“I think we should focus more on eating now” Sly’s mother muttered loud enough for everyone to hear as she dished out some food for her daughter in law. Her husband nodded and picked up a piece of serviette that was beside him, then he started to wipe his face His expression was hard to read. Sly could not tell if his father was unhappy with him or if he was disappoint that he could not handle an attack on the company. Suddenly, he felt very sweaty and uncomfortable. He raised his face from the plate of food on front of him and his eyes met his brother’s There was a small grin in his brothers far as they looked at each other. Sly remained quiet. Cold sweat clung to the back of his shirt. The weather was still as good as it was when he arrived there That was one thing that always happened to him whenever he was unsettled. His temperature would always contrast that of his environment. After his mother had finished dishing out everyone’s meal, she went back to her seat “Sly,

“Yes, Sly. You do” “I spent about three hours on the cold road, stuck in this miserable cold without any form of clothing on.” Sky explained, as a hand went up to his forehead. He caressed his forehead, trying to feel the crease of worry that has already showed up on his face. He nibbled on his lower lips. There was a soft chuckle behind him. “I saw what you did when you arrived, Sly” The voice behind him said. “You greeted my son, acknowledged my husband and walked past me as though you were not aware that I was there too” Sly fell his heart sink into him as the voice spoke but he quickly recollected himself. He was not going to give her the pleasure of seeing the effect that her words had on him Rather, he maintained a poker faced expression and drew in a sharp breathe. Then, he spinned around and turned to face her. It was Dianne. His younger brother’s wife. It was she that made it hard for him to come home. She lived in the large family house with her husband and her kid. The

One thing was clear, she was very upset with Richard. She could no longer hide how angry she was. Beyond her anger, there was something else she felt about what he had done to her and that was disappointment. She was disappointed that despite the promises that they both made to each other concerning how they were going to run their relationship without secrets, he went ahead to keep a particular issue away from her. As she glanced up at him, she bit hard on her lips. “You can talk to me, My love” Richard urged her gently. He reached out and placed a hand on her right have which was closest to him. “Babe” “Yes, My love” Richard drew his seat closer to her. Elise fiddled with the hem of her shirt and said, “Do you think I am okay?” Richard shoke his head. “I would never think that. You have been unusually quiet ever since we sat at the table for breakfast” “What do you think could be the issue with me? Why do you think I’m not as lively as I should be?” Richard paused, hesitant.

“I wonder what this is” She snickered “Hush!” He said dryly “You will definitely find out soon” “At least,” She said “Give me an hint” “It’s in your hands. Open up, pretty” She glared at him in mock annoyance before she returned her attention back to the package in front of her and she continued unwrapping it. When she finally saw what it was, an audible gasp escaped her throat and her eyes few wider in surprise. “A painting?” She asked in disbelief. Richard nodded. He was now amused by her reaction to what she had seen. “Who did this?” “Yours truly” He winked at her and tapped on his chest. “This is so nice” Elise said as she ran her fingers over the small, framed painting. Richard cleared his throat. “Why do I feel like you don’t believe me?” There was a glint of mischief in his eyes as he spoke. “I do!” “Okay?” He snapped his fingers with a chuckle and went on to explain to her how the painting in her hands were one of the best he had ever done. As he recounted with no

As she busied herself at the counter, she noticed that the stranger was uneasy. She hadn’t missed the how his gaze kept darting to the door almost as often as hers did, as if he were waiting for someone or didn’t want to be taken by surprise. Maybe he was military intelligence or an undercover agent. She told herself. Immediately, that idea made her frown. The last thing she needed was military intelligence to show up on the island. She told herself not to let her imagination run wild. A lot of ex-military guys came to the island to relax and let off steam. Since the location had become a popular destination for bachelor and bachelorette parties, there was usually a good deal of action available for anyone who wanted to find it. But this man didn’t seem interested in escaping reality with alcohol or with women, so what was his story? He seemed very uninterested in his environment, only paying attention to the drink in his hands and the door across him. She yawned and clasped a