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Day two was a visit to Disneyland in a whole new way. Eli had bought out the entire park, and we rode every single ride as many times as we pleased. I’d enjoyed it because I’d only been to Disney once, and that happened solely because Noah, Seth, and Aiden had saved up the money all year, working extra shifts, to take us all as a Christmas gift. It had rained on that day, but I still remembered it as one of the best days of my younger life.
Days three and four had been a crazy trip to Las Vegas in Eli’s private jet. Since I’d never been to Sin City, Eli had given me a quick introduction into all the ridiculous, extravagant things that could be done there.
By the time we’d arrived home last night, I’d been half-drunk and ready to beg Eli to take me to bed.
Fortunately, I was sober enough to remember that Eli Stone was playing a game with me, and sleeping with him was not in the plan.
Now we were on day five, but I hadn’t yet discovered what Eli had planned.
Since we always went for an early-morning run on the beach with Charlie trailing behind us, it hadn’t taken my brothers long to discover that I was hanging out with one of the richest men in the world.
They’d shown up at my cottage this morning, right after Eli had arrived from next door, and insisted we all go out to breakfast at the best café in Citrus Beach. Eli had agreed wholeheartedly, but I was pretty sure he’d had no idea what he’d been getting himself into when he’d taken my brothers up on a breakfast offer.
Shockingly, even my brother Noah had pushed his way into the group. It was rare when my eldest sibling took time off to go out to eat.
I watched my brothers and Eli as they all huddled together at the table in the Weston Café, talking about investments, commercial real estate, the stock market, and all of the other topics my brothers seemed to have a burning desire to learn more about.
I smiled as Eli answered every question earnestly. He’d been extremely gracious and was treating my three older brothers like they were colleagues instead of the newbie billionaires they actually were.
“It’s so good to see you again, Jade,” a female said as she plopped into the only vacant seat across from me. “It’s been a while.”
I smiled cautiously at the woman who had been my best friend for most of my life, Skye Weston. She looked good but exhausted, which wasn’t unusual for Skye. She owned and managed the Weston Café, which didn’t give her very many hours for things like sleep, and she burned the candle at both ends much of the time.
We’d been really close up until we graduated from high school. I’d gone off to college, and Skye had started dating Aiden. Her relationship with my brother had ended quickly and abruptly, and Skye had hastily married another man and moved to San Diego. Unfortunately, her divorce didn’t happen without a lot of scandal, since her ex-husband had been convicted on several felony counts that had gotten him a life sentence.
Now, Skye was a single mom trying to deal with raising a daughter on her own.
I hadn’t seen her much after her marriage and her move to San Diego. But we’d gotten together a lot since she’d inherited the café from her deceased mother and moved back to Citrus Beach with her daughter, Maya.
Skye and I had almost immediately fallen back into a best-friend type of relationship like we’d never been apart.
Then, a few weeks ago, I’d offered to help her financially so she could spend more time with Maya. She’d refused any help, and had appeared to be offended that I’d even asked.
I hadn’t seen her since.
“I thought maybe you were mad at me,” I finally said.
“Because you wanted to help me?” she questioned. “I wasn’t angry, Jade. I was touched, but Maya and I have always gotten along okay. I thought maybe you were upset. I’ve called you three times and you’ve never called me back.”
Hurt flashed in Skye’s eyes, and I stopped to wonder whether her rejection had all been in my mind. Had I pushed away a good friend just because I’d felt awkward after offering her money?
I shot her a genuine smile. “I’m sorry. Things have been hectic.”
She grinned back. “I can see that. I suppose dating one of the richest men in the world can be time consuming.”
I quickly glanced at Eli and my brothers, noting they weren’t paying a single bit of attention to our conversation. They were too busy with their own. In a lower tone, I told her, “We aren’t . . . dating. We’re experimenting.”
“I hope by experimenting, you mean trying out every sexual position known to mankind. He’s hot enough to melt all of the ice in the Arctic, Jade. And since he seems to hold his own quite well with your older brothers, I’m assuming he’s a pretty decent guy.”
“He is,” I said with a sigh. “Way nicer than I expected him to be.”
Skye lifted a brow. “And that’s a bad thing?”
“I don’t want to like him, Skye. He’s not in my league.”
“Don’t you think that’s a little judgmental?” she probed. “You’re a beautiful billionaire yourself now, and even if you weren’t, money doesn’t make a relationship. Take my word on that.”
I nodded. I knew Skye’s ex-husband had been rich until he’d been taken down with the rest of his Italian crime family in San Diego.
“I guess it is a little irrational to think he’s any different than I am. But Skye, we’ve seen the women he dates. How am I really supposed to believe that I’m just as gorgeous as the supermodels and celebrities he saw?”
“Maybe he’s tired of skinny, superficial women. The glitter wears off pretty fast. And you’re pretty, too, just not in a flashy sort of way. Give the poor guy a chance. It looks like he’s pursuing you if he came all the way here to see you.”
“We’re spending ten days together,” I explained. “I think he’s playing some kind of game to get me into bed with him.”
Skye snorted. “Then for God’s sake let him win.”
I saw Aiden look in Skye’s direction. His eyes stayed on her with an icy look before he finally turned his head back toward the other guys.
I’d often wondered exactly what had happened between Aiden and Skye, but it had been a whirlwind relationship that had been over soon after it had begun. And neither one of them ever talked about it. But it was weird that they completely ignored each other like they’d never met, most of the time. I had to assume the ending hadn’t been all that friendly.
“I guess I don’t want my heart broken,” I finally admitted. “Eli is hot, but he’s not the committed type. What if I end up liking him too much?”
“What if you don’t try and then you always wonder if anything else could have happened between you?” she shot back. “You’ve never been afraid of anything, Jade. Don’t start now.”
“Inheriting money has changed me, Skye,” I confessed. “I know most people would love to be in my position, but I feel like I’m not me anymore.”
“Don’t downplay how hard it is to experience a major change in your life,” Skye warned. “Yes, everybody wants money until they have it, but it’s kind of hard to get used to when you’ve always been poor, and it doesn’t solve all problems. Sometimes it makes them worse.”
