Both Beckett and Jill laughed. He came up behind Presley, put his hand to the small of her back. When he kissed her temple, her heart skipped again. Or danced, more accurately. Shopping was a good idea.
“I’ll go help with cleanup,” he said.
The move was so… couple-ish, it almost made her ache.Almost.“Can I have a few minutes to clean up?”
“Of course,” Jill said. “I’ll meet you at the speedboat.”
Presley hesitated. “It doesn’thaveto speed though, right?”
Her cheeks warmed at the belly laugh Beckett gave. “Maybe you two should take the dinghy.”
Presley poked him in the hard stomach, making him laugh again. “Maybe we should. Then you’d have longer to stay here and play host through dinner, Mr. Hot Mountain Man.”
Jill tipped her head back with her laughter while Beckett frowned, which wasn’t all that effective with amusement in his gaze. They made it so easy to belong. Presley walked away with a throbbing hand, an almost achy heart, and a feeling that if she didn’t have a time limit on this whole thing, she could be in big trouble.
Twenty-Four
Presley hung on for dear life with one hand and, not for the first time, wondered why the boat had no seat belts. Jilly cut through the water like she was in a Porsche on the Autobahn. Not only that, but she looked like it thrilled her. The throbbing in Presley’s left hand was a welcome distraction to the way her heart pounded.
Forcing herself to breathe in through her nose, breathe out through her mouth, she went through a list of reminders that she used when her stress was high:I’m okay. Everything will be okay. This moment does not define me.Though her stomach suggested differently. It jumped with the boat.
The good thing about Jilly’s speed was they arrived at the mainland quickly. She parked the boat with ease and jumped out, saying hello to an older gentleman who immediately came over to help her tie the boat to the dock.
“Oh, no. I’m so sorry,” Jilly said, looking at Presley. “Are you okay? I should have gone slower. I’m sorry.”
Presley unclenched her fingers from the side of the leather seat and waved that hand dismissively. “I’m fine.”
Jill tipped her head to the side, compassion shining in her gaze. “If I run into Anderson, I’m having them make you a shirt that says just that:I’M FINE.It’s your catchphrase.”
“Let me help you, miss,” the gray-bearded man said, offering a hand to Presley.
“Thanks, Gramps,” Jill said.
Presley stumbled as she stepped onto the seat to climb out.Ah,Gramps.How could she feel like she knew these people when she’d never met them? He caught her arm.
“Here we go,” he said when she was firmly on the dock.
Her stomach settled almost immediately. “Gramps but not related right?”
The older man’s smile poked through his beard. “Oh, you never know. But no, that’s just what people call me.” He put an arm around Jill. “Nice to see you. Where’s my Ollie?”
“She’s helping her uncles. We’re trying to get one of the cabins up and running.”
Presley walked beside them as Jill told the man what they’d all been up to.
“I caught a bit of it on your Instagram. Ollie is a good little publicist,” Gramps said.
Jill shook her head, gesturing for Presley to go ahead of her on the ramp up to the road. There was a parking lot to the left, while more boats and a couple of shops lined the right side.
“Grayson is happy to let her be our spokesperson. He’s just scared to do it himself,” Jill said with a laugh.
“And this pretty woman here who’s still getting her sea legs is our Hot Mountain Man’s girlfriend?” Gramps’s bushy brows waggled.
Presley ducked her chin, not sure how the mainland knew about that. “Presley.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” Gramps said. “Okay. I’ll say goodbye here. You bring Ollie next time.”
“You got it.” Jill pressed a kiss to the man’s bearded cheek.
