Chapter 5 #2
He followed his sister into the dining room, which hadn’t seen this much activity on a Friday morning in quite some time.
Mom had cut back her full breakfasts to just Sunday mornings, but now, with the contestants from the reality show plus a couple of Damian’s staff members, she’d clearly made some kind of deal to provide the full spread again.
The familiar sound of Scottie’s laughter, light and unguarded, filtered toward him, and he couldn’t help but glance across the room. There she was, sitting at one end of the long table. Theo to her right. And?—
Megan’s eyes lit up, nearly bumping him as she jostled the drinks. “Is that Carter Wynne?”
“Who?”
She stared up at him like he’d asked who the president was. “Um, only one of the world’s most eligible billionaires. I’d heard the rumors. Somebody came into the coffee shop and said he was competing on the show, but I didn’t believe it. Oh my word, you have to let me take him his drink.”
“I don’t know who you’re talking about, so go right ahead.”
He glanced down at the labels printed from the register: Elise, Theo, Scottie, and—Mom.
His sister had already swooped in, handing the clean-shaven, dark-haired man with olive skin and possibly the fanciest chocolate-brown hoodie Tate had ever seen a coffee.
Of course the guy was sitting across from Scottie. Of course.
“Hey,” Scottie said when her eyes met his. Her smile softened, like she hadn’t expected to see him. “Good morning. I didn’t know you were working here too.”
“All hands on deck.” He handed her a sixteen-ounce to-go cup with a plastic lid. A tendril of steam curled through the opening. “Careful, extra hot.”
“Perfect. Thanks.” She cupped her hands around the ribbed cardboard sleeve like it was a gift. “Tate, have you met Carter Wynne? Carter, this is Tate McGuire. His family owns this resort and he’s a maritime pilot.”
Carter glanced up and offered a well-manicured hand. Slender fingers, luxury watch.
Tate shook it, offering a thin smile. “Nice to meet you, Carter.”
“Likewise.” The guy’s voice was deep and smooth. His smile included a glimpse of the brightest teeth Tate had ever seen.
Oh boy.
Carter’s eyes toggled between Tate and Scottie. “What’s a maritime pilot?”
“Doesn’t your family own yachts, dude?” Theo piped up. “Seems like something you would know.”
Carter gave a mild shrug. “Hmm. My father has an executive assistant who hires all of our staff. I’m not familiar with the terminology, no.”
“Oh, it’s the coolest,” Scottie said, eyes sparkling in a way that made Tate’s chest clench. “He hops on this high-speed boat, zips out, and it, like, attaches itself to the side of a cruise ship or an oil tanker. And he climbs on board, drives it for a few minutes, and then zips back out.”
Tate couldn’t help but smile. “Couldn’t have said it better myself, Scottie. Thank you.”
“Huh.” Carter leaned toward her, his tone casual but his sharp gaze locked in. “So, Scottie, I’m a bit of an amateur photographer myself. I’ve been following you online. You’ve posted some gorgeous photos lately.”
Tate stood there, awkward and simmering.
Carter glanced at him. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“Nope. Not unless you want to hand out the rest of these drinks.”
“Hard pass.”
Carter’s dismissive smile made Tate’s gut roil. “Is there something I can help you with?” He grumbled under his breath as he returned to the kitchen.
From the open refrigerator door, Mom peeked out. “You all right, hon? Who are you talking to?”
“Myself.”
Ugh. He set the empty drink holder on the counter for Megan to take back to the coffee shop. “Guy’s just being obnoxious.”
“You mean he’s flirting with Scottie?” Megan said, coming in behind him.
“That too.”
“She can hold her own. I’m sure she’s encountered her fair share of handsome people flirting with her. Have you seen her photos that she’s posted online?”
Tate shook his head, though his fingers itched to pull out his phone and scroll immediately to whatever Carter had been talking about.
“I follow her on social media,” Megan went on. “Carter’s not wrong. She took these photos in the desert—Joshua Tree, I think? Man, they are breathtaking.”
“Cool. Here’s your drink container.” Tate slid the cardboard across the counter toward her.
“Thanks.” She studied him. “You okay?”
“Yeah, why?”
She tilted her head. “You’re just extra cranky this morning, that’s all.”
“I wasn’t expecting all these people to be here.” Tate crossed his arms over his chest. “This is a ton of extra work.”
“Here you go, Mom.” Megan handed over a drink. “I brought this for you.”
“Aw, thank you, sweetie.” Mom pressed a kiss to Megan’s head. “That was nice of you to bring those drinks over.”
“Frankly, they tipped well. I’ve got to get back. I left our new barista alone, and we were swamped when I left. Talk to you later.”
She eased out the back door, leaving Tate in the kitchen with his mother.
“She’s right, you know. You are extra cranky. What’s the matter?”
“I would prefer that these reality TV people move on out of here.”
“Oh, honey, don’t say that. Redemption needs something to get excited about. Finally, it feels like things are coming around for us and returning to normal. Besides, all this extra work you’re complaining about will be good for our bank-account balance.”
“I know,” Tate said, pouring himself a cup of boring old coffee from the ancient pot on the counter. Less than six months ago, they’d almost sold the place to a developer.
The truth was, he didn’t care one bit for seeing Scottie surrounded by Theo and Mr. Billionaire.
Yes, he knew she encountered all sorts of people, but when she wasn’t in Redemption, he didn’t have to think about who she might be with.
Now, though—now she was right here, in the resort’s dining room, letting those guys shamelessly flirt with her.
And it was harder than ever to chase away his feelings and pretend it didn’t bother him.
So maybe he did need to worry about her after all.