Everyone froze. Cait held her breath, eyeing Brant, who winked. She was captivated by his family, who went along with Joni’s shenanigans and had welcomed her with open arms.
Brant’s grandfather said, “Whew! That was a close one,” and everyone exhaled loudly. “Thanks for the warning, Jelly Belly.”
Joni giggled, and they all went back to eating their dinner as if they had close calls with sharks every day. And for all she knew, they did.
“Tell me, Cait,” Gail said. “Are you going to move to the island permanently at some point? It must be hard going back and forth.”
Brant’s siblings gave him curious looks.
“I’m trying to figure that out,” Cait said. “I really like what I do on the Cape, and I have friends there.”
“Cait’s one of the best tattooists and body piercers around,” Rowan said. “She’s got quite a loyal following.”
“Have you thought about doing that kind of work here on the island?” his father asked.
“Maybe she wants to work at the Bistro full-time,” Tessa added.
“Do you?” Gail asked.
“I’m not sure what I want,” Cait said honestly. “I love working with Abby, but the Bistro is her dream. I do mostly administrative and accounting work, and I help out on the floor sometimes, but my heart lies in art. I have been thinking about doing tattoos and body piercing here. But actually moving to the island and setting up a business of my own is a big decision.”
“Cait’s friends on the Cape are like her family, which makes it hard to just pick up and move,” Brant explained, putting his hand over hers beneath the table.
Jamison nodded in Cait’s and Brant’s direction and said, “How does that work with you two going out?”
Silence fell around them, and Brant’s entire family turned curious gazes their way. Cait’s pulse quickened, knowing she had to clarify that they weren’t a couple, and hating it. But it was better for Brant, no matter how much fun she was having with his family.
Before she could get a word out, Rowan said, “You two are going out?”
“No,” Cait said too quickly, immediately regretting it. “We’re not like that.” We just kissed like we were.
God, that kiss . . .
“Yet,” Brant added, squeezing her hand again. “We’ve got a lot to figure out.”
Cait trained her eyes on her plate, trying to silence the ongoing battle between hope and uncertainty in her head.
“Way to put them on the spot, Jamison.” Randi glowered at him.
“I’m sorry. That wasn’t my intent,” Jamison said. “I just assumed they were together. They seem like a couple. Brant lit up like the sun when he saw Cait walk in, and the heat between them is palpable. What’s the issue? Is it just logistics? Because I think we could look at your schedules and the projected times that Cait anticipates spending on the Cape and here and come up with an algorithm that could—”
“Hold on, Jay,” Brant said. “I appreciate your interest in helping, but the things we’re dealing with can’t be sorted out with algorithms.”
Jamison’s brows knitted. “Most everything comes down to mathematical equations.”
“Not matters of the heart,” Rowan said.
“I think I’d better start spending more time with you, Jamison,” Randi said. “I bet you’re missing all sorts of cues from hot women who are interested in you.”
“Like you miss all of Ford’s cues?” Tessa asked with a smirk.
Cait had met Randi’s coworker Ford Kincaid when they’d come into the Bistro together. He’d introduced himself as Alex Pettyfer and had even used a British accent. She hadn’t believed he was Alex, although he looked a lot like him, but she had thought they were a couple until Abby had set her straight.
Randi glowered at Tessa. “We’re not talking about me. Can we get back to Jamison, please?”
Their siblings chuckled, and Tessa said, “Oh, right, Jamison. Every time I visit him, he’s more interested in work than the women who are vying for his attention.”
Jamison picked up his glass and said, “You find me a woman who can intellectually stimulate me, and maybe that’ll change.”
“See? That’s your problem, Jay,” Randi said. “For a smart guy, you’re pretty clueless. Books are for your brain. Women are for your body.”
“What kind of comment is that?” Brant snapped. “You’ve just set women back a hundred years.”
Randi rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean.”
“Okay, kids, let’s not fight.” Their mother patted Jamison’s hand and said, “When the right woman piques my boy’s interest, he won’t be able to ignore her.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Rowan said.
Brant looked at Cait and said, “It sure is.”
A shiver of heat ran through her.
“Your mother’s right. When that Cupid’s arrow hits, there’s no getting away from it,” Roddy said, putting his arm around Gail and kissing her cheek. “We’ve been together since high school, right, darlin’?”
“I have the gray hair to prove it.” Gail shook her curls.
“Your grandfather and I were childhood best friends,” his grandmother said, gazing lovingly at her husband. “I swear I fell in love with him before I knew what love was.”
That sparked a loud conversation about friendship, dating, and how to know when someone was the one. Brant leaned closer to Cait and whispered, “You’re the only one who’s ever made me feel that way.”
She wanted to say, So are you, but she couldn’t have managed a word if she’d tried.
While they enjoyed dinner, Randi filled them in on the latest findings with her diving expedition, Jamison told them about a project he was working on, and everyone seemed to have something to update their family about. By the time they’d finished eating, Cait was no longer nervous. She really liked that feeling, and she knew that while his family had a lot to do with her comfort, it was Brant’s tender glances, the touch of his hand when he silently checked in with her, and his sweet, funny whispers that settled her nerves and had her reconsidering the reasons for her visit.
Everyone helped clean up except his grandparents, who were playing with Scrappy and Joni. Cait picked up a platter from the table to carry it inside.
“Give me that, sweetheart,” Gail said, taking the platter from her and handing it to Brant as he came out of the house. “Would you please take that inside for me? I’d like to take a walk with Cait.”
Brant gave Cait an Are you okay? look, and she nodded even though she was getting a little nervous again.
They had a large backyard and gorgeous wildflower gardens along the back of the hill where they were walking. “I’m glad you stayed for dinner,” Gail said sweetly. “I enjoyed getting to know you better.”
“Thank you. I didn’t mean to crash your family time.”
“Don’t ever worry about that, honey. Around here, the more the merrier.” Gail stopped walking and gazed out at the lights of the island for a moment before turning a warm smile on Cait. “I just wanted to take a moment to tell you that I know our family can be a little overwhelming. We say what we feel. Some of us more than others, and I hope we didn’t scare you off.”