“Thank goodness for Brant,” Abby said. “And I’m signing you up for swim lessons.”
“According to Brant, he’s going to teach me to swim, but I don’t plan on going in the water anytime soon.”
Abby and Faye exchanged a secret look, and Faye said, “That boy is sweet on you, honey.”
“So he says every chance he gets, and he’s staked a claim on Scrappy. Joint custody. Can you believe that?” Cait rolled her eyes, but she knew he’d been as instantly attached to the dog as she was.
“Smart man,” Faye said. “He knows how to stay on your radar.”
“I guess it makes sense, since I have to go back to the Cape tonight, and I’m working too many hours at Wicked Ink for this little guy to be alone.” She was going to miss Scrappy while she was gone. The truth was, lately, when she went back to the Cape, she missed Abby, Faye, and Aiden, and though she’d never admit it, she missed Brant, too. She’d never met anyone like him. He wasn’t arrogant and obnoxious like some guys. He somehow knew when to push and when to back off, which underscored his ability to see her more clearly than most people ever did, and he did it with humor and charm.
Needing a reminder of why those were dangerous thoughts, she glanced at the tattooed spiderweb on her elbow.
“Brant’s clever like that,” Abby said, bringing Cait’s mind back to the conversation. “Leni said she’s never seen him turn on the charm like he does with you.” Leni Steele, Shelley’s daughter, was Abby’s best friend. They had grown up together, and now Leni lived in New York, but she visited often.
“Well, he’s wasting his time,” Cait said. “He got the only thrill he’s going to get from me when he rescued me. I was in my bra and underwear, clinging to him like a lifeline.”
Abby laughed. “You know he loved that.”
“He loved it, all right. The problem is”—she lowered her voice—“I did, too. Way too much. I don’t need a man in my life, and he is Trouble with a capital T for me. He’s going to be here any minute to get Scrappy.”
“Trouble, she says,” Faye said in a high-pitched voice to Scrappy. “If that gorgeous man were twenty years older, I’d become the biggest troublemaker around.”
They all laughed.
“You could go for it in full-on cougar mode,” Cait teased.
Faye raised her brows as she handed Scrappy to Abby. “I have kids older than Brant. I can just see my oldest, Reggie, looking down his nose at me. I don’t need that headache in my life.”
Abby laughed. “Cait, you know how I feel about Brant. I’ve known him forever. He’s a great guy and a loyal friend. I’ve heard you guys bantering back and forth, and you just said you like him. Maybe you should give him a chance.”
“I do like him. We had a great time buying supplies for Scrappy, and you should see him love up that dog. He can melt an iceberg with a single smile. Imagine the puddle of goo I turned into when he walked up carrying Scrappy in a doggy sling.”
“Oh my gosh,” Abby said dreamily.
Faye said, “I’ve known Brant since he was knee-high. Those blue eyes and dimples have melted hearts of all ages forever, but like I said, that’s trouble I’d run toward, not away from.”
“I’ve had more than my fair share of trouble,” Cait admitted. “And Brant got jealous of Davis Barrington when we took Scrappy to get checked out. Davis! He’s in here all the time. The last thing I need is an overly possessive guy questioning everyone I come into contact with.”
“I can’t see Brant getting jealous. Everything rolls off his back,” Abby said. “He must be really far gone for you.”
“Did you tell him you’re not interested in Davis?” Faye asked.
Cait planted her hand on her hip. “I can’t tell him the truth. You know how he is with me. If I told him that Davis is like drinking milk, and he’s a double shot of tequila with a whiskey chaser, he’d never leave me alone.”
Abby and Faye laughed.
“Speaking of Hottie McDimples . . .” Faye nodded in the direction of the street.
Cait turned to see Brant driving into the parking lot, and butterflies took flight in her stomach. She was not a butterflies-in-the-stomach girl!
He parked and climbed out of his truck in khaki cargo shorts and a gray T-shirt, his bright blue baseball cap on backward, flashing that dimple-baring smile. He didn’t even have to speak to be too damn charming for his own good.
Abby nudged Cait, whispering, “How can you resist him?”
It was getting harder by the minute. If only she could learn to turn off her feelings for him and they could just be friends.
“Hello, ladies.” Brant took Scrappy from Abby and kissed the pup’s head. “How’s our little boy? Did you sleep with Mama last night?” He held the dog up to his ear, pretending to listen, eyes trained on Cait. “What? Mama was chanting my name all night?”
Abby laughed.
Cait felt her eyes widen and quickly narrowed them. Did he have a freaking camera in her bedroom? She crossed her arms and lifted her chin. Operation Stop the Butterflies, here we come. “He must have misheard me. I was saying Davis’s name. Or maybe he heard me say Wells or Fitz.” Wells and Fitz Silver were two of Keira’s brothers, both of whom were single.
Brant’s jaw clenched at the mention of his good-looking friends.
Cait shrugged nonchalantly. “It was a busy night.”
Brant held Cait’s gaze as Abby and Faye tried to stifle their laughter. He knew she was just messing with him. He’d seen arrogant Wells in action, flirting with Cait in all the wrong ways, and now that he knew Davis wasn’t her type, he was pretty sure Fitz, who ran the Silver House resort with his parents, wasn’t, either. But if Cait wanted to play, he was going to win. “You might as well play the field in your dreams now, Caity, because once you go out with me, I’ll ruin you for all other men. I’ll be all you see in those dirty dreams.”
“You were right, Cait.” Faye raised her brows. “This one is trouble.”
“No wonder my ears were burning.” Brant stepped closer to Cait, loving that she’d been talking about him. Her eyes narrowed further, and it made her even sexier.
“Come on, Abby,” Faye said. “Let’s give these two some privacy.”
“But it’s just getting good,” Abby said.
Brant smirked. “And it’s only going to get better.”
Cait planted her hand on her hip, those enchanting green eyes locked on him. She never wore much makeup, only eyeliner, as far as he could tell, and she didn’t even need that. She was uniquely beautiful with a slightly upturned nose and high cheekbones. She probably thought she could scare him off with that scowl and no-bullshit stance, but she was too damn adorable with her bright orange tank top hugging her curves, torn jeans rolled up at the ankles, and black Converse. Alluring hints of tattoos peeked out from the tears in her jeans above her right knee and left thigh.
As soon as Abby and Faye were out of earshot, he said, “Wells and Fitz? Surely you can do better.”
“They’re good-looking men.”
“True, and they’re good guys, but they’re wrong for you.” He stepped closer. “Neither of them is rugged enough for you, and Wells is too arrogant.”