“What about him?” Harper asked.
The dog was on the seat between them, which didn’t seem very safe to Frankie. “Shouldn’t we secure him somehow?”
“I’m not going to go that fast. He’ll be fine.” Harper looped the leash around her hand a second time before leaving the garage.
She drove at a reasonable speed to the address Frankie had given her.
Frankie kept one hand firmly on the wine and the other on Archie’s leash. Just in case. Harper turned down the drive and the house came into view. The house was nice. Maybe a little modest by Hideaway Bay standards.
All white stucco with blue shutters and a blue tile roof made it look like it had been transported from the Greek Isles. The driveway and paths around the house were done with terracotta pavers in a half-moon pattern, and the flowers were in shades of white, yellow, and blue. It was very cheery.
Harper parked behind a white Range Rover. They unbuckled themselves and went to the front door. Archie buried his nose in a big ceramic pot of flowers, snuffling softly at the wonderful smells he was apparently enjoying.
Lucas answered the door. “My taste-testers have arrived! Welcome, ladies. I’m so glad you could join me. And Archie, too, of course. Nice to have another man in the house. Come on in.”
“Thanks for inviting us,” Frankie said.
A yellow Labrador came trotting around the corner.
Lucas grinned. “Meet Scout, my baby girl.”
“She’s a beauty,” Harper said.
Frankie nodded. “Very pretty.”
Archie went right up to her, tail wagging. They gave each other a good sniffing, then Scout let out a little woof of excitement.
Lucas laughed. “Why don’t we head out to the back. I’ve got the grill getting hot.”
Frankie held out the wine. “I don’t know if this goes with what you’re planning, but you don’t have to open it now.”
He took the bottle, glanced at the label, and nodded, his brows lifting. “Very nice choice. Thank you. I’ve got some white chilled already, so we might save this for later.”
“Works for me,” Frankie said, a little mesmerized by the man in front of her.
“Your house is beautiful,” Harper said.
“Thank you,” Lucas said.
Frankie agreed, “It’s great.”
It was, too. Lots of white, but lots of big, bold splashes of color. The kind of decorating Frankie imagined to be very high-end Miami Beach. She wasn’t sure why, but that’s how it struck her.
They followed him to the backyard. His pool overlooked the river and there was lighting strung through the trees and on posts, outlining the rear of the property. It was very pretty. And, at least to Frankie, quite romantic.
“I hope you like chicken. I’m trying out three new kinds tonight. A Greek marinade, a Korean barbeque sauce, and an Indonesian satay.” He was in the summer kitchen, which was pretty nicely set up. Made sense, considering what he did.
Frankie had seen that kitchen in numerous videos. She smiled. “Those all sound great.” They smelled good, too. Her mouth started watering as the breeze shifted and the smoky aromas from the grill wafted toward them.
Lucas lifted the grill lid to check the food. “Let’s hope so, but we’ll see when we actually taste them.”
He used a meat thermometer to check one of the pieces of chicken. “Almost there. The fridge here has the wine and other drinks in it. Please, help yourself. I’m going to get the rest of the food from the indoor kitchen.”
“Do you want help?” Frankie quickly asked.
“Sure, I’d love some.”
Frankie went after him, but not before catching the sly smile on her sister’s face. “Keep an eye on the dogs.”
