“Wow. You guys must have kept your parents busy when you were young.”
As they stepped onto the deck, he said, “I’m sorry for catching you off guard at your work.”
“It’s probably better that you did. If you’d asked if you could swing by, I probably would have told you not to.” She smiled more easily, as she had when they were shopping. “I’m actually kind of looking forward to seeing how tonight goes. You’re different than I thought you’d be.”
“Yeah? In what way?” He pulled open the door.
A tease rose in her eyes. “I can’t tell you all my secrets.”
He followed her into the crowded bar. The place had a rough vibe. There was a mix of tough-looking guys wearing black leather vests with Dark Knights patches, professionally dressed men in slacks and short-sleeved button-downs, guys wearing shorts and jeans, and women decked out in all sorts of sexy and cute summer outfits.
A couple of older men glanced over from the bar. One had longish silver hair and movie-star good looks; the other was tatted up, bearded, and giving Brant a once-over. Brant put a hand on Cait’s back as the men waved to her.
“Boyfriends of yours?” Brant asked.
“Hardly. That’s Conroy and Preacher.”
She waved to them, and he followed her toward a table in the corner, where Tank was sitting with Gia and a guy with longish blond hair and a trim beard who had his arm around—holy shit—Evie Lawrence. Brant had briefly dated Evie’s sister, Brandy, a voluptuous redheaded caterer who lived on the Cape.
Before they reached the table, a stocky guy in a tank top, tattooed from neck to wrist, with military-short blond hair intercepted Cait, hauling her into an embrace. “Good to see you, Weatherby. Where’s the new dog?”
“Our dog is right here.” Brant stepped beside Cait and extended his hand. “Brant Remington, and you are?”
“Gunner Wicked. Nice to meet you.” He eyed Cait as he shook Brant’s hand. “Our dog?”
“We sort of share custody of Scrappy,” Cait explained.
Gunner looked between them. “Shared custody. I’m going to need more information on that, but first . . .” He pointed at Brant. “Cool sling, dude. Can I hold the pooch?”
“Sure. He’s not used to being passed around. He might get nervous.” Brant handed him Scrappy.
“I get it. I run Wicked Animal Rescue. I’m used to this.” He rubbed noses with Scrappy, speaking in a playful voice. “Hello, little guy. We’re going to be good buddies, aren’t we?”
Brant liked him already. They headed for the table, and Evie jumped to her feet. “Brant?” Her long brown hair flew over her shoulders as she hurried around the table to greet him. The guy with longish blond hair who’d had his arm around Evie followed her.
“You know Evie?” Cait asked.
“I dated her sister a while back,” Brant said as Evie opened her arms to hug him. “Hey, Evie. Good to see you. How’s Brandy?”
“She’s fantastic.” Evie turned an incredulous look at Cait. “I didn’t know you knew Brant. Are you two going out?”
“No. We’re just friends,” Cait said. “Abby introduced us.”
“Hi. I’m Baz. Tank’s brother.” The shaggy-haired blond guy held out his hand, and Brant shook it.
“Brant. Nice to meet you,” he said, trying to catch what Evie was saying to Cait, but he couldn’t hear her.
“Hands off, Evie,” Gia shouted across the table. “I’ve got dibs on Cait’s island man.”
“Don’t let Cait kid you, Gia,” Brant called over to her. “I’m not on the market. Cait and I are in a committed relationship, co-parenting that little guy.” He nodded to Scrappy and set his eyes on Cait. “I’m a loyal guy. I take my commitments very seriously.”
Tank chuckled, and Baz raised a brow curiously at Cait.
“Gotta love a guy who respects commitment,” Evie said, nudging Cait.
Gunner clapped Brant on the back. “If Tank hadn’t already checked you out, I’d tell you to back the fuck off our Cait. But since you’re Rowan’s brother and you’re willing to wear a dog purse, you get a free pass. That is, unless Cait tells us to push back. Then the only thing you’ll get is buried six feet under.”
Brant splayed his hands. “Hey, we’re on the same side, man. We’re both looking out for Cait.”
“Good to hear it,” Gunner said.
“Take a seat,” Baz said. “We’ll pour you a beer.”
As Gunner went to the bar to get more glasses, Baz tugged on the back of Evie’s shirt, and they went to sit down. Brant pulled out a chair for Cait and sat beside her. He leaned closer and said, “Your friends seem nice.”
“They are, unless you do wrong by them. Then they’re your worst nightmare. So . . . you and Brandy?”
Did he detect a hint of jealousy? “We went out a few times last year, but there was no spark between us.”
“Really? She’s beautiful and outgoing—that’s hard to believe,” Cait said.
“She’s also a hell of a cook, and we’re still friends.” He put his hand on Cait’s under the table, giving it a quick squeeze. “But I’ve never felt even remotely close to the chemistry you and I have, with her or anyone else.”
She held his gaze for three hot seconds, before looking away and sliding her hand out from under his.
Damn . . .
Gunner returned with a pitcher of beer in one hand and two glasses tucked under his arm and Scrappy in the other. Clearly he was used to juggling pups and other things. Brant pushed to his feet and took the glasses and pitcher, pouring their drinks.
Baz took Scrappy from Gunner, and as Gunner sat down, he said, “Scrappy’s in good hands. Baz is a vet. So tell me, Remington, I’ve heard you’re a good guy, but I didn’t get all the details. What do you do for a living?”
“I’m a boatbuilder, and I own a marine equipment supply company.” Brant took the sling off and put it on the back of the chair.
“A boat guy. Awesome.” Gunner rubbed his hands together. “I feel a fishing trip coming up. Now, tell me about this co-parenting madness.”
Brant started to tell them about Cait almost drowning, but Cait bumped his knee with hers, shaking her head slightly, her eyes imploring him not to tell the story. He quickly turned the near-drowning story into a tale about chasing the dog along the shore and made a mental note to find out what that redirect was all about. Her friends asked him dozens of questions, both personal and about the island, and before he knew it, they were taking turns loving up Scrappy, joking around, and talking about getting together to hang out in the future. Brant was captivated by Cait’s carefree persona. She laughed loudly and was right in the thick of every conversation. He’d gotten a glimpse of this side of her on the boat and when they were shopping, but she was so easygoing with this group of friends, he longed to be part of her inner circle and was even more determined to earn her trust.
As the night wore on, Cait got more comfortable with him, too. She didn’t move away when he put his leg against hers, and when he told Tank that he helped with search and rescue on the island, Tank told him that he had been a volunteer firefighter and shared a heartbreaking story about rescuing Leah and her children from an accident that had killed her brother. The reality of how quickly life could change had him reaching for Cait’s hand. She didn’t pull away, and as the conversations turned lighter, they traded whispers. She teased him about this and that and clued him in with background information on some of the things her friends were talking about.