An hour—along with a few more glasses of wine and enough seduction techniques to make Addy want to use that side of herself on Jake—later they were practicing their newfound skills on each other, when they noticed Eva, the woman who ran the salon in town, walking along the shore. They waved, and Eva lifted the hem of her long, flowing skirt and headed up the beach toward them. Her dark hair was secured on the top of her head in a messy nest, with wispy tendrils whipping around her face. Several long necklaces hung around her neck, pooling in her cleavage.
Gabriella handed her a wineglass. “Join us?”
Eva wrinkled her brow. “Can I have the whole bottle?”
“That bad of a night, huh?” Trish asked.
“That bad of a decision. I’m not sure I’m cut out for Elpitha,” Eva admitted tentatively. “I really wanted to come back and make a go of it since my mother left me the salon, but all the signs were there telling me not to, and I think I made a huge mistake.”
“Where did you move from?” Addy asked.
“Chicago, and my life there was amazing.” Eva sank down to the sand, and they all followed suit around the bonfire. “The island is a bit limited for me. I forgot how serene and small it really is.”
“But everyone loves you and your knowledge of Pinterest,” Gabriella said.
“Somehow I don’t think she’s talking about showing the ladies in town hot guys on Pinterest,” Addy added. “I admit, I couldn’t live here. I love visiting, but I’m not cut out for a quiet life. I get too restless.”
“She means bored with the men.” Gabriella giggled and leaned in to Addy, clearly more than tipsy. “But Jake’s trying his best to fill those sexy, shmexy needs.”
“You’ve hooked that man mighty hard,” Eva said.
“Is nothing sacred on Elpitha?” Addy glared at Gabriella, who shrugged.
“It wasn’t gossip that revealed your secret,” Eva explained. “Hasn’t Gabriella told you? I’m a seer. I knew when I met you two at the wedding you were destined to fall for each other.”
“You are?” Trish asked with wide eyes. “Can you see our futures?”
Gabriella nodded. “She can.”
“Sorry, Eva,” Addy said. “But I think your seeing abilities are out of whack, because I’m not falling for anyone.”
Eva patted Addy’s thigh. “Okay, honey. You keep believing that, but those questions ricocheting in your mind should tip you off. Don’t fight so hard against them. You’re no stranger to exploration.”
The glimmer of understanding in her eyes was so vivid, Addy felt exposed, like Eva could see her past and the way she owned her sexuality.
“This is just a different type of exploration.” Eva winked, finished her wine, and pushed to her feet. “I think you’ve helped me make my decision.”
“How could I possibly have helped?” Addy asked.
“Being a seer is a part of me that I can’t turn off, and seeing too much isn’t always a gift. I already know more about my relatives than I’d like. But that shocked look on your face? That’s when I know I’ve hit the nail on the head. I think I need to start thinking about going back to Chicago, where lots of strangers need guidance and I don’t have to worry about being the bearer of news they’re not ready to accept. Once they leave my center for spirituality I never see them again. But here, every time I reveal something like I just have, the recipient will have that look on his or her face. And then they’ll start to avoid me. Until they see that I was right. But those uncomfortable weeks in between? No thanks.”
“Sorry to rain on your parade, Eva,” Addy said. “But I’m not going to look at you in any way, because I’m not into all that mystical stuff.”
“That’s okay,” Eva said. “You don’t have to be. The universe knows what it knows.” She set her wineglass down on the table and shifted her gaze to Maggie. Her brows knitted, and she reached for her hand. “You lost your father,” she said carefully.
“Yes,” Maggie said. “Many years ago.”
Eva nodded. Then her expression softened and she said, “But you still speak to him.”
Maggie blushed. “Not literally, but I think of him often, and I hope he hears me.”
“He hears you, honey.” Eva embraced her. “And that other thing?” She winked, causing Maggie to blush again. “There’s a special someone waiting to meet you.”
“Please draw me a map to his front door,” Maggie said with a laugh.
“You won’t need it.” Eva moved to embrace Trish. “Congratulations on your impending marriage. It will be a happy one with lots of babies to keep you busy.”
“Really?” Trish squealed.
Eva glanced at Sally. “I’m getting lots of baby vibes from this group.” She waved. “Have an uplifting night, girls.”
As Eva walked away, Sally sidled up to Addy. “You’re right. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Babies? You need to have sex for that to happen.”
But as Addy’s mind drifted back to Jake, she was no longer so sure it was all a hoax.
Chapter Eight
“ONE THING I can tell you about my brother is that he’s a sappy bastard.” Boone’s younger brother, Cage, patted him on the shoulder. Cage was a professional fighter, as evident in the way he carried his massive body, like he could plow down anything in his path.
Boone faked a punch, which Cage dodged. “Sappy my ass.”
“Seriously, dude?” Lucky said. “You adopted a kitten.”
Boone had rescued a kitten when he and Trish first met. He reminded Jake of Blue, who used to bring home stray or injured animals they’d find in the woods behind their parents’ house. He glanced at Blue, who would also soon be walking down the matrimonial aisle. It struck him that only he and Gage were still single, and Gage might as well not be. Do I want to be?
“That’s how Boone won our sister’s heart.” Duke winked at Boone, as if to say he had his back. He always had everyone’s back. Hell, they all did.
“Hey, you could use that ploy with Addy,” Cash said to Jake.
They’d gone out for a long, hard, enjoyable run up the coastline earlier and had spent the first part of their run talking about how proud they were of Trish and Boone for the Oscar buzz they’d earned. The conversation had turned to the twins and Siena—as per usual—and Jake had tried to keep up, though his mind had been stuck on a certain petite brunette who had woken up in his arms and slithered around naked in the shower with him just a short while ago. Cash stopped talking about his family only long enough to give Jake one bit of sage advice. What you’re feeling and not talking about? There is no rescue from it. That’s the real thing. And the only thing you’ll think about day and night until you get your girl. Jake had laughed it off, but now, as he sat in the tavern for Boone’s bachelor party thinking about Addy, he had a feeling his brother’s wisdom wasn’t so far off base after all.
Lucky reached for a beer and Boone pushed it away from him. “Eighteen is eighteen. Not on my watch, little brother.”
Lucky scoffed. “At least I don’t need a kitten to get laid.”
That brought a round of laughter to the table, and a few curious looks from nearby customers. Nearly every table on the patio of Liakos Taverna was full and loaded up with bottles of wine, plates of grilled meats and vegetables, baskets of fresh-baked bread, and casserole dishes.
Niko and Dimitri came out of the kitchen with two large platters stacked high with skewers of meat and set them down on a neighboring table. As the owners of the tavern, they explained that they never really took time off. Jake couldn’t imagine working in the same place every day, which was why he volunteered with search and rescue in several states. He could be on the West Coast one day, the East Coast the next, and in middle of the States a week later. But for the next two weeks, he wasn’t traveling outside of New York. As soon as he heard about Addy’s ten-day stint in the mountains, he made sure he’d be nearby in case she ran into trouble. Although he was still holding out hope that she’d let him go with her.
Niko said something in Greek, which caused an eruption of laughter from the family they were serving, and then he returned to their table, taking the seat beside Jake. “Sorry I pissed you off last night.”
“No worries.” Just keep your hands off my girl.
“Get used to it, brother. We’re family now. I’m sure I’ll piss you off more than a few times, but not over a woman. I didn’t realize you two were together, and it was just harmless flirting. I’ve known Addy for years. I’ll steer clear.” Niko lifted his beer. “To family.”
Jake toasted, wishing he’d known Addy for years. He looked around the table. He’d never understood the point of bachelor parties with strippers and lap dancing. If a guy was committed to getting married, why would he want a lap dance from someone other than his fiancée? Hell, before he’d even spent one night with Addy the thought of being with another woman was so far gone he needed a GPS to find it.