Then she had to remind herself that she should be happy she was able to see it now.

  But Eli was worth so much. He was from another world.

  A world her brother lived in now.

  And though Crew was a millionaire too, he got his left to him from when his parents died. Their wealth came from a lottery win. Crew was still a mailman on the island. Working class. That was what she was comfortable with.

  “Emily,” Penelope said. “You had your wedding where you controlled everything. This one is mine. I just want everyone to have a good time and have all eyes on me.”

  Jennie laughed. “I’m sure all eyes will be on you. Or maybe all you care about is that Griffin’s are.”

  “That’s right, I do. Speaking of all eyes. How was your date last night?”

  “You had a date last night?” Emily asked.

  “Yes,” she said.

  “I didn’t ask who it was,” Penelope said. “And we aren’t going to. Nor are we mentioning it to Griffin. He doesn’t need to get in his sister’s business.”

  “But you brought it up just now,” Sophia said. “Like you always do.”

  “Sorry,” Penelope said to her. “I’m trying to loosen Emily up on the wedding talks. She wanted this meeting, but we are all set. I’m trying not to stress now because I know I will the day before. I just want to enjoy this time before without biting my nails off like Emily did for months prior.”

  “Your sister has a point,” Sophia said. “We’ve got it covered. And if anything goes wrong or doesn’t work as planned, Penelope will laugh about it.”

  “That’s right,” Penelope said, then turned back to her. “Your date?”

  “It was fine,” she said.

  “We’ll leave Jennie alone,” Emily said. “And back to the wedding talks. I’ve got my list right here.”

  Penelope stuck her tongue out at her sister, but at least the attention was taken off of her.

  A few hours later though, it was just Penelope and Jennie. Griffin was at the casino even though he normally didn’t work on Sundays. He’d said he would come home when Penelope told him he could. She’d found that funny.

  “I’m sorry if I put you on the spot earlier,” Penelope said. “I know you don’t talk to too many people here and I thought you might enjoy the girl time. It was nothing more than that. I want you to feel like you belong.”

  That had to be one of the nicest things anyone ever said to her. “I’m starting to feel that way,” she said. “This is just another world to me.”

  “I know. I get it. If anyone understands, it’s me, as I’m marrying your brother in a few weeks. I probably know more than you realize, but I’ll never know it all.”

  “There are things you know about Griffin that I never will.”

  “It’s better that way,” Penelope said. “I’m sure you could say the same. There are things you’ll never tell your brother that you went through. You don’t want him to know and feel guiltier than he does now.”

  She sighed. “I know he feels bad. He feels guilty. I also know he wasn’t in a place he could come get me. By the time he left the service I was an adult. I was still in college though. He could have reached out and he didn’t.”

  “That is a conversation you need to have with him,” Penelope said. “I won’t stick up for him because I would feel the same way you do, but I also understand why he felt he couldn’t.”

  “I know,” she said. “He’s told me he wasn’t in a good place. That he’d been to war and saw things and did things that brought in some memories he’d rather not have.”

  She wasn’t going to say anymore because she was sure Penelope knew the details she didn’t. Nor did she want to know those details.

  If anyone knew what it was like to drown in memories they wished they didn’t have, it was Jennie.

  “Griffin has told me he’s talked to you. I’m here for you both, but I will try to not get involved. I didn’t live your life or his and can’t try to say I did or understand. My role is emotional support...for you both. Even if I try to joke now and again about it.”

  Another reason why she loved her future sister-in-law. “Thank you for that. Maybe I could use some advice.”

  Penelope was rubbing her hands together. “You want to tell me about the penis you may or may not have seen last night but don’t want Griffin to know?”

  She laughed. “I didn’t see one last night.”

  “Oh, but you want to,” Penelope said. “I can see it in your eyes. What’s holding you back? Don’t tell me it’s your brother. You’re a grown woman and can make decisions on your own.”

  “I can and I will. It’s Alex.”

  “Oh,” Penelope said. “Alex Bond? My cousin? The fireman that you were butting heads with months ago when you played the hero and he called you some unfriendly names? That Alex?”

  “One and the same,” she said. “Is that a bad ‘oh’ or a good ‘oh’?”

  “He’s family, so not a bad oh. Just that, I’m not sure if you know he’s got a reputation as a playboy. I feel obligated to at least tell you that, cousin or not.”

  “I know,” she said. “I can see it a mile away. I called him out on it when he was hitting on me in the hardware store. And we’ve come to terms of sorts on many levels.”

  Penelope started to laugh. “I’m sorry. This is funny. I gave your brother fits. Are you doing it to Alex? Or is he doing it to you and that is why you need advice?”

  “We actually are getting along well. But he commented about letting Griffin know. I guess Jarrett knows and was busting on him for barking up the tree with me because of Griffin.”

  Penelope frowned. “Griffin won’t be that bad.” She lifted her eyebrow. “Okay, he might be. But he would with anyone.”

  “He will think Alex isn’t good enough, won’t he? I don’t need that.”

  Penelope put her hand on Jennie’s arm. “Griffin wouldn’t judge someone’s worth like that. Not like you think. And truthfully, he’s going to have issues with anyone you date, so you might as well get used to it. Being a Bond might make it easier.”

  “If Alex didn’t have a reputation?”

  “Well, that might come into play. But that is for you to deal with, Jennie. And if you know going in and things don’t work out, then it’s on you.”

  “Exactly.”

  “I knew those things with Griffin. Not that he was a player but he had ground rules too. Some of it was a front, some of it, he thought it was what he wanted but it wasn’t and I had to prove to him that was the case.”

  “So you’re telling me I might have to prove to Griffin what I want?”

  “It’s two dates and you already know you want Alex?” Penelope asked.

  “Not like you think. I mean, he sure is pretty to look at.”

  “It’s those Bond genes. Take it one day at a time, Jennie. But be aware, it will get back to Griffin sooner rather than later. Especially if you’re saying Jarrett knows. Did Alex tell Jarrett?”

  “No. Someone told Jarrett about Alex talking to a woman in the hardware store. My name came up at their house on Friday night dinner and how I was doing when Alex said he saw Griffin at the casino. Jarrett guessed on the rest.”

  “And that is how it starts on the island. Alex will be at the wedding in two weeks too. Again, you’ll have to decide how you want Griffin to know. Or are you two going to avoid each other there?”

  “No,” she said. “I won’t. But I’m glad I talked to you because it didn’t even cross my mind yet about the wedding. Thanks for listening.”

  “Anytime,” Penelope said. “I mean it.”

  She believed her future sister-in-law did.

  14

  Underlying Currents

  The following Friday, Alex picked Jennie up and they were going to dinner and back to his place. They had plans for Saturday too. Or they were making plans to spend it together and hadn’t firmed them up yet.

  Whether Friday continued to Saturday or not was still up in the air.

  He hadn’t asked and she hadn’t brought it up either.

  It’d been a few weeks at this point and he was hoping it wouldn’t be much longer. With the way Jennie was clinging to him when they kissed he was pretty sure it wouldn’t be.

  Not even that, but their text messages and phone calls were getting close to the sexting line without coming out and being as clear as he’d been before.

  The underlying currents were there. Enough that he was sporting some major wood almost every time they had any communication, whether in person or not.

  “Come in,” Jennie said when he knocked on the door. “You don’t need to knock anymore. The door is unlocked. I knew you were coming.”

  “Maybe you weren’t dressed or something and I didn’t want to catch you off guard.”

  She laughed at him. “Do you think I do my best Tom Cruise impersonation around the house in my underwear or something?”

  “I would like to see that,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

  “I think I would like it more,” she said, poking her finger into his side.

  “We could do it together,” he said, snaking one arm around her and pulling her close to his body, his mouth landing on hers.

  Yep, her arms went around his neck, her body plastered tight and his dick was rising and wanting to come out and play.

  “Are you waiting for me?” she finally said softly when she lifted her head away from the kiss.

  “Yes,” he said. “When you’re ready we can go.”

  She laughed and the sound was deep in her throat. “I don’t think we are talking about the same thing right now.”

  “Oh,” he said. “I think we are.”

  She shook her head, but her grin was still there. “Let’s get some food then.”

  She only grabbed her purse and nothing else. No clothes or anything like that, so his hope they were spending the night was squashed.

  “Where did you want to go to dinner?” he asked.

  “Would you be disappointed if I suggested we just get subs or some kind of takeout and go back to your place? I thought we could watch a movie or something. It’s been a long week.”

  “Everything okay?” he asked. He’d been working most of the week. If not at the firehouse then at Carter’s. It’s where he was most of today since his cousin needed the help.

  “Yes,” she said. “Things are picking up more now. The nicer weather has construction in full force and more crews coming. I’m helping out anywhere I can. They’ve got most of the first fifty apartments rented at this point. Or set up to be rented. It’s processing the paperwork and things like that. I jumped in to help with that and monitor it with the leases.”

  “People aren’t buying those apartments or condos or what have you?” he asked. He didn’t know how it all worked and never cared all that much since it wasn’t like he was eligible or could even afford to live there.

  “No. The townhouses are the only things people can own outright. They still get to use the grounds and all the amenities when they are finished, but they aren’t that close to the big complex. Bode and Drew wanted to give some space between them, but there are going to be more built over the years. Eventually I believe the townhouses might end up and down the road closer to the apartments. There is a division now, but it will blend together with higher demand.

  “I wouldn’t be surprised,” he said. “My cousins never do anything small.”

  “They want the apartments done first before any more townhouses though. That is where the revenue stream is going to be. Most are aware they’ll be living around construction and are fine with it. Bode was smart with the way he did it. Finish one side of the building completely, then do the other side. And it’s finishing work too. I think the framing is all done on that side, they did that all winter long. Now they are focusing on just one side of the finishing work for people to move in. There are elevators on both sides so it works out with the building being divided almost, residents won’t hear that much noise.”

  “Again,” he said. “They are smart.”

  “I think your whole family is smart,” she said.

  They were in his truck now. “Not everyone thinks that.”

  He was smiling when he said it, but he knew it was the truth. It was why he had a hard time finding someone over the years.

  Did he cause his own problems by not being serious half the time? Probably. But he knew more had to do with the fact he’d been burned once and it was hard to get past that.

  It was hard for people to see him because he didn’t know if he wanted them to see anything he wasn’t willing to put out there.

  For some reason though, he wanted Jennie to see the other side of him that not many did.

  She saw the anger and that wasn’t the side though. Not many ever saw that. He didn’t have much and still couldn’t believe he did the day of the fire.

  “You might be one of the few,” he said. “There is a good deli downtown if you’re okay with that.”

  “Works for me,” she said.

  He drove to the deli, found a parking spot and they both got out. She didn’t seem all that worried people would see them together and he wasn’t either. He supposed at some point they were going to have to figure out their next move.

  They managed to get in and out fast, not seeing anyone he knew, and were on their way to his place.

  “It still needs some work,” he said of his house. “Don’t judge it compared to yours.”

  She turned to look at him. “Nothing to judge. I don’t own my house. You own yours. You’re way ahead of me. Don’t forget that. I’d still be in my tiny apartment if it wasn’t for Griffin.”

  He had to remind himself of that. That her brother could buy and sell him back so many times over.

  Not that he felt anyone thought that. He never cared much in his life before, but for some reason he was caring now.

  They pulled into his driveway and got out. “I’m going to stain the outside again this summer. I like the weathered look, but there is a fine line between weathered and rundown. I don’t want to cross over.”

  “It’s charming,” she said.

  They got to the side door and he unlocked it, them walking right into the kitchen. No mudroom or foyer. “I finished the cabinets and got the new hardware on. Sorry about the floors.”

  He’d started to rip up what he had this week and Jarrett and Mac were going to help him lay the new floors in one day next week. He could have started on his own, but it was taking longer to get the old tile up and he ended up having to replace the subflooring by the time he was done. Between the firehouse and Carter’s shop, he was moving slower than he wanted.

  “Nothing to be sorry about. It’s going to look great,” she said. “I picked out the tiles, remember?”

  “Hard to forget,” he said, looking over to them on the floor in the living room. He didn’t have a lot of storage either and though he cleaned the place up after having Jarrett’s words in his ears, it was still looking messy. Or might in a woman’s eyes.

  “Want to eat at the table or the living room?” he asked. “I have most of my meals on the couch.”

  “So do I,” she said. “Except breakfast. That I tend to eat in the kitchen in the morning. The rest I’m on the couch with the food on my lap. I’ve never done a lot of formal anything in my life. I haven’t been anywhere that had routines like that.”

  “Never?” he asked. “Not even before you were in foster care?”

  He wanted to know more about her life back then. What happened to her parents. But he hadn’t asked her and wasn’t asking anyone else.

  It’s not like he could ask anyone else. Then they’d want to know why he was curious and they were keeping this somewhat quiet.

  He wondered if Jarrett knew Griffin and Jennie’s history, but then told himself if Jennie wanted him to know, she’d tell him.

  Egan would have to know, he was positive, but again, that would alert them to his relationship with Jennie.

  “In foster care, things were structured. Not always in a good way, but I got it. Yeah, we ate at the table and ate when we were told. Prior to that, there were family meals too,” she said her voice dropping away.

  He wouldn’t ask more. Not when he wanted her to stay in a good mood.

  “Meals were always at the table when I was growing up,” Alex said. “The only time you ate in the living room was when my mother wasn’t home to catch us doing it.”

  She smiled. “That’s funny. Is your mother tough?”

  “Hardly,” he said. “I mean she has her rules and we listen to her. My father was the harder one. He’s a lot like Mac in personality. Ever met my brother Mac?”

  “No,” she said. “I’ve heard about him though and that he is serious. I’m sure I saw him at Eli’s wedding, but I was lucky to keep most names straight. I know Eli’s family more than anyone since Janet is such a sweetheart.”

  “And she would have dragged you along introducing you to people,” he said. Though no one brought her to him, which was why he had to ask who she was.

  “She actually didn’t,” Jennie said.

  They sat down on the couch and pulled their sandwiches out. He jumped up and moved to the kitchen to get paper plates feeling like a fool thinking she’d eat it out of the wrapper. Some manners he had.

  “Here,” he said, handing it over. “Sorry. What do you want to drink?”

  “Water is good.”

  He went back and got two bottles, then sat next to her to eat.

  “I’m surprised Janet wasn’t introducing you,” he said.

  “She was but not much. She was the mother of the groom. She had other duties that day. They sat me with Bode and Drew and Coy.”

  “I remember,” he said.

  “Really?” she asked, her hand in front of her mouth as she chewed.

  “I noticed you.”

  “You thought I was there with Coy, didn’t you?” she asked.

  “I might have,” he said. Drew and Amanda and Bode and Sam were there, Coy and Jennie made the other couple. It was a logical conclusion.

  “Coy isn’t my type,” she said.