Page 47 of The Romance Library

‘I’m in a B&B in a seaside town called Sunshine Bay.’

‘A B&B?’ He wrinkled his nose. When I explained all about the pitch and why I was here, Ben couldn’t stop laughing. ‘That’s hilarious!’

‘It really isn’t.’ I shook my head.

‘What are the women like in this town?’

‘That’s irrelevant,’ I said, pushing thoughts of Jessica out of my head. ‘I’m here for business. To seal the deal, that’s all.’

‘Lighten up, dude! All work and no play makes a very boring Theo. You need to get laid. When was the last time you had a decent shag?’

‘None of your business,’ I snapped, thinking I couldn’t actually remember. A month ago? Maybe three? Could be more.

‘That long, huh? You need to get back on the horse pronto. Better still, come over here. I’ve lost count of the amount of women who’ve asked if I have a brother. There’s not enough of me to go around!’

He laughed again and I rolled my eyes.

I loved my brother dearly, but he really was a man whore. I supposed I should be happy that at least one of us was enjoying life.

‘Thanks, but some of us have work to do. You know Father doesn’t believe in taking holidays.’

‘Ugh,’ he groaned. ‘That man is suffocating. Why do you think I came here? Way too much pressure. I take my hat off to you, T. Can’t be easy carrying the weight of the Eaves name on your shoulders.’

I sighed. It wasn’t. As the eldest, I didn’t have the luxury that Ben had as the youngest brother. I was next in line, so I never had the opportunity to swan off whenever I wanted like Ben or our middle brother, Tom.

‘It is what it is. Anyway, I’d better go. I was just calling to check on you.’

‘Appreciate that, big brother. Don’t work too hard and catch up soon!’

After I hung up, I leant back on the bed. I missed Ben. As much as he had that party boy image, he was a good guy, and as well as being my brother, he was one of the few people I considered a friend.

Working around the clock like Father demanded hadn’t left much time to maintain friendships, never mind relationships.

If ever I needed anything or someone to speak to, I always turned to my brothers. They were the only ones who understood what Father was like and the pressure I was under.

I sent a quick message to Tom to check he was okay, then got up, strode to the bathroom and turned on the shower.

Time to wash away the day.

And rid my mind of all those ridiculous thoughts about Jessica.

When my alarm went off at six a.m. I was tempted to hit the snooze button and have a lie-in like most people did on a Sunday. But I couldn’t slack off. It’d already been three days since I’d last worked out, and that wasn’t good. Healthy body, healthy mind.

Plus I’d always found that exercise was good for burning off certain frustrations.

I jumped out of bed, put on my tracksuit bottoms, a vest and my trainers, then was out the door.

As far as I knew, there wasn’t a gym in Sunshine Bay, and I couldn’t exactly bring my gym equipment here. But what I could do is run.

After crossing the road to the beach, I inhaled the fresh sea air. This town might not be what I was used to, but I had to admit, going for a run on a beach wasn’t a terrible way to start my day.

After I’d warmed up, I set off. Running on the soft, dry sand was harder than my usual treadmill runs, but hard was good. I needed to stay strong.

And as nice as the views were from the floor-to-ceiling windows in my home gym, they didn’t compare to the scenic views of the Sunshine Bay coastline.

In the distance, a fishing boat bobbed in the sea. The sounds of the waves crashing against the shore surrounded me. As I picked up the pace, I inhaled and exhaled deeply. This was the best run I’d had in ages.

Forty minutes later, I headed back to the hotel, regretting the fact that I hadn’t taken a towel, because now I was dripping with sweat.

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