Page 26 of Timeless Pages

Chapter twenty-one

Isa

W aking up in a giant, fluffy bed was infinitely better than waking up on a half-deflated air mattress in a tent.

While I appreciated the opportunity to go camping, we learned a valuable lesson: I was not an outdoors girl.

At all. Luckily, the guys didn't like it much either.

As my mind shifted to my hunks, I realized as I stretched out on the bed that I was alone.

I would have to learn to wake up earlier when they do.

I didn't like waking up alone. I took care of the pesky personal needs and then went in search of my guys.

.. and breakfast. I found them cooking together in the kitchen and paused in the doorway to watch the cuteness before me.

They were all shirtless in loose sweatpants.

Dom and Nate were standing at the stove while Evan was near the ovens.

Every surface in the kitchen was covered in evidence of their work.

It was a mess. But the smells were mouthwatering, as was the view.

As I watched them, I debated on what I wanted more, breakfast or them.

I was pretty sure if I spread myself out on the island naked, they'd happily abandon their cooking.

My stomach growled, making its presence and needs known. Food first, then we can play.

"I think you're burning the pancakes," Dom said to Nate as he glanced at the pan beside his.

"Why don't you focus on not fucking up the scrambled eggs?" Nate replied.

"Not that anybody asked, but my bacon is cooking up beautifully," Evan said as he peeked into one of the ovens on the wall.

"Considering all you have to do is stand there, the bacon better come out perfect," Dom said as he pushed eggs around in the pan.

"What time is it?" Nate asked as he flipped a very dark pancake.

"Eight-thirty," Evan replied as he checked his watch.

"Start a new pot of coffee. Isa should be up soon. And someone needs to start the breakfast potatoes."

"Those will have to wait until one of us is done," Dom said.

"Need help?" I asked as I gave up my post and strolled into the kitchen. All three men jumped in surprise and spun to face me.

"You aren't supposed to be awake yet!" Evan accused.

"And yet here I am. Wide-eyed, bushy-tailed, and hungry for all the things," I chuckled.

Nate emptied the coffee pot into a giant mug, poured my favorite salted caramel creamer into it, and then brought it over to me.

"First, good morning, Little Bell," he said, bending down to give me a good morning kiss.

"Second, why don't you take your coffee out onto the balcony and enjoy the morning views while we finish up breakfast. It shouldn't be too long, and we'll bring everything to you. "

I accepted the mug and took a sip with an appreciative moan.

"Fine," I replied, "but I think I might like the view in here better.

" Nate winked at me, and as he turned to head back to the stove, I smacked his ass.

I giggled as he turned to me in shock and scurried out the door before he could react.

I stepped out onto the balcony, where obviously expensive and insanely comfortable-looking patio furniture littered the deck, creating a cozy and relaxing space designed to entertain flawlessly.

One piece of furniture called to me more than the others: the giant egg chair.

It was meant for more than one person, which meant I could get lost among the cushions.

I placed my coffee down on the table beside the chair and climbed in.

Once I had gotten myself perfectly burrowed in the pillows, I reached for my coffee and took another soul-satisfying sip of the warm magic bean water.

I had to admit, the view was spectacular.

It was still early enough that the forest was quiet.

Just starting to wake up as the sun burned off the rest of the morning chill.

A deep peace filled me, and I understood why Nate kept making offers on this place.

It was heaven on earth—the perfect escape from the stresses of everyday life.

And considering how stressful my life had become, I never wanted to leave.

Unfortunately, hiding wouldn't accomplish anything, and there were too many things I needed to address.

Starting with the fact that I lost all of my possessions in the fire.

When we got back, I needed to call Daniel and find out how it went with getting the conservatorship overturned, and make sure that I'm allowed to spend the money Uncle Jay left me.

I know the guys would gladly pay for anything I needed, but I didn't want to have to depend on them financially.

They've already done so much for me. I needed to stand on my own two feet, if only to prove to myself that I could.

I would also have to deal with the aftermath of the fire.

I didn't know the first thing about filing an insurance claim, but luckily, I knew three intelligent and business-savvy men who did.

Hell, the rest of the properties that burned belonged to them, so I'd just hop on their insurance train.

With endless possibilities for what to do with the property, I will likely rebuild.

Not just for Uncle Jay or me. Not just to prove to my father that he can't control what I do, but because Timeless Pages meant so much to so many.

It wasn't just my home, it was Dave's home too.

And I owed it to him and every other sweet customer who came into my store week in and week out, spending their hard-earned money, to bring Timeless Pages back to life.

My thoughts of the future were interrupted as the doors opened and my guys came through carrying trays of food and more coffee. I smiled up at Evan as he placed his tray on the table and came over to me.

"You look cozy," he commented.

"I am cozy,' I replied as I handed him my coffee and stood. "I like it here." I joined them at the table, and after we had all taken a few bites, decided to let them know my decision for Timeless.

"I've decided to rebuild the bookstore, and I'm going to need your help if you're willing, because I don't know the first thing about how to get it done."

"We can help," Nate assured me.

"Good. That's a big weight off my chest," I said honestly. "What do you guys plan on doing with your properties?"

They exchanged guarded looks before Dom replied. "We're still tossing some ideas around and working through the logistics."

"I'm sorry. I'm sure not being able to buy Timeless put a wrench in your plans." I did feel bad for that, but not bad enough to sell them the property. Hopefully, that didn't drive a wedge between us.

"Trust me, Beauty, you didn't put a wrench in our plans. If anything, you made them better."

"He's right," Evan said. "Messing up our plans isn't anything you should ever worry about.”

I looked at Nate, and he winked at me. "Now that we're on the same page, how do you feel about building a cabin of our own? As much as I hate to admit it, I don't believe Grant will ever sell this place to me, so we'll have to build."

"Really? You'd do that?" I asked in surprise. I knew money wasn't an issue for them, but I didn't expect them to casually mention building cabin mansions over breakfast, as if we were discussing what movie to watch later.

"Without blinking an eye," Nate replied.

"I love the idea,” I admitted.

"Then it's settled," Dom said excitedly. "I'll start looking at real estate."

"Just make sure it's somewhere private," Nate advised, shooting a heated look my way. "We wouldn't want any nosy neighbors seeing anything they shouldn't."

"Definitely not," I agreed, thinking about last night. "Or hear anything they shouldn't."

Nate gave me a salacious smile. "I never said that, Little Bell. I'd happily let the world hear who you belong to."

Before I could unpack that comment, we heard the sound of car doors. Evan jumped up and looked over the railing. “Looks like we have company, or rather, the owners have arrived.”

”What are you doing here?” Nate asked when we went inside to greet them.

”Sorry, brother,” Grant replied. “Nova heard you guys were up here and demanded we come too.”

”Sure did,” Nova said as she bounded toward me.

“Isa and I have to get to know each other better.” She wrapped her arm around my waist and started walking me toward the bedrooms. “Hot tub? Ben makes the best sangria, and he’s going to whip up a batch for us.

We can float between the pool, the hot tub, and the cabana all afternoon. ”

Nova wasn’t giving me much of a choice as she dropped me off at my room on the way to hers with orders to change into my swimsuit, and she’d be back to pick me up in five minutes.

This time I went with the one-piece. With Nova and her men around, I wasn’t comfortable wearing the bikini. True to her word, at the five-minute mark, Nova knocked on my door.

When I opened the door, her eyes trailed over my body quickly before meeting my eyes. I braced for her reaction to the scars she could see, expecting to see pity in her eyes, but all Nova did was give me a beaming smile and grab my hand to pull me behind her.

”Come on. I think we both need this day.

” Nova led me down a staircase. I hadn’t had a chance to explore last night, so I didn’t know there was a down.

When we reached the bottom, we passed an impressive-looking gym, through the glass door at the end of the hallway, and stepped into a concrete oasis.

It reminded me of a mermaid’s grotto. There was a naturally shaped pool in the middle, surrounded by tropical plants.

To the left was a hot tub big enough to easily fit ten people.

To the right was a sauna. All of this was under a glass ceiling that cast rainbows everywhere.

Past the covered area was an open patio with two posh covered cabanas and some of the greenest grass I’d ever seen.

Nova pressed a button on the wall, and the ceiling split open the area to the sky. “What do you think?” Nova asked. “It was my engagement present.”

”I want to live here,” I replied. Everywhere I looked, a new detail jumped out at me that made the area that much better.

”Right! What’s really nice is that there is a whole wall system that closes this area in during the winter, so we have year-round water activities.

Come on, let’s get a drink and then hit the hot tub first. I just finished a week-long summer baking class at the orphanage, and while I love working with the kids, it was a lot to deal with. Rewarding, but exhausting.”

I followed Nova to the bar behind us to the right that I hadn’t noticed where Ben was mixing a giant bowl of Sangria.

“Two, please,” Nova said.

Instead of ladling two glasses of Sangria, Ben slid two glasses of ice water with mint leaves and a slice of lemon in front of us. “Water first, then Sangria.”

Nova pouted prettily at Ben while I grabbed my glass and drank my water. I didn’t need to be told twice.

”I mean it, Nova. And don’t be surprised when I make you drink more later. We aren’t going to have a repeat of the Bahamas.”

Nova rolled her eyes but chugged back the water. “One time,” Nova hissed as we took our glasses of Sangria to the hot tub. “I drank too much one time and had the hangover from hell the next day, and now he will never let it go.”

We stepped into the hot tub, and once we were settled, Nova hit the button for the jets, and we both moaned as they started beating against our tense muscles. “So,” Nova said, taking a sip of her drink, “How is it going with DEN?”

I snorted at her referral to my guys as their business entity and took a thoughtful sip before answering. “Good? It’s been crazy and they’ve been my strength through it all.”

”I wouldn’t give them all the credit, Isa. You have plenty of strength within you. Your battle scars tell that story well.”

And there it was. Nova finally addressed the elephant in the room, except I didn’t see any pity in her eyes.

Instead, there was a vengeful fire swirling within her blue eyes.

I didn’t get close to many people. I never learned how, not really, so seeing someone who could become a friend look at me like that made me feel a sense of safety.

”Thanks for saying that,” I replied awkwardly. Just because I felt safe didn’t mean I wasn’t still wildly uncomfortable talking about myself or my scars. “Did you guys set a date yet?” When you don’t know what to say, change the subject.

”Not yet. We’re… in debate… over it. I think we should have a Christmas wedding. Ben and Linc believe we should have a New Year’s Eve wedding, and Grant says we should elope to Fiji or something.”

The door opened, and laughter and talking broke our relative peace as our men joined us in the grotto in their swim trunks.

”Stop!” Nova ordered. All six men stopped in their tracks. “Now turn around and go away. Unless you are here to feed us or bring us another glass of sangria, you are not welcome here. It’s girl time. No boys allowed. Find something else to do.”

”But, Sugar—”

“Don’t but, Sugar, me,” Nova said, cutting him off. “If you guys come out here, you’ll get all handsy and steal our attention. Not today, Satan, go rack some balls or something. There is an entire game room for you to entertain yourselves in. Unless you bring offerings, don’t come back.”

They all wanted to argue, but they also didn’t want to cross Nova. Nate’s eyes slid to me. “How do you feel about that, Isa?”

I tossed back the rest of my drink and winked at Nova. “I support it,” I replied as I held my empty glass out. Dom rushed forward to grab it before anyone else could and refilled it. When he handed the glass back to me, he winked, then leaned down to kiss my forehead.

”Have fun, Beauty. You deserve it.”

Nova snickered as he walked back into the house. “That man knows how to earn some brownie points, boys.”

Linc refilled Nova’s cup, and then they all left. “That’s better,” Nova sighed when we were alone again. “I love them, but damn if a girl doesn’t need a break sometimes.”

”I haven’t reached that point yet,” I admitted.

”Give it time,” Nova chuckled. “Don’t get me wrong, they’re my favorite humans on the planet, but they need a hobby. Or another big product launch.” She waved her hand and sat up a little straighter. “Ok, enough about me. What about the bookstore? Was anything salvageable?”

I shook my head. “I haven’t gone to see it myself, but from what I was told, no. Sadly, it’s all gone.”

”Including your belongings?”

I nodded again. I’ve been trying not to think about it. With the exception of the bag of clothes, the guys had packed the night I was attacked; everything I ever owned was gone.

“Well, that’s fucking unacceptable,” Nova exclaimed. “We’ll fix that this week. We’re going shopping.”

The determined, slightly feral look in Nova’s eyes worried me.