Island Heat (23 page)

“What are we going to--”

“What if it shuts down this week--”

“Do we even know the closing date--”

“I can't believe the fuckin' nerve he has!”

Kevin shook his head and resisted the urge to switch his hearing aids off. He was squished up against a wall in Seth's living room, where there were more business owners gathered than he'd figured would fit.

None of these men were being the voice of reason. The noise was overwhelming, making it hard to pick out what anyone was saying. Seth had tried a few times to calm them down before drawing a sigh and retreating to stand near the windows with his arms folded and await a break in the conversation. Troy was on the other side of the room, and Kevin didn't really want to try to talk to anyone else nearby and encourage more panic.

“I don't think this is
that
big a deal.”

Finally, that got someone's attention. Kevin looked around to see who it was.

To his surprise, James stepped forward, shouldering his way through the crowd to try to find a central spot. “It's not like the world is ending.”

“Our businesses might be,” Carson muttered, combing his fingers back through his hair. A few murmurs of agreement came from the crowd.

“No, they aren't. We were all still accepted here. That's prestigious no matter what happens,” James said, standing tall. “And if you haven't been saving up your earnings from this place, you're an idiot.”

“Hey, now,” Seth cautioned, speaking up from the window. “Don't disparage anyone else here.”

“I'm not. I trust that everyone here is smart enough to have done that.”

That rankled Kevin, who bit his tongue.
What about those of us who are just in the clear now? And if we were the top-selling new business, other guys like Carson have to be even worse off...

“I, for one, can go back to work on other ventures,” James said simply.

Don't mention that damn bakery...

“Like the bakery I mentioned before. That has a
real
chance of success.” James's eyes cut sideways to Kevin for a second before he glanced away again. “There are real-world customers and a real demand.”

Kevin caught his breath.
Did he seriously just...?

There was a moment's silence as everyone else registered the subtle insult – that, apparently, wasn't quite subtle enough.

“Oh, my god.” That was Troy from the other side of the room. “
You
got Kevin into trouble.”

Kevin's jaw dropped. He'd assumed it was Tom reporting him for getting involved with Eli, but come to think of it, that wouldn't have made sense. Not the way this one was handled – through his business mentor, not a group of Tom and Eli's friends coming by to chastise him.

“Let bygones be bygones,” James waved a hand, trying to distract them.

“What kind of trouble? About Eli?” Seth spoke up. “Was
that
what that meeting was about? Between you and Bill?”

Kevin nodded. “He didn't like that I'm dating Eli when he thought Eli was still engaged. I thought it was Tom reporting it, but...”
Why would James report me, unless he's jealous, or...? Oh. Wait.

“We shouldn't be fighting this,” James spoke up over him. “We should just get back to work and enjoy ourselves. Worst comes to worst, we all have backup plans and business sense. I've got the bakery bringing in income, you can all find something, too. But it won't come to that. Tom's fair; he'll treat us right.” Then, he hastily added, “I mean, he comes off as fair.”

“You
are
sleeping with him,” Kevin murmured, staring at James as it sank in. Suddenly, his dislike for the braggart intensified severalfold. A few other men murmured.

Seth murmured something about it being allowed to try to calm Kevin down.

Kevin ignored Seth, his eyes narrowing. “You keep talking about the bakery you invested in. The one in New York City? The one that shut down last year when its owner, who also owned the Chicago bakery
I
worked at, pulled out of the biz?”

“Oof,” Troy whispered from the other side of the room while a few inaudible murmurs swept the room. All eyes turned to James.

“I – it must be a different one,” James began.

“Bullshit,” Kevin snapped. “You don't like me, and I don't know why – though I think I do now. Fine. Just don't try to undermine the seriousness of this issue. If I'm the top-earning new business, then how many of the rest of you new businesses don't even have your initial loan and startup costs paid off?”

He looked around the room, spotting a few raised hands. Only one other new business owner – Eric, the owner of the Chinese delivery restaurant – didn't raise his hands.

“And returning business owners, you've sunk a lot of money into this,” Kevin spoke up, venturing that much of a guess. “If they change the terms of the lease, if Tom lied about his intentions with the island... the whole business model could change.”

“
I
don't want to lose this place,” Seth spoke up then, pushing his way through a few guys to stand next to Kevin. His voice was clear and loud; he spoke like someone used to getting attention over thumping music and background noise. “I'm not even a new owner and I'm scared. I'm running a club in New York City, just down the street from where James's bakery
used
to be, and I still don't want to lose this place. It's the best business incubator I've ever found, and the community here is...” he trailed off, his eyes scanning every face in the room.

Kevin was still and quiet as he listened to Seth.

“I've had so much here,” Seth said, his voice gentling and cracking slightly as he shook his head. “I've... I've had boyfriends, and love, and so much life here. I started here. I wouldn't be an owner at all if it weren't for this program. I've seen so many others come and go, and they always left better for it.”

James slunk back, shaking his head as he picked his way around the others towards the door, but nobody paid much attention to him.

“Everyone look around and figure out who's
not
here. We have to figure out how to get a meeting--”

Kevin's phone went off and Kevin caught his breath, glancing down at the screen.

“Seth?” he spoke up quietly, not wanting to interrupt. “There's... there's already a meeting happening.” He showed the text to Seth, his heart racing.

Seth slowly smiled. “Great. Okay. This is... this is the most important meeting you've ever heard of, guys. Check and see who's not here. Spread the word: meeting on the main beach at six. Everyone should be there – your employees, managers, co-owners... everyone on the island.”

Kevin made eye contact with Troy, who nodded slightly. There was no way either of them could miss this.

For Eli's sake and for theirs, and for the sake of everyone else in the room, Tom
couldn't
win. He just couldn't.

The atmosphere at supper was quiet. Eli and Dean sat on opposite sides of the table as they worked on the elegant pasta dish their chef, Ray, had prepared. Eli had asked if they could get supper a little early at five o'clock so Ray could get off early and be able to attend the meeting.

Every single guy he'd talked to that afternoon was going to the meeting; millionaires, club bartenders and waiters, handsome guests, and waterskiing instructors all had a stake in the decision.

Most of them weren't in a position to bid on the island themselves, of course, but Eli had seriously considered it before Dean reminded him that it would look bad to try to take the island off Tom. They didn't want it to look like jealousy or spite.

“Eli? And Dean?” Ray spoke up, catching the billionaires' attention as he wiped his knife clean and slid it into the wooden chopping block on the counter.

“Yes?” Eli answered, turning to get a good look at him. Ray didn't often speak up, but Eli always tried to be respectful and kind. He didn't want Ray to feel like Eli thought he was an indentured servant. Most of the guys here tried to be kind, act polite, and spread the wealth, unlike many other destinations where they just partied and drank and left a mess for everyone else to deal with.

It was something he'd miss if the island shut down. Eli's heart sank once more at the thought.

“Do you know anything else aside from the meeting? Like... what's happening? I heard there might be a buyer, but that's all...” Ray looked uncertain as he asked.

“Of course,” Eli answered in his most reassuring voice, turning to face Ray fully. “Basically, Tom – my ex, Tom Jones – is trying to buy the island. We're not sure why yet. It could be as a private resort for himself, which could spell bad news. He'd likely hire staff himself that way to keep the island up for himself and his guests and eliminate the business incubator. It's possible he plans to let it keep running this way and just wants to use it to build his wealth, but... knowing him, he'll get greedy.”

Ray looked nervous as he wiped down the counter a few unnecessary times. “Right...”

“Don't worry,” Dean added. “We've figured out how to stop it. Bill can still come around. We just have to show him it's not as much work as he makes it. Make him more of a hands-off owner, convince him to let others manage it fully.”

“And show him the island isn't just the depravity I think he sees in the late-night clubbing,” Eli nodded.

Ray looked back and forth between them, but his nervous expression was fading. “It's that easy?”

“Not easy, necessarily.” Eli fidgeted with his fork, running it through his fingers. “He was going to sell this one and buy another for a smaller, more laid-back resort – probably without a Main Street, just a hotel or houses and activities, like a traditional resort.”

“So,” Dean told Ray, “we're all going to the meeting to show him everyone who's affected by the decision and find out if Tom is planning to shut it down. If he is, we're going to stop him. If Tom promises not to affect the future of the island, to keep the programs running as they are, not to fuck with people's leases and livelihoods... then maybe we'd accept it. We'll see. But we have a lot of leverage, because just about every guest and staff member will be there.”

“Right,” Ray nodded and hung up the towel. He looked confident again, a small smile curving his thin lips. “Thanks. Okay, if that's all...?”

“Oh, by all means, head home,” Eli dismissed him with a nod and smile. “Thanks for supper. See you at the meeting.”

Once the chef was gone, Eli turned back to Dean and finished the last few bites of his supper. “You think it'll be that easy?”

“No,” Dean sighed, “but we have to appeal to his heart.”

“Billionaires can't afford to have hearts,” Eli's lips quirked up in a small smile, but he knew it wasn't strictly true. Many were generous for charity, for their own benefit, and sometimes out of selfless desires to give back. Bill was a good guy – fair, honest, willing to listen to reason.

Tom, on the other hand... Tom didn't care about Ember Isle. While they'd been planning their summer, he hadn't even wanted to come back. This was just a means to an end: getting back at Eli for breaking up, then staying broken up with him. Everyone else was just an obstacle.

Fuck, how couldn't he have seen it? The more he thought about Tom, the more he realized what a bullet he'd dodged when he'd thrown that ring back in his face.

Tom had wrecked their life together, and had tried to wreck his future with Kevin. It was Eli's responsibility to stop Tom from hurting anyone else on this island.

***

Hundreds of people were already on the beach by the time Dean and Eli joined the crowd. Eli tried to stay close to Dean, but then Dean spotted someone in the crowd who interested him and sidled off. Eli glanced around to try to find Kevin, but there were too many men around.

At least everyone seemed to be relatively calm now. There were so many people in a relatively small area of the beach that they were forced into each other's proximity; luckily, nobody seemed to mind. A dishwasher still wearing his apron was chatting to a millionaire Eli knew from Boston, and a bartender was flirting with a cute fellow in Hawaiian print shorts that was clearly one of the young men brought in to entertain them.

Everyone had a talking point to start with: what do you hope will happen?

From what Eli overheard, there were mixed reactions. Some people didn't care about the island being bought, some wanted it to stay in Bill's hands, and some wanted Tom to end up with it, but they were universally agreed that they didn't want this summer to end so abruptly.

“Okay, everyone, it's a little after six now,” Eli heard Bill's voice from somewhere near the center of the crowd, but there was no way he could see past everyone who was there. A moment later, Bill stepped up onto something, coming into view just a little above the crowd and looking uncertain about his footing. There was a quiet ripple of laughter. “If I fall, Rube's to blame.”

Eli bit his lip and worked his jaw left and right, too anxious to laugh at the little joke.

“So, I was asked to come here and talk to everyone about the future of the island. I've never had such a formal meeting before,” Bill admitted, gazing around. “When I talk to you, it's usually from the stage at the year-end party, not... here on the beach, but we've never had to accommodate over five hundred people in one venue. We don't have a building that can safely hold everyone.”

He looked worried, uncertain. His brows furrowed as he drew a deep breath, then continued, “I have a decision to make. I'm closing on a deal to sell Ember Isle to an interested party who is with us today. Some of you know who it is.”

“All of us know,” someone said from close to Bill. “It's not a secret.”

Bill nodded. “All right, then. I... didn't realize it would have such an impact on everyone here today. I've owned Ember Isle for ten years, and I ran it myself for the first three years of that time. Since then, I've come back every summer to oversee it, even if I'm not in charge of collecting rent and recruiting new businesses now,” he said with a wistful little smile. “I'm not getting younger. It's getting a little... too large for me. Plus, I'm in a different stage of life now. I have a life partner, I have... a steady portfolio, and a retirement membership at several different golf courses. I don't think I'm the best choice to oversee an island of young men.

“I appreciate that some of you have different priorities, but all of this... well, sleeping around, partying to find a new man of the night... it's not really what I want to encourage. I started Ember Isle as a place to retreat to with your friends, to reconnect with them and recharge your batteries, not... connect with everyone on the island.”

Eli frowned to himself.
But people can do both.
For now, he bit his tongue.

“Then, I saw another island I was interested in... a smaller one, less developed, less structured. I felt that with all of these factors, it was the right time to bow out, and Tom Jones offered to buy it from me for a reasonable price.”

“But what would he do with it?” That was Seth, and Eli smiled at his bold words.

“That's up to him. Er, I'd hoped he would keep it running throughout the summer, but if he feels like it, he could speak to that. Um, for my part... I've been made aware of some of people's concerns, and I'm willing to wipe out any debt that would be owed by any of the businesses or individuals who feel they need that to make sure they don't come out behind for visiting Ember Isle this year.”

There was a light ripple of applause, but Eli shook his head. He couldn't contain his words anymore.

“What about everything
else
people are losing by going home early, or even at the end of the year if they can't come back next year?”

A few people turned to face him.

“All the fun, all the sex, yeah,” Eli said bluntly, plowing on despite the chuckles he heard from nearby. “But more than that, all the
love
. All the life-changing moments. I'm sure everyone knows by now what's happened to me this year,” he glanced around.

A few people nodded while others looked guilty, as if they knew they shouldn't have gossiped about it.

“I came here for healing and relaxation and... just to find myself again. And I found so much more than that. I'm
positive
I'm not the only one who's felt that. It was an escape where the media couldn't find me, a place to burn some time and cheer up, but now... it's so much more to me. I've met so many new guys this year, and reconnected with old ones, like you said.”

The crowd was starting to shift and shuffle around, nodding more as everyone strained to see him and Bill steadily watched.

Eli nodded once. “It's a place to start life anew.”

Before Bill could speak again, Seth spoke up from near the fruit box Bill was standing on. “He's right. Several of us were talking before we came here, and... so many of us have met boyfriends here, or sometimes even life partners. In fact, if you've ever found something substantial, something that changed your life a little, a boyfriend or a life partner or a summer-long relationship that changed you... a meaningful connection... can you put up your hand?”

Eli didn't hesitate to put his hand up, and then he scanned the crowd. Boris with his shock of blond hair back there had his broad palm up in the air. A small group of waiters were shyly raising their hands nearby. On their other side, he spotted Dean standing next to Troy, and both of them had their hands up.

Then, he saw Kevin.

The beautiful, brown-haired man was standing quite close to Bill, right next to Seth. Eli smiled the moment he saw him. Seth put a hand on Kevin's shoulder and squeezed as people's hands started to go down.

Eli heard Kevin's quiet but determined voice speak up above the quiet murmurs, silencing the crowd again.

“I have.”