Chapter 8

 

ABOUT ninety minutes later, after hearing the front door open and close a couple of times, Eli poked his head out of his bedroom. The only noises he heard came from the kitchen and were accompanied by some heavenly aromas. He headed that way and found Ilsa and Casey leaning against the island, kissing, and Tony sitting at the kitchen table sipping coffee.

“Well, if it isn’t Eli of the long showers,” the artist said softly. His eyes were puffy and red, and Eli was convinced there was more than coffee and cream in his cup.

He pulled up a chair and eyed Tony suspiciously. “How are you doing this morning?” Tony didn’t answer, but he squinted at Eli as if he were looking at the sun and began massaging his skull. Eli smiled. “That bad, eh?”

Ilsa suddenly realized another person had joined them and disengaged her lips from Casey’s, allowing the young nurse to try her hand at flipping some chocolate chip pancakes. “Eli! Excellent!” Ilsa said.

“Shhh!” Tony said.

“Coffee, Eli?” Ilsa asked more softly. She held up the carafe while watching Casey out of the corner of her eye. Casey flipped the pancakes beautifully and beamed at Ilsa proudly, prompting the beautiful chef to begin kissing her again.

Eli grinned at them. “Ahem! Yes, please.”

Ilsa poured him a cup, brought it to him, and then quickly returned to Casey’s side. “Oh, I almost forgot,” she said. “Alec had to rush out to class. He told me to tell you he’d see you at the gym later.”

Eli frowned as he sweetened his coffee. “Thanks.” He’d successfully avoided discussing moving out by lingering in his room, but they had a date at the gym to work out together and he had a physio appointment he couldn’t miss.

“He tried to wait,” Casey said, concentrating on the last few flips she had to do. “That was an awfully long shower you took this morning.”

“Uh, yeah, sorry about that.”

Ilsa went to work finishing up the sausages as she watched her girlfriend neatly stack the remaining pancakes on a plate. “Ta dah!” Casey exclaimed, causing Tony to wince.

“Very good, sweetie,” Ilsa said before kissing her again.

“Are you going to feed us or just stand there snogging?” Tony asked.

Ilsa rolled her eyes and whirled on him. “Excuse me, but you don’t live here anymore.” Tony calmly sipped his cup dry and held it out for Ilsa to refill. “It’s no longer my job to feed you,” she said as she walked over and refilled his cup.

“Here you are,” Casey said, proudly setting down a plate piled high with chocolate chip pancakes and sausages. She giggled. “I’m feeling all domestic, serving our men.”

Eli chuckled at that, thanking her and pulling the plate of food away from Tony’s horrified and nauseated face. Ilsa replaced it with a saucer sporting two aspirin. “Eat up, sugar,” she said, patting Tony on his sensitive head.

He popped the aspirin in his mouth. “I’m going to lie down,” he mumbled. The three of them watched silently as he shuffled away toward the living room with his coffee.

“What’s he doing here so early?” Eli asked.

Casey set plates out for each of them and started parceling out the food. “He came stumbling through the door this morning at eight complaining that Lyle was on a cleaning spree.”

Ilsa laughed. “He said he’s allergic to cleaning before noon, so he came over here to be properly pampered.”

Casey’s pancakes were delicious, and they ate in silence for a while. Eli was aware of some foot play under the table between his two friends, but he pretended not to notice. When the phone rang, Casey jumped up to answer it, wolfing down the last of a sausage on her way. “Hello?”

“What are your plans today?” Ilsa asked Eli.

“Um…,” he began around a mouth of food. He paused to finish chewing and swallow. “I have a client followed by practice with friends for my next level of certification….” His voice trailed away, and his face darkened.

“Eli?”

“Then I’m meeting Alec at the gym. We’re working out together.” He knew he sounded less than enthused.

“Is that a problem?”

He didn’t say anything for a moment or two. “Are you really peeved at Tony and Lyle for leaving?”

“Of course not, silly!” Eli watched her viciously slice up a sausage before taking a bite of it. “I was just giving him a hard time. I still have you and Alec.” Eli smiled weakly. “Why do you ask?”

“Alec mentioned—”

“I have to go, I’m afraid,” Casey said, returning to the table and tearing a bit off one of Ilsa’s remaining pancakes.”

“Oh, sugar,” Ilsa whined.

“I put my name in for extra hours if they needed, and… they need.”

“Shower?” Ilsa asked, standing and wrapping Casey up in her arms. She nibbled her neck as her hands began to roam.

“Mmm… better not.” Casey caught Ilsa’s hands in hers. “I’ll shower and change at the hospital.” Her kiss, sweet with syrup, promised delightful things later for Ilsa, so they grinned at each other as Ilsa released her. “Maybe we could all meet for lunch? Around one thirty?”

“I might do,” Eli said, running through his schedule in his head and calculating how much time was needed for each activity he’d committed to.

Ilsa appeared to be doing the same. “Mmm, better make it two,” she said. “I can go into work early after.”

Casey nodded and looked to Eli.

“Sounds good,” he said.

“Great. See ya.”

“What? No kiss?” he asked.

Casey laughed and kissed the top of his head before heading upstairs to retrieve her clothes.

With apparent hunger in her eyes, Ilsa watched her go. “Now… Alec did what?” she asked, sitting back down.

Eli glanced at the clock on the wall and quickly drained his coffee. “Oh nothing.” He got up and grabbed his messenger bag and cane. “I’d better get going.”

Ilsa watched him hurry down the hall and out the door before moving to the sink to start the dishes.

 

 

LYLE rushed from the bathroom to answer the cordless phone in the great room. He tugged the yellow rubber gloves off his hands on the fourth ring.

“You’ve got Lyle.”

“Hey there.”

“Alec? How are you? I hope you and Eli had a good time last night.”

“We did, Lyle. A great time. Are you busy?”

“Just cleaning. What can I do for you?”

“I wonder if you might have the number for the catering staff you used for the party.”

“You planning one?” Lyle headed for his office. “I know Ilsa’s birthday is coming up.”

Alec could hear him rummaging through a drawer. “Oh, I hadn’t thought about it, but that’s a good idea. I’ll speak to Eli.”

“I know I have Jacob’s card in here somewhere—ah ha! Got it. Ready?”

“Shoot.”

Lyle read off the phone number for Catering Jake, and Alec copied it down.

“If you’re not planning a party, why—”

“I’d like to check up on that waiter….”

“I see. Well, I’m sure Jacob can help you.”

“Thanks, Lyle.”

“No worries… uh, speaking of worries, you didn’t happen to see Tony this morning, did you?”

“He was coming in the door as I headed out.”

Lyle sighed. “Okay, good. Ilsa will take care of him.”

“Listen, Lyle, another thing….”

“Yes?”

“I heard there might be some units opening up in your building soon.”

“That’s what I hear. They’re getting them ready as fast as they can. Why?”

“I was toying with the idea of maybe Eli and I—”

“That would be brilliant! Bloody fantastic… but….”

“What?”

“I guess I’m surprised Eli would want to move out.”

“Oh… uh, we haven’t really discussed it yet.”

“Mmm-hm.”

“Why surprised?”

“Well… it’s just….”

“Yes?”

“Uh… well, Bennett….” Alec didn’t say anything, and Lyle rushed on. “I’m sure I’m wrong. Don’t listen to me. I’m silly.”

“No, no you’re not, Lyle. You have a point. It was their home… it’s something to consider.” It was Lyle’s turn to keep quiet. “Well, thanks for the number,” Alec said. “I should get off. I’ve got a student knocking at my office door.”

“You’re welcome and good luck.”

Alec hung up and stared across his tiny office. There was no one at the door, no one waiting to see him. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.

“Bennett,” he said to an empty room.