His money? Ha. The jury was out on whether it was even his money at all. “Her little artsy tinkering? Her little artsy tinkering funded your company that you just retired from. And you made sure she got nothing in the divorce,” she said, a bead of anger coiling through her. Screw her sentimental heart. Her brain quickly erased the question of which Eli was real. He was a rat bastard right now, but if she didn’t get ahold of her roiling emotions soon, her recon mission would go bust.
She reminded herself to breathe. To focus on her prana or something. Whatever that was.
Eli waved a hand in the air, erasing it all. “Bah, that’s crazy. It was a completely fair settlement. But let’s not talk of such unpleasant matters, my dear. Look, our brunch is here,” he said, his eyes lighting up as a new waiter served them their plates.
“Hey, Steph,” the waiter said as he set down her eggs. She glanced up to see a guy who had helped out at Devon’s from time to time was serving them. His eyes sparkled brightly.
“Good to see you, Reid,” she said, rising to give him a quick hug. “What have you been up to? Did you ever get the boat you had your eye on?”
“I did. I’m hoping to start a charter fishing business soon,” he said, and her mind flicked back to Jake. Maybe someday, Jake would return to this island and charter a fishing boat from this waiter.
“You’ll have to let me know if you do, so I can refer tourists to you.”
“That would be excellent,” he said with a wide smile. He turned to her stepfather and gestured to his food. “Bon appétit, Mr. Thompson. It’s always a pleasure to see you here at Tristan’s.”
“And you as well, Reid.” When he walked away, Eli tipped his forehead to the waiter. “Everyone here loves you. You really should move here.”
“Yes, I should. But I like Miami, too. Because I like my mother. She’s not the kind of person who hurts someone she loves,” she said, her voice calm, her tone deliberately low. But her eyes locked with his as she aimed to deliver a crystal-clear message.
He picked up his fork and looked at her, speaking firmly. “What happened between your mother and me is between us. We’ve put it behind us. Let’s you and I do the same. Let’s move on and forge a new relationship.”
Her jaw dropped as she reached for a piece of toast. “Are you kidding me? It’s behind you and her? Hardly.”
“It absolutely is. Shelly and I have moved on. So let’s focus on other matters,” he said, digging into his eggs benedict.
“Eli, you need to play fair. Why can’t you at least return the money she funded your firm with?”
“Sweetheart,” he said, admonishing her.
“Or is that money someplace else?” she asked, pressing the issue, refusing to let it go.
“Steph. Let’s have a nice meal together,” he said, taking time to punctuate each word. He pointed to her plate and her untouched food. “Eat your eggs and toast. And let’s set a time for dinner. I want you to meet Isla.”
“Is that your new girlfriend?” she asked as she picked up her fork.
“Fiancée. And she’s amazing,” he said as he finished chewing. “You’ll love her,” he said, his voice laced with admiration and reverence. “I feel like she’s my soul mate.”
Steph wanted to gag, or pretend to gag. Just so he could see how ridiculous he sounded. Yet, she also knew that he meant it. The man fell in love at the drop of a hat and was convinced every woman he screwed was the love of his life.
“That’s great,” she said through clenched teeth. She bit into her toast so she wouldn’t accidentally spew words of utter frustration all over the table.
“You know what’s really great? We connect on every level. It has never been better,” he said, whispering as he waggled his eyebrows at the word it. Oh Lord. Oh dear. Please stop. “At my age, too! Can you believe it?”
“It’s truly astonishing,” she said, deadpan, as he simply beamed in amazement of his own supposed prowess.
“I’m just a lucky son-of-a-bitch. To have love and passion like this. Have you ever just had that kind of instant chemistry with someone?” he asked, snapping his finger.
Her mind wandered briefly to yesterday, and the way Jake had pressed his hard body against hers by the wall. Her stomach loop-the-looped like a hang glider as sparks raced through her. Their chemistry was instantaneous. It was electric. She craved more of it and hoped he’d follow the trail of clues to find her again this afternoon. If he did, perhaps they could explore more of their chemistry.
Wait.
She shouldn’t be thinking about him while talking to her stepdad. She certainly didn’t want to be lusting after Jake in the same breath as Eli waxed on about his bedroom escapades.
Time to press the brakes.
She held up her palm. “Glad you’re happy. But I really don’t need to know the details.”
“Of course not. I’ve said too much about private affairs. But Isla is a giver. Oh, does she ever love to give,” he said, and the look in his eyes as he seemed to drift off momentarily had Steph strongly considering jet-packing her way out of here. He stopped to reach into his pocket. “Speaking of giving, Isla wanted me to give this to you. She can’t wait to meet you.”
He set a small black box on the table. The size gave it away. So did his history. He tapped his manicured finger against the jewel box, then gently nudged it across the white linen tablecloth. A soft breeze blew across the terrace, and Steph tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.