Page 48 of Easton Island

“They did.” Morgan pulled up the text and showed her the picture of Harlow and Ronni. “Harlow asked about Tristan, wanting to know how he was doing.”

“Brett mentioned the obnoxious Renaud kids, how they taunted him at the science fair.” Quinn meandered over to the coffee bar and refilled her cup. “At least he has friends. Maybe the brats will get tired of picking on him.”

“I hope so.” Morgan pulled up the photo she’d taken of the Sunrise Shores Resort & Spa sign and handed her friend her phone. “Have you heard about this?”

Quinn squinted her eyes. “No. Where is it?”

“On the east side of Easton Island.”

“I saw a for-sale sign there a while ago, but I don’t drive around that way often. Someone bought it and is building a resort?” Her friend handed the phone back.

Morgan tracked down the link she’d accessed earlier. She scrolled to the contact information. “Check it out.”

She knew the exact second Quinn found Travis Mason’s name and number—when her jaw dropped. “How did you…”

“Brett and I went to check it out.”

“Brett also knows Travis is involved?”

“He does. This is a huge project with the potential to bring tons of people to Easton Island. Three hundred guest rooms. Up to 600 more people coming here on any given day.” Morgan snapped her fingers. “There goes our peaceful, serene slice of paradise. I can’t help but wonder how this will affect the Lilac Inn, not to mention my bed-and-breakfast.”

Quinn winced. “More traffic means more people, which is great for the art gallery and small businesses, but not so much for you. Travis seemed curious about the Easton family.”

“Which isn’t unusual. A lot of visitors are curious. Although I believe his questioning is intentional. He’s doing a little intel.”

“Intel on you, Brett and Elizabeth?”

Morgan told her what her brother had said about the Eastons owning an important sliver of land needed for the massive project.

“Why didn’t he tell me who he was?” Quinn winced. “I owe Brett an apology.”

“You do. Out of curiosity, are you going to call Travis out?”

“Absolutely. I hate sneaky, snake-y people.”

“Same, girl.” Morgan tapped the top of her watch. “I gotta get going.”

“Thanks for the detective work. I’ll call Brett right now to apologize.”

“I’m glad. I hate to see you two fighting over this.”

“When I’m done apologizing, I’m going to do a little detective work of my own,” Quinn vowed. “If Travis Mason thinks he’s going to pull a fast one, he has another thing coming.”

Chapter 22

As soon as Morgan left, Quinn dialed Brett’s number. It rang…and rang. She suspected he was either working or still ticked off at her. Not that she could blame him. She had become defensive about Travis Mason, but not because she felt guilt-ridden or had something to hide.

It was more the fact that her last serious boyfriend, a jealous jerk, had accused Quinn of cheating on him, something she would never do.

The conversation—or argument—with Brett had hit a nerve, causing a tidal wave of emotions to come flooding back. Was she friendly with Travis? Yes, but only because he seemed like a nice guy who was new to the island and didn’t know anyone.

In hindsight, telltale signs of his real motive were there, staring her straight in the face. The man had been curious about the Easton family, and when he found out she was dating Brett, he seemed even more intrigued.

In her defense, customers often stopped by simply because they knew Elizabeth owned the gallery. Having an island named after the Easton family piqued people’s interest.

Travis was easy to talk to, friendly and approachable. A smooth talker. Had Quinn inadvertently or casually given him information about the family she shouldn’t have?

She racked her brain trying to think, but couldn’t come up with a single instance where she’d spoken negatively about any of them. Elizabeth was like a grandmother. Morgan was her best friend, and of course there was Brett. She would never say anything disloyal or disrespectful.