Page 389 of The Romance Adventure

“Seems out of character,” Royal mutters.

“Have you heard the stories Chip told?” CJ says with a fond smile.

“I heard enough,” Royal mutters.

“Glandman said the three guys started calling themselves the coconuts.”

“What three guys?” Magnus asks.

“Chip, Glandman, and Jerkovic.”

“Still not making the connection with how this might fit with the key,” Ryan says.

“One year, Chip won the Coconutty Award from the Chamber of Commerce.”

“You’re joking,” Harley says. “There’s no such thing.”

“He was the first, but every year, they award a local business the award. They have others that are more befitting of a respectable organization, but that one keeps with the island spirit.”

“How do you know all this?” Royal’s tone is pure disbelief.

CJ stops short in the long hallway, I recognize that leads to Chip’s old office—Royal and Isla’s now. “Because while you were out trying to build an empire, I was trying to help keep together the one that our grandfather already built. When he got sick, I sat with him and listened to him tell stories. Sometimes the same ones on the same day. It wasn’t his fault that his mind and kidneys were failing. I did what I could, and mostly it was just that he wanted someone to listen to him.” CJ’s chin trembles and his voice softens. “It’s what we do for family.”

Royal falls quiet and gestures for his younger brother to lead the way.

What my husband said was moving, it kindled something inside me. Of course, I objectively know that, but I’ve never experienced that kind of loyalty. It touches my heart because it’s the same reason CJ hasn’t outed me as an intelligence officer. He’s being patient. Hoping that I do the right thing.

He opens the large wooden doors to Chip’s old office. His gaze darts around the room, landing immediately on the bookshelf on the far wall. “It has to be here somewhere.”

“What are you looking for?” Isla asks.

“The coconut.”

Royal swallows guiltily. “I packed up a lot of Chip’s stuff.”

CJ pales. “Please don’t tell me you threw it away.”

“No, of course not. It’s in storage. I can have it brought up.”

“I didn’t notice a coconut, but I didn’t help a ton in here,” Isla says as if trying to be helpful.

Meanwhile, CJ paces, muttering, “Chip left me anything that floats.”

“A key wouldn’t float,” Lally says.

“But coconuts still in their husk do,” I answer.

CJ

CHAPTER 16

A round of questions comes from my brothers and their wives while we wait for the box to come up from storage. I tell them that the possibility that the key is in the Coconutty Award Chip got all those years ago, is just a hunch.

“But it’s a good one. And if I’m right, this increases my accuracy percentage.”

“Like a sports stat?” Ryan asks.

Before I can answer, one of the resort employees enters with the box. I take off the lid and memories flood my way from the various items that used to fill his shelves and the office.