“Yes. The Bra Brigade is nothing like I imagined.”
“Mother, put your shirt on!” Shelley snapped at Lenore.
Lenore and the other older ladies rolled their eyes, and she crossed her arms and said, “These whippersnappers crashed our party. Let them look away.”
“See?” Cait whispered. “I wish I could hang out with them more often.”
“That’s great, babe. I’m sure they’d love that, but you’re not going to Pythons.” He laughed and kissed her.
She wound her arms around his neck and said, “I knew you had a possessive side.”
“If you were going out with the hottest girl around, you would, too.” He tugged her against him, kissing her the way he’d wanted to all afternoon.
“You two want to take that to the boat?” Wells called over.
Cait buried her face in his chest.
“Sorry, babe. We’d better get the fire started.” He took her hand, and as they crossed the sand, he shielded his eyes from the bra wearers and said, “Hello, ladies. I’d appreciate it if you would put your shirts on.”
The ladies laughed, and the other guys vocalized their agreement. After much negotiation, the rebellious ladies finally put on their shirts.
They built a bonfire, and all the guys made up stories about the fish they’d caught, one-upping each other for the hell of it, when in reality they hadn’t caught a damn thing. They cooked hot dogs and hamburgers and laughed a lot as they ate. When the temperature dropped, Brant and the guys carried the older ladies’ things to their cars.
Brant hugged his mother and said, “Thanks for including Cait.”
“She’s a special girl, honey. I love her,” his mother said.
“Good, because I’m crazy about her.”
His mother patted his cheek. “Go have fun before you get rained out, and feel free to join us for dinner tomorrow when Cait’s at the Cape.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
Brant went to join the others, and as he came through the trees, the flames of the bonfire danced in the cool evening breeze, reflecting in Cait’s eyes as they followed him across the beach. He sat behind her, wrapping her in his arms and inhaling her sweet scent. He loved seeing her so relaxed, and kissed her cheek, whispering, “Remember our naked afternoon here?”
She put her arms over his, hugging them against her stomach, and shushed him over her shoulder. “Someone will hear you.”
The blush on her cheeks told him she remembered it as well as he did. He kissed her again, listening to their friends chatting. Leni and Randi were sitting closest to them, talking about Randi’s expedition. Jules was sitting between Grant’s legs, talking with Tessa and Deirdra, and Abby was tucked against Aiden’s side, the two of them talking with Daphne and Jock. Hadley was almost asleep on Jock’s shoulder.
Wells grabbed a drink from the cooler and sat between Leni and Randi, putting his arms around them. “What are you girls doing later tonight?”
The girls exchanged a smirk and said, “Not you,” in unison, and laughed.
A cold breeze swept off the water, and Cait snuggled against Brant. He kissed her temple and said to the group, “I can smell the rain. It’s close. We should think about getting the boat back to the marina soon.”
“I’m all for wrapping things up,” Deirdra said. “I’ve had a great time, but I’ve got sand in places I haven’t had sand in since I was a kid. Thank God Abby and Aiden chose November for their wedding. At least we’ll be comfortable.”
“Dee, you remember that we can get snow in November here, right?” Grant asked. “We could freeze our asses off.”
“Abs and I will be in Brazil, soaking up the sun,” Aiden said proudly.
Everyone fell silent.
Abby’s eyes widened, and she went up on her knees. “Are we going to Brazil for our honeymoon?”
Aiden uttered a curse.
“Oh man, you spilled the beans,” Brant said.
“Oh, Aiden! We’re going to Brazil!” Abby threw her arms around him. “I love you!”
Aiden’s arms circled her. “Remember our first trip to Chaffee?”
“I’ll never forget,” Abby said dreamily. “You said it reminded you of Salvador de Bahia and that you would take me there one day, and then we went into Whimsical Things.”
“And I said I love you for the very first time.” Aiden brushed a kiss over her lips. “I love you, Abigail de Messiéres, and I cannot wait to marry you.” As he lowered his lips to hers, all the girls awwed.
Brant tightened his hold on Cait. The urge to say That’ll be us one day was so strong, it took everything he had to hold it back. Every day it got harder to keep from telling her what he felt with every breath he took, but he didn’t want to rush her. So he focused on something else. “My aunt owns Whimsical Things.”
“Beverly?” Abby asked. “She was wonderful.”
“She’s my mom’s older sister.” Brant had introduced Cait to her when they had visited Chaffee, and the two had hit it off.
They talked about Chaffee, and Aiden told them all about their upcoming trip to Brazil. When the first raindrops fell from the sky, Brant kissed Cait’s cheek and said, “Let’s go, baby, before the sea gets rough.”
There was a flurry of activity as everyone packed up and Brant put out the fire. The rain came down harder, and the wind picked up. Brant hollered, “Jock, get Hadley out of the rain. We’ll get your stuff.”
“Thanks, man.” Jock, Hadley, and Daphne hurried toward the woods.
“We can load the coolers in my Jeep,” Randi suggested.
Brant took Cait’s hand. “Babe, why don’t you get a ride with Randi so you don’t have to deal with getting to the boat? You can pick up Scrappy, and I’ll meet you at my place. My keys are on the boat, but Randi can let you in.”
“Okay.” Cait shouldered her bag.
As they carried supplies to the cars, Brant got a call from his father. “Hey, Dad. Can I call you back? We’re trying to get everyone out of the rain.”
“We need you, son,” his father hollered into the phone, the wind muffling his voice. “A couple of fishermen went missing off Bellamy Island.”
Shit. “I’ve got my boat at Mermaid Cove. I’m on my way.” He ended the call. “Grant, can you guys handle this? A couple of fishermen are missing. I’ve got to get over there.”
“Go. Are you taking the lifeboat? Or should I deflate it and throw it in the Jeep?” Grant said.
“Take it. It’ll be faster if I swim.”
Tessa jogged over. “I’m going with you in case they need a pilot.”
Cait touched his hand. “Brant, this sounds dangerous.”
“It’s more dangerous for the guys who are missing.” He hugged her tight. “I’ll be fine.” I love you. “I’ll meet you at my place. Okay?” She nodded, but the worry in her eyes gutted him. “Don’t worry about me, babe. There’s no way in hell I’d leave you alone in this world.” He kissed her again. “I really gotta go. Every second counts.”
As he and Tessa ran back to the beach, Cait’s voice trampled through his mind. I was counting . . . I knew exactly how long it took. If one thing was out of place in my bedroom or if I looked the littlest bit disheveled, I’d get hurt or told how worthless I was . . .