“There was no sex,” I said with a shake of my head.
“Ah, that explains the pinched expression.”
“I don’t have a pinched expression.” I grabbed a piece of bacon and chewed it.
“But it wasn’t the reunion you were hoping for,” he said.
“I don’t know what I was expecting,” I said.
I told him about the conversation around the fire. The part where I told her about the port and the headquarters. I didn’t mention Bodhi pawing at her like he had to protect her from me. Cody would jump at that and make assumptions.
“She take it well?” he asked.
“She did not.”
“Mm.” Another sip. “That going to be a problem for you?”
I looked at him. “It’s going to be a problem foreveryonein Surfside. It’s not personal.”
“Colt, this is Summer. Don’t pretend she’s just some average local. Summer fucking Banks. The woman I’ve heard about for years.”
“That was a long time ago.”
He finished his coffee. “I’m not trying to get into your business. You know I’ve always kept my mouth shut about what went on between the two of you.” He paused. “Three summers is a long time to keep something quiet. I get why you did it—her dad would’ve gone sideways, the age gap, all of it. I’m not arguing with the logic.” He looked at me, making me understand how serious he was. “I’m just saying. She’s not a random local who’s ticked off about a construction project. And you know that. So I’ll ask again. Is this going to be a problem for you?”
I stared at the ocean. The honest answer was something I wasn’t ready to put into words yet, so I went with the practical one. “What happened between Summer and me stays between Summer and me. Her father still doesn’t know, and I’d like to keep it that way for her sake. He’s protective. Always has been. Finding out his daughter spent four summers sneaking around with the rich kid next door who was seven years older than her isn’t going to do anyone any good this late in the game.”
“It’s not like she was underage. You make it sound like she was a kid.”
“I know she wasn’t a kid, but twenty and twenty-seven was a lot back then.”
“And now she’s twenty-seven. Big fucking deal.”
“It’s not just the age,” I said. “It’s more complicated than that.”
Cody leveled his gaze at me. “She’s going to be hard to avoid.”
“I know.”
“Beach house is right next door.”
“I know, Cody.”
“Just making sure we’re both clear on the situation. Am I running interference or letting you chase the woman that’s got a chokehold you?”
I grunted in annoyance. “She doesn’t haven’t a chokehold on me.”
“Colt, that woman has you by the balls.”
“That’s crass and no she doesn’t.”
“Let’s go into town,” he said. “I want to see what’s changed.”
“So we can see what they’re accusing us of destroying?” I retorted.
“Do you think that’s what we’re doing?” he asked.
“No.”