I can’t imagine what sort of rumors will fly if Beau and I show up to the city offices together. Someone will probably tell Grams they saw us applying for a marriage license, which iscompletely insane for so many reasons, not least of which is that Beau wants a Sunset Harbor girl. I’m as far from that as he could find.
Also, there’s the whole issue of hating him.
Pretty confident that’s still in effect.
Somewhat confident, let’s say.
Armed with my phone and laptop and feeling more put together than I have in days, I head to town hall and park the cart in one of the few stalls there as another text rolls in. Impatient much?
But it’s not Beau.
Eugene
We’ve got a couple interested buyers this morning.
I do a fist pump as a wave of relief washes over me. I know it’s only been a day since it listed, but the crickets were making me worry.
I type out my response, then head inside to find Beau. It’s a small building, so it doesn’t take long. He’s standing behind Jane Hayes, who’s seated at a desk, while he leans over her to look at a piece of paper.
It’s a normal business view, but it makes me feel…something. Something I don’t like. Something that doesn’t feel much like hate.
Beau glances up, then smiles. “You showed up.”
“You thought I wouldn’t? Hey, Jane.”
“Hey, Gemma! Good to see you again.” She checks the time on her phone. “Shoot. I’ve gotta go. I’ll just leave this on your desk.”
He puts out a hand. “I can take it. I’ll work on it right away.”
“Thanks.” She hands the paper to him. “Oh! Hey, can I ask you a huge favor?”
“The bigger the better.”
“Is there any way you could pick me up tomorrow?”
I pretend not to be thoroughly invested in the conversation. It doesn’tsoundlike they’re discussing a date—generally, people don’t refer to being picked up for a date ahuge favor, right?
“Yeah,” Beau says. “What time and where?”
She clenches her teeth. “On the mainland?”
Beau’s brows hitch up in surprise.
“I know,” Jane says. “Huge hassle. I’m getting my wisdom teeth out at nine tomorrow morning. Tala can take me, but she can’t pick me up. So, you’d be coming to get me around…noon?”
“Yup. Got it.”
“Thank you! You’re a life saver!” She leans in for a quick hug that elicits a totally uncalled for visceral reaction from me. “I’ll text you all the details.”
So, not a date…but he’s picking her up from the dentist. I don’t know if that’s more or less intense. It’s definitely a close friendship, at the very least. But Beau is also the type of guy who makes everyone feel like he’s their best friend.
Somehow, he makes even paperwork look like an enjoyable task, humming and keeping a conversation going with me the entire time once Jane leaves. I suspect part of his continuous talking is because he’s uncomfortable with me recording him and he’s trying to distract himself. It would be kind of nice if he was cocky about it instead, but he seems not to enjoy being the center of attention.
Unfortunately, he’s become the center ofmyattention.
After an hour of paperwork and calls, we head out for a patrol of the island, which he does once a day as a way to keep an eye on things. I’ve always thought of cops on patrol as trying to catch people out, but driving around the entire island with Beau puts a different perspective on things.
We stop to help a man fixing his shed roof. We check in at Beach Break Bar and Grill to make sure things went okay lastnight with the party people we dropped off. We stop at the marina to check the boats are properly tethered in preparation for the wind expected tonight. We knock on the door of an old woman named Marj who lives alone but can’t afford to move to Seaside Oasis. She invites us inside for lemonade and very well-baked cookies. Apparently, Beau checks in on her once a week, and she spends a whole five minutes gushing to me about him, completely ignoring his attempts to direct the conversation elsewhere.
