I STOOD IN the warm shower longer than necessary. I still had some sand stuck to me in places I’ve never had before. I closed my eyes and tried not to judge myself too harshly. I had been doing what I set out to do. Eli was a nice guy. He was sweet and gentle. And when he’d pulled a condom out of his pocket I had been extremely grateful.
The words he’d said while he made love to me were dirty, but they had made me crazy. Of course, he hadn’t called it making love. He’d used the word fuck a lot. I touched the tenderness between my legs and smiled then. I had been wild. I’d had a one night stand. Me. Lila Kate Carter had been a harlot! That made me giggle.
Even through haze of the warm shower, I could smell bacon and cinnamon. Whatever Bliss was cooking was making my stomach growl with anticipation. After all the dancing, the walking then the best sexual experience I’d ever had, I was ravenous.
Luckily, the sex had sobered me up enough to drive here last night. But I still didn’t think Eli was ready to drive. I left him with Larissa in the parking lot when we had walked back. He’d kissed me like a man hungry for more. I had soaked it all in, not wanting ever to forget that night.
He hadn’t asked for my number, my last name, nothing. It had been just that for him too. A one night stand. It made me a little sad I wouldn’t ever get to know more about him or see him again. Eli would always be my first experience as the new and improved Lila.
Reluctantly, I got out of the shower and dried my hair with a towel, then dressed in a pair of casual white linen shorts and a navy blue sleeveless top that was soft. I started to dry my hair with a hair dryer and stopped. The old Lila Kate would get presentable before going to breakfast. The new Lila would head there with wet hair and bare feet. If I were at home, I’d eat my breakfast like this. Why not here? They didn’t expect me to be fixed up.
I hung up my towel because although I was more laid back now, I wasn’t rude. Then I headed toward the smell of the food. The house that Nate and Bliss lived in was elegant, large, and what I’d expect Nate Finlay to purchase for him and his future wife. It sat on the water just like the house he’d grown up in. It wasn’t anything as elaborate as his parents’ home but it was still very impressive. Bigger than my home for sure.
Just as I stepped into the kitchen, the doorbell rang. Bliss spun around and smiled brightly when she saw me. “Good morning, I’m sorry I was asleep when you got here last night. There are different coffees to choose from right there,” Bliss said as she pointed at a neatly organized pile of coffee K-cup pods. “Take your pick. There’s even some tea or hot cocoa K-cups if you don’t want coffee. Just help yourself. I will be right back. That’s our other breakfast guest,” she said as she left the room to answer the door.
I tried not to think about sitting down with other people for a fancy breakfast with wet hair and bare feet. It was ridiculous to worry about that. I looked at the coffee and tea choices. I liked tea but I preferred a nice bag to steep in hot water—not tea out of a little plastic pod. I picked out a breakfast blend coffee and made my cup.
“Morning party animal,” Nate’s voice startled me. I’d been staring at my cup as it filled with coffee, my thoughts still on last night.
I felt my cheeks heat. Nate was awake when I came in with messy hair, sand sticking to me, and smelling like a bar. He’d laughed. Loudly. Then told me he lied to my mother and told her I was so tired when I got here I fell asleep and that I’d call her in the morning. At the time, I was still floating on the memories of my wild evening. I’d thanked him, apologized for being late, and then went to clean myself up and get to bed.
“Good morning,” I said feeling more embarrassed about my arrival last night. I was thankful that Bliss had been sleeping.
“Hungover?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No, I didn’t drink enough for that.”
He smirked. “Alrighty. Well, Bliss has made one of her feasts. She also invited her best friend over. It may be a setup—I can’t decide. I’m warning you now. The guy coming over is in love with her. She doesn’t believe that. But I see it. Just smile and we will get through breakfast.”
Setup? I suddenly lost my appetite. “I don’t need a setup. I’m leaving in a few days.”
Nate shrugged. “I know. But you can’t tell Bliss that. She says it’s not. I just think deep down it may be. She just isn’t admitting it. She worries about him. Either way, the woman can cook. You’ll enjoy it. She’s also fucking precious and hard not to love. You’ll see. I can’t blame the guy.”
I nodded. “Okay.” What else could I say?
“Here, grab the tray there with the fancy-ass muffins on them. I’ll grab the casserole,” Nate said. “She’ll want it all on the table before we eat.”
I followed behind him with the food. “By the way Lila, I’m proud of you. Leaving isn’t easy.”
I smiled. I didn’t need Nate Finlay to be proud of me. But it was nice to hear someone tell me they were. “It was easy for you.”
“Yeah, but for you . . . it’s a big deal. I’m impressed. Your mom’s worried sick, but you’re a woman now.”
I started to say something else, but the words vanished. I stopped walking. Because as I stood there with my damp hair, bare feet, and hands full with a tray of muffins, my first adventure came walking into the room. Bliss York was walking in with Eli. My Eli.
Oh, my God.
He was talking to Bliss and hadn’t looked our way. I couldn’t move. I was stuck there. Nate’s words were running through my head, taunting me. Eli was Bliss’s best friend that was in love with her? Of all the guys at that bar, this had to be the one to approach me. This had to be the one that made my heart flutter and made me want to be near him.
I wasn’t sure if I should move and draw attention to myself. Would he tell them? Would he say my name like he knew me? Or would he pretend like last night didn’t happen?
“You look rough this morning. Wild night?” Nate said, and at that moment Eli turned his head in our direction. Our gazes locked. He squinted as if I were a blurry image and he needed to focus to see me.
“Eli this is Lila Kate. She’s Nate’s friend. They’ve known each other their entire life just like we have. Lila Kate this is Eli. He’s normally more verbal, but he seems to be a bit hungover,” Bliss said with amusement in her tone.
I waited. I wasn’t sure what we were going to do here. My guess was we weren’t going to share with these two we’d had sex on the beach. At least I hoped he wouldn’t.
“We’ve met,” he said a smile finally touching his face. The smile I remembered from last night. “At least I think we did. I drank more than I should have last night so it’s all a little fuzzy, but you’re the girl from the bar last night. Live Bay? I talked you into eating the potato skins?”
He sounded incredibly convincing. I went with it. “Yes. That was me,” I replied.
“So that’s where you were last night,” Nate said. His voice sounded surprised and almost impressed. “Explains a lot.”