Page 19 of Summer Escape
Grandma patted my hand for the millionth time during the meal. "If a man offers to pay, you let him."
"Okay," I said with amusement tingeing my voice. I wondered if Marshall thought my grandmother was sufficiently over –the-top yet.
"Now, let's get back to the matter of the double-booking. I'm so sorry that I made a mistake. I'd forgotten that Marshall had booked the cottage for the summer when you asked if you could stay there."
I knew it was too good to be true. "You forgot?"
She waved a hand. "I can't keep track of everything."
I sighed. "You probably should have checked with the management company first."
"What's done is done." She looked at both of us. "I don't mind if you both live there, if that's acceptable to you."
"I could pay some of the rent," I offered.
Grandma waved a hand. "I'll lower the rent for Marshall. How does that sound? You have to share the space with someone you weren't expecting. That's worth something."
"I think that's fair," Marshall agreed.
"So we get to stay?" Hayden asked with more interest than I saw her show in anything other than my graphic design program.
Grandma grinned. "You can stay. But I want to see you more often. Stop by the senior center. We hang up art from local artists. Maybe your work is good enough to be on the walls too."
"How do you know about that?" Hayden asked.
"Saylor mentioned that you were interested in her graphic-design program. I assume that means you're an artist. I remember Saylor sketching when she was younger."
"Oh, well. I'm not that great," Hayden said sheepishly.
"Let us be the judge of that," Grandma said as she rose. "Now, I have to get back for bingo. You never know what's going to happen on bingo night."
On the way out to the truck, she relayed the story of Hazel picking up an engagement ring and placing it on her finger. Then her best friend, Brady, said she was his fiancée, which turned out not to be true. Now they were engaged for real, and the story lived on at the senior center.
It was probably the most interesting thing that happened on the island in a while. I didn't want to give the women more stories for their gossip. I wondered if she'd relayed the story of how I'd walked out of the shower and into Marshall's arms. Knowing her, she had.
We dropped Grandma off at the center and then headed home. I couldn't believe we'd be sharing the space for the duration of the summer. Surely, I could keep things platonic. I'd work during the day, help his daughter with her art, and take long walks on the beach.
What were the odds that we ran into each other naked in the bathroom again? If we did, Marshall better be the one without clothes.
Marshall let out a breath. "That went better than I thought it would."
"Grandma wasn't going to kick either one of us out. I think she likes us sharing a cottage."
We hadn't had any other near misses, which told me that we could do this. We could share a cottage and not give into the chemistry between us. There was no telling if he even noticed it. He was probably too preoccupied with his daughter and his family to be concerned about how I looked soaking wet.
He certainly hadn't brought it up again. He'd outgrown the silly love we'd had for each other as teenagers. We were adults now and could ignore any electricity between us.
Besides, I was just out of a relationship, and I shouldn't be thinking about starting another one. How could I ever trust a man again?
Marshall glanced over at me. "What happened between you and your ex? Your grandmother seems angry at him."
"He was a jerk."
His brow furrowed. "How? Did he cheat on you?"
When I remained silent, he did a double take. "I was kidding. Who would cheat on you?"
"My ex, apparently," I said dryly.
