Chapter 32

CHAPTER 32

Brooks

I woke with a heavy, hot blanket half-smothering me. Hair was in my mouth. I spit it out and shifted with a groan. Then the blanket sighed, and I realized it was Sky.

The first night we'd slept together, he'd mostly kept to his side of the bed. Now, he was all over me. That had to mean something good, right?

I smiled smugly until his hair tickled my nose and I sneezed loud enough to wake him.

"Brooks?" he asked, sounding bewildered as he rolled away. "You okay?"

"Yeah, sorry," I murmured. "Must be allergies."

I wasn't about to say he'd made me sneeze. If I did, he might go back to staying on his side of the bed.

"You can go back to sleep," I added.

Skylar blinked at me, beautiful even with the pillow crease going down one side of his face. "That's okay. I'm awake now. What time is it?"

I checked my phone. "Time for me to take you to breakfast."

He raised his eyebrows. "Won't your aunt and uncle expect you?"

"Nah. I've already had breakfast with them twice this week. Fisher and Hudson even joined us once."

"That sounds nice."

"Yeah." I was still getting used to Melinda's effusive warmth, but it was nice. Less awkward than I'd expected because she genuinely wanted me around. "But today, I'm all yours. Unless you need to eat with your parents?"

"Nope. I stashed a bag with fresh clothes here yesterday."

"Awesome. I wondered how you produced those ties."

Skylar smirked. "The mystery added to the allure."

"It sure as hell did." I tugged him close enough to kiss, then rolled out of bed. "Come on. Let's go to Tastes like Grandma."

"Tastes like what now?"

I laughed at his expression. "You haven't been? Well, now we have to go."

We showered, getting only a little sidetracked, and got dressed, then hopped into Fisher's car and drove over to the breakfast spot. We could have walked, but I'd need to drive Skylar back to his place after breakfast, anyway.

Tastes Like Grandma was inland, on the other side of the street from Little Clay Pot and Just The Sip. But it was a tiny building with only a small handwritten sign in the window, so I wasn't too surprised Skylar hadn't noticed it before.

Grandma Rosie could attract far more tourists with a bit more flair, but she didn't need to. Her little dive was the best-kept secret among Swallowers.

I pushed open the door and followed Sky inside. There were only a handful of tables, all of them full. Surprisingly, Ruth Marie and Pearl—two women from our Outdoor Market—were seated together. Unsurprisingly, they bickered over something, tugging a piece of paper back and forth.

"I should have more space for—"

"No, my products take more room! "

I ushered Skylar past their table before they could drag us into their feud. Those two were always at odds. Fisher had told me he'd convinced them to work together for the Dock Hop event coming up soon, and I could see how well that was working.

Mimsy and Pipsy Reynolds, dressed in matching dirt-smeared overalls, plowed through plates of Grandma Rosie's famous biscuits with chocolate gravy. One table over, Heath and Tammy were feeding each other grapes like young lovers. I shook my head. Those two were the ultimate on-again, off-again couple. Every few weeks, Heath was drowning his sorrows in his beer, and then before you knew it, he was practically making out with Tammy in public.

The most surprising sight, however, was Declan sitting at a table closest to the counter, ostensibly ignoring Cash, who sat across from him in what I was sure what was last night's clothes.

My eyebrow ticked up. What was this? Had Cash finally gotten Declan's attention?

Cash caught sight of us as we neared. "Hey, I guess that date went pretty good last night, huh?"

"It was pretty much a sure thing," Skylar said with a smile. "Brooks took me on a sunset cruise with—"

"Some great food and wine," I interrupted before he could mention Ash's name. Sawyer would kick my ass for going to his nemesis for anything, but from what I'd seen, Ash wasn't a bad guy.

Luckily, Skylar caught on quick. "Right. It was all very romantic."

Declan looked up from his phone. "I'm happy for you two. I suppose this means I can't ask you to take Cash off my hands?"

Cash gasped and pressed a hand to his chest. "I thought you wanted to have breakfast with me? After last night, do I mean nothing to you?"

Declan cut his eyes to us. "Last night, I found him sleeping in the living room, which is a shared space for guests. I couldn't leave him there. But I could hardly kick him out at 4 a.m. So, I let him sleep in my private quarters, and now he's attached himself to me like some sort of helpless orphan."

I snorted. "Cash is anything but helpless, but I'm afraid Skylar and I are having a private breakfast today."

Declan nodded. "Of course. As you should."

Cash grinned. "Don't worry. I'm exactly where I want to be. He pretends to hate me, but it's just an act."

"I've never been good at acting," Declan said.

"Exactly! I see right through it."

We left them to their debate over Declan's true feelings about Cash's regular presence in his B&B. Cash hooked up with a lot of tourists, so he ended up staying over frequently. But if Declan found him in the living room in the middle of the night, something must have gone sideways. I'd have to check in later to find out what happened.

He looked happy enough now that I was fairly sure it couldn't have been too bad.

Skylar and I took seats at the counter. Grandma Rosie turned from the griddle, face flushed red from the heat. "You two want coffee or juice?"

"Coffee," we said in unison.

She chuckled as she turned over cups and poured the dark brew. "I don't know why I even ask anymore." Her gaze caught on Skylar. "You're that Addison boy from the resort meeting, aren't you?"

"That's me," Skylar said with a smile. "It's my first time here. I didn't know about this place."

Rosie pointed to the overhead menu. "Just take a gander and let me know what you want. Don't expect me to get too fancy just because you're a city type. That's why I don't advertise to the tourists."

Skylar smiled. "Don't worry. I'm pretty easy."

Rosie laughed. "Oh, I don't doubt it since you came in with Brooks here."

"Ouch," I said. "So mean, Grandma."

"Tough love, is all." She turned back to the griddle to flip an egg. Damn, the woman had perfect timing. "Just holler when you're ready."

Skylar turned to me. "Is she your grandmother too?"

"Nah, everyone calls her Grandma Rosie. She's got a whole gaggle of grandkids, and she likes to joke it's too hard to keep track of them all, so she treats us all like family."

"That's so sweet."

"Mm-hmm. So, I already know I'm getting the biscuits with chocolate gravy. That's the best thing on the menu."

Skylar craned his head back, scanning over the options. There were buttermilk pancakes, hoecakes—which were made from cornmeal—and a variety of specialty biscuit dishes aside from the standard fare of bacon, sausage, eggs, and omelets.

"This is a tough decision," Skylar said. "But I have to try this PaPaw's Biscuit thing."

"Good choice," Grandma Rosie called without turning. "I'll get it all going."

PaPaw's Biscuit was a biscuit filled with butter and molasses with a crispy sugar top.

"It's pretty good," I said.

"It's probably more like dessert than breakfast, but how could I order a garden omelet with all these interesting menu items I've never tried before?"

I grinned. "That's how she lures you in. Then pretty soon you're addicted."

Grandma Rosie chuckled. "I'll give you a side of fruit so you feel marginally healthy."

"Thanks, Grandma!" Skylar called like one of the locals.

Of course, he sort of was now. Assuming he could get the resort project off the ground. He'd gotten a call on the drive over from a contractor, and he'd seemed intrigued by what was said.

Now that our order was in, I turned to him. "So was that call this morning good news?"

"Maybe," Skylar said, forehead creasing. "It was surprising. Logan Moss was cozy with the Wexlers when I went over to Swallow Beach, so I didn't think he'd be much help, despite him giving my dad a heads-up. But he called to tell me that he didn't like the way the Wexlers were doing business."

"Well, that's something," I said.

"Yeah. Then he told me that the project over there isn't a done deal yet." Skylar poured a bit of cream into his coffee and stirred it. "I think he was trying to suggest…"

"What?"

He shook his head. "I don't know for sure. Not yet. I'm going to make some more calls."

"But you think it's good news?" I asked.

"I think so, yeah. If I play my cards right, it could be very good news."

I grinned and clinked my coffee cup with his. "Well, cheers to that."

Grandma Rosie served us our food, and we tucked in. I was content savoring my chocolate gravy while listening to Skylar's moans of bliss.

This could be our life, I thought. Every day.

Dorothy Hubbard and her granddaughter Amelia came up to the counter while we ate. I turned to say hello, but Dorothy zeroed in on Skylar.

"You're that developer guy, right?" Dorothy said. "For the resort."

Skylar turned. "Yes, Skylar Addison. Nice to meet you."

Dorothy shook his hand. "I'm Dorothy. I own Dorothy's Dusty Box out past city limits. We've got just about anything you could want when you go shopping." She dug through her huge purse and pulled out a business card. "Maybe when the resort is open, you'd want some brochures to offer guests? About the best places to visit while they're here."

"Oh." Skylar glanced at her business card. "Yes, that's a great idea."

"Make sure you feature Pearl's Pantry!" Pearl called from across the room, making it obvious she was eavesdropping.

"Fruity Sweets too!" Ruth Marie called. She made a variety of things, but was most known for her brandied peaches and pears.

"What about The Dirty Hoe?" Pipsy piped up.

"All of you just wait your turn!" Dorothy shouted at the nosy dining room before turning back to us. "I wanted to introduce my granddaughter, Amelia. Isn't she just beautiful?"

"Yes, hi, Amelia," Skylar said. "Nice to meet you."

Amelia shook his hand. "Don't listen to my grandma. I've got a boyfriend."

"Oh, good, me too," Skylar said with a laugh.

Amelia glanced at me, and her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, so embarrassing. Grandma, you just tried to push me on this guy with his boyfriend sitting right next to him."

"Well, how was I supposed to know they were boyfriends? You two should make it more obvious, you know?"

"Sorry?" Skylar said, sounding bewildered.

I snorted and leaned in to kiss the corner of his mouth. "There? Better."

Dorothy sniffed. "I suppose, but you could be more—"

"Actually," Amelia cut in before Dorothy could finish. "I only came over because I wanted to ask about jobs. At the resort."

"Oh, well, as I said in the community meeting, it's likely to be around twenty-five to thirty jobs, but it really depends on how we structure the resort. We could hire our own cleaning service in-house, for example, or we could contract with an existing business."

Amelia nodded. "Is there some sort of list I could get on to be a job candidate? I've done some hotel work in Swallow Beach, but I'd love not to have to cross the lake every day, you know?"

"I don't have anything like that set up." Her face fell, and he added, "But why not? I'll just make a note here."

Skylar tapped in her details on his phone, while Dorothy bemoaned the fact Amelia didn't want to come work at the Dusty Box.

"You already employ Justin, and I do not want to spend every day with my annoying brother," Amelia said. "You can't support the whole family anyway, Grandma. You know that."

Once they left, Cash sauntered over. "You know, I could use a job too."

"What happened to the roofing job you had?" I asked.

He grimaced. "I got freaking tar splashed all up my arm, and that was the end of that bullshit."

"You quit?" Skylar asked right as I said, "You got fired?"

"I quit ," Cash said, "right before my boss said I was fired anyway."

"Ouch."

"I'm not a bad worker," he said quickly. "I'm a social butterfly. Perfect for the hospitality business. I keep trying to convince Declan he should hire me at the B&B, but he's not budging."

"Probably doesn't want his employee sleeping with all his guests," I said.

Cash didn't laugh as I expected. "I'm not an idiot. I wouldn't fuck where I work, man."

"Sorry."

He sighed. "I'm just grumpy because no matter what I do, Declan doesn't like me. Everyone likes me, but not that guy. I mean, what did I ever do to him?"

"Maybe stop sleeping with his guests just to stay there?"

Cash frowned. "I don't do it on purpose. He's just the only hotel in town."

"For now," Skylar said. "Soon, you can be a pest at the resort."

"I'd rather be an employee than a pest," Cash said. "Can you put me on that list? I know I come off as this immature fuck boy, but I need a more reliable job."

"If you're serious about it, maybe I can get you some work at the pub," I said. "I didn't think you really needed a job since you still live with your dad."

Cash shrugged. "Your staff is full. But if someone leaves, let me know."

"Sure." I glanced toward the table to see Declan watching us, eyes fixed on Cash. I wasn't sure he was as bothered by Cash's company as he'd made it seem. "I think your breakfast date wants you to come back."

Cash looked over his shoulder, and Declan instantly dropped his gaze to his mostly empty plate.

"Yeah, he looks real lonely," Cash said wryly. "But I'll let you two get back to your breakfast."

We finished our breakfast and paid, but Skylar was stopped two more times before we made it out of there.

"Everyone wants a piece of Skylar Addison," I teased. "Should I be jealous?"

"It's a little strange. I was used to kind of being ignored, and now…"

"Now, you're one of us." I slung an arm around his shoulder as we walked toward the car. "I hope you can handle being popular, because as a guy who holds the keys to new jobs and business, everyone in Swallow Cove is going to be very interested in you."

Skylar met my eyes. "As long as you stay interested, I think I can handle it."

I pressed a kiss to his lips, one that was far more convincing than the quick peck I'd given him in front of Dorothy. "You've got my full attention, Sky. Don't you worry."

He smiled. "It's kind of nice, you know? Being treated like one of you."

"Sure, until everyone is in your private business when you don't want them to be."

"Pretty sure there's not much private about my business with you kissing me on the sidewalk."

I grinned. "Maybe I just want everyone to know you're my man."

Skylar leaned in for another kiss. "Then let's make sure there's no confusion."