“Why?” I ask, coming up to him.
He extends a hand, and I give him my empty coffee cup. “To get you relaxed and ready for the dinner. I thought you’d like that.”
“Is this a subtle remin
der to do my mani pedi?”
“Nope.” He sprinkles some water over the dishes and kisses me again. “It’s a blatant reminder to pamper yourself.”
I flush. “Well, thank you.”
“Whatever for?”
“For being good to me.”
A corner of his mouth lifts. “If you think this is being good, wait’ll you see our honeymoon.” He pauses. “You do have a passport…?”
“Yes.” I got one my sophomore year in college, with an eye toward a semester in Europe. Not that I ever got to go, since my dad’s Ponzi scheme fell apart.
“Perfect. We leave on Sunday.”
“Where are we going?”
“St. Cecilia. It’s in the Caribbean. Semi-private island. You’ll love it.”
“How can an island be ‘semi-private’? It is either private or it isn’t, right?”
“One family owns most of it, but not all. And recently they decided to build a new resort on a pristine strip of beach.”
“Wow. So we’re staying at this new resort?”
“It’s a couple of years old, but yes.”
“What’s it called?”
“Aylster Resort. It’s quite beautiful, and the island isn’t teeming with tourists like some of the more famous places.”
“It sounds lovely. But who’s going to watch Nonny?”
“Elizabeth volunteered to stay here for a week.”
“A week!” It seems like a huge imposition.
“Two would be better, but asking her to spend that much time here would border on cruelty.”
I frown. “This place seems comfortable enough.”
He chuckles. “It’s kind of a joke. Anyway, she’ll be fine.”
Relief floods me. I don’t want to unduly impose on Elizabeth. “In that case, I can’t wait.” I beam.
“Neither can I.” He suddenly laughs. “I can’t remember the last time I looked forward to a vacation.”
“Maybe you take too many,” I tease.
“Or maybe because most of them aren’t really any different from clubbing in L.A.”
I can imagine the kind of rowdy times he must’ve had. I’ve seen the photos. The women, the booze. When a man as brilliant, magnetic and rich as Elliot is out and about, he’s bound to attract women. And he certainly seemed to enjoy those wild scenes.