Sunny

Chapter 25

Rhea couldn't help but look behind her as the truck left the church the following morning. It had been a magical night. There were no worries or even a tomorrow for either of them. They were with each other and it was just as wonderful as it had been five years earlier. When it was just the two of them it was as if the world stood still.

But now, as the truck drove slowly down the dirt road in the early morning sunlight, Rhea realized that the evening was over and the real world was about to take over again. When she saw a car waiting for them at the gate to the property her heart sunk. Her gut told her she had been correct the night before when she had had the feeling that things were about to get much worse.

Otto was leaning against the car with his ball cap pulled low. She felt Eli tense beside her and she knew that something in the plan had changed.

"What is it Eli?" she asked as he stopped far enough back for the gate to swing open.

"Probably nothing," he said but his expression said otherwise as he pulled the truck up next to Otto and the car. "What's changed, Mason was supposed to be here?"

"It wasn't possible," Otto waited as Eli jumped out of the truck slamming the door behind him. Rhea was close on his heels. There was no way she was going to let them keep anything from her. She had agreed to marry Eli so anything that had to do with him was now officially her business, the thought still made her a bit giddy.

"The news broke last night." Otto reached behind him and through the window of the car, pulling out a newspaper. "It hit all of the major websites before midnight and was on the coverpage of every daily tabloid this morning."

Eli reached for the paper and a picture of him and Victoria on the day of their divorce was front and center. The headline read, 'Reconciliation on the Rocks', there was a small photo of Rhea on the top corner of the main photo, it was a horrible photo of her carrying the trash to the dumpster at the restaurant.

"She went to the press with her story after all," Rhea said as she slumped against the car.

"When Lola and I read about it last night we wanted to rush back but we called Mason first. He said that when Victoria found out about the two of you taking off together she made a phone call on the main line, this story broke shortly afterwards. One of the guys from the band called to talk to you and Mason fielded the call."

Eli was nodding as he read the story and there were a few minutes of silence as he continued to read.

"It's exactly the same, word for word, as what she said to Sunny in the kitchen yesterday."

"How do you know about that?" Rhea asked, unable to hide her shock.

Eli waved to Otto and Rhea watched as he pulled out his phone and played the conversation back.

"Otto!" Rhea said, her eyes wide in surprise. She wasn't sure if she should be glad or not.

He shrugged. "I didn't trust her and you didn't ask me to stay."

"She still didn't mention Sunny so we're still in play." Eli said as he finished reading.

Otto nodded and Rhea was lost.

"Eli, my picture is right there next to yours, how did she not mention me?" Rhea asked exasperated.

They both ignored her as Otto continued. "Mason didn't want to come, he knew that the press would be thick on the dock and would follow him so they sent me here directly from Savannah instead."

Eli nodded again as he threw the paper back through the window of the car.

"I won't return to the island today, it will cause too much attention."