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A breathy moan whispered out of me, but I gathered what little willpower I had left after spending more than a month with him and backed away. I wagged a finger at him. "No more sex. Not until after dinner. Well, maybe mid-afternoon. Oh, just let me talk to Ollie and then you and I can get back to getting it on."
Val laughed. "That's my insatiable girl."
"Me?" I shook my head at him. "You are the one who drags me into the woods for quickies, and drags me behind buildings for quickies, and—"
"I confess to the crime of being addicted to you, Evie." He held out his hands, wrists together. "Lock me up in your dungeon. I hope it's a life sentence."
Those two words stopped me. Life sentence. He'd been joking of course, but the term implied he wanted to stay with me for good. Or maybe he expected me to go to LA with him.
Did I want to go with him? What would I give up to have him in my life for good?
To avoid thinking about that, I finished getting dressed, kissed Val on the cheek, and hustled out of the house to find Ollie. He was nowhere in the guest house or on the lawn. I ran into Ruth and Sylvester, who were relaxing in chaises.
"Have you seen Ollie?" I asked them.
"Yeah," Sly said. "He went down the nature trail again, this time wearing clothes and holding on to a badminton racket."
"That dear, dear boy," Ruth said. "How could Heidi break his heart? She's such a sweet child. This doesn't seem like her at all."
"We don't have to hate Heidi because she dumped Ollie," I said. "Sometimes things don't work out between two people. I'm sure Heidi didn't mean to hurt him."
Part of me wanted to be angry with Heidi, the protective part of me that thought of Ollie as a little brother. Mostly, I wanted them both to be happy. Too bad that hadn't happened for them as a couple.
"Don't forget," Sly said. "Ruth and I are leaving tomorrow."
"Yeah, I know. I'll miss you guys."
Ruth leaned forward to clasp my hand. "We'll miss you too, Evie, but we'll be back for the fall color."
Sylvester chortled. "Maybe we should build our own little bungalow in the woods and live here. Sure would save us the trouble of driving or flying here."
His wife tsked. "You'd miss the alligators and the early-bird specials."
Yeah, they lived in Florida. Alligators were one reason I would never move there.
I chatted a little more with Ruth and Sylvester before I headed down the nature trail in search of Ollie. I found him at the hot spring. He was sitting on one of the benches, his gaze aimed straight ahead though his focus seemed to have retreated into a distance only he could see. His hair was wet, but his clothes were dry. Rather than looking melancholy, he seemed relaxed and content.
I sat down beside him and patted his leg. "Hey, Ollie."
"Hey, Eve." He turned his face toward me and smiled a little. "If you're worried I might drown myself in the hot spring, you can relax. I'm okay."
"Are you sure? Getting dumped sucks."
"Yeah, it does." He braced his elbows on his thighs. "I should've known better. Heidi and her boyfriend were always breaking up and getting back together. Being the rebound guy is never a good idea."
"No, I guess not. I still feel bad for you."
"Don't. I'm fine, really." He waved one finger toward the water. "Took a dip in the hot spring, did a lot of thinking, and realized I'm not as bummed as I thought. Sure, I like Heidi. We don't know each other that well, so what I was feeling was only a crush."
I bent forward too and rested my cheek on his arm. "I'm still sorry. You deserve to find a woman who appreciates you."
"Heidi dumping me wasn't what really bothered me." He frowned at the ground. "I got laid off."
"What?" I sprang upright and scrutinized him for a moment until the shock of his statement waned. "That's awful. When did it happen?"
"A week before I came here. That's why I wanted to extend my stay from two weeks to six weeks." He ran a hand over his mouth and sighed. "Thought I'd feel better if I got away from home. It didn't work. Knowing I have to go back there and look for another job… Man, that sucks way worse than Heidi dumping me."
"Wish I could help you out somehow." I got an idea and leaped to my feet. I grabbed Ollie's hand and tugged. "Come on."
