“Coulter,” Garrett warned his younger brother.
Heat that had nothing to do with the sun began crawling up Avery’s neck.
Still crouched in front of her, Garrett gave her a smile that sent her hormones flying. “As much as I hate admitting it, Colt’s right. You need to eat.”
“We both do,” she agreed.
Standing, Garrett held out a hand to help her up. This time, when Avery got to her feet, the world swayed for an entirely different reason.
Wrapping her towel around her waist and slipping on her shoes, she and the two men headed up the hill to where their meal was being served. Garrett placed his callused palm against her lower back, keeping it there as they walked.
Over an authentic island lunch, which included steamed shrimp, crab legs, roasted vegetables, and a mixture of fresh fruits, the three of them got to know each other even better.
“So, Avery. Garrett tells me you live in Charlotte, too. Such a small world.”
“It is.” She took a bite of fresh strawberry. “Do you live there, too?”
Colt shook his head. “I have an apartment in Omaha, close to where we grew up. But I’m hardly there.”
“Why is that?”
“His work keeps him busy, too,” Garrett finished for his brother.
“I’m in public relations. I go where my work takes me.”
“That must get kind of lonely,” Avery noted.
But Colt shrugged it off. “I’m around people all the time. Plus, I knew what I was getting into when I took the job, and I enjoy it. Guess that makes all the traveling worth it.”
“I’ll be sure to relay that sentiment to Dad next time he crawls up my ass about not hearing from you for months on end.”
Garrett’s sarcastic tone was impossible to miss.
“As a matter of fact”—Colt raised a defiant brow—“I called him before we left the port. Which reminds me, he wants us both to spend a weekend there after we get back.” Then Colt surprised the hell out of her when he turned and said, “You should come with us. Dad would love you. And as a bonus, it would get him off G’s back.”
Avery blinked, the presumptuous invite to Nebraska taking her aback. She and Garrett had just shared their first kiss, and Colt was ready to introduce her to theirfather?
Relax, Aves. He’s obviously kidding.
Of course, he was kidding. He had to be. Right?
Giving herself a mental slap on the head, Avery chose to bypass the comment about her accompanying them to Nebraska by asking Garrett, “Why is your dad on your back?”
After shooting his brother athanks a lotglare, he looked back at her and sighed. “Our mother passed away a few years ago. I was still with the Army, and Colt had just graduated college and had started his new job. We made time for him as much as we could, and I eventually left the Army to help him on the farm. About a year later, I got hired on with Ta..uh..Travel Assurance.…” Garrett paused to regroup from his near blunder. “Anyway, after that, I wasn’t able to go back to visit as often as I’d like.”
“What my brother is taking entirely too long to say”—Colt chimed back in—“is, our dad is lonely, and he wants grandkids. Like, yesterday.”
“And since I’m the oldest…” Garrett picked up where Colt left off.
Avery smiled. “He expects you to be the first to give them to him.”
“That is so cute.” Colt picked up his water bottle. “You two are already finishing each other’s sentences.”
With a flip of the bird, Garrett began razzing Colt in retaliation for the smartass remark. Before long the two were tossing insults back and forth, the way brothers often did.
They werestillcarrying on when a Sunset Adventures staff member came around announcing the smaller boats were docked and ready to take passengers back to the Majestic.
Several minutes later, as they sat next to one another on the short ride over calm waters, Avery thought about the day’s surprising turn of events.