Obviously not impressed with her ingenuity, he muttered something under his breath. It sounded like it involved the words “be the death of me,” but she wasn’t sure.
There was a weary sigh, then silence for a beat. “I’ll go tell Audrey,” he said finally.
“That’s fine and all, but if you leave to go tell Audrey, I’m just gonna go liberate Spencer from your house and see what trouble we can get into with the entire police department busy off-island.”
“God damn it, Remi.”
“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Brick groused, five minutes later.
“Oh, come on,” she said smugly, bumping his bulging bicep with her shoulder. “Have a little fun. I’ll buy you an ice cream if you cheer up.”
“Sneak attack!” Spencer raced past them, a wicked grin on his face. He was a leaner, shorter, happier copy of his brother. Remi didn’t know if Brick realized it, but the happy part was due to him. With one parent serving time and one permanently on the road, Brick was the reason Spencer was so well-adjusted.
A musty, cheesy scent reached her nose, and she clamped a hand over her face. “Spence!”
“Did you just crop dust your girlfriend?” Brick asked.
“And my brother,” Spencer announced proudly, jogging backward in front of them.
Brick moved like lightning, putting Remi’s own ninja moves to shame. In half a second, he caught Spencer and wrapped an arm around the boy’s neck. “I can’t believe you’re almost allowed to vote. You’re just a tall, skinny five-year-old,” he said, ruffling Spencer’s hair.
“Man! Do you know how much gel it took to get the style right?” Spencer complained.
“I do. You’re gonna need a second job just to pay for hair products.” Brick released him.
Spencer paused and held up a finger. “I only have one thing to say to that.” He farted audibly this time and then took off at a dead run.
Brick chivalrously nudged Remi out of the fart cloud. “You could do a lot better than my idiot brother, you know.”
She laughed, enjoying the brush of his arm against hers. She adored Spencer. He was like her aunt’s overenthusiastic golden retriever, pretty and always happy to see her. But there was something about his big brother that always had her pulse kicking into high gear. She liked being close to him. Liked talking to him. He was a man of few words and even fewer smiles, but every once in a while, when she pried one out of him, she felt like she was on the first drop of a roller coaster.
“Oh, I know. But he entertains me. Besides, we’re not really together anymore.”
There was a slight hitch to his stride. “You’re not?”
“Well, we’re still hanging out. But we’re not having sex anymore.”
This time he actually tripped. She reached out and steadied him.
“Jesus, Remi.”
“Honestly—and keep this to yourself—I think he might have a thing for Audrey. I think they’d be good for each other.”
“So, you’re not mad?” He sounded confused, concerned. It was adorable.
“What’s there to be mad about? You can’t fight fate. It’s a waste of time and energy when there’s a lot of other fun to be had.” She shrugged and stuffed her hands in the pockets of her sweatshirt.
He was silent next to her for an entire block, walking half a step behind her. Downtown was bustling that night with tourists, freshly scrubbed up from their days, wandering back to hotels and rentals after dinner out. The shops were closing up, herding everyone toward the bars and ice cream shops that stayed open late.
“Aren’t you grounded, girl?” Agnes Sopp, still dressed in her round of golf finery, called from the street corner where she held a towering triple-dip strawberry ice cream cone.
“Hi, Agnes,” Remi called back unperturbed. “I think it’s more of a suggestion than an actual order. But I’d be grateful if you didn’t mention to my parents you saw me.”
“Your secret is safe with me,” Agnes promised, shooting her a wink.
“She’s gonna tell every person on the island,” Remi’s grumpy companion predicted.
“She’s gonna tell every person except my parents,” Remi insisted.
“You’re exhausting,” Brick decided.
She rolled her eyes. “I know I’m a handful. I know I’m a lot. But it’s not my fault if people can’t keep up.”
“You don’t need someone who can keep up. You need someone who can lock you up.”
“I’m not opposed to either. I assume the right guy will be able to do both,” she quipped.
The silence stretched on, and the tension between them mounted. She wanted him to break first. To start a new conversation. To make an effort.
“If it’s not Spence, who do you like?” Brick asked, finally.
The man sounded disinterested, annoyed. But he wouldn’t have asked if he didn’t really want to know.
She tossed her hair over her shoulder and shot him what she hoped was a saucy wink. “I’m keeping my options open.” Throwing a little extra swing into her hips, she quickened her pace and veered off the sidewalk in the direction of the dock. Spencer had found a group of friends outside the fudge shop, but there was no sign of Audrey.
Remi jogged down the dock, tickled that Brick’s footsteps picked up behind her. The man probably thought she was going to throw herself into a boat and take off. Briefly, she considered doing just that in Duncan Firth’s spiffy little runabout. Everyone knew he left the key under the life preserver. But the idea was discarded when she remembered she was here to save her friend, not push more of Brick’s buttons.
“Psst! Audrey?” she hissed into the dark.
Audrey’s head peeked around the weathered shed. She looked pretty and pissed off in cut-offs and a bright yellow tank that looked killer against her dark skin. Remi jogged to meet her, admiring Audrey’s new hair cut, tapered on the sides with tight curls at the crown. She was glaring at Remi through purple-rimmed glasses.
“Where have you been? I’ve been waiting— Oh, heeeey, Brick. Remi, did you bring my…calculus notes with you since we have that test to study for?” Like Spencer, Audrey also sucked at lying.
“It’s okay. He knows,” Remi told her. “He’s being the fun police and keeping us away from the actual police who are raiding Elle’s party.”
“You’re welcome,” Brick grumbled.
Audrey’s brown eyes widened, and her thick lashes fluttered. “Wow. Thanks, Brick. That’s really n…awesome of you.”
Remi bit her lip to hide her smile. Brick Callan had that kind of effect on women of all ages.
He grunted in response and, with a pointed look at them, turned to head back toward the street.
“Nawesome?” Remi teased.
“Shut up. He looked directly at me. What was I supposed to do? Form actual speech? Not everyone’s as brave as you are, you know,” Audrey muttered.
“Come on. Let’s go buy the big guy an ice cream cone,” Remi said, slinging an arm around her friend’s waist. “You can help me plan outfits around these shorts.”