Chapter 8
Elodie stood in Scott’s kitchen and stared out the window above the sink.
She could see the ocean from where she was standing, which she loved.
All she saw from her windows was the concrete driveway and sometimes her neighbor’s naked butt as he walked around his house.
But beggars couldn’t be choosers, and she was grateful she’d been able to find a place she could afford.
She could hear the shower in Scott’s bedroom, and surprisingly it comforted her. For the first time in a very long time, she didn’t feel quite so alone. Though, Elodie knew she should probably leave. Shouldn’t involve Scott or the rest of his team in her problems.
Was Paul still looking for her? Was she running and using a fake name for nothing? She hadn’t seen anyone who looked suspicious in months. She’d done everything she could think of to not bring attention to herself.
She’d never forget how angry Paul was when she’d told him she wouldn’t put the poison into her soup.
He could’ve killed her right then, and she figured he might’ve, if there wasn’t a roomful of people waiting to eat the four-course dinner she’d made.
If Paul killed her right then, it would’ve brought a lot of attention onto him.
So he’d had to go back out and pretend all was well.
The second she’d plated the desserts, Elodie had left. She knew if she’d stayed, she probably wouldn’t have lived to see another sunrise.
But now, after all this time, she was doubting herself. What if she’d acted too impulsively? Yes, Paul had been upset, but did that really mean he was going to kill her?
Sighing, Elodie took another sip of the water Scott had given her when they’d entered his apartment.
Honestly, she felt pretty safe here in Hawaii.
She had absolutely no connections to the state.
There was no way for Paul to know where she was.
Even if he saw the news clip of the day the Asaka Express came into Port Sudan, and recognized her, she’d done her very best to leave no clues where she was headed.
She’d even lied to Human Resources and told them she’d be headed to Paris to stay with a friend.
So why was she still feeling so unsettled?
“You look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders.”
Elodie jerked in fright and spun around to see Scott standing in the entryway of the kitchen. He was leaning against the wall, and his gaze seemed too intent. Too knowing.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought I made plenty of noise when I came in.”
“No, it’s fine. I was just thinking,” Elodie told him.
He studied her for a long moment. “How about this…how about we spend the rest of the day talking about nothing important? We can get to know each other without worrying about when and how to bring up the elephant in the room.”
Elodie stared at Scott. He was wearing a pair of board shorts that went down to his knees.
His legs were tan and there was something especially intimate about seeing his bare feet.
He had on a navy-blue T-shirt with the words Leonard’s Bakery on the front.
His arms were muscular, and she could see the hint of a tattoo peeking out from the left sleeve of his shirt.
It intrigued her and made her wonder what else she didn’t know about him.
At first glance, he looked somewhat gruff, his beard and mustache and muscles making him seem kind of scary, but Elodie had gotten to know him well enough onboard the cargo ship, and she wasn’t scared of him.
Not having the pressure of when, how, or if she was going to tell him about Paul Columbus appealed. For once, just for a little while, she wanted to pretend she was a normal woman.
“What do you think?” he asked when she didn’t answer him.
“I’d like that,” Elodie told him.
“Me too,” Scott admitted. “I mean, I want to help you, if you’ll let me, but I also want to get to know you without you thinking I’m trying to pump you for information.
Have no doubt, I do want to know what’s going on with you.
Why you’re using fake names. But I can put off my curiosity for a while. I’m just so damn happy you’re here.”
“I lost your number,” Elodie blurted.
Scott blinked. “What?”
“I lost the piece of paper you wrote your number on. All I remembered was the area code and a few numbers. I was going to get in touch with you but couldn’t.
Then I decided to come here and see if I could find you.
Which was incredibly stupid, I realized pretty much as soon as I stepped out of the airport.
But I decided to stay anyway, hoping against hope that maybe I’d find someone who worked on the Naval base who might know you. ”
Scott pushed off the wall and walked toward her. Elodie kept her gaze on his and tilted her head back as he got closer. He stopped right in front of her and took the bottle of water out of her hand and put it on the counter next to her. Then he opened his arms.
Elodie didn’t hesitate. She felt comfortable with this man. She never would’ve come to Hawaii if she didn’t. She rested her head on his shoulder and felt his arms close around her. She slowly wrapped her own around him, and they stood like that for quite a while.
Scott smelled like soap and…man. She couldn’t say exactly why, but was comforted whenever she was around him. She’d never felt like this before in her life. Safe. As if she could be whoever she wanted to be and do whatever she wanted to do and no one would dare stand in her way.
It was an uncomfortable thought, simply because she knew she ought to feel that way on her own, not because she had a man at her side.
She’d worked her ass off to be an independent and strong woman.
But right now? She was nearly at the end of her rope.
On the outside, she looked put together and confident, but deep down she was terrified.
She wanted to hope that Paul had given up and was satisfied she wasn’t living in New York City anymore, but she had a feeling the ruthless head of the Columbus family would never give up until she’d paid for saying no to him…as crazy as that might seem to any rational person.
“You’re thinking too hard,” Scott said, his chest rumbling under her ear with his words.
She looked up at him.
“You hungry?”
Elodie shrugged. “I could eat.”
“Good. You been to Helena’s yet?”
“Who?”
Scott chuckled. “Helena’s Hawaiian Food.
It’s a restaurant. A damn good one. There’s a dine-in option, but it’s always completely packed.
It specializes in homestyle Hawaiian cooking.
I thought maybe we could pick up some food then come back to this side of the island, to Barbers Point Beach Park.
By the time we get there, most of the tourists—the ones who bother coming to this side—should be heading back to where they came from.
It’s a public park, but it won’t be overrun by people. ”
“Sounds great. I haven’t seen much of the island,” Elodie told him.
“You haven’t had time to get out and about?”
“It’s not that. I don’t have a car and have been using public transportation. And I don’t really know the cool places to go. I went down to Waikiki and there were just too many people around for my liking.”
“Yeah, Waikiki isn’t bad, but if you’re looking for pristine beaches and privacy, that isn’t the place to go. I’d be happy to show you some of my favorite spots and hikes if you want. We can go up to the North Shore sometime as well if you’re interested.”
Elodie wanted to immediately agree. But she needed to rein in her enthusiasm. Once he learned who she’d worked for, and heard the entire story about why she’d been using different names, he might feel differently about hanging out with her.
Taking a deep breath, Elodie stepped back and Scott immediately dropped his arms, giving her space. Her stomach chose that moment to rumble.
He chuckled. “Right, and that’s my cue to get my butt in gear and get us moving. Let me grab some shoes and we can go. We’ll make a stop at your place, then we’ll go downtown, grab the grub, then head to the beach. Sound okay?”
“Sure. Scott?”
“Yeah, El?”
Hearing even the shortened version of her real name felt good.
It had been so long since she’d been Elodie, she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed it.
“Thanks.” She didn’t know what she was thanking him for.
For being trustworthy. For seeming to be excited to see her.
For offering to give her a day of normal instead of immediately asking her to spill all her secrets. For making things so easy.
He reached up as if he was going to touch her, then stopped himself mid-reach and dropped his hand back to his side. “You’re welcome.” Then he turned and headed into the small living area of his apartment.
Elodie waited by the entrance of the kitchen and had to smile when he came back to her. He hadn’t put on a pair of sneakers, but instead he wore flip-flops. She tried to hide her smile, but obviously wasn’t successful because he asked, “What?”
“I just…I wasn’t picturing you as a flip-flop kind of guy.”
Scott laughed along with her. “I wasn’t before I moved here.
I was a boots guy all the time. I wanted to be ready for anything.
But it’s hot here. And I have to wear my combat boots at work and my sneakers when I work out.
It feels good to let my toes breathe. And I’ll have you know these are super-authentic Hawaiian flip-flops, and they’re comfortable as hell. ”
Elodie looked at her own feet. She held one up. “These are super-authentic ABC Store flip-flops and they suck, but I still love them.”
Scott laughed. “Right, the ABC Stores are handy on the island, carrying anything and everything a tourist could want, but I’ll have to bring you to the store where I got my kicks so you can see the difference between those cheap plastic things you’re wearing and the good-quality ones.”