Unexpected Entanglement (Echo #3)

28. Chapter 28

twenty-eight

“There you are. Is everything okay?” Rowan finally found Chris on the porch, texting on his phone. She’d wondered why he’d never shown up for coffee or breakfast.

Chris glanced up at her from his seat. “I just checked in with Walt and Jane. They’re set to arrive this afternoon with the drapes and the other stuff we asked for.”

“Good to know. I was about to head over to the staff quarters to prepare their rooms,” Rowan said. “You’re sure they’ll be okay there? The rooms are pretty basic.”

“They’re better than basic. They’ll be fine,” Chris said. “If I can sleep there, so can they.”

“What do you mean, if you can sleep there?” Rowan frowned, not following him.

Chris shrugged. “You’ll need my room for the wedding guests.”

“Yeah, but I thought…” she paused. “…you could move in with me.”

He looked at her as if the thought had never occurred to him. “Wouldn’t that complicate things?”

Rowan stuffed her hands into her pants’ pockets. “Nobody needs to know where you sleep. Besides, the staff thinks you’re my fiancé. What would they say if they saw you bunking in the staff quarters?”

“Right.” He nodded.

She shifted on her feet. “Things are about to get complicated with my family coming.”

“Why?” Chris asked flatly.

Rowan frowned at the absence of his usual cheerful mood .

What’s going on?

“What are we going to tell them about us?” Rowan presented the dilemma she’d been thinking.

“We don’t have to tell them anything. After all, we’re just a temporary arrangement,” Chris said shortly.

That answer felt like a physical slap that Rowan just stood there, stunned. He only said what she herself had told herself, but it was an enormous shift from the way they’d left things earlier.

“Right,” she murmured.

“Maybe I should go,” Chris suddenly suggested.

“What?” Rowan jolted.

Chris fiddled with his phone in his hands. “My presence complicates the situation. You don’t have to explain anything to anyone if I’m not here. Jane can run the wedding.”

“Where the hell is this coming from?” Rowan demanded, searching his face.

Chris avoided her gaze and got on his feet. “I just had a reminder of why I came here. And my dad has been texting me to—”

Rowan cut him off, glaring at him. “You promised me two weeks. You’ll stay for two weeks.”

Chris finally met her eyes, but with none of the joviality she’d come to like about him.

“I’m holding you to your word.” Rowan stood and told him, “Obviously, I can’t keep you here if you really need to go see your dad. But I need you for this wedding. I’m asking you for one more week, then you’re free.”

I’m not ready to lose you just yet.

Before Chris could answer, the rumble of an incoming car got their attention. A truck approached the main house.

“Is that Gibbes? What does he want now?” Rowan said, annoyed their conversation was disrupted.

She hated to leave the conversation hanging. But it had to wait. She went down the steps to the driveway with Chris only a step behind.

When the truck stopped in front of them, Chris put an arm around Rowan’s back as he stood close next to her—an automatic gesture he’d been doing in front of the locals since Rowan had announced their engagement .

But the woman who stepped out from the passenger seat wearing a white shirt tucked into her designer blue jeans wasn’t a local. She took off her sunglasses and focused her eerily familiar blue eyes on Rowan before she turned her gaze to Chris.

“Don’t you two look cute together?” said Rae Allen.

Chris stared at his friend with his mouth wide open. Rae smiled warmly at him as she approached, then her eyes landed on Rowan with a curious glint.

“Surprise!” Rae said.

Connor Gibbes came around the hood of the truck with speculating eyes. Chris quickly jumped into action and hugged Rae.

“Rae, what are you doing here?” Chris said loud enough for everyone to hear and whispered only to Rae, “Follow my lead.”

When he pulled away, Chris turned to Rowan with a big smile and a signal. “Babe, it’s Rae!”

It took Rowan two seconds to register his signal, but she, too, quickly plastered a big smile. “Rae, what a surprise.”

Chris nudged her toward Rae with a gentle push on the small of her back. She understood the message and went to hug Rae as if they were old friends.

The look on Rae’s face was priceless, and Chris was glad Gibbes couldn’t see it. He didn’t know what Gibbes knew about Rae, but he hoped Rae had remembered enough about what he’d informed her and had said nothing damaging to Connor Gibbes.

“You’re a little early for the wedding. The rest of the family isn’t arriving until Thursday,” Chris added, earning a brief questioning look from Rowan.

He was thinking on the fly as he noted Gibbes’ keen eyes on the sisters. He was sure Gibbes noticed the resemblance. They might as well be open on the familial relation without revealing too many details.

“Mr. Gibbes, how are you?” Chris quickly turned to the older man. “How did you end up driving Rae here? ”

“I was dropping off my wife at the ferry for her day trip to Camden, and we overheard Rae here asking how to get to Bright Head. So I offered her a ride,” Gibbes answered with a smile.

“Connor told me he’s your neighbor,” Rae said.

“That he is,” Rowan said. “Thank you for getting Rae here, Mr. Gibbes.”

“You should’ve called us,” Chris said to Rae. “We would’ve picked you up.”

“I wanted to surprise you both. You know me. I always figure out my own way.”

“Well, consider us shocked,” Rowan said. “Wait till Kieran hears about your arrival.”

“It’s gonna be a party,” Chris said.

Rae looked at them with a confused look but maintained her smile.

“Is that your bag?” Chris pointed to the carry-on in the back of the truck.

Rae nodded to Chris before turning to Gibbes. “Thank you again for your kindness, Connor. I truly appreciate it.”

“Of course. We look out for each other on this island. I hope you enjoy your visit,” Gibbes said.

“I’m sure I will,” Rae said with a smile.

Connor Gibbes nodded to Chris and Rowan, then got back into his truck. The three of them stood there watching him drive away before they turned to each other.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Chris asked Rae.

While Rae shot back, “What the hell are you still doing here?”

“Excuse me,” Rowan tried to get in between the two.

Rae glared at Rowan. “And what the hell are you trying to do with my friend?”

Rowan matched the glare. “You’re the one who sent him to me.”

“I didn’t send him to play house with you!” Rae retorted. “What kind of business are you running here?”

Chris scratched his head as he watched the two sisters clash on their first meeting.

This is not good.

“Ladies, can we take this inside, please?” he said. “We have a lot to talk about.”

“She isn’t welcome here. Not with that attitude,” Rowan snapped .

“You invited me. Besides, I own a third of this place,” Rae fired back. “I have a right to be here.”

“Rae, please,” Chris asked firmly. Her eyes were sharp on him, but she shut up.

Chris then turned to Rowan. “Look, I know this is a shock. But we have bigger things to worry about, like what Gibbes found out from his ride with Rae.”

“I know.” Rowan crossed her arms under her breasts. “Like I don’t have enough to worry about.”

“Let’s get inside and figure this out,” Chris urged.

Rowan didn’t look happy, but she started up the stone steps to the porch without another word.

Chris looked to the sky and sighed.

“What a hospitable welcome,” Rae muttered next to him. “And she’s running an inn?”

Chris turned his face to her. “A little warning would’ve been nice.”

“You would’ve told me not to come.”

“I would’ve told you to come next week. This is the worst time for you to show up,” Chris said.

“Well, nice to see you too, buddy,” Rae quipped.

Chris sighed and gestured for her to go ahead to the house. He didn’t have time to digest his conversation with Rowan now. The impulsive thought about leaving evaporated from his brain. He couldn’t leave Rowan now. The complications had just tripled.