I tipped my head to one side, indicating Jocelyn. “Joss did her thesis work on Cape Cod, moving lighthouses. She has some thoughts.”
From there, it was just a matter of me propping myself against the pillows, sipping the strong tea, and occasionally sneezing into the tissues, while the two of them went back and forth, each becoming more excited. It was almost cute.
Augustus Frapp didn’t remind me of my grandfather in any way, but I could see how Jocelyn was taken with him. Maybe his nonpartisan flirting was part of his appeal?
“I agree with your recommendation, Jocelyn,” he finally said, “but it isn’t so easy.Movinga lighthouse requires a place to put it. I suppose I could clear a bit more land, move the light closer to the street, and have one of those towers erected in its place to warn ships…”
Jocelyn opened her mouth, but I surprised myself by interjecting, “Give it to the town.”
Both of them swung surprised looks my way, and I shrugged. “Eastshore goes nuts over shit like that—they’ll probably implement aLighthouse Festivalor something. You could charge admission for the upkeep, stick it in the middle of the historic district.”
She was staring at me, eyes wide, and when I shrugged again, she breathed, “That’s brilliant.” With an excited smile, she swung back to Frapp. “The Light is part of the town’s history as much as your family. Brakkor’s solution would allow the town to celebrate the building, while you focus on preserving your family’s history—via the site—before the sea encroaches.”
“And how, exactly, are you going to convince the town council to agree to such a thing, young lady?” Frapp’s eyes sparkled as he stroked the tiger’s head. “They don’t like to part with money.”
“Me?” Jocelyn glanced back and forth between me and Frapp. “I’m just here for the weekend. I need to get back home?—”
“No you don’t.” I probably shouldn’t have interrupted, but I explained to the old male, “She lost her job this morning, and her car’s busted. She could be stuck on this island for a while.”
“Excellent!” Frapp then realized what he said and clicked his tongue as he waved dismissively. “Being jobless is stressful—I imagine. I don’t believe I’ve ever had what you might call ajob, but I understand the concept. I’ll pay you a stipend, my dear, to take this to the town council. They meet in two weeks—I’ll ensure you won’t starve between now and then.”
Jocelyn’s mouth had dropped open, and she was staring, clearly shocked.
I leaned forward, plunked the teacup down on the table, and reached for her hand. “She agrees, Mr. Frapp. Two weeks to come up with an argument for the council. You planning on canceling the construction job in the meantime?”
“Oh, no, my delicious set of muscles,yourresponsibility will be even more exciting!” Frapp beamed. “You’ll have to rent a crane and research how in the name of our savior Dolly Parton one goes aboutmoving a frikking lighthouse!”
Chapter Eleven
Jocelyn
We never did getto the beach because the meeting with Mr. Frapp went so long.
That night, Brakkor told me to get dressed up, because he was taking me out for dinner. I was feeling celebratory, so I didn’t object…until I saw exactlyhownice for a place The Golden Pearl was.
“This isn’t a sundress sort of establishment,” I hissed at him as the waiter approached the table with the wine Brakkor had ordered. “I should’ve worn that purple dress I brought for Kesha’s wedding.”
“You look fine.” He toasted me with the wineglass. “I promise you, no one here is objecting to how you look.”
I opened my mouth to tell him thatfineisn’t exactly a compliment…but then I saw the hungry look in his eyes, which had that speck of green in the middle again, and I felt myself blushing.
Brakkor thought I looked better thanfine, judging from how he watched my lips when I sipped the wine, and that realization made me feel warmallover.
“To you, Joss,” he murmured, clinking his glass against mine as he eyed me appreciatively. “You deserve to celebrate your dream job.”
Dream job.
I couldn’t deny that I’d been flabbergasted by how easily Mr. Frapp accepted my thoughts and opinions today. He was such a fun person, and I would have been delighted to hang out with him again. But when he agreed to give me two weeks to see if I could get the town council to agree—andhe was willing to pay me?
Well, I still couldn’t believe that had happened.
And I owed it to Brakkor. He was the one who’d made it happen, and he’d backed me up when I’d been pitching to Mr. Frapp.
If he wanted sex, I figured he’d earned it. And just the thought of getting down on my knees and showing himexactlyhow much I appreciated his help made my pussy clench with need.
From the way his eyes darkened and his nostrils flared, Brakkor guessed. He put down his steak knife and the piece of meat he’d just stabbed. “We should go.”
Maybe it was the wine, but I chuckled. “We have time to eat. You’ll need your strength.”
