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“I really can’t,” I confirmed before I bit into my bacon cheeseburger.
A smile formed on Callie’s lips. “Besides, I want to hear about the rich boyfriend Grace says you have. What’s his name?”
I’d expected them to want to get into this, but it was still uncomfortable. “Kevin, and he’s a complete dick. That’s all I have to say about it.”
Pris had her mouth full, but she looked ready to dig into the topic.
“So, Pris, what do you do?” I asked, cutting her off.
She took a swig from her glass. “Real estate, mostly.” She grabbed the binoculars. “We gotta get some use out of these before the summer ends and all the cute coasties go back home.”
Callie answered my confused look. “Coasties are out-of-towners—tourists.”
I nodded. Thankfully, they didn’t bring up Kevin again.
We ate slowly and shared the binoculars as we took turns rating the cute guys out on the lake.
When I checked the time, I’d been gone from the hotel an hour. I pulled what I thought covered my portion of the meal from my wallet and laid the bills on the table. “I’ve got to get back to the hotel.”
“I thought you were staying at Grace’s cottage,” Callie said.
“I am at the cottage. Boone gave me a job at the hotel.”
Pris raised a curious brow. “Really?”
I stood and answered with a nod. “I don’t want to be late getting back.”
“That’s nice of him.” Pris clearly wasn’t one to let a subject go. “Doing what?”
“Housekeeping.”
Callie didn’t say anything, just picked up the binoculars.
“You’re kidding? Toilet duty? I helped him out with that for one day last month, and I’m never doing it again.” Pris shook her head. “I grew up with brothers, but I’ve never seen so many guys who miss the mark and hit the floor.”
I sighed at the reality of that and raised a shoulder.
“I’m gonna have a talk with that boy. He should be treating you better than that.”
“No. Please don’t.” I held my head up high. “I needed a job, and it’s actually not that bad.” I managed to get the words out without giving myself away, I thought. “Don’t say anything to him.”
Her brow knitted in confusion.
“It’s a lot better than working with Wilbur, pumping out septic tanks. And besides, I have to prove I’m not as weak as he thinks I am.”
That pulled a laugh out of Callie. “Weak? If he says that again, remind him you’re part of the half of the population that’s strong enough to shove a bowling ball-sized baby out between your legs. That turns ’em green every time.”
Pris’s face still showed confusion. “You sure you want to keep cleaning toilets for him?”
I backed away. “Absolutely,” I said with a hundred times the confidence I felt. I would not let Boone Benson intimidate me into quitting.
Pris held out a card. “Call me when you want to get the lowdown on everything that embarrasses him.” She stood and addressed Callie. “I guess I’m heading out too.”
“Then I get your dessert,” Callie said.
Pris stopped. “What?”
“You got the dart,” Callie added.
