Page 66 of Billionaire Hunt

“It is...in a funny way.” I picked up a marshmallow and stuck it on one of the long toothpicks sitting next to the fountain. I covered the marshmallow with chocolate and promptly stuck the whole thing in my mouth.

“If I had known you would go straight for the sweets, I wouldn’t have ordered all this food.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll eat that too; I’m famished.”

And true to my word, ten minutes later, I had eaten two bowls of shrimp and five more chocolate-covered marshmallows.

I looked out from under the tent. The sun was sitting low on the horizon, turning the sky brilliant shades of purple and orange.

I could see an island of mangroves out on the water and I was pretty sure the faint skyline all the way across the water, in the far-off distance, was the city. Civilization seemed so far away and for a moment it felt like the world was only occupied by the two of us.

He sat down on the sand and motioned for me to join him. I lowered myself gingerly next to him, pulling my skirt down a little, as it kept trying to run up my thighs.

“I just want to say thank you for all you’ve done. The house, everything is spectacular. You far exceeded my expectations. You really turned my house into a home.”

“I’m glad you feel that way. Thanks for choosing me. It was probably my most challenging project, a true learning experience. So, thank you for that.”

He turned and studied me, not saying a word.

“What?” I said, growing uncomfortable under his gaze and hesitant to meet it.

“Nothing. I just miss looking at you.”

I shifted on the sand, trying to get comfortable, but also trying to avoid his eyes. Our friendship was fragile at best and I didn’t want my messy emotions ruining the night.

“You see me all the time.”

“But not nearly enough.”

“Well, we both have our own lives...sooo…” I let my voice trail off.

We settled into silence and finally I couldn’t take it anymore. The elephant in the room, or rather on the beach, needed to be addressed.

“I think it would be best if after tonight we stopped seeing each other.”

He turned to me, clearly stunned. I didn’t meet his eyes, I just continued looking over the peaceful waves that were now lapping at the shore. The setting was perfect for romance, but romance was the last thing on my mind.

“What are you talking about?”

“You know what I’m talking about.”

“I don’t. Please clarify.”

“I can’t just be your friend, Erik. It hurts too much,” I said, my voice breaking a little. I cleared my throat and tried again. “I just can’t do this. It hurts being with you, but not being “with” you.” When he continued being silent, I found myself becoming annoyed. “And what is all this anyway?” I gestured to the tent and the beach. “Why couldn’t you just be like a normal person and buy me a bottle of wine as a thank you or a gift card?”

“I wasn’t trying to upset you. I thought it was a nice gesture, that’s all.”

“Really? A romantic dinner on the beach was your idea of a nice gesture?”

“I’m not sure why you’re angry with me about trying to do something nice for you.” His voice was calm but angry. He didn’t have a right to be angry as far as I was concerned. He wasn’t the hurt party here.

“I’m just tired of getting mixed signals from you. You treat me like a girlfriend, tell me you only want me to be your lover. Then you invited me to be your surrogate and then realized that you only have friendship to offer?”

“Look, I ---”

“I’m not done yet. It’s no wonder that I’ve been feeling confused and conflicted throughout our relationship. Oh, I’m sorry...that’s right--we’re not in a relationship.”

“I’m not sure why we have to rehash--”