"We do," I tell him.
"Right. Well, uh, we should probably get in," he says, raking a hand through his hair in a way that makes his bicep flex and his right pec lift.
The water is just the right temperature to take the heat out of my skin. I latch onto a pool noodle, close my eyes, and float blissfully for a few moments. "This feels nice."
"Right?" Reeve's voice is the perfect blend of masculine and expressive. I'd go so far as to say borderline soothing. But then he has to go ahead and ruin my just-found moment of peace by asking, "So…why do you two hate each other?"
My eyes tear open and land on Jett, silently pleading for him to take the high road, theadultroad, and not get into it with someone we've only just met and have to live with.
"It's complicated," he replies, and I hold my breath, waiting to see what, if anything, he follows that up with.
His mouth opens and closes a few times, his eyes darting between me and Reeve. "Forget it," he says with a sigh, paddling over to the edge and climbing out of the pool. "You win, Wilkin,"he says, snatching one of the folded towels off the lounge chair. "Like always, you win."
And with that, he disappears into the house.
6
Reeve
"I don't know what to do," I whine to Granny.
She peers over the rim of her glasses and sets down her knitting needles beside her on the couch. "You like adventures. Consider Jett and Wilkin a mystery, something to explore and conquer."
I sigh and slump further into the chair. After Jett stormed off from the pool yesterday, Wilkin excused himself shortly after. They spent the rest of the day in their rooms. Not wanting to sit through an awkward dinner, I left them their meals by their doors and collected the empty plates afterward.
Ditto for breakfast this morning.
"What does your gut tell you?" she asks.
I lift off the chair with a massive heave and wander over to the window. "Something is definitely up. They have a history. It could be work related, or it could be something else."
"Keep in mind they've gone through something traumatic. It only happened a few days ago. I wouldn't be surprised if they're both in shock."
I nod. We weren't given any details about what happened, which is par for the course, but Granny's right, it's handy to remember they have just been through something pretty major. Though I suspect their issues predate whatever the hell trouble they stumbled upon.
"What do you think I should do?"
"Why don't you take them hiking? Stay out at the cabin for a few days."
There's a small cabin at the edge of our property, a three-hour walk from the house. It backs on to a beautiful forest with some great hiking trails and even a secret waterfall.
"That's not a bad idea. I'll raise it with them. See what they say."
"Being out in nature might do them some good. Let me know if you go ahead with it, and I'll make sure the fridge is stocked and Farrah sends food out to you daily."
"Thanks. I will." I take another look out the window then spin around to face Granny with a frown. "Why haven't you sold Grandpa's helicopter yet?"
She was meant to do it last year. I know she misses him, they were married for two months short of sixty years, but he's been gone for four years. Having his helicopter out in the front yard where she can see it every day can't be good for her.
"I'll do it soon," she says, picking up her knitting and deflecting from the topic like she always does. "It sounds like you have enough on your plate without sticking your nose into my affairs. It's almost lunchtime. I'll ask Farrah to send some food to the guesthouse. You, my boy, have a wee mission to accomplish."
"This is delicious," Wilkin says, aiming a grateful smile at me over lunch by the pool. "Thank you."
"Wish I could take the credit, but Granny has a chef, Farrah. It's all her."
"Right. I see. Well, please pass on my compliments to her."
"I will. Do you like the food, Jett?"
