LUNA
After slowly drivingthrough the preserve, avoiding all the fallen branches and debris, Brady pulled up in front of the main inn. I turned to him, intent to tell him thanks for the ride, but he was already out of the car and walking around to my side before I could utter a word. He opened my door, one brow cocked when I didn’t scramble out immediately.
I rolled my eyes and stepped out of the car, tossing my bag over my shoulder. “Believe it or not, Sheriff, some people actually usewordsto tell people what they’re thinking rather than just facial expressions and grunts.”
Still silent, he locked his eyes with mine as he reached out and slid my overnight tote off my shoulder, then he stalked toward the entrance, purple floral bag gripped in his hand.
“You didn’t need to walk me to the door,” I said as I followed behind him. “I don’t think I’ll come across anything that will cause me harm in fifteen feet.”
“I need to talk to Aiden and Addison.”
Oh. Well. That made a lot more sense than what had been going through my mind since we’d pulled up to the scene of the crime—namely, that he couldn’t let me out of his sight because he was as shaken up as I was over finding my van pinned under a tree. But no. People didn’t fret over me like that. I was Luna—the girl with nine lives who always seemed to land on her feet. I couldn’t be knocked down or out, so why bother worrying?
Brady held the door open for me, and we stepped inside, his fingers just a whisper against the small of my back, and I shivered at the touch. Aiden glanced up from the computer he was focused on behind the check-in desk, brows lifting as he split a glance between Brady and me.
“Hey,” Brady said, setting my bag down on the counter.
Aiden’s brows lifted even farther. “Hey…”
If Brady noticed the underlying question in his brother’s tone, he didn’t show it.
“How’re things here?” Brady asked. “I didn’t see too much damage to the property when we drove through.”
Before Aiden could respond, Addison came around a corner and answered without looking up from her phone. “Not awful. We’ve got one downed tree by Cottage Fifteen and a bunch of stray branches, but it’s nothing Ford can’t take care of.”
“Good, because I won’t be able to help for a bit,” Brady said. “Too much shit in town to worry about.”
“Speaking of, how’s it looking for the festival tonight?” Addison pocketed her phone and slipped around the counter, shoving Aiden aside as only a baby sister could. “We’ve gotta set up our booth. Beck’s got the menu all ready, and we’re going to do a raffle for a free weekend stay.”
“Thought we weren’t in the market for giving away free cottages,” Brady said dryly.
A smile swept over Addison’s mouth, and she beamed at him. “We are when there’s promo involved, and this will be great content for our social media.” She leaned forward, elbow on the counter as she rested her chin in her hand, eyes sparkling as she split a glance between Brady and me. “Besides, it seems things worked out okay…”
“What thing—” Aiden started to ask, but Brady cut in before he could even get the sentence out.
“You should be fine to set up in a few hours. The power’s back on. It’s still a mess, but a cleanup crew will be starting in—” Brady looked at his watch, then headed for the door “—fifteen minutes. I’ll be back after my shift.” He pinned me with a look, one that damn near had me melting on the spot. “Stay out of trouble.” And then, without another word or a backward glance, he blew through the door.
“He seems especially grumpy today,” Addison said, staring after her brother.
He did, indeed. One would think all the sex would’ve knocked that stick loose, but apparently I was going to need to work a little harder on that endeavor. He was probably mad because he was going to be stuck with me for a bit while I figured out what the hell to do with my van and how to get it fixed. I’d have to check for auto body shops in town later this afternoon and get that squared away. Maybe I could figure out a rental in the meantime…
Addison furrowed her brows. “And, wait… Did he say he was coming back here after his shift? Why?”
“Because a tree decided to take a nap on top of my van,” I said. “And because your brother’s a Neanderthal.”
“Oh my God!” She clasped her hands over her mouth and dashed around the counter, looking me over from head to toe. “Are you all right? Were you in the van when it happened? Or did he pick you up last night?”
“Jesus,” Aiden said under his breath, his attention on his laptop. “Give the woman some space, Addison.”
I laughed, patting her on the shoulder. “Yes, no, and yes. He dragged me away last night before it got too bad. And I mean that almost literally.”
She cringed. “Sorry about that. It was sort of my idea.”
My brows shot up. “It was your idea that he handcuff us together?”
“Hewhat?”
I waved a hand through the air. “Whatever. Never mind. He’s a caveman, I’m safe, it’s all fine.” I grabbed my bag and hefted it over my shoulder as I headed farther into the inn. “Harper’s gonna be here shortly, and I want to make sure everything’s set up. We still need to sell this, right?”
