I wanted to mingle with her. Alone. All day and all night.
She really had no idea who I was or what I'd done. I had no shame about any of it, but I always ran the risk new people wouldn't appreciate my infamous past. Maybe my football career alone wouldn't have made me a celebrity, but my affair with a movie star certainly had. Our scandalous public behavior had made us a favorite of the tabloids. I'd assumed Eve was flustered around me because she knew about my indiscretions. Everyone with an internet connection seemed to know.
Eve didn't.
I ate my lunch alone before wandering over to the guest house.
A cheerful older woman with gray hair rushed up to me the instant I walked into the dining hall. The other guests seemed to be finishing up their dessert.
The woman, whom I'd seen with Eve earlier, seized my hand with both of hers. "We weren't properly introduced before. I'm Ruth Norris. It's so nice to meet you, Val. Eve told me absolutely nothing about you except your name."
Because Eve knew next to nothing about me.
I smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ruth. Thank you for the warm welcome."
"Let me introduce you to everybody."
"No need. I met them earlier."
"But you didn't get the Ruth Norris special introduction." She leaned in and whispered, "I saved you dessert, but Sylvester had to stash it in our room so these chow hounds wouldn't gobble it up. I'll get it for you after the introductions."
"Thank you, but there's no need to go to any trouble."
"It's no trouble, dear." She patted my cheek.
Ruth shepherded me around the room, presenting me to every one of Eve's guests. They all had nothing but praise for their hostess, though some of them commented that she needed a "good man" in her life. Ruth stated outright she thought I was that man.
I wanted to fuck Eve, but a relationship could never work. She didn't belong in my world any more than I belonged in hers. For a week or two, yes. For life? No. Besides, according to all my new friends, Eve did not date.
Ollie Jackson, the youngest guest in residence here, kept staring at me, though not with jealousy. He seemed confused. When Ruth introduced us, Ollie pushed up his glasses and said, "Have we met before? You seem familiar."
"I don't think we've met, but I do run into a lot of people when I'm working."
"What do you do?"
Ruth gave Ollie's arm a casual slap. "Don't interrogate the boy. Let's not scare him off on his first day."
I thanked heaven for Ruth's interruption. Ollie's question didn't upset me, but I preferred to avoid answering. This vacation was supposed to be an escape from my life and sharing too much would ruin that. But if I were completely honest with myself, I didn't want to talk about my life because I didn't want Eve to know about my escapades.
What did it matter? I planned to have sex with her, as many times as possible, but I did not want a relationship.
Ollie scratched his head, ruffling his curly blond hair. "I'm sure I've seen you somewhere."
I cleared my throat and changed the subject, not so deftly. "Eve has had no boyfriends since you've known her?"
Ruth chortled and squeezed my shoulder. "Don't worry, sweetie, she's free."
Ollie contorted his lips. "Well, it's not entirely accurate to say Eve's had no boyfriends. There was that thing with Cody and Aaron two summers ago."
A threesome? Eve? She didn't seem like the type, so that must not have been what Ollie meant.
Luckily, he explained. "See, Eve had a thing with Cody in the spring, but that ended. Then, when Cody and Aaron were both here for the summer, she had a thing with Aaron. Cody got righteously ticked about that." Ollie gestured with his hands to emphasize his words. "He kind of assumed Eve was, like, his girl and nobody else's. She'd told him it was totally and forever done with, but the guy did not want to give up."
"Cut to the chase, dear," Ruth said. "You're boring Val."
"Not at all," I said. "What happened, Ollie?"
"Well…" Ollie leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Cody started pushing Aaron around. You know, physically pushing him. They yelled and stuff. But finally, Aaron had enough, and he slugged Cody." Ollie held up two fingers. "Twice. That dude had a black eye and could hardly chew for a week."