The Billionaire's Island Bride (South Shore Billionaires 3)

He laughed. “Even for rich kids. Merrick was a great school. It’s where I met Jeremy and Branson. But no dogs, sadly.”

“Jeremy, as in your Realtor?”

He nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”

“And Branson is...”

“Branson Black.”

She tried not to let her mouth drop open and failed. “The novelist.”

“That’s the one.” Cole grinned. “We’ve been best friends since we were thirteen.”

Brooklyn had been brought up in the city. All her classmates were God knows where. She’d made friends here, though. Good ones, like Delilah. Besides, in a small town, everyone pretty much knew everyone else.

Which meant most knew something about why she’d moved home while in university and holed up on the island. It was a hard place to keep secrets.

“Aren’t your guests on the island?” she asked, waving the stick for Marvin. She tossed it and he ran off, while Cole chuckled.

“They don’t need babysitters. Right now they’re settling in. Getting downtime.” He grinned. “I confiscated their phones when they arrived. Cue looks of panic.”

“That’s torture.” But she grinned in response.

“You would think so. I let each person send an ‘I’ve arrived’ message and then that’s it for four days. Either people are napping, or working out, or trying to figure out a way to work without being connected. Switching out of that mindset is hard, and it takes time. We’ll get together tonight at dinner.”

“Cool.” They walked on, down the path toward the lane that ran the length of the island from her house to his. Marvin trotted around with the stick of driftwood in his mouth, proud of his new possession. A gust of wind buffeted them and there was a bit of mist in it. The rain wouldn’t be far off now.

“Looks like we’re in for some nasty weather.”

“Just some rain.” She put her hands in her jacket pocket. “By tomorrow night it’ll be clear again. But it was choppy on the water today. I hit some big waves on the way back.”

“You’re not scared doing that?”

She laughed. “I’ve been piloting around this island since I was old enough to see over the wheel. And when the weather is really bad, I stay home.” She let out a sigh. “Honestly? Sitting by my window with a glass of wine, watching the rain? It’s cozy and pretty relaxing.”

“Hmm. I kind of wish I could do that tonight. Instead I’m going to try to dea

l with five VPs who are going through tech withdrawal.”

She bit down on her lip. Had he just said he wanted to spend the evening with her, or had he been speaking theoretically? She tried to imagine Cole in her small living room and couldn’t make it fit. Then she thought of the great room at the house, with the windows facing the water, and could totally picture him sitting there, swirling a brandy or something, watching the rain. A very different world from hers.

Their steps had slowed as they reached the lane. To the right was his house, gray and imposing, absolutely stunning. She’d been inside lots of times when Ernest had owned it, and wondered what sort of changes Cole had made to the decor. Maybe someday she’d get to see inside again. But not today. Today he was...well, if not working, he was busy with his guests.

“I meant to ask you. Do you know if Ernest had someone taking care of the grounds? I have my caretakers, but they had a few questions about what’s in the shed and about a couple of the plants in the garden. If you knew who they could contact...”

She smiled. “Send them down to the house, or have them call me. I can give them the details.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Cole, I looked after the grounds for Ernest. I love gardening. He paid me a monthly wage and I mowed the grass, tended his flower beds and did his snow removal.”

Cole stopped and stared at her. “You did?”

She started laughing. “Did you think I had someone here to do it for me? Granted, my little flower beds and lawn are tiny in comparison, but if I want off the island in the winter I have to clear the lane so I can get to the dock. There’s a nice little tractor up there with a blower attachment. Works great.”

“Oh. Well.” He stared a moment more, apparently still recovering from his surprise. “This monthly wage thing...” An awkward silence followed.

“I can live without it. I knew when Ernest sold the house that gig would come to an end. To be honest, Ernest was too old to do it all, and he wouldn’t hear of me doing it without being paid. It worked for both of us.”