“What am I missing?” Avery asked.

  “I met Seth at the bank while he was helping me with something. We ran into each other at the grocery store shortly after and I had my hair in a braid. Adele was with him chattering away and wanted to know if I could teach her father how to braid her hair.”

  “She invited Ava over to teach me,” Seth said. “For lunch too. Then Adele bared all my secrets about cooking and watching instructional videos about braiding her hair and not being able to do it.”

  “That’s so sweet,” she said. “I mean you trying to braid her hair.”

  Seth flushed and Ava laughed even louder. “I thought so too. So yeah, I get it. Adele asks a lot of questions and not once has she said there was any guy in Josie’s life. I had to assume since she lived with you, that meant no one in your life either. So I’m not worried but glad to know too.”

  “I’m trying to be careful,” she said. “And I was dating someone for years when Colleen died. Josie did meet him a few times prior, but then after everything happened...things didn’t work out and it’s for the best.”

  “No need to explain,” Seth said. “I was a single parent for years and it’s not an easy situation. Not everyone is accepting.”

  “No, they aren’t,” she said. “And though Josie has met Carter and likes him a lot, for now I’m not saying much more. I don’t know what will happen and it’s best not to get her too used to something or anyone until we know more.”

  “Especially if she likes Carter. I know that too,” Seth said. “I felt it with Adele and Ava, so I get it.”

  They heard the feet come running down the stairs at that point and the conversation about her personal life had to end.

  “Daddy,” Adele was yelling as she ran into the room. “Josie gets to write and paint on her walls.”

  “Huh?” Seth asked.

  “One room,” Avery said quickly. “Josie has a love of art. She draws and paints and takes lessons.”

  “I heard that,” Ava said. “Adele wants to go to the kid's art class on Monday, but they started already. I told her she could for the next session.”

  “Yes,” she said. “Laine and I are friends from college. She’s the one who told me about the island looking for a full-time vet.”

  “That makes sense,” Ava said. “I’ve met Laine before for one of her wine and paint nights. That was a ball. I’d love to do it again, not that I’ll be having any wine anytime soon or time to paint.”

  “You can take a few hours to yourself when you’re up for it,” Seth said. “You know I’ll stay with the kids.”

  She found that so sweet that Seth was already volunteering to do that for his wife. Her father didn’t watch her for ten minutes so her mother could shower, she remembered.

  “It seems there are a lot of connections on this island,” she said. “But the house we are renting from Bond Realty, Drew said that we could paint it whatever we wanted. I thought it’d be nice to have a chalkboard wall for Josie.”

  “I doodle on that all the time,” Josie said. “It’s so much fun.”

  “Then the other three walls I told her she could paint murals on. That is what she’s doing. It’s not as if she is walking around the house with a marker and making faces on the walls.”

  “Unlike some little girl I know that did that,” Seth said.

  “I was four,” Adele said with her hands on her hips. “I was a kid.”

  “You’re still a kid,” Seth said, tugging on his daughter’s ponytail.

  Avery pulled her phone out so she could show them what Josie did. Maybe they’d understand more. “Here is the almost finished mural. I say almost because I think it’s perfect, but Josie is always adding to it.”

  “You took a picture of it?” Josie asked.

  “I did,” she said. “I have to show it off to people.”

  Josie ran and hugged her. She kissed the little girl on the forehead and handed her phone to Ava. “Holy cow. You painted that, Josie?”

  “I did. It’s a picture of my mom’s favorite place. She loved pink and purple flowers and it was a field by our old house.”

  Avery knew her eyes were going to fill and noticed Ava’s did too. Ava passed the phone to Seth to look. “Very pretty.”

  “Thank you,” Josie said. “I don’t know what I’m painting on the other walls yet. I’ve been drawing lots of things and will decide when I’m ready. I think I want to paint my friend’s dogs with Betty on it.”

  “Whose dogs?” Adele asked. “I don’t know anyone with dogs in our class.”

  “Dopey and Doc. My friend Carter’s dogs. They are huge and so much fun to play with.”

  Avery rolled her eyes and saw Ava and Seth grinning.

  Yeah, it was best to keep whatever she had with Carter from Josie right now until she knew more.

  There was no doubt Josie was already attached and she wasn’t sure how to handle this.

  18

  Play It Down

  “I didn’t know you were dating someone,” Grayson asked when Carter walked into his parents’ house on Sunday afternoon.

  He wasn’t surprised this came up, but he expected it from his mother and not his brother.

  “You are?” Natalie asked. His sister didn’t always know what was going on. She kept to herself most times even though she worked for The Retreat and was around other family members.

  She said she barely saw Hunter since he was her boss at a higher level.

  Natalie worked in customer relations and during working hours she was always talking to people.

  “I guess it’s dating,” he said. “We’ve had a few dates. How did you find out?”

  “Not from me,” his mother yelled from the kitchen. “Though I heard too.”

  He let out a sigh and looked at his father who only lifted his eyebrow at him.

  He should be used to this by now. It was the second time he’d eaten out in public with Avery and now both times he was noticed.

  But he’d told her it wasn’t a secret if Seth or Ava wanted to know in regards to Adele and Josie being friends.

  If that was the case, the least he could do was talk about it with his family, but he was going to play it down because there wasn’t much to say.

  “Who is it?” Grayson asked.

  “You didn’t tell me how you found out,” he said. His brother moved back to the island not that long ago and was working for Rex Knight.

  Another family member. Rex had married Hailey Bond a few months ago. Grayson had been working in Plymouth as a financial adviser trying to make a name for himself.

  He thought for sure out of his siblings, Grayson would be the one to move off the island and never return.

  Grayson had made a name for himself and was killing it in his eyes. At least his brother was doing a great job with Carter’s money and he couldn’t be more thrilled.

  But something caused him to decide to return to the island that he’d never said.

  Rex had been more than happy to offer him a job knowing those Plymouth clients would come with Grayson and Rex was based more in Boston and toward New York City and beyond. It was a market that expanded even more for Rex’s business and gave him another full-time employee on the island.

  “One of my clients mentioned they saw you out on Thursday,” Grayson said. “Everyone knows you on the island.”

  He wasn’t so sure everyone knew him. “What did they say?” he asked.

  “Since when do you care all that much?” Grayson asked, grinning at him.

  “I don’t,” he said. “Just wanted to know what was said.”

  “I’ll tell you what I know if you tell me who it is.”

  “Yeah, who is it?” Natalie asked.

  “It’s the new vet on the island,” his father said.

  Guess there were no secrets in this house. “How do you know?” he asked his father.

  “Because I told him,” his mother said, walking into the room. “And I only guessed. When I heard you were out with someone Thursday night I assumed it was the same person from a few weeks ago.”

  “That was a thank you dinner,” he argued.

  “It was the way you said it to me,” his mother said. “And the look in your eyes. The way you talked about her.”

  Jesus. Since when had everyone watched him this much? “Whatever. Yes, it’s Avery.”

  “Tell us about her,” Natalie said. “Other than you are bonding over animals. That is so you.”

  He wouldn’t take offense to that. He knew his sister didn’t mean anything negative by it because other women in his past thought he cared more for his pets than anything else.

  “Not much to say,” he said. “She’s new to the island.”

  “And has a child,” Grayson said.

  “No,” he said. “She doesn’t have a child. She is the guardian of her best friend’s daughter. Josie is great. She loves my dogs. She has Connie Green’s poodle. The one she got for her mother that didn’t work out.”

  “You set that up, didn’t you?” his father said.

  “I mentioned something to Avery because I knew Josie wanted a dog,” he said.

  “No reason to ask how you knew that,” Natalie said. “You wouldn’t tell us anyway.”

  “You guys are making this out to be more than it is,” he said. “I need a beer.”

  Sunday dinner was turning into more of an inquisition at this point.

  He could hear everyone talking in the living room but then turned when his mother joined him in the kitchen. “I’m only getting snacks to put out, not asking you more than you want to say.”

  He nodded. “Not much to say other than what I did.”

  “I told them what I knew and they will leave you alone.”

  “Thanks,” he said. That meant his mother told his brother and sister how Avery came to the island if they didn’t know those facts. They probably did. It also meant his mother told them that Josie’s mother and Avery’s best friend died, and that was how Avery got custody.

  He didn’t like gossiping about other people. Even if it was fact more than fiction.

  “How is the shop doing?” his father asked. “Slowing down now that summer is over?”

  The summer was always busy. Tourists had issues on the island he’d have to take care of along with the residents that lived here year round.

  “It never seems to slow down much, but at least a lot of the last minute calls aren’t quite as bad. The body shop is crazy busy and that is a good thing.”

  The only thing he hated was the time it took, but Stew was good at doing a few cars at a time when he could. They took time to dry and set. He was glad there was full-time work. And if there wasn’t, then Stew would help out in the garage or with the tow truck. Everyone did their part.

  “It was the best thing you could have done to expand the business,” Grayson said. “Short of getting more cars for rentals. What do you think there?”

  “The wise thing to do is go to an auction and pick up a few more cars. I need to find the damn time.”

  “I can go with you,” his father said. “How many are you looking to pick up?”

  “At least two, maybe three. The three I’ve got are signed out at all times. If not for the cars that Stew is working on, then those that need to leave their cars with me for days.”

  “Get more than two and start having rentals for tourists,” Grayson said. “I’ll go in with you on it.”

  “What?” he asked.

  “You heard me,” Grayson said. “I want to expand my investments. You’ve got the land to store the vehicles. You know as well as I do that tourists don’t like loading and unloading cars on the ferry.”

  “No,” he said. “But most that come here either drive here and have a car or they fly into Boston and rent it at the airport.”

  “Not really,” Natalie said. “I’ve found that a lot of the guests are extremely intimidated about loading cars on the ferry or driving through Boston traffic. They are taking taxis or Uber to the ferry, then again on the island if they can’t get the taxi or Uber to load on the ferry. Many won’t or charge a fortune.”

  “Do you think there is a need for it?” he asked. “It’s not that busy on the island in the winter and we are going into that time.”

  “You can check with Emily and Penelope, but I’m sure they will tell you the same. The Casino is different. Not everyone stays all that long or they stay right there,” Natalie said.

  “Why not have Grayson figure it out,” his father said. “Run the numbers. You’re making money on the rentals now when people need them for repairs on their own cars.”

  “Insurance pays for that most times,” he said. Or at least for accidents.

  “That’s right,” Grayson said. “Let me know what that is. When it’s not the peak of tourist season, those cars can be used for your business. Mom can manage that.”

  “Sure,” his mother said. “Give me more work.”

  “I’ll do it,” Grayson said. “But someone has to schedule the rentals.”

  “It’s not that hard,” Carter said.

  “No,” his mother said. “We’ll work it out. I think it’s a great idea, but that is for you and your brother to decide.”

  “Let me think about it,” he said.

  “I’m putting a time limit on it,” Grayson said. “It takes you forever to make a decision. If you don’t want to do it, I will. I figured you could get the cars cheaper and know what is a good deal.”

  “I can and will,” he said.

  “One week,” Grayson said. “Think of it and get back to me next Sunday.”

  “What’s your rush?” he asked.

  “Just what I said. You think things to death. I move faster. I think it’s a good investment and you’ve got the space to store the cars too. It’s not like I do, so that would make it harder for me.”

  The whole thing had merit.

  “Let me know,” Natalie said. “I can get the word out at The Retreat and they will be thrilled to pass it along as a service to provide. Either picking the car up or returning it for the guests.”

  “See,” Grayson said. “It’s perfect.”

  “Joe,” his mother said to his father. “Why don’t you go light the grill and I’ll get the burgers started. The salads are done. We’ve hammered Carter enough today. Natalie, what is going on with you?”

  “Nothing,” his sister said. “There never is. Unlike my oldest brother who never talks and yet is the talk of the island.”

  Carter all but growled under his breath with that comment. He’d have to let Avery know in case. The last thing he wanted was for her to get bent over this when he was hoping to move forward with her.

  Unlike his brother stated, he wasn’t slow about everything in his life.

  19

  Had Other Ideas

  The following week, Carter knocked on her door around three.

  “I’m glad you could come over,” Avery said.

  “Me too,” he said, bending down to pet Betty who’d rushed him at the door. “Not sure how this worked out.”

  “I can’t believe Ava and Seth wanted Josie overnight. More so since she’s having the baby next week.”

  Ava was due next week and was going to get induced on her due date if she didn’t go into labor on her own.

  Seth assured her that they’d call if that happened, but they weren’t expecting it and this would let Adele have a friend for the night before the baby came.

  She said she’d take Adele for them after the baby was born to give them a break too. In her eyes it was a win to keep Josie entertained on the weekends.

  Not that she felt like Josie had to be entertained all that much though.

  “Ava can do just about anything,” he said. “And it works in our favor.”

  They’d had two more dates this week. Monday and Thursday while Josie was at art class. They texted or talked at least once a day.

  Last Sunday Carter had called her when Josie was in bed to say what happened at his parents’ house that day. She’d told him what she’d said to Seth and Ava.

  In her mind there was no secret and shouldn’t be other than she was keeping it quiet for Josie now. She supposed she should explain that to him too.

  She knew he was taking things slow and she was trying to do that too, but her body had other ideas.

  She’d been on this island for almost six weeks now. She’d met Carter the day she moved here. If she counted the day she met him out for the thank you dinner—which she was in her mind—then it’d been close to a month and a half a dozen times they’d been together.

  More than enough time to move on to the next step, but it was figuring out when to do it.

  This was better than rushing on a Monday or Thursday while Josie was in class.

  “Yes, it does,” she said, moving into his arms. It seemed they were reaching for each other nonstop when they had time.

  Going to dinner was fine, but she’d cooked for him the past two times here. Not that she didn’t want people to see them together but needed no witnesses to get her hands on his body.

  His mouth went to hers like it always did. Her hands slid into his hair that needed to be trimmed, but she found it sexy in a rumpled kind of way.

  Her mouth opened, his tongue slid in and her hips bucked up against him in his jeans.

  She felt how turned on he was pressing against her waist as she had before. Yet he hadn’t pushed or pressured her once.

  She had a feeling it wasn’t his way, and though she could appreciate it, it meant it was for her to take that step.

  Which she had no problem doing and was going to do it right now.

  Her hands dropped from his hips, her fingers reaching for him. “Come to my room with me.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “More than sure,” she said. “I’ve waited long enough. It’s as if Seth and Ava knew without saying a word and I’m not going to thank them or acknowledge it.”

  “They’ve been in our shoes,” he said.

  Which said everything she needed to know about Carter. He understood.