Sunny

Chapter 6

Present Day...

Rhea was breaking the eggs into the pan as Otto entered the kitchen, and she turned to him giving him a smile of greeting. "It's a bit chilly this morning, isn't it?"

"Yes, and as always, it's twice as bad on the water. I can't wait until summer." He sat at the center island on one of the stools and pulled out his paper as she delivered a cup of coffee.

"It's only been a day Otto!" She laughed, shaking her head as she returned to the stove.

She heard Otto's stool scrape the wooden floor as he stood up suddenly, and she turned, towel in hand, expecting to find that he had spilled his coffee, but he hadn't. Eli had come down the back staircase with Mason, and Otto stood, looking awe struck. Mason and Eli nodded a greeting to him before turning to look at Rhea.

"Is this the right place for breakfast?" Mason asked.

"It is!" Otto said a little too loudly and quickly as he pulled out a stool, inviting them to join in him at the island.

"Where's the menu?" Mason asked taking the seat that was offered to him.

Rhea realized she was still staring at Eli who was staring at her in turn, and she had to force herself to turn away.

"Coffee?" Mason asked, but Rhea's heart was beating too loudly for her to hear his words.

Otto lifted his mug towards the coffeemaker next to Rhea. "Everyone helps themselves around here. It's kind of the charm of the place, a home away from home, right Rhea?"

Rhea nodded absently as her shaky hands picked up her own mug of coffee. She had to use both hands to keep control of the action. When Eli walked up to the coffeemaker and reached past her to grab a mug, she closed her eyes at his nearness, and she almost dropped her own mug as his arm brushed her shoulder.

"Your bacon looks finished." He nodded towards the pan and her eyes flew open to find that the bacon was a little crisper than she usually made it.

She cleared her throat as she reached for the pan. "Thank you."

"Your welcome," he said as he carried two mugs towards the island.

Focusing on the task at hand, she started cracking a few more eggs in the pan and popping more toast into the toaster, listening to the conversation going on behind her as Otto introduced himself.

"We were just discussing the cold," Otto supplied. "I bet you don't get much of it in L.A., do you?"

"No, we don't," Eli agreed, sitting on the other side of Mason.

Rhea turned to serve up the first plate of eggs and was hit by the sight of the two men sitting next to each other. It was almost as if she had been sucked back in time. A time when Mason had stopped in to visit with Eli and she had served them breakfast.

"Just like old times, uh?" Mason asked with a grin, understanding her pause.

Otto looked from her to Mason with a look of confusion, but Rhea turned away without saying a word.

"You lived in L.A. for a while, didn't you Rhea?" Otto asked trying to figure out Mason's odd comment.

"For a while, and it was a long time ago." She turned around to serve up two more plates.

"You never really talk about it, I had forgotten you had even lived there," Otto said before digging into his plate of eggs.

"No, I never do talk about it." Her eyes met Eli's once more, caught in his unwavering gaze, she may not talk about it, but she certainly did think about it.