I force myself to get serious again. “Your brother wants to kick her out.”
He frowns. “I don’t think that’s what Tristanwants.I think he’s worried about the liability she is.”
“He’s talking to your dad tomorrow, and call me cynical, but I don’t think that conversation ends well for Grams.”
“Yeah, probably not.” He passes his house and pulls into Grams’s driveway.
“You could’ve parked in your own driveway, you know. I’m perfectly capable of walking thirty feet.”
“I was worried you’d faint because of the heat,” he says with a twinkle in his eye.
I don’t dignify that with a response, instead getting out of the cart.
“Hey,” he says.
I face him expectantly.
“Maybe I can help,” he suggests. “With your grandma.”
I lift a brow, unsure what exactly he’s offering.
He shrugs. “I could try to smooth things over with my dad—make sure she gets another solid chance.”
I stare at him, searching his face for the wolf behind the wool. I’m sure it’s there, but this is a crazy good disguise. I hate hot Satan. I can’t be selling my soul to the devil, though, no matter how attractive he is.
“And why would you do that?”
His brows pull together. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, what’s the catch?”
He looks at me for a second before responding. “I mean, therewasno catch, but now that you mention it, maybe we should make it a fair trade.”
“Is this you accepting a bribe?”
He laughs, pulling the hat from his head and running a hand through his hair. It’s a dead sexy move. “I don’t want your money.”
“Then what?”
He looks pensive for another few seconds. “Let me take you around the island—show you all there is to love about it.”
I break my gaze away, giving a breathy laugh. “I know the island, Beau.”
“Maybe you do. Maybe you don’t.”
I don’t respond right away. Is this his way of asking me on a date? And if it is, would it be worth Grams getting another chance at Seaside Oasis?
“Am I even allowed to say no?” I nod to indicate the gun holstered at his waist.
He follows my gaze. “Afraid of my water gun?”
“Is it really a water gun?” I’ve seen very realistic-looking ones.
His hand covers the handle, and there’s a look in his eyes I can’t place. “No. But it wouldn’t join us on our island exploration anyway. I’d be going as Beau, not Officer Palmer.”
Why do those words make me feel a little breathless? “That doesn’t help me much right now, though, does it? I think there’san unwritten rule you’re not allowed to say no to a date with someone carrying a gun.”
“Who said it was a date?”
