I cracked a few eggs into a pan before popping some bread into the toaster. I wasn’t a chef. I didn’t cook a lot, but I could cook a few things. My eyes felt gritty from the lack of sleep. I made another cup of coffee, thankful it took less than a minute to be ready to drink and sipped it while my breakfast cooked.
I sat down at the kitchen bar with my iPad propped up on a holder. I took a bite of the eggs while scanning through the headlines for the day. The world was going to hell in a handbasket, as my father would say. It was depressing to read the news.
My phone rang, interrupting my quiet morning. It was still early for a Saturday morning. I hoped it wasn’t a ship emergency. I didn’t have the brain power to deal with any engineering problems. Not until I had at least two more cups of coffee.
“Hello,” I answered without paying attention to the number.
“Hi,” Evie’s perky voice came through.
I almost choked on the eggs. “Hey,” I said, checking the time. “You are up early.”
“It’s eight. That’s not early. Did I wake you?”
“No, I’ve been up since two, or five, I suppose.”
“Really?”
“I didn’t get to come home last night like I planned. We got in early this morning.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I should let you get back to sleep.”
I took a drink of coffee. “No, I’m up. I was just eating some breakfast.”
“Are you up for company?”
I looked down at the wrinkled jeans and even more wrinkled T-shirt I was wearing. I hadn’t showered yet. I lifted one armpit and sniffed. It didn’t smell bad. “Sure.”
“I can wait if you want to try and get a nap.”
“Nope. Come over. I’ll text you my address.”
“I’ll see you soon.”
I quickly sent the address and then went out to push the button to open the front gate. I scarfed down my breakfast and then rushed upstairs to brush my teeth. I put on a fresh slide of deodorant and then spritzed on some cologne before dashing back downstairs.
I did a quick run through the house, picking up the shit I had tossed around when I walked through the door earlier. A few minutes later, Evie was ringing the doorbell.
“Hi,” I said as I opened the door. My eyes drank in the sight of her. She was wearing a pair of beige capri pants and a plain black T-shirt with a pair of black sandals. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail once again. I liked it like that. I liked her shapely neck.
“Oh,” she pouted. “You look tired.”
I ran a hand through my hair. “I’m fine. Come in.”
I gestured for her to enter the foyer. She stepped inside, her eyes scanning the area. “Can I get you a drink? Coffee?”
“I’m good. Your house is beautiful. Now I understand why you don’t like to go out.”
“You have to see the view,” I told her and led her toward the sitting area that stretched along the length of the house that faced the ocean. There was no privacy, and if any boat out on the water aimed a telescope or binoculars my way, they’d get an eyeful.
“Wow!” she said, coming to a stop in front of the massive sliding doors that were blended in between the windows. “This view is amazing. I think this is what they are talking about when they say a million-dollar view.”
“Step outside. Smell the ocean.”
She followed me onto the patio. I watched her chest expand as she inhaled. “This is stunning. Just absolutely beautiful.”
“The pool is over here,” I gestured. “It’s protected from the breeze that can come off the ocean and be a little too chilly. And it provides some privacy.”
“Do you do a lot of skinny dipping?” she asked with a grin.
I winked. “Define a lot.”
I showed her around the rest of the house before we ended up back in the living room. “I have to say, I thought your house would be much bigger,” she said. “You are this rich guy that lives in—I hate to say it—but kind of a normal house. I was thinking you would live in one of those mansions that you need a map to navigate.”
I laughed. “I’m a single guy. I don’t need a big house. I don’t need a giant house. I don’t want a giant house. That’s a waste of space and furniture. It would take me a week to get from one end to the other. I checked out several of those mega-mansions before I settled on this one. They all felt cold and very isolating.”
She nodded as she looked around what I thought was a fairly normal house. “How many rooms do you have?”
“Four.”
“It’s a beautiful house. I like that it’s comfy and you don’t have silly vases that cost more than my car sitting out on a table. I’ve had to work with clients that insist on parties at their houses and then freak out when one of those stupid things gets broken. Your house looks like a home.”
“Land was more important than house. I would have been fine with a one-bedroom house if I could have plenty of space between me and the neighbors. I wanted comfort. I wanted to walk in the door, kick off my shoes, and just chill.”
“You and your lack of liking people, right?” she joked.
I smiled. “It’s more about my like of privacy and quiet.”
“Your stairs go directly down to the beach?” she asked.
“Yes, they do. It’s steep, and it can be a hell of a workout, but it is well worth it. One of these days, I might buy a house that is right on the beach.”
“I’ve always dreamed about living on the beach,” she commented as she took a seat on one of the overstuffed white couches. “Not this beach because it is always so packed but maybe a little more up north. Better yet, a deserted island.”
“Now, you are talking,” I said with a laugh.
“Do you have people that try and sneak up here?”
“Not a lot. There is a locked gate below, but you know drunk kids.”
“You need an island,” she said with a nod.
It did sound appealing. “I might just look into that.”
“Then you wouldn’t have to worry about sharing your beach with anyone else,” she reasoned.
“It does get packed during the summer, but during the fall and winter, it’s pretty quiet down there. I like to go down and just spend the day doing nothing.”
“That does sound nice,” she said with a smile.
“So, what does your schedule look like for today?” I asked her.
She shrugged. “No schedule.”
“You don’t have a checklist of things you need to get done?”
She laughed. “I have things that I could get done, and I do have a few errands to run, but nothing hard and fast.”
“You don’t have plans to drag me to Disneyland or some other wild and crazy place?” I asked with a smile.
“Not today, but now that you put that out there, have you been to Disneyland?”
I nodded. “A few times when I was younger but not in recent years. You?”
“I went a few years ago with my friend. It was fun. We should go sometime. We could get a hotel and stay overnight. Maybe stay the weekend.”
She was making plans for us. Plans for the future. “I think that sounds like a great idea. And today?”