His dimples deepened. “Does that mean I can buy a license plate that says Cait’s Guy?”
“No, you cannot,” she said with a laugh.
“But I can do this?” He kissed her tenderly. “And I can do this?” He slung his arm around her.
“You’re such a charmer. Yes, you can do those things.”
“But this might cross a line in public?” He squeezed her butt.
She glowered at him.
“Okay, okay. I’ve got it.” He laughed. “I was just making sure I knew the parameters.”
He took her hand, and they headed inside. Keira was behind the register watching them curiously as they approached, and Cait’s nerves caught fire.
“Good morning, hand holders, and hello there, Scrappy.” Keira reached under the counter and handed Brant a puppy treat.
Cait felt her cheeks burn. “Hi, Keira.”
Brant gave the treat to Scrappy and reclaimed her hand, giving it a squeeze. “Can you believe this gorgeous woman finally agreed to go out with me?”
“Yes, I can. You’re one of the good guys.” Keira looked at Cait. “But if he gives you any trouble, let me know and I’ll get Grant to take care of him. Would you like your usual this morning?”
“Sure,” Cait said, glad Keira hadn’t made a bigger deal about them.
“And what can I get for you, Dimples?” Keira said lightly. “A smitten scone or maybe an I’ve got a crush coffee?”
“I’ll take one of each of those and a blueberry croissant, please,” he said without missing a beat.
“Coming right up.”
As Keira went to fill their orders, Brant pulled Cait closer, grinning like a fool. “Sorry about that.”
“No you’re not. You loved it.”
“I’m not gonna lie. I did. But are you all right? Our friends are definitely going to razz us. Can you handle that, or should we ease into exposing our relationship?”
“What is going on here?”
Cait startled, jerking out of Brant’s arms at the sound of her friend’s voice, and found Jules, a petite bundle of energy with golden-brown hair, and Jules’s sister-in-law, Daphne, a curvy, careful blonde, standing in line behind them, grinning. What is wrong with me? She hated her knee-jerk reaction and felt silly for jumping out of Brant’s arms, especially since she’d become good friends with both Jules and Daphne. They’d brainstormed marketing ideas for the Bistro before it opened, had gone to dinner on occasion, and had gotten together for bonfires a few times.
Before Cait could form a sentence, Jules exclaimed, “Oh my gosh, you brought Scrappy!”
“We bring him everywhere,” Brant said as Jules and Daphne lavished Scrappy with love.
“Thank goodness I didn’t bring Hadley.” Daphne was married to Jock Steele, and Hadley was their three-year-old daughter. “She wants a puppy, and Jock keeps trying to wear me down.”
Jules waved a finger between Cait and Brant, all bright-eyed with half of her hair pulled up in a ponytail in the center of her head, the rest cascading over her shoulders and down her back. “Please tell me you two are a couple. I’ve been pulling for you to get together.”
“We all have,” Daphne added.
“I guess there’s no hiding it now,” Brant said, giving Cait an apologetic look.
Cait fought her need to stay in the shadows and reached for his hand. “I guess not, but that’s okay.”
Jules squealed. “I’m so happy for you guys.” She hugged them as Keira returned with their order.
“I guess you’re island official now,” Keira said.
As Brant paid, Jules talked about getting together for a couples’ night, but Cait was busy fretting about suddenly being in the freaking island-couple spotlight. Jules was the queen of group texts, which meant that within the hour, all their friends would have heard that she and Brant were together. She’d known going out with Brant would mean she’d have to come out of her shell, but she hadn’t expected it to happen so soon, or all at once. She’d worn that shell for so long, it wouldn’t be easy, but given how much freer she felt from opening up to Brant, maybe this would make her feel even more secure.
When they got back into Brant’s truck, she was still feeling bad about startling when their friends had arrived. “I’m sorry for stepping away like I did. I’m not used to being half of a couple.”
“Babe, that’s okay. I shouldn’t have pulled you into my arms.”
“Yes, you should have,” she said adamantly. “You are who you are, Brant. You’re an expressive person. Unfortunately, I am who I am, too, and it might take me a minute to get used to being squealed over and talked about. But I wanted to be in your arms. I’m just as proud to be with you as you are to be with me. I’ve just lived in the background my whole life, and I’ve had my walls up for so long, sometimes I can take a leap, like I did last night, and sometimes I might stumble, like I did in there. I’m sorry about that. I know it’s not easy to be with me.”
He took her hand, his gaze soft and sexy. “I think we need to get your hearing tested, because I’m pretty sure I already told you that I’m all in. I know how shy you were when you first came to the island, and I’ve watched you open up and let all of our pushy, loud friends into your life. But I know that what I’m asking of you now, opening up to a man and being part of a couple, is a whole different ball game. I don’t expect you to be okay with it overnight. Just do us both a favor, and when something like this happens, hear my voice in your head telling you that if you stumble, I’ll still be there to help you find your footing.”
“I’ll try.” She felt like the luckiest girl on earth, and at the same time, she wondered if he could really be that patient and understanding, or if she was getting tangled up in a web of deceit. But as they drove to her place, she refused to let her past diminish this beautiful present she was being given, and by the time they arrived, she was trying to wear that lucky-girl crown proudly.
They parked her bike by the garage, and Brant reached for her again. She had a feeling he couldn’t stop if he tried. His open affection was as much a part of him as those dimples. “It means a lot to me that you trusted me last night.”
“Yeah, well, I got tired of fending you off,” she teased. “Seriously, though, thank you for not giving up on me. I feel like I can breathe better than ever before.”
“I should have shown up on the Cape a month ago.” His lips came coaxingly down over hers in a deliciously passionate, sensual kiss.
“Well, this is new,” Abby said as she came up behind them.
Cait jerked out of Brant’s arms and threw up her hands. “What is with everyone on this island sneaking up on people? You all need to wear cowbells around your necks.”
Abby laughed, her eyes darting between the two of them.
“Don’t give Cait too hard a time. I don’t want her running for the hills,” Brant said. “Jules and Daphne just gave us the full-squeal treatment at Keira’s.”
“Oh boy, poor Cait. But I’m sure if she runs, you’d find a way to catch her.”
“You know me well,” Brant said. “Are you and Aiden coming to the movie tomorrow night?”