“No.”
“Fair, fair, but I got the expensive tequila, and that should never be consumed alone. So?—”
“No.”
Rupert leans in and says, “I’m thinking she doesn’t want to.”
“Thanks…a lot,” I say through clenched teeth. I turn my attention back to the rock-hard shell that won’t crack. “Any chance you’ll change your mind?”
“No,” she answers and then plucks the basket from my arms and shuts the door on us.
After a few seconds, Rupert says, “I told you she’d like the basket.”
Chapter Ten
RENLEY
“Oh, this is good stuff,” Aunt Kitty says, examining the bottle of tequila. “Real top shelf.” She lets her nose trail over the length of the bottle. “This is the kind of alcohol you drink out of a Bahama-Mama-bathed belly button.” She holds her hand up to me before I can say anything. “Don’t ask me how I know that, just understand…that I do.”
I lift myself up onto the kitchen counter and pick up one of the cactus glasses that I find to be annoyingly charming. I’ve seen these glasses several times in one of the gift shops in town and I’ve always found them to be adorable, but I never purchased them because they’re overpriced and our mugs always worked fine.
But now that I have them, I will definitely use them.
“What do you think his angle is?” I ask. “Why is he so persistent?”
“Maybe he likes you? Ever think of that?”
I shake my head. “No, he doesn’t. He doesn’t even know me. There has to be a reason he’s sticking around, trying to gain my attention. Frankly, I find the whole thing creepy.”
“Creepy? Oh no.” Aunt Kitty shakes her head. “It’s not creepy. It’s charming. A tendency toward stalking is a great sign now, shows that they’re committed.”
“Did you just hear yourself?”
“Trust me.” She puts the bottle down on the counter. “It’s all the rage in romance novels. Stalking: a new way to show you care. A lot of women find it flattering.”
“Not me. I hate that he knows where I live. I hate that he can just pop over whenever he wants. But most importantly, I hate that he’s not the person I thought he was, because besides the fact that he could attempt to murder us in our sleep, he doesn’t have any interest in investing in Rudder’s. Which means…we are back to ground zero and I had so much hope. I thought that we found a solution, as silly as that sounds given the circumstances, but now…now I’m just going to prove everyone who doubted me right.”
“No, you won’t. We just need to find another solution.” She taps her chin. “Just to clarify, you’re opposed to nude work?”
“Yes,” I answer sternly and then hop off the counter. “Tilly was saying that I should try striking a deal with some of the other business owners, see if they can lend a hand to get us off the ground and then pay them back over time.”
“It’s a risky move; what if they talk to the business society and tell them you’re looking for money?”
“That was my thought too, but Tilly pointed out that I’ve helped them so many times for the past few years with all their repairs that they might feel like they have a responsibility to help me.”
Aunt Kitty slowly nods. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to at least feel them out.”
“The question is, who do we ask first?”
“Now remember, don’t say anything. Just act like you’re shopping. I love you, but you come on too strong and you’re a loose cannon.”
I blink a few times. “Uh, do you think you’re talking into a mirror?”
“No, I’m saying that to you.”
“And I was under the impression that you weren’t going to be doing any talking,” I say as we stand outside Threads by Theresa, the local clothing store that sells upscale beachwear. “I know you want to help, but please just let me talk to Theresa. If we can’t get her on board, then there is no use asking anyone else. She’s the nicest out of all of the business owners.”
Aunt Kitty thinks about it for a second and then agrees with a curt nod. “But if I see you floundering, I’m stepping in.”
