Four Good

His chest rises and falls evenly against my back. His hand loosely cups one of my breasts.

In my earliest thoughts of the day, I’m content and secure lying next to him. As my thinking becomes more clear, doubts and worries flood in.

I slip quietly out of the bed and down the hall to the bathroom. There’s no sign of the others, and no sounds coming from the rest of the house. It’s much earlier than I would normally get up, and I could use more rest, but I know my mind won’t let me fall back asleep now. There’s too much it’s trying to process.

There are clean towels set out on the counter, so I go ahead and shower. I have a few personal care items and a change of clothes in my big purse, which I stuck in there knowing there was a good possibility I might spend the night, and I’m glad I thought ahead, because the rash on my cheeks has gotten darker.

Back when I first started having this problem, I wasn’t able to cover it well, but since then, I’ve found an excellent brand of liquid makeup that erases all traces of redness. I brush my teeth, comb my damp hair, and when I go out into the house, I find that all four men are awake now.

“Good morning,” Corbin says, leading the greetings we all exchange. “Did you sleep well?”

My eyes flicker to Jay, who’s yawning. “I did,” I say. “There’s nothing like good sex for a good night’s sleep.”

“Agreed,” Brendan says heartily. “Are you hungry?”

“Food sounds great. Are you making omelets again?” I ask, looking to Jonathan. Though I ran out without eating last time, the glimpse I caught of his breakfast looked delicious.

“No, I never cook when Jay’s along,” he says, with a hint of a laughter in his tone. “We’ve appointed Jay the chef on all our vacations.”

“Jay?” I whip my head toward my ex in disbelief. “What are they talking about?”

When we were together, bologna sandwiches and boiled hot dogs were the extent of Jay’s cooking repertoire, and sometimes those didn’t even turn out that great.

My ex shrugs. “I’ve learned some things since you knew me. Necessity, and all that.”

“His food is really good. You’ll see,” Jonathan says.

“Let me get a shower first,” Jay says. “I’ll be right back.”

Brightness shining from the living room draws me in and over to the wall of full-length windows that face the ocean. In my haste to leave on my last visit, I never properly experienced this view during daylight hours.

The blue horizon stretches out in both directions, sparkling water and a nearly cloudless sky, as far as the eye can see. There’s a big expanse of sandy beach separated from the house by grassy dunes. There’s also a long deck that appears to run the length of the house, tastefully decorated with comfortable-looking furniture.

It’s a beautiful day, and I’m struck with a desire to spend it on this deck, reclining on the couch, shaded under the umbrella, a glass of sweet tea by my side, and a book in my hand. But I know the men have more active plans for the day.

“Was everything good last night?” Brendan asks, coming up beside me.

“You mean, with Jay and me?” I ask, reading into his tone. When he nods, I say, “It was good. It was also quite a surprise.”

He quirks a brow. “Really? Not to me.”

“No? Why is that?”

He shrugs. “I didn’t see Jay passing up the chance to be with you again.”

His comment prompts a lot of questions in my mind, but he’s not the person to answer them.

“Are you still up for the nature center today?” Brendan asks after I’m quiet for a moment. “I was reading about their hiking trails online. Definitely looks like a place we should check out.”

Just past Brendan, through the glass, the comfy couch is calling my name, but I can rest after the men leave town in a few days. Today, I should be a good citizen of Four Points and show them the sights.

A little wave of sadness hits me at the thought of them leaving town. A girl could get used to all the great sex. Maybe, if they’re impressed by the island, they’ll bring clients here and I’ll get to see them again.

“Sure,” I say. “I think you’ll really like it there.”

Brendan’s phone buzzes, and he excuses himself. Corbin’s gone upstairs, and when Jay finishes his shower, Jonathan joins him in the kitchen, so I take the opportunity to text Sheila, letting her know I’ll be home sometime in the afternoon. She’s not a big fan of texting, so I’m spared from all of the questions she’s probably dying to ask. Instead, she simply confirms that she’ll take care of both Roscoe and Bea.

The Hayes brothers were not lying about Jay’s cooking skills. In less time that it would have taken me to open a box of mix and crack a couple of eggs, he prepares the fluffiest blueberry pancakes, which Jonathan tells me were made from scratch. There are also perfectly-cooked sausage links and a fruit salad.