Page 73 of Shifting Sands

“But I’ve seen the guy who gets excited over kitty snuggles and makes old ladies laugh at the bar and looks at me like I hung the moon when all I did was buy him a pair of shoes.”

He squeezes my hand. “You did more than that. You saw me.”

I smile. “Even when your sock was showing.”

He leans in, resting his forehead on mine. “So … we’re okay?”

“It’ll take me a minute to sort through it all,” I say. “But, yeah, we’re okay.”

He moves to kiss me, but I pull back.

“Wait, does this mean I finally get to see your place?” I ask.

He smiles against my lips. “Yep, dead bodies and all.”

And in that moment, I know.

I’m falling, straight into something messy and real and impossibly, beautifully complicated.

Brew

We spent a long time on that bench while she processed everything I had told her. Long after the fire burned out and Lennon and Wade doused the embers with buckets of water. It was long after the food was put away and the grill was carried back up to the deck. It was long after everyone started to head home. When we finally made it back inside, only Lennon and Amiya, Parker and Audrey, and Anson and Tabby were still left.

Brandee thanked them for the invitation, and the girls all exchanged hugs. Then I followed her back to Ida Mae’s house. She dropped off the painting that Tabby had created for her, and while she packed an overnight bag, I took care of Snowflake and Felix by feeding and watering them. Afterward, we got into my truck and headed toward the east end of the island.

The second we pull up to the gate, I feel her eyes on me.

She sits quietly in the passenger seat, her fingers drumming nervously against her thigh. Her eyes widen as the headlights illuminate the house—my house. I’ve always tried to convince myself that it’s just a structure with four walls and a view, butthe expression on her face reveals the truth—it’s a beachfront mansion.

“You live here,” she says finally.

I glance at her, hand still on the gearshift. “Yep.”

“This whole thing is your house?”

I nod. “All of it.”

She lets out a breath that turns into a laugh. “Holy crap, Brew. I was picturing … I don’t know … a large beach house on stilts, like the one Lennon and Amiya live in, but with a pool or something. Not a full-on coastal manor.”

I smirk. “I do have a pool. It’s an infinity pool that overlooks my private beach. It’s heated if you want to take a dip.”

Brandee turns to look at me, a mix of amusement and shock lighting up her face. “Wait until Erin hears that the sexy bartender I’ve been sleeping with happens to own a literal oceanfront estate.”

“Well, when you say it like that, it sounds a little over the top.”

She snorts. “A little over the top? This place should have its own zip code.”

I pull into the gate and turn off the engine, and my chest tightens slightly. This is it—the moment she sees all of me. Suddenly, all the fear I felt begins to fade away. I want to share this with her. I want her to know everything about me.

She looks back at the house, then at me. Her expression softens. “This is nice, but I still prefer the creaky old boat,” she says.

“Oh, yeah? Wait until you see my yacht,” I reply, leaning over to kiss her.

Then I exit the truck, walk around the hood, and open her door. She hands me her duffel bag, which I toss over my shoulder before taking her hand and leading her to the garage. I enter the code, and the door opens, revealing my Aston MartinValkyrie and Mercedes G-Wagon. She doesn’t say anything as I walk her past the vehicles to the elevator door.

As she steps into the foyer, she gasps at the sight of the floor-to-ceiling windows and the ocean beyond. The living room features a large gas fireplace, a wraparound couch, a couple of posh armchairs, and a piano in the corner that has never been played.

“My mother did most of the decorating, but the couch is all me,” I say while she slowly takes it all in. “The kitchen is over here.”

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