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“Your brother...”
“Yes. He said he’s catching the first flight he can get out of Salt Lake.”
“And coming here?”
She nodded, seemed to remember she had a pair of sunglasses, and put them on to help cut the sun’s glare. “Is that okay? Do you think that house-sitting gig is still a possibility?”
He’d barely mentioned it to Honey. He doubted she could leave quite this soon, but would definitely follow up. What if she said no? He felt he’d have to find a backup. Or...why couldn’t he stay at the cottage? Bastian was there, yes, but there was certainly room for all three of them.
“I’ll let Honey know he’s coming—and that he’s coming right away. But if that doesn’t work out, can’t he just stay with you at the cottage until we can find something else?”
“If Bastian wasn’t there, I’d talk to Remy and possibly risk it. But with Bastian around, taking note of everything I do and painting it in the worst possible light, I’m afraid he’d complain to his parents, and I’ve never even met them. I don’t want them to think I’m abusing their generosity and hospitality by bringing more guests into their home.”
Bo considered his second bedroom. He definitely wasn’t looking for a roommate. He didn’t want someone who might ask nosy questions, then come away feeling he was being cagey or deceptive. Lettinganyoneinto his life was a risk, especially letting them get that close. But maybe he could take in Ismay’s brother for a night or two...
Except he couldn’t say the Windsors would like that any better, worrying it would make them look bad to have their potential daughter-in-law’s brother relegated to the caretaker’s bungalow.
Still, he couldn’t dash the hope that was in Ismay’s face. He was pretty certain that surviving the storm together had made her think of him as her ally. “We’ll figure something out,” he heard himself say.
“Thank you! I hope Honey will be open to this. Tell her...tell her we’ll pay some rent besides. Maybe that’ll help. Neither one of us has a lot, but this means so much to me. Ihaveto help him get out of Tremonton as soon as possible. He’s depending on me.”
“Right. Just...let me know when he’ll be here.”
“Okay.” Her smile showed her teeth as she waved. “Thank you! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”
He waved back, then cursed himself as she left. Remy should be the one trying to help her with her brother—nothim. So why wasn’t that happening? Had she even asked him?
If not—or he’d refused—could it be that their relationship wasn’t as solid as it should be?
That thought excited Bo. It meant Ismay might also know, on some level, that she wasn’t with the best guy. He thought she was asking for heartbreak getting with someone as entitled, spoiled, selfish, and domineering as Remy—and he’d essentially told her so on that very first night.
He couldn’t even imagine how good it would feel to take Remy’s place—to have her step up to him and slide her arms around his neck as he lowered his mouth to hers.
Jerking his mind away from a precipice that was all too tempting, he swore. He had nothing to offer her. It was dangerous just to let himself entertain the idea.
Quickly blocking her from his mind, he got back to work.
Ismay sat in the chair swing on the porch as she drank a kombucha and talked to Remy. She was careful not to bother him unless she absolutely had to tell him something, so she had been surprised when he called her just as it was getting dark.
“You done studying for the day?” she asked.
“Yeah. I need a break. I don’t think I’m retaining anything anymore.”
“Don’t stress over it,” she said. “You’ll do great. You always do.”
“I hope you’re right. How’s the weather there now?”
She gazed out at a tranquil sea. It was so peaceful and calm, it was hard to remember how rough it’d been only a day or two earlier. “Beautiful.”
“Awesome. And how are you getting along with Bastian?”
“Fine,” she replied, even though she still didn’t know how she was going to get through the days Bastian spent on the island with her. “Why?”
“I feel kind of bad you’re stranded there with him. He can be...a bit much.”
In her opinion, Bastian was someone only a mother could love. But she wouldn’t allow herself to say so. “He’s out right now with some friends.” She hoped he wouldn’t get home until late—after she was in bed. He’d invited her to go with him, but she’d said she was planning to wander along the seashore, looking for shells.
“Is Bo going with you?” Bastian had asked.
