Eli laughed, then his attention focused on Braden. “Whatever. But I was over by the produce section, trying to tell the difference between a key lime and a regular one, and I swear I saw Tessa Donovan. Is she back on the island?”
The easy laughter died on Braden’s lips. The s’more he was about to take a bite of stopped halfway to his mouth. For a split second, the charming, unflappable bartender vanished, replaced by a younger, more vulnerable man caught off guard. He recovered quickly, but not before a brief, sharp flicker of pain flashed in his eyes.
“Tessa?” Braden’s voice was a little too casual, a little too tight. He lowered the s’more and tossed it in the fire. “Couldn’t have been. She left Dove Key behind after high school and never looked back. Doubt that’s changed in twelve years. You probably saw a tourist who looked like her.”
He stood up abruptly, brushing sticky marshmallow from his fingers onto his shorts. “I’ve slacked off enough. Time to get back to work.”
He offered a tight, unconvincing smile to the group at large, his gaze pointedly avoiding Eli’s. Then he was gone, his back rigid as he marched into the darkness toward Tidal Hops, leaving a heavy, awkward silence in his wake.
Harper and Brenna exchanged a worried look across the fire. Eli winced, clearly regretting his casual comment.
Iris panned her gaze around the circle. “What was that all about?”
I sighed and pulled her a little closer. Beside us, Harper fielded the question, her voice low and full of a quiet, sisterly sympathy.
“Tessa was Braden’s first girlfriend. High school sweethearts.” She poked a stick into the fire, watching the embers glow. “Her parents had bigger plans for her than Dove Key. She got a scholarship to a fancy university and left.”
Brenna nodded from her spot on the other side of the fire. “Braden always insisted they were too different, and it was for the best. But he’s good at hiding what he really feels.”
Iris elbowed me. “Sounds like he learned from this one.”
“Well,” Eli said, his usual levity gone, “looks like I just stomped all over a landmine I didn’t know was still active. Didn’t think it would be that big of a deal.”
The conversation shifted after that, getting back to safer subjects. Soon we were back amidst the happy chaos of Finn recounting a dramatic story about a sand crab and Eli trying to convince Jules that salt on the rim made all the difference.
I brushed my lips close to Iris’s ear. “I’ve had about as much of this wholesome family fun as I can stomach for one night. Let me get you out of here.”
An answering spark ignited in her blue eyes, a flash of heat and promise just for me. “Is that so, Captain? And where exactly are you planning on taking me and my boot?”
“Home,” I said, the word simple but holding a world of meaning.
She smiled, a slow, sultry curve of her lips. “Lead the way.”
Getting away from a Coleridge family bonfire was astrategic operation, one that required careful timing and firm resolve. I stood and pulled Iris gently to her feet, my hand going instinctively to her waist to steady her as she found her balance with the walking boot in the soft sand.
“We’re heading out,” I announced to the group, my tone leaving no room for argument.
Of course, that didn’t stop Chase.
“Leaving so soon?” he called out, his grin illuminated by the firelight. “The night is young! We haven’t even gotten to the part where Eli breaks out his terrible guitar playing yet.”
“I’m pretty much dead on my feet, and don’t tell me you’re not,” Harper added as she shifted Cameron in her arms to elbow her husband. “We need to get home too.”
I steadied Iris as she turned back with a wave. “Good night.”
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Eli and Jules shouted in perfect unison, and they both burst into laughter.
“That leaves the field wide open,” I muttered, shaking my head. I leaned down to give Harper a light pat on the shoulder. “Get some rest.”
“I will.” Her eyes were soft and full of happy understanding. “It’s good to see you like this, Austin.”
I didn’t have a response for that. I just gave her shoulder a squeeze, then focused on navigating Iris back toward the path.
The short drive home was quiet, the windows of my truck down, the cool night air a welcome relief after the heat of the fire. When I pulled into her driveway, the house was a welcoming sight. Gus’s crew had finished the exterior last week, and the fresh coat of paint—a soft, warm white with trim the color of a stormy sea—looked beautiful under the glow of the new porch lights Iris had picked out.The place no longer looked like a haunted shipwreck. It looked like a home.
I helped her out of the truck, my hands lingering at her waist. “You okay? Leg not hurting too much?”
“It’s a little sore, but it’s a good kind of sore. A healing kind.” She smiled up at me, her face illuminated by the porch light. “Thank you for taking me tonight.”
