Going Going Gone by Cerian Hebert Read Free Book Online

for good reason. His furniture was simple, sturdy, and would sell for big bucks in any store in New York.
    “I might just have to commission you to make an armoire like Gwen’s for me.”
    Eli smiled, flashing his white teeth. “Would be my pleasure. How about that coffee?”
    Nell joined him in the kitchen while he put the pot on, further admiring his decorating style. It had been her experience that bachelors had no sense of colors or patterns. Unless they were, as in Javier’s case, wealthy enough to be able to afford a decorator.
    Not that she could compare Javier’s cold, sparsely furnished penthouse with the warmth she felt in Eli’s cozy “cabin.” Even after living with her ex for three years, Nell had still hated touching things or relaxing on the sofa for fear of messing something up. It hadn’t been a place she could envision children playing or dogs romping. Of course, Javier hadn’t been a child type of guy or a dog lover. Both came with too much responsibility.
    There’d been a time early on in her relationship with him that she would’ve agreed, but that was only to gain his acceptance. Before long, she’d wanted to have a child, or even a cat. Something that would bring some warmth into her life.
    Nell wandered to the sliding glass doors at the far end of the kitchen. The backyard was bathed in darkness, but she supposed there was a deck and lawn that led to the pond.
    “There’s a light switch right there by the hutch. Would you like your coffee outside?”
    Nell nodded as she switched the light on and pushed back the slider and screen. The evening air flooded her in its cool embrace. She walked outside and shut the screen behind her.
    Pure silence gave way to the sound of the lake lapping up against the shore. With enough light from the moon, Nell left the deck and walked toward the water.
    It had been years since she’d surrounded herself with a night that didn’t include the sound of cars and people and the obnoxious bright lights of the city.
    Obnoxious? She’d never thought of them that way before. Tonight, however, the peace Eli’s home offered was better than anything else. A dock stretched out into the black water with two tiny solar powered lamps that burned brightly on end-posts. They reflected off the small waves rolling toward the shore. Other lights dotted the shoreline of the pond like stars against the black backdrop of the forest.
    Growing up, she’d been to Long Bow Pond on several occasions. There was a good beach on the opposite side where her mother used to take her and Gwen. They hadn’t been the most wonderful times. She hated wearing a bathing suit. Instead, she would swim in shorts and an oversized tee shirt, which brought endless teasing from the other kids at the beach, including the “A” group. Finally, she’d refused to come to the beach. Nothing on earth was worth the tormenting she received.
    And now she was at the home of one of those “A groupers,” and she was contemplating getting to know him just a little better. For some reason it angered her, that her initial plan of using him for manual labor and nothing else was transforming into a more personal interest. She didn’t know what to make of it, or do about it.
    On one hand, Eli was a handsome, appealing companion who was interested in getting to know her. There was no doubt about that. She’d had a wonderful evening with him and didn’t want to see it end so soon; found herself pleased when he suggested they come here instead of taking her back to her sister’s house.
    Yet she remembered just who he was, the ace on the baseball team, the guy who had it all and didn’t spare any kindness for the “have-nots” in school. The one who wasn’t above teasing those who he deemed beneath him. She’d been a “have-not,” pure and simple.
    “Coffee is up on the deck.” Eli’s voice wrapped around her like the clear air off the pond. She hadn’t heard him approach, but she’d been deep in her