Page 59 of Shades of You

Harper pressed her lips together, looking me over with concern softening her eyes. “I just don’t want you getting in over your head. Look, I understand that the heart wants what it wants. But some risks aren’t worth taking.”

I suddenly felt like the walls of the lobby were closing in on me, the cheerful colors too bright, the shell-shaped lamps too glaring. Maybe Harper meant well, but I was a grown woman. I could sleep with whoever I damn well pleased. Even if that someone had a complicated past. Even if our families couldn’t stand each other.

I ran an agitated hand through my tresses, blowing out a heavy sigh. “Harper, I love you, but my love life is not up for public debate. The rumor mill in this town is utterly ridiculous.”

Harper’s brow lowered, and she reached out to touch my arm. “Hey, I’m not trying to meddle. I’m your sister, and I care about you. I just don’t want to see you make a mistake by getting involved with the wrong kind of guy. Again.”

I rolled my eyes toward the slowly rotating ceiling fan. “Hunter isn’t a mistake. He’s… different than what people think.” I wanted to tell her about the tenderness I’d seen beneath his rough exterior, the way his eyes saw deep inside me, but I bit my tongue. Those were private moments.

“I’m sure he has his good qualities,” Harper allowed. “But there are plenty of men in this town! Do you have to be with a Markham? You know the history.”

“Our history is just that. History.” An edge crept into my voice. “It doesn’t have to define the future. Or the present.”

“How can it not? The day a Markham met a Coleridge marked the very moment our fortunes changed. Theirs for the better, and ours for the worse.”

Sympathy made my heart clench tight. “I know. And Iknow you’re the one holding it all together and trying to keep the one part of Dove Key we’ve still got.”

“Siesta Sunset isn’t in danger of going under, but I won’t deny it’s a struggle.” She gave me a tired smile, then fiddled with the stack of welcome brochures on the desk. “I just don’t want to see you get caught in the middle of some generations-old feud. It’s not fair to you. And honestly, I’m not sure we can all just let bygones be bygones.”

Her cornflower blue eyes shined with love and worry, but that only increased my frustration. “I know you mean well. But you’ve got to trust that I can handle my own affairs, okay? Let me make my own choices.”

Harper stared at me for a long beat. “This might be a situation where we have to agree to disagree. But I’m your big sister, and I’ll always be here for you.” She came around the desk to wrap me in a fierce hug. “I love you. Even if your taste in men is highly questionable.”

“Love you too.” I pulled back and grasped her shoulders. “All I’m asking is for you to give him a chance.”

She eased out a long sigh. “I can’t promise that. Maybe I’m just being an overprotective big sister, but I’m worried you’re making a big mistake here. I’m even more worried that Hunter Markham is dangerous. Be careful, okay?”

“He’s not Knox. I already said that.”

Harper just stared at me. “I know he’s not. And that’s what scares me.” Then she glanced back at the counter. “I’d better get back to work. Keep me in the loop, okay?”

I promised I would and headed for the door, hardly seeing the familiar red-and-yellow Florida Keys mural as I passed. As much as Harper’s probing questions had set my teeth on edge, I knew they came from a place of love. But what now? I’d always suspected dating Hunter would causewaves with my family, but confronting the rollers was more daunting than I’d expected.

I skirted the edge of the resort pool, the overhead sun sending shimmering patterns on the surface. Laughter and conversation drifted from Braden’s bar, mingling with the splashing in the pool.

I had a sinking feeling this situation with Hunter would get messy before it got better. And as much as I wanted us all to get along, I couldn’t force anything. When I rounded the corner of the main building, I spotted Ben hunched over a flowerbed. His blue Siesta Sunset polo was dark with sweat between his shoulder blades. He glanced up as I approached, rising to his feet and swiping an arm across his brow.

“Hey, you.” He set aside his spade and pulled off his gardening gloves, giving me his full attention. The furrow between his brows deepened as he took in my expression. “Everything okay? You look a little… rattled.”

I blew out a breath, tucking a wayward strand of hair behind my ear. Leave it to my perceptive big brother to zero in on my unease. “Yeah, Harper just grilled me.”

Ben’s lips pressed into a thin line, and he nodded. “I didn’t tell her, by the way.”

That made my smile reappear, though it was tentative. “I know. It was the patented Dove Key rumor brigade.”

He leaned against his shovel like something out of an old painting. “I’d really hoped this thing between you and this guy would have run its course by now.”

And just like that, the smile fell off my face. “Well, it hasn’t. This isn’t some casual fling, Ben.”

“Great.” He scrubbed a hand over his face, then his blue eyes flashed. “I thought you had more sense than this.” I opened my mouth to respond, but he barreled on, his wordstumbling out in an agitated rush. “Have you forgotten what happened with Gabe? The fight that landed me in jail? And Hunter’s got an even worse reputation than his brother.” His nostrils flared, the vein in his temple pulsing.

“That fight was several years ago, Ben. And look at how you’ve changed since then.” I lifted my chin, meeting his gaze head-on. “Who’s to say Hunter can’t do the same?”

Ben let out a humorless laugh and shook his head. “Leopards don’t change their spots. You’re playing with fire.”

I bristled at his dismissive tone, my nails biting into my palms. “That’s not fair. You don’t even know him.”

“I know his type.” Ben’s voice was hard, unyielding. “Reckless, volatile, secretive.”

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