Dreaming Eli Read online

  He whistled. “Man. Glad I’m on the right side of the law.”

  Looking at him out of the corner of her eye, she smirked. “No back-alley deals, Eli? No under-the-table stuff to make a sale?”

  He held out his arms. “I am always honest and above board.”

  She faced him, tilting her head to one side. “You know, I think I believe you.”

  “Well believe it, baby. I don’t need to do anything underhanded.” He tapped his chest. “Pure talent.”

  Now she laughed a little more. “Graham Cracker, you’re a riddle.”

  “Nay. I’m an open book. Just like I told Mrs. Rollins.”

  “Hmm. And just what did Becky’s mom want to know about you?”

  “Seems to me she knew everything already. I’m from Boston. I’m going to be working at the Sales Center. There’s a grapevine in Cypress, I think.”

  “Yes, and the queen of the vineyard is Lettie Fairfax. Have you met her yet?”

  He searched his memory for the faces he’d seen in Cypress last spring. “I don’t think so.”

  Her eyes sparkled. “She’s going to love you.”

  “Do I want to know what you mean by that?”

  “She’s a Southern woman of a certain age, Eli. That doesn’t stop her from eyeing every guy between seventeen and seventy, though.”

  “Brutal. Should I be worried?”

  “Not at all. She’s outrageous and can sniff out a secret in the wink of an eye, though.”

  “Again, I’m open and above board. No secrets here.”

  Caro seemed to take him at his word. He did have secrets, though. Dark, lonely ones that he’d fought long and hard to put behind him. Luckily, a little storefront claiming they had over one hundred flavors of popcorn was just up ahead on their right.

  “It’s a little early, but how do you feel about buffalo popcorn, Cupcake?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Hmm. Popcorn sounds good, but maybe not that one.”

  He opened the door for her and a little bell jingled overhead. “That’s cute, but I like your door chime better.”

  “I thought it would be fun.” She walked up to the long glass case filled with round bins of popcorn in a rainbow of colors. “I needed some fun when I first opened.”

  He nodded as they peered into the case. “Was it tough in the beginning?”

  She bit her lip. “I struggled for about a year before taking the plunge.”

  “When did you take it? The plunge, I mean?”

  “Just over two years ago. That first year was a doozy.”

  “You survived, Cupcake. Flourished, it looks like.”

  She beamed a smile and he was nearly knocked back on his ass by the beauty of it. “Thanks. I have.”

  “Would you like to sample some flavors?” the teenage kid behind the counter asked them in a cracking voice.

  Eli looked at Caro, who nodded.

  “Yes!” She peered through the glass again. “Ooh, how about pumpkin spice?”

  “Pumpkin spice popcorn?” Eli asked.

  Caro laughed at him. “Live a little, Graham Cracker.”

  “All right.” Eli winked at her. “Buffalo, please.”

  The kid handed them each a tiny paper cup with a few pieces of their chosen popcorn. Caro moaned a little as she crunched hers and he had no choice but to try his. His tongue burned and his eyes watered.

  “Mmm, this is delicious.” Caro eyed him. “You okay there, Eli?”

  “Yeah.” He coughed. “Wow.”

  “It’s hot,” the kid stated.

  Eli leveled a look at him. “Yeah,” he said again.

  “Oh, I think I need a bag of this,” Caro said. “How about yours?”

  “No, thanks.” Eli tossed his little cup into the nearest trash can. “I’m good.”

  “A big bag of the pumpkin spice, please.”

  The kid passed her a big paper bag full of the stuff and Eli waved her hand away when she tried to pay. “My treat.”

  “Thanks.” She munched a couple more pieces before holding it out to him. “Want to try it?”

  He doubted he could taste anything after that fire popcorn. He smiled. “Maybe later.”

  “I think I might want to do something like this at the bakery,” she said as they stepped back out onto the brick walk.

  “What, flavored popcorn?”

  “Sure. Maybe for a garnish? I’ll have to talk to Jane about it.”

  “Who’s Jane?”

  “My assistant. She’s amazing. If she doesn’t have a recipe in hand she can create one.”

  “Has she been with you from the beginning?”

  Caro nodded. “And Sweet Escape wouldn’t be what it is without her.”

  “I look forward to meeting her the next time I come in.”

  “The next time?”

  “I’ve got a sweet tooth, remember?”

  “And yet you tried the buffalo popcorn.”

  “That was purely a guy thing. I had to prove my manhood.”

  She shook her head with a little smile. “With popcorn?”

  He shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets. “We do what we can, Cupcake.”

  There was a fifties-style diner a few doors from the popcorn store, and he steered her toward it. Silver and red and very shiny, it looked like it could be fun. After all, fun was one of the words of the day.

  “How about some lunch?” he asked. “If you’ve had enough of that popcorn for now.”

  “Oh, I don’t think I’ll ever have enough of this, but I could eat lunch.”

  He pulled open the heavy glass door and waved her ahead of him into the black-and-white tiled, sparkly vinyl covered restaurant.

  ***

  Their walk through the rest of Old Town Village was easy and comfortable. She reasoned that anyone looking at them would never guess that this was their first date.

  They’d had a good meal at the diner and a good time after lunch, too. They’d played Skee-ball and other games in the arcade. They’d browsed the gift shops and clothing stores, and laughed at the ridiculous sayings scrawled across fake license plates and plaques. Talk was easy and light, and just what she needed today. He was just what she needed, and she tried hard not to feel any apprehension about that fact. It had been a long time since she’d needed a guy.

  “How about it, Cupcake?”

  They’d stopped and she followed his gaze up toward the top of the huge Ferris wheel. Her belly twisted a little bit.

  She hesitated. “Um.”

  “Are you afraid of heights?”

  “No, not really.” She watched as the wheel turned. The gondolas rose slowly to the top, and then seemed to hang for a few seconds to swing back and forth. “It’s just that ride back down that gets me every time.”

  “Ah, baby.” He grabbed her hand, and it felt like the most natural thing in the world. “I’ll be right there by your side.”

  Her belly twist started to turn, but she suspected that was due to Eli holding her hand. Due to the thought of being so close to him in one of those open-air gondolas of the wheel.

  They waited their turn and Eli handed her up into the gondola. The bucket rocked back and forth as he settled down beside her and she caught her breath. He grinned at her and sat back, holding on to one side of the bucket.

  “Ready for a ride, Cupcake?”

  He was stretched out, filling the space with his big body and long legs. Their hips touched and she didn’t make a move to change that. It was daylight, after all. They were in a public place. She was in no danger to throwing herself at him no matter how cute he looked with those pretty blue eyes of his sparkling like crystalized sugar.

  “I’m ready, Graham Cracker.”

  They moved upward as others took their places in their own gondolas. Rocking to a stop each time, they made their way toward the top. This part of the ride, facing into the gears and spokes of the wheel, wasn’t so bad. It was that ride down with the wheel at her back that made her a little nervous.
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  She grabbed onto his very strong bicep as they reached the top. He tensed for a second, and then released the side rail to cover her hand with his. They stopped at the top now, rocking gently as people got on somewhere way below them.

  “Look,” he said, tilting his chin.

  She did, seeing that the sky was clear and the view was spectacular. “Oh!”

  The city spread out, and they could see everything toward the big theme parks, the oaks and palm trees, the lakes and wilderness. It was everything in one fell swoop, and was Central Florida in a nutshell.

  “You haven’t been on this in a while, I take it.”

  There was laughter in his voice, and she couldn’t help but smile. “Not in a long while, no. This view, Eli.”

  “I know.” His lips parted. “It’s like a dream.”

  “That’s it exactly,” she said.

  Then they started to move downward, seemingly freefalling as the wheel turned as they made their way. No one else was boarding, apparently. There was no pause, no jerking stops, as they rode upward again.

  The breeze pushed her hair all around, tangling around both her and Eli. He gently grasped a thick strand, tucking it behind her ear as he leaned in. It felt so right to kiss him. That teasing, flirting mouth looked so good. Better than one of her best cupcakes.

  “Caro,” he rasped, his lips a hairsbreadth away from hers. “I’m going to kiss you. Okay?”

  She licked her lips, already anticipating him. “God, yes,” she breathed.

  He chuckled and covered her lips with his. She closed her eyes, grabbing more tightly to him as she angled her head to taste him.

  He felt so good held tight against her, strong and solid and warm. He’d made her feel safe, although they were only in artificial danger. So she just opened her mouth and let him inside.

  He groaned, his hands on her hips as his tongue teased hers. It was the single best kiss of her life, and that errant thought was almost sad as she was just three years shy of thirty.

  Pulling back a fraction, he brought his brow to hers and sighed. “Damn, you taste good.”

  “You too,” she managed to say in return.

  He dropped a sweet kiss on her lips and sat up. She noticed then that they were stopped again. Not quite at the top of the wheel, but nearly.

  “The ride is almost over,” she said.

  He flashed that bright smile again. “Ah, Cupcake. The ride is just beginning.”

  His words sent tingles all through her. Her cheeks hot, she took some time to gather her wild curls into some kind of order as they made their inevitable descent.

  He held her hand as they stepped out of the gondola, and didn’t release her until they reached his SUV. After he unlocked the car with the key fob, they got into the car and he started it up, opening the windows to let out the heat that had accumulated as the A/C blew hard.

  “This was fun, Caro. We’ll have to come back at night some time.”

  “They have classic car shows almost every Friday and Saturday night,” she said. “And the view from the top of the wheel would be incredible!”

  He dragged his gaze over her. “It’s pretty good from where I’m sitting.”

  She laughed. “Do you have a book of those lines, Eli?”

  He winked as he pulled out of the space. “I don’t need a book.”

  She shook her head but couldn’t help but smile wider as he drove them back to Cypress.

  Eli was a contradiction, but a pretty hot one at that. He was easy and fun, which should have been the opposite of the Alpha male she’d grabbed a hold of on the Ferris wheel and then let kiss her senseless. There seemed to be more beneath his curt statement about his childhood in Boston, too. He’d been short and not very forthcoming. It felt strange and out of character, since he gave off that open-book vibe. But she wasn’t going to be the one to pry.

  She had her own secrets that would stay shut tight in her own book, thank you very much.

  Chapter 6

  Eli was up with the sun again. He showered and dressed, choosing a light gray dress shirt and slate blue tie. A power tie, of course. He put on a pair of pressed chinos, as that seemed to be the unofficial uniform for the executives at the Sales Center. The other guys in sales dressed in polos and relaxed khakis, but he always bought into the adage to dress for the job you want. He wasn’t eyeing Rick Chapman’s job. He wouldn’t do anything to step on any toes, either. He simply wanted to be the best sales guy wherever he worked, either here in Cypress Corners or back up in Boston.

  Today he would start working at the Sales Center, and he suspected Bill Chapman would soon call or email with his marching orders. There were a lot of projects in the works, from the green community currently under construction and minimally occupied. Bill wanted to make sure he had a hand in the Active Adult project, though.

  Eli knew he could sell the place sight unseen, but he had to learn what he could. He also had to sell the whole concept of Cypress, too. And that meant lots of meetings and tours over the next few days, if not weeks.

  His phone dinged, and he saw he had a notification from Rick. It was his schedule for the day. He would take a tour of the eco sides of things with Ty Walsh at ten. Then he was to shadow the other sales people throughout the day, Oliver and Sabrina and Jessie. Then at two o’clock there was a meeting with the staff called by Mr. Forbes, the developer. Eli was glad now that he was dressed for battle, so to speak.

  He clicked on the links to confirm the list of appointments and pocketed his phone as he took a glance around his guest room. This place would be good for now. If he wasn’t summoned back to Boston any time soon, though? He’d have to figure out something a little more permanent. He’d lived out of a suitcase, or sometimes out of a backpack or a box tucked under a bed, for most of his life. His apartment in Boston wasn’t a permanent place. He was renting six months at a time, and starting to get tired of it. Even his furniture was on lease.

  Shutting out thoughts about his transient life, he left his room and went down to the lobby. The innkeeper stood just inside the dining room.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Rollins.”

  “Good morning, Mr. Graham,” Mrs. Rollins said with a smile. “And good luck today.”

  “Thank you.” He went into the dining room and made himself a coffee to go. He saw a tray holding cinnamon rolls tucked into little brown bags. There weren’t as many on display as there had been on the weekend. If someone stayed here during the week, they would probably be up and out early. Cypress Corners wasn’t a lazy place, after all. The weekends were for fun; the weekdays for work.

  After debating for a second, he grabbed one of the packaged pastries. “Don’t tell Sweet Escape,” he said with a wink.

  Mrs. Rollins laughed and winked back at him. “My lips are sealed.”

  Yeah, I’ll just bet.

  Thoughts of Caro and that amazing kiss struck him then. She’d been a little hot and cold during their conversations as they’d strolled through Old Town Village, but when they were on the Ferris Wheel? Nothing but smokin’ hot, in his opinion.

  He ate the roll as he went out to his car, and sipped his coffee as he drove the less than two miles to the Sales Center. Parking his SUV in the adjacent lot, he got out and strolled down the short path to the wide front steps. It was a cool morning, but the tall trees bordering the golf course across the main street were still a bright green. Autumn in Cypress Corners was still summer, it seemed.

  The coffee shop beckoned from across the street, and he tossed his half-finished cup of mediocre brew into the nearest trash can. As he entered the courtyard of the shop he smiled at the older woman seated by herself at a table beneath a flowering tree.

  “Yoo-hoo!” she called with a finger-wiggling wave.

  Eli stopped at her table and dipped his head. “Good morning.”

  “You must be our newest young man to settle into Cypress Corners. I’m Charlotte Fairfax, but you can call me Lettie.”

  An alarm dinged i
n his head and he remembered all Caro had said about this woman. Lettie was as she’d described her, but she’d left out the big hat and denim smock. Her twinkling blue eyes narrowed on him from beneath her fringe of silvery bangs. Ah, here was the woman who could sniff out a secret.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lettie. I’m Eli Graham.”

  “Oh I know that, dear boy.” She folded her hands. “You’re working for Rick Chapman over at the Sales Center.”

  He stroked a hand down his tie as he took in a breath. “Yes ma’am, that’s right.”

  Her brows rose and her lips pursed. “Ooh, you’re quite a gentleman. For a Yankee, that is.”

  He laughed. “I try my best.”

  “Your mother must have raised you right.”

  A chill wormed through him and his smile faltered. “Yes.”

  “You know, Eli. I believe Cypress Corners is the absolute best place in the world to live. I should know. I’ve traveled the world with the late Mr. Fairfax.”

  “It seems like a very nice place.”

  “Now you pour on that charm when you give your tours, you hear? Show people how they can be happier here than anywhere else.”

  “That’s the plan.”

  “You know, you can be happy here too.”

  He stiffened, but in the next second his usual ease washed over him. “I’ve enjoyed myself so far.”

  “Mmm hmm. I’ve heard that, too.”

  So she knew about his date with Caro. Well, he wasn’t going to talk to her about it. Not when he’d just been thinking about that kiss.

  “I’m going to grab myself a cup of coffee and then get to work. May I get you anything, Lettie?”

  “No, dear boy.” She held up her cup. “I have my sweet tea right here.”

  He queued up and got himself a cup of coffee before crossing back through the courtyard with merely a nod to Lettie. Her innocent comment about his mother shouldn’t have bothered him but he barely remembered his mother. From what little he’d been told about her? He doubted she’d done any kind of raising, let alone the right way. Pushing those thoughts out of his head, he climbed the few wide steps up to the front doors of the Sales Center.

  “Good morning, Eli!” A thin guy he vaguely remembered from his last visit bounced up the steps to join him at the front door. “Happy first day.”