Grant grabbed her hand and stole the paintbrush, giving her a stern look from beneath the bill of his Rock Bottom Bar and Grill baseball cap, his brown hair sticking out the back, brushing his collar.
“Hey!” Abby complained.
“When did you start snorting coke?”
Abby gasped. “I would never!”
“You’re definitely high on something, the way you’re flitting around here, yammering on more than Pix does.” Grant took a step back, looking her up and down like she was an alien being. “What’s going on with you?”
“There’s nothing going on with me. I’m just excited about working on the restaurant with you guys. I’ve even got most of the menu figured out.” She reached for the paintbrush, but he lifted it over his head.
“She misses Aiden. Cut her some slack,” Cait said.
Grant’s eyes narrowed. “Aw, shit. Sorry, Abby. No wonder you’re being weird. When does he come back?”
“Tomorrow night, and I’m not being weird.” Liar, liar, pants on fire. She reached for the paintbrush again, but he lifted it higher.
“You want this place to look good?” Grant asked. “Or do you want it to look like we let elementary schoolers loose in here with horse brushes?”
Abby huffed out a breath.
“He’s not wrong, Abby,” Brant said. “Take a good look at the places where you’ve painted.”
She did, and holy cow, she was doing a shit job. So much for this distraction. “Fine. You’re right. I’m doing more harm than good with the paintbrush. I’ll go power wash the outside.”
“I can take care of that,” Brant offered.
Abby waved him off. “I’d like to do it. I need something rigorous to do.”
“To keep your mind off Aiden?” Brant asked.
“No. To get my workout in.” She turned on her heel and strode outside.
Brant followed her out. “At least let me show you how to use it so you don’t break my machine.” As he hooked it up for her, he said, “I enjoyed hanging out with Aiden the other morning when I showed him my boats and he borrowed the pressure washer.”
“I’m glad. I enjoy hanging out with him, too,” she said cheekily.
“He’s pretty hung up on you.”
She loved hearing that. “I’m pretty hung up on him, too. But I can’t talk about him, because it makes me miss him, and I’m not used to that. So let’s change the subject.”
“Okay.” A coy grin brought out his dimples. “Is Cait seeing anyone?”
“No,” she said curiously.
“Then I take it Wells hasn’t been sniffing around here?”
“Brant Remington, are you jealous of Wells Silver?”
He scoffed. “Are you out of your mind? I know Wells, and so do you, if I recall correctly. I wasn’t sure if Cait needed someone looking out for her.”
“Uh-huh.” She wasn’t buying it. “That’s really sweet of you, but that’s my sister in there, so should I be keeping my eyes on you?”
“You know I’m a better man than that.” He flashed those dangerous dimples and said, “I leave the playing to the boys.”
He showed Abby how to use the pressure washer, started it up, and then left her to work out her emotions by blasting the dirt from the building. This was exactly what she needed to keep her mind off Aiden. She could barely hear the music playing inside the restaurant as she cleaned the front siding. Cool mist dotted her arms, the bright sun warmed her skin, and her mind tiptoed back to the first day she’d seen Aiden sitting on that very patio. She couldn’t believe she’d mistaken him for a Nautica underwear model. She smiled thinking of his reaction, so calm and collected, suave in his remarks. She thought about the next morning when they’d shared breakfast. She’d known then how different he was, how attentive and interested but somehow also careful and witty. Memories of their walk through town trickled in, and their first kiss. Oh, that kiss. It was pure and magical. She lingered on the memory, remembering the feel of his lips, confident and insistent, the strength of his arms, and her most favorite moment of that whole day, when their lips parted and his breath whispered over her cheek as he’d said—
“Abigail de Messiéres, you just might be my undoing.”
Abby whipped around, goose bumps rushing over every inch of her, sending chills through her body, her mouth agape as she tried to make sense of Aiden being there.
“Hey, Abs, think you can drop the pressure washer?” His suit was drenched.
“It’s really you!” She dropped the tool and launched herself into his arms, unable to believe he was really there, holding her in his arms, kissing her as desperately as she was kissing him.
“God, I missed you,” he said between kisses.
“I thought you were a figment of my imagination.” Kiss, kiss. “What are you doing here?”
“Turns out I forgot something important.”
“What?”
“That it was okay to put my work aside and just be a man who’s falling madly, passionately, and at breakneck speed for an incredible”—he kissed her softly—“sexy”—he kissed her again—“patient woman during the best vacation of his life.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
THEY SPENT SEVEN wonderful days painting, pruning bushes, fixing the fence in front of the Bistro, hanging out with friends, riding bikes, lying in the hammock, trying recipes for the restaurant, and checking off items on their Let Loose list and six beautiful nights taking walks on the beach, romantic drives along the coast, and falling into each other’s arms to enjoy dirty, sweet deliciousness into the wee hours of the morning. Coming clean to George and handing the remainder of the road show over to Garth so he could enjoy the rest of his vacation with Abby had been two of the best moves Aiden had ever made. Second only to inviting her to join him for breakfast three weeks ago, which felt more like three months. He felt like he’d finally discovered the man he was always meant to be—businessman, brother, friend, and significant other.
His phone buzzed with a text as he and Abby sailed out of the harbor on the boat he’d rented from Brant. They were looking forward to spending the day on the water and the evening in the artsy town of Chaffee. Chaffee was on the island and only a short drive from the house, but Aiden was glad they’d chosen to spend a few hours sailing first. He glanced at his phone, pleasantly surprised to see Brant’s name instead of Remi’s. Remi had been thrilled that he’d come to his senses and cut his work trip short, and she texted at least once a day to tell him so. He read the text from Brant. Hope you and Abby have a great day! Aiden hadn’t realized how much he’d missed having a sense of community until Abby had introduced him to her friends and they’d embraced him in their world.
He’d finally found everything he’d never known he was missing, especially the brunette standing beside him at the helm, gorgeous in a coral hoodie with her hair blowing over her shoulders. He pocketed his phone and said, “That was Brant wishing us a great day.”
“It’s already a perfect day. The sun is shining, we’re on this beautiful sailboat, and we have all day together. How does it feel to be back out on the water?”