Page 24 of Tormented Bastard
Her eyes came up and met mine. She shrugged a shoulder before moving to the stool one over from mine. “Of course I did. Not like it’s hard.”
I narrowed my eyes at her before picking up my fork and putting some eggs on it. I eyed them for a moment before tasting them. I chewed, letting the taste of the eggs and cheese melt on my tongue before swallowing. “Damn, that’s good.”
She chuckled. “Thanks.”
We ate in silence for a few moments, the sounds of the rain and wind and the scrape of forks against the plates the only sounds around us. We both did our best not to look at the other, but I found it incredibly hard to keep my gaze from wandering her way. It was an odd feeling to know the woman sitting two feet away from me so well and yet not know her at all.
For example, she was subdued today. I didn’t know what to make of it. To be honest, I didn’t know what to make of Eden at all. It was like there were two of her. The New York, type-A businesswoman dressed in heels that cost more than some people on the island made in a week. And then there was the casual, laid-back woman who’d dress in cutoff shorts and flip-flops bought at a drugstore.
Both of them drove me crazy but for vastly different reasons.
But the Eden that sat near me today was a new one. Casual, yet nervous energy radiated from her as much as some other emotion that I couldn’t pinpoint.
“So, I guess this wasn’t part of your plans for this week, huh?”
She sighed and looked out the sliding glass doors. “No. I definitely was not expecting to be stuck on an island during a hurricane. Then again,”—she pushed her food around with her fork—“nothing has turned out how I’d planned lately.”
Guilt settled into my gut. I’d done nothing but put her off since she’d shown up on the island. “I have to apologize.”
“Apologize?” She tilted her head and took a bite of her eggs.
I laid my fork down and rubbed a hand over the back of my neck. “I feel responsible for you getting stuck here.”
Eden chewed but didn’t respond for a moment. “It’s not your fault entirely. It was my choice not to head back to the mainland. I knew the bridge would get shut down, but I thought I had time.” She glanced out the doors again, her lips twisted into a grimace. “I underestimated Mother Nature and she kicked my ass.”
“Be that as it may, I should have let you explain yourself sooner.” I fisted my hand on the counter, realizing for the first time the dangerous situation I put her in by letting the old hurts and fears get the best of me. “I don’t know if this will help you or not, but I’m ready to listen.”
“Really?” Her brows were high, as was her skepticism of me, and I can’t say I blamed her.
I nodded once. “Yeah.”
“Okay.” She tossed her napkin onto her empty plate and turned on the stool toward me. “My company was hired to manage a charity ball fundraiser, and I’ve promised them an amazing keynote speaker that would bring in some dollars.” She blew out a breath. “Okay, so I had Mason Jackstone all lined up and ready to go.”
I wished Mason Jackstone no ill will, but the man was a tool. He didn’t need to be anywhere near Eden.
My brows drew down. “Didn’t he just have a motorcycle accident?”
Her eyes widened. “You heard about it?”
I shrugged. “Well, yeah. Everyone did.” I smirked. “We might be an island and an isolated one right now, but we do get satellite TV out here. Hell, we can even get Google out in these parts.”
She rolled her eyes, rubbing her temples. “Ha, ha. You’re a funny guy, Hanover. How did everyone know about this before me?”
“My guess is that you don’t watch TMZ.”
“No, I don’t. My assistant already lectured me on the merits of watching entertainment television when dealing with entertainers.”
“That’s probably helpful.”
“Probably.”
“So, now he’s out, and you’re left with no keynote speaker,” I said, pushing my plate away.
“Exactly.”
“And you want me to be your new speaker.”
She tapped a finger on the counter. “Yes.”
