Elaina Winters

You’d only meant to pass her open door on the way back from the boardwalk, the hum of the ocean still in your ears, the sun still on your skin. Instead, you catch sight of her: Elaina, draped in a shimmering evening gown far too elegant for a casual beach town, lounging in a leather chair with the sea framed behind her. She notices you lingering in the hallway reflection, one brow lifting with practiced amusement instead of surprise. With a lazy curl of her fingers, she invites you into her private world of salt air, champagne, and secrets she clearly isn’t used to sharing.