house. His house.
Yep. This was definitely one big cosmic joke, Kenzie thought as she waited for Eli to change. There was no other way to explain the events that had led her here.
“Relax,” she whispered to herself.
Her entire body was shaking from the shock of seeing Eli shirtless. It had been like déjà vu on steroids. She’d drooled, again. The first time she took in a half-clothed Eli, he was a teenage boy in jeans on a hot summer day, now he was a grown man in black sweats that hung low on his waist on a cool summer night. His body was no longer lean and athletic. It was muscular and chiseled.
When he’d asked her to come inside, she’d had to seriously consider whether or not she could trust herself. For the past year, she’d spent almost every day with men whose physiques were comparable to his and none of them had caused her to practically orgasm on sight. She didn’t know if it was some kind of pheromone or voodoo power.
Eli had something that those men didn’t. Heck, if a woman claimed that she’d been impregnated just by seeing Eli shirtless, Kenzie wouldn’t dismiss her claim offhand.
Slowly, she inhaled through her nose and exhaled through her mouth in an effort to calm her hyperactive hormones. After several cleansing breaths, she noticed her surroundings for the first time.
Eli’s home was exactly what she would’ve expected. From the hardwood flooring to the high ceilings that boasted exposed beams. It was warm and inviting with an open concept. The dining room held a large farm table and beyond that was the kitchen. It boasted a large island with a cement slab top and distressed wood siding, a white farmhouse sink, and stainless steel appliances.
It was the kitchen of her dreams. The dining room of her dreams. The living room of her dreams. The entire place looked like it had been plucked from her Pinterest board.
Reaching down, she trailed her fingers across the black stitching on the arm of the dark brown leather recliner that faced a whitewashed brick fireplace with a weathered wooden mantle. A matching couch sat against the far wall. Built-ins flanked the fireplace.
She crossed the room and scanned the books on the shelves. There was a mixture of autobiographies and fiction. He had hardback editions of The Art of War by Sun Tzu, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, and Paddle Your Own Canoe by Nick Offerman.
On the middle shelf, there stood a framed collage of small photos. She picked it up to get a closer look at them. The top right corner was of a softball team all wearing HFFD T-shirts. Her eye was immediately drawn to Eli. He had his arm slung around Marco, the guy she’d met this morning, and the vein that ran the length of his forearm highlighted Eli’s chiseled strength. She recognized several other men that she’d seen at the gym.
On the top left corner there was a snap of four firefighters, all in turnout gear, with a beautiful blonde woman holding a baby swaddled in a pink blanket standing in the middle in front of the fire engine. All of them men were about the same height and easy on the eyes, but Eli stood out. With his dark hair, light eyes, and million-dollar smile, he had movie star appeal.
Clustered in the center of the frame were several pictures of his family. One of his mom and dad in front of their Christmas tree. One of his oldest brother Evan when he was playing for the Long Beach Waves. And one of Eli and his brothers fishing.
To the bottom right was a shot of eight men in camo holding weapons in front of a tank in the desert. Eli’s expression was stone cold and he looked dangerous. Seeing him looking like a real-life G.I. Joe made her stomach do a series of somersaults down the Eli Bishop Hotness Hill, and she felt her heart tumbling after it.
As she looked at all
the photos, it hit her that she’d missed so much of his life. He’d always been such a huge part of hers, even when they weren’t together. Especially when they weren’t together. No matter how hard she’d tried to forget him, he was always there in the back of her mind. She couldn’t count the times she’d wondered where he was, what he was doing, and who he was doing it with. This was just a small glimpse at the answer.
The picture on the bottom left was her favorite. It was of Eli and Deanna at the fire station cooking. His head was thrown back with laughter as Deanna appeared to be threatening him with a spatula. He looked so happy, so carefree. Warmth spread in Kenzie’s chest.
That had always been her favorite Eli, the one with no worries in the world. He was always taking care of other people, especially her. He was intense, always worried and she used to be concerned that carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders was too much for him. That’s why her favorite times with him were the times that he was relaxed and carefree. She touched the picture and wished that she could hear his full-bellied laugh.
When she set the frame back down she noticed a Polaroid stuck between two books. She tugged at the corner and when she pulled it out all of the air left her lungs in a rush. Staring up at her was her sixteen-year-old self sitting on Eli’s lap. Since their relationship was a secret, they didn’t have a lot of pictures together. This was a Polaroid he’d taken. Her arms were wrapped around his neck, and she was kissing his cheek. He looked so…happy.
Tears began forming in her eyes as all the years of missing him, of wanting to be in his arms, to hear his voice, his laugh, of wishing she could look into his eyes and see him smile all came crashing down on her. She felt the weight of it and the urge to tell him how badly she’d missed him, to fold into his arms and let him hold her, and to confess that she’d never truly gotten over him.
“No.” She said aloud to herself.
She absolutely could not allow herself to be sucked back into Eli quicksand. It was so easy to get pulled under and near impossible to escape. Her only hope was to keep her distance, if not physically then at least emotionally. She needed to remain detached and disinterested.
Fire and Love (Hope Falls Book 13) Page 7