Dreaming Eli Read online

  Eli smiled at the pretty guy. He was blond and had big blue eyes, and looked like a fit cherub. If Eli didn’t miss his guess, he played for the other team.

  “Thanks.”

  “Oliver.” The guy held out his hand and Eli shook it. “We’ll be working together a little today.”

  “Looking forward to it.”

  Oliver tilted his head to one side, eyeing Eli up and down. “Hmm. Another one. Just my luck.”

  “Another what?”

  “Don’t let him scare you,” Rick Chapman said as he pushed the door open. “Ollie, don’t you have a tour this morning?”

  “Yes, Boss Man.” Oliver winked at Eli. “I’m the number one sales person, now that Tammy’s out on maternity leave.”

  Rick gave Oliver a small smile. “Maybe at the moment. Jessie is giving you a run for your money, though.”

  Oliver clicked his tongue and hurried through the lobby. “We’ll see,” he threw over his shoulder.

  Rick shook his head and faced Eli. “I’m glad to have you on board, Eli.”

  “Thanks. Your father was very insistent, Mr. Chapman.”

  “Yeah, that’s among Bill’s many traits. And call me Rick.”

  “Thank you, Rick.”

  “This lovely lady is Sharon Walsh,” Rick said, indicating an older woman behind the reception desk. “She job-shares three days a week, and the sales staff fills in as needed on the other days.”

  “Hello, Mrs. Walsh.” He nodded. “Eli Graham.”

  “Hi there, Eli.” She looked like a motherly lady, with light brown hair and kind hazel eyes. “I hope you’ll like it here.”

  “I believe I will,” he said.

  “Let me show you where you’ll be,” Rick started down the hallway to the left.

  Eli followed him down a corridor with opened doors. Brass name plaques were beside each of them, and he read them as he passed. Tammy Chapman. Claire Chapman. Ben Chapman.

  “I’m seeing a trend,” Eli observed with a smile.

  “Yeah, it’s kind of become a family business.” Rick chuckled. “Surprised the hell out of me, too.”

  “I heard about Tammy and your brother’s baby. Congratulations.”

  “Thanks. Little Raffaella is the latest, but Claire and my other brother Jake’s little one won’t be too far behind.”

  Eli just nodded. Kids and family were things he knew less than nothing about. To his relief, they soon arrived in a large room holding several workstations.

  “This is the general sales area,” Rick said. “You’ll have your own work space, along with Oliver, Jessie and Sabrina.”

  “Bree.” A pretty blond stood, flipping her long hair over one shoulder before holding out her hand. “It’s just Bree. Hi, nice to see you again.”

  Eli shook her hand as he worked his mind. “Yeah, you were working out at one of the models in the green neighborhood when I was down here.”

  “Sure was,” she said.

  “You’re here next to me, Eli,” Oliver called.

  Eli looked at Rick for confirmation, who gave him a nod.

  “Go ahead and get settled in,” Rick said. “You’ll find everything you need in that folder. Log-in credentials, key card, etc.”

  Eli placed his hand flat on the glossy green folder bearing the Cypress Corners logo. The long-necked bird on the logo seemed to be staring at him. “Thanks.”

  “Jessie should be in in a little while,” Rick went on. “She can give you any info you need on the conservation side of things.”

  “So this is another wild tour?”

  “An eco-tour, yes. It will be a lot more detailed than the one you and Derek took when you were here last.”

  Eli grinned. “Ah. So this is more than just keeping me busy this time?”

  “You were working for my father when you were down here, Eli. After you sign your W-4s? You’ll be working for Cypress Corners.”

  Eli blinked. He hadn’t thought about that, but legally he’d be tied to Cypress. Not to Bill. Suddenly he felt a little adrift. Nodding mutely, he settled at the indicated desk and booted up the laptop resting there.

  “I’ll leave you to it.” Rick nodded at Oliver and Bree. “Don’t forget, Mr. Forbes called for a meeting today at two.”

  “We’ve got it, Boss Man,” Oliver said.

  Eli simply nodded. This was strange. He was in this big room with colleagues, which he could handle. His ego wasn’t so big that he couldn’t coexist with the other salespeople. The place felt both personal and professional, which seemed to be in opposition, but the numbers didn’t lie. The Sales Center was very successful, and success bred success in his book. A rising tide lifts all boats, after all.

  Setting his unease aside, he synced his phone to the Cypress Corners closed internet and drained the rest of his coffee. New log-ins, new office space, new coworkers.

  Today was going to be the first for a lot of things, apparently.

  ***

  Caro brushed her hair back from her face and folded her arms. Sweet Escape had been pretty busy today, but it was closing time now. She was nearly finished cleaning up out here while Jane prepped a few things in the kitchen for tomorrow morning.

  She’d been glad for the business today, and for more than the obvious reasons. Her date with Eli yesterday had been fun and easy, just as he’d predicted. At least on the surface, anyway. There was the little matter of that sky-high kiss.

  Oh, he’d tasted so good. And his strong arms had felt so nice wrapped around her as they’d gone round and round. She wasn’t stupid, though. He was a flirt, and he had only just come to Cypress Corners. Who knew what the heck he was looking for? She wouldn’t worry about whether or not she was the answer to that question. She was so not ready for anything that close. That emotional.

  “Ready to hit it?” Jane asked with a smile.

  She’d obviously dropped her dirty apron into the bin for the laundry service. Caro nodded and untied her own, shorter apron. “Thanks for today, Jane. You’re a godsend.”

  “I know it.” Jane gave her usual short laugh. “Are you going to tell me what has you looking so concerned?”

  “It’s nothing.”

  “Should I be worried?”

  Caro shook her head. “Not at all. I’m just thinking.”

  “Maybe you’re just tired?”

  “Probably.”

  “Big date yesterday?”

  Caro blinked. “Huh?”

  Jane waved a hand. “I heard that you took a little trip to Old Town Village with a certain blond god.”

  “Who told you?”

  “Well, I heard it from Tom when I went next door to get my macchiato. He must have heard from Becky.”

  Caro shook her head. “Becky wouldn’t tell her little brother a thing, Jane. It had to be that nosy mother of theirs.”

  “Maybe. That woman should just pull up a chair and sit with Lettie.”

  “So now I’m the latest gossip fodder?” Caro rolled her eyes. “Fantastic.”

  “Not gossip, Caro.” Jane’s gaze was soft. “People were just remarking. They’ve had nothing to talk about since Ben and Tammy had their baby.”

  “Well that’s just their too bad, isn’t it?” Caro took in a breath, deep and slow, and let it out. “I don’t know what the big deal is anyway. It was just one date.”

  “True.” Jane tilted her head. “Do you want more than just one date?”

  “He’s a nice guy, Jane. He’s fun, and let’s face it. He’s very easy on the eyes.”

  “He’s hot, Caro. Smokin’ hot. I’m old enough to be his mother and I’m still saying that.”

  Caro smiled a little. “I’m not blind, Jane.”

  “Or dead either, though you’re acting like it.”

  “Please, not this again? I haven’t even wanted to date much since the accident.”

  “The accident wasn’t what did you in, Caro. It was finding out what an ass hat you were about to marry. I think God did you a solid there. Sucked that
the jerk had to die, though.”

  God, she loved Jane’s no-nonsense personality. Brad was a shit, and losing her fiancé to a pop-up thunderstorm on a rainy road at the same time she’d learned he’d been cheating on her? The two combined to mess her up but good. Not to mention the other.

  She unconsciously splayed a hand over her midsection before dropping it to her side. “I definitely don’t want to talk about that, thanks.”

  “Then let’s call it a day.” Jane slipped off her crocs and slammed her bike helmet on her head. “See you at oh dark thirty tomorrow.”

  Caro laughed. “Four thirty will be fine. Heck, make it five.”

  “And have you show me up? Nuh uh.”

  Jane left, riding her bike home to her house in one of the more densely-populated villages of Cypress. She and her husband were empty-nesters, not like Caro’s poor parents. They did stuff together and on their own, comfortable that the other would always be there.

  Her parents were like that as well, and their nest was nearly empty, though. It wasn’t that Caro didn’t want her own place. She just was leery of taking that step. Today of all days, she didn’t want to think about why.

  Caro glanced out one of the picture windows toward the Sales Center across the street. Eli started working there today. She wondered how his day had gone. Pretty easy, she could imagine. He looked capable and his personality would help him fit in just about anywhere. She might have only spent part of a day with him, but she imagined he could handle himself in just about any situation.

  “So not like me,” she murmured.

  She couldn’t resist a shot of caffeine, so after a quick stop into the coffee shop for an iced pumpkin spice latte she got into her mini and drove back to her parents’ place. After she parked and turned off the motor, she sat for a long minute. As the temperature started to climb inside the little car, she grabbed her coffee and just starting walking.

  The main lakeshore across the street beckoned, but the kids were just getting out at the community school at this hour and she couldn’t deal with that at the moment. Turning, she headed for the dock that marked the border of the private beach of the Cypress Inn.

  She might tease Becky’s mother about the cinnamon rolls and her gossip, but the woman was sweet and never minded when Caro hung out in the space regularly reserved for guests. The raised wooden walk made its way toward a point which afforded a fantastic view of the huge lake. The end of the walk was framed with a pergola-style roof semi-open to the sky and a rough-hewn bench swing suspended by sturdy chains. A few tall, broad trees gave her a bit of dappled shade, and she settle down in the swing. One leg folded up under her and the other draped down to toe the swing into gentle motion. At last she gave in to the emotions that she’d pressed back since she’d woken up this morning.

  Squeezing her eyes shut, she felt hot tears seep through her lashes. She didn’t mourn Brad any longer. She hadn’t in truth, not after learning just what he’d been up to for months before the accident. Her mother and sister had handled the logistics of cancelling the various venders and things regarding the wedding that would never be, and Caro had gotten through his funeral in a state of cold removal. It was what had happened a week after that, three years to the day today, that had caused her to pull into herself.

  She’d never had the chance to tell Brad she was pregnant. No one in her family, none of her friends, had known either. It had been so very new, shiny and exciting and heart-stopping when she’d read the positive result on that little pink stick. So there was no one to tell when the baby was no more.

  Her OBGYN had confirmed her fear, and that she’d been about three weeks along. The doctor had assured her that she could certainly get pregnant again, as there didn’t appear to be anything in Caro’s physiology to indicate that her miscarriage was anything but stress-related. Like when she’d lost Brad, or the dream of marriage to Brad, she’d had mixed feelings. Certainly it was a relief that she wouldn’t have this last tie to that cheating bastard. But she’d begun to dream about her little sweetheart before losing him or her, and still felt so hollow inside today.

  Sniffling, she put her coffee down on the decking and covered her face with her hands and cried. Cried for her baby and cried for herself. She wasn’t alone. She had friends and family who loved her. But in this?

  In her sorrow, she was completely alone.

  Chapter 7

  “So did we scare you away?” Rick asked.

  Eli looked up from his laptop screen at his new boss. “Not at all. You’re stuck with me, for a while at least.”

  “Good. My father might have suggested you but today I saw a little of what he sees. You’re sharp, Eli. You’re smart and have a way with people. That’s what we need.”

  Eli swallowed past the sudden, unwelcome lump in his throat. “Thank you, Rick.”

  “A few of us are headed to the tavern for dinner, if you don’t have any plans.”

  Eli’s mind worked. The bakery was closed. He’d seen that when he’d returned from his last tour of the day. It was just after five now, and he had nowhere to go.

  “I’ll pass tonight, but thanks,” he told Rick.

  Rick nodded. “Then I’ll say have a good night.”

  Eli went back to his screen. He’d been thumbing through the listings of available rentals in Cypress, and a townhouse popped up. He figured it would suit him better than a house.

  “Hey, Jessie?” He turned in his chair to find the Pixie typing furiously on her laptop. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Mmm hmm.” She took off her pink-framed glasses and faced him. “What’s up?”

  “You live in one of the townhouses, right?”

  “I do. We’re renting Tammy’s old place, actually.”

  “How do you like it?”

  A smile broke out across her pretty face. “I love it. Noah and I have made a nice home there. For Max and for us.”

  “Max?”

  “Noah’s son. Our son, now.”

  Eli blinked. He didn’t know the story, but he figured there had to be one there. He wasn’t one to pry, though. Or to gossip.

  “Why do you ask?” Jessie went on.

  “There’s one available to rent. I’m thinking about grabbing it.”

  “And moving out of the inn?” She nodded. “Good for you.”

  Eli leaned back and folded his arms. “I’m not sure, but I think it’s worth looking into.”

  Jessie put her glasses back on and tapped on her laptop. “Which unit is it?”

  “It’s the end unit across from the golf course.”

  She laughed softly. “It must be the other end of our building, then. About five doors down from us.”

  “Is that a problem?”

  She looked up again. “Why would that be a problem?”

  “Your husband isn’t my biggest fan.”

  She waved a hand. “That’s when he thought you were flirting with me.”

  Eli nearly choked. “He thought what?”

  “Back in the spring, Eli. It’s no big, and I never felt creeped out by you.”

  He grinned. “That’s what all the ladies say.”

  Oliver barked a laugh as he joined them in the general sales room. “Good one, Eli.”

  “Thanks, Oliver.”

  “So are you coming to the tavern?” Oliver asked.

  “I don’t think so.”

  Oliver shrugged. “Well, congrats on surviving your first day.”

  Eli shut down his computer and stood. “Yep. Alligators and wild boars on the eco-tour couldn’t scare me away. I think I can face working with you all.”

  He left his new coworkers and headed out to his vehicle. The day was still warm but it seemed less humid than it had been just a couple of hours earlier. At the stop sign he had a clear view of the Clubhouse and Town Tavern, but he wasn’t tempted to change his mind. He wasn’t used to working so closely with other salespeople, so Rick’s survival question hadn’t been too far off the mark.

&nb
sp; When he’d first gotten into sales, he’d been too focused to foster relationships with coworkers. Everything was kept solely on the surface, which helped him keep his head on straight as he worked toward a general education Bachelor’s degree from a small community college in Boston. That had taken him five years since he’d had to work full-time as well. Sales fit his schedule, and commissions paid his tuition and other bills.

  He’d been thrown out of the foster care system and was lucky enough to land right into a job for one of his old foster fathers. That job, working at an electronics store, taught him how to read people. How to upsell, which was not as dirty a word as someone not in sales might assume. He never pushed anything on a customer if he didn’t think they would be happy with the purchase. That went for the smallest digital camera to the biggest whole-house sound system. Then he found himself in real estate, and started to diversify his particular set of skills.

  He was grateful to Bill Chapman for taking a chance on him three years ago. He’d worked his ass off, learning everything about what made his boss successful and his company grow ever larger. Sales turned into retaining accounts, which was just as important in a business that could turn on a dime. With no one to answer to at home, no steady girlfriends, no close friends at all really, he could devote all the time Bill needed from him. Now, though? Working in a place like Cypress? Slowing his roll would take some getting used to. That was for sure.

  He turned left at the stop and headed toward the nearest village of townhouses. The unit he was considering was less than a mile from the town center, which meant he could walk to work when the sweaty season was over. He reached over to crank up the A/C. Like in December.

  The townhouses looked like separate residences, which appealed to him. Classic details were evident in this village as well. Columns and railings framed the porches and deep eaves gave the homes a rich look. They appeared to be pretty big, too. It was little wonder that units seldom came on the market for sale. Even if you didn’t want to live in it yourself, it made a whole lot of sense to rent it out. With the golf course, nature, the schools and other amenities rents were pretty healthy. The one he was looking at would rent for nearly two grand a month.