Page 31 of Island Rescuer

He snatched the bag away when she would have unpacked the treats. “A surprise. I didn’t take you for a sneaky cheater.”

She gave him puppy dog eyes. “Fine. But I’m starving.”

The circles under her eyes had him adjusting on the fly. “Let’s fix that before you get hangry.” He patted the stool at the counter. “Have a seat.” He washed some fruit and sliced cheese, doing his best to present it well on the plate. “Sparkling water or still?”

“You bought sparkling water?”

“Isn’t it your favorite?” He frowned. “Did I get it wrong?”

“No, you’re right. I always thought I was fancy when I got to have sparkling water as a kid.”

Smiling to himself, he poured a glass for her. “Are you doing okay?” He wouldn’t ask outright about the texts. If she found something, she’d mention it or he’d hear about it from Jenna.

“Mostly.” She sipped the water and a smile curved her lips. “Thank you. Between work and trying to pin those texts with an acquaintance…” Her voice trailed off.

“Anything new with work?”

“We’re trying to get some different things underway.” Taking her time, she chose a bite of cheese and savored it. “I did speak with the wedding coordinator down at the Cove in Key West. Ilsa is a dream to work with. And a genius. I’m trying to curate a few standard wedding packages for the resort. Lots of local coordinators book our spaces as a venue or a place to host the wedding party. We even have honeymoon packages, but nothing as specific as they offer there. Rhett’s damn lucky to have her in his corner.”

He set the oven to heat and pulled out a casserole dish from the refrigerator. “Smothered chicken okay with you?”

“Mm. Perfect.” She bit into a wedge of apple.

“Do you and your brother ever stop looking to expand?”

“Well, the world has not been renamed Ellington Earth, yet.”

“World domination is your plan. Should’ve known,” he teased.

“Ha, ha. For me, it’s about making sure my numbers match or exceed Rhett’s. We’re responsible for different properties, obviously. There are lots of factors, and we look at more than revenue numbers, but he triumphed in quarter one. I refuse to let him get the better of me two quarters in a row.”

“So it’s a bad time to be stalked.”

“Exactly.” She raised her glass to him. “We’re hoping to coordinate with Miles Kearney’s sailing school.”

“He mentioned that,” Knox said without thinking.

“How did you guys meet?” she asked. “We were all at school, but I don’t recall you two bonding there.”

“I wasn’t given a chance to bond with much of anyone in high school,” he said. “Everyone labeled me a bad influence.”

She chuckled. “Weren’t you?”

He glared at her, without any real heat. “Don’t you have a meeting to prep for?”

She grabbed a grape from her plate and popped it into her mouth. “Nope. I’m all set, thank you very much.”

The oven dinged when it reached the right temperature and he slid the casserole in and set the timer. “Half an hour.” He bobbed his eyebrows, pleased when she grinned. “Ideas?”

“More than a few,” she said. Shocking him, she hopped up to sit on the countertop. “Wanna make out?”

He couldn’t be expected to resist that offer. He stepped between her wide knees and ran his hands along her thighs. Thank heaven for whoever invented cut-off shorts, he thought as his mouth met hers. The flowy top she wore gave him easy access to the warm skin underneath. When they finally came together it would level him.

He could hardly wait.

His phone chimed. “Hold that thought,” he said, a little winded. “Jenna,” he groaned.

She caught his face in her hands and gave him a smacking kiss. “Thanks for the snack. If you need me, I’ll be dreaming up ways to outperform Rhett.”

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