Sunny

Chapter 16

Five Years Earlier...

"So, what's the story about the church?" Eli asked as he ran his fingers up and down Rhea's bare arm.

She was curled against him with the blanket wrapped around them. Her head rested on his bare chest and she could hear his voice as it rumbled through him. "Is what we did a sacrilege, do you think? I mean we are awful close to the church," he wondered aloud.

"And the cemetery, I hope we didn't disturb or shock any of the little old ladies or their souls?" Rhea teased.

"Are you kidding, the little old ladies are the ones you have to look out for, they're the dangerous ones."

Rhea giggled as she snuggled into him. She was completely content and happy. The happiest she had ever been in her life. She was finally being held in his arms and it was better than she had ever imagined.

"How have you been Eli?" she raised herself up and rested her chin on his chest as she looked at him. "Since the divorce, I mean, have things gotten easier, are you happier?"

"Sure, but not as happy as I am right this minute." He gave her a heart stopping grin as he pushed her hair out of her face. "It has been adjustment, being single again, but I'm writing more."

Rhea looked at him with a frown. "What kind of adjustment? Have women been throwing themselves at you?" She forced a smile at the last part, even though she was filled with jealousy at the thought.

"Yes," he said in a matter of fact voice. "It has always happened but now it's worse. Before, with the protection of marriage, they were mostly interested in a fling, now every interested woman looks at me with marriage in mind." He put his arm behind his head as he looked up at the moon and stars. He was finally able to share with someone he trusted and it felt good to talk.

"They all want something, they either want my money or to use my fame to make themselves famous. Most times I can see through them as soon as I meet them, but other times they are more cunning and better at hiding their motives. I'm going to have to be careful or I will eventually start to distrust everyone."

"Even me?" Sunny asked, she had tensed as he had talked, worried that if he knew more about her he would believe she was one of the more cunning ones.

He looked at her again. "When I saw you tonight, I was angry, my knee jerk reaction was to think that you had returned only because I was single again. That you wanted your minute of fame like all the rest. Then you looked...you were...I saw my Sunny and the clouds cleared and I remembered that you are one of the few people I can trust."

"You can trust me Eli," Rhea insisted, knowing that she could never have him. Her parents were close to bankrupt, her family's home and restaurant were in jeopardy, if he found about that then he would think it was something that she had been keeping from him in hopes of snagging him and having him pay off all of her family's debts. If she chose him over her family and then he found out there was the chance that he would believe that she was the type of person to abandon her family for fame and fortunewhen they needed her most.

She suddenly realized that they could only have this one night and then she would have to disappear again. If she didn't, he would eventually think the worst one way or the other and she couldn't bare for that to happen.

"I know I can trust you, you're one of the few that I can." He kissed her gently. "Now it's your turn, what's been going on with you, is your mother better?"

"There's nothing exciting in my life, I live at home with my parents and help take care of my sister and brother." She shrugged, brushing off the self-pity that would sometimes swell inside of her.