My chest tightened at the thought of my pack brothers. I needed to tell them we’d won the grant.
The grant I had applied for without telling them.
I was sure they would be excited about it. Well,prettysure. That annoying voice of reason in the back of my head said that this wasn’t how we ran our business—we made decisions together. But even if they were initially irritated, they would understand once they met Olive. She was perfect for us, the omega we’d been waiting for. This restoration project was going to bring us together, I was convinced of it.
The gentle roar of the ocean waves beckoned us to the lighthouse and we arrived much too quickly. Olive got off her bike and crossed her arms like she was trying to hold herself together.
I tried to give the flashlight back to her, but she didn’t take it.
“You need it to get back,” she said softly.
My heart was going to explode at her concern for me. “The three of us will come by tomorrow to start planning the restoration. I’ll bring the flashlight back then.”
She shifted her weight and looked down at the ground. I couldn’t stop my eyes from taking in her lush, curvy hips. They would look even better with my fingerprints pressed into them.
I cleared my throat. “Does 11:00 a.m. work for tomorrow?”
She shrugged and nodded at the same time. I caught a hint of her scent—twisted and stressed—and I couldn’t stop myself from brushing my fingers down her face. When she didn’t move away, I gently tilted her chin up so she met my gaze.
“Sweet dreams, Olive.”
Her lips parted and I wanted to kiss her more than anything in the world, but I’d already pushed my luck tonight. I would practice patience for her.
I stepped back, giving her a soft smile, and gestured at the door. She seemed dazed as she unlocked it and slipped inside.
9
LARS
The tension was sothick in the house, hanging in the air like a tangible thing, that it was a relief when we walked out the front door. I took a deep breath, the slightly salty tinge to the air clearing my mind.
Finn was pissed at Easton. For good reason. I loved Easton, but he could bulldoze over the people in his life. Sometimes it was the necessary push we needed to do something, but this time he had overplayed his hand. Finn’s face was fixed in a permanent scowl, but his expression masked the deep hurt I knew he was feeling. Finn had been heartbroken when his grandparents died. He hadn’t been back to the lighthouse since his grandpa passed, and now he was returning, but not on his terms.
I clasped his shoulder and gave it a squeeze, trying to lend him some support, but his body remained rigid. I removed my hand with a sigh.
What could have possessed Easton to bid on the grant? Historic restoration jobs were competitive, but we weren’t hurting for money. Besides, Easton was the worst person in the world with a budget. Last week, he’d come home from his now-frequent market trips with four types of name-brand ice cream. No, this move had been motivated by something else.
Finn trudged slightly behind me, as if he were being led to his execution.
I wasn’t thrilled Easton had pulled this either—we were supposed to be a team, and he had decided without us. But I loved the lighthouse and was excited about this project. I had happy memories there, of visiting Fredrik and Carina, and there was no one more qualified to do this restoration than my brothers and me. Certainly not anyone who cared as much as we did.
For all of Finn’s anger, he never would have been happy with anyone else doing this restoration. He was too lost in his grief to have willingly applied, but he would have been heartbroken to know someone else was doing the job. And in that way, Easton had given him a gift.
We turned the bend and the lighthouse came into view, stretching high to the sky. There was a slightly rusted bike leaning against the cottage, and I recognized it as the one I had learned to ride on. Shit, that was over two decades ago. There were new flowers in the flower boxes under the windows, and the tension in my chest eased. I didn’t know anything about the new lighthouse keeper, but they were taking care of the house, and that mattered to me.
Easton was practically vibrating in anticipation as he waited for us to catch up to him at the front door. He beamed at me before knocking.
I strained my ear to see if I heard any rustling or movement from inside, but there was nothing.
A few tense moments passed, and Easton knocked again.
Still no response.
Finn huffed, arms crossed. “Glad to see how seriously she takes this.”
Easton’s smile fell. “Maybe she just got the times mixed up. Or she could be around the back?”
The three of us walked around the cottage to the lighthouse entrance, but the door was closed. I could feel Finn’s rising agitation.
