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I shrug, and Jesse glances at me in the mirror. “Not the mayor, no. Frosty Harbor doesn’t have a mayor. Just a town council. Caroline’s on it. She’s also the first person to know if something goes wrong and the first person to chew you out if you do anything that isn’t in the best interest of the town.”
“She sounds like a badass,” I say.
“Kind of,” Jesse agrees with a little grin. “As long as you don’t mind sarcasm and somebody who doesn’t know how to keep out of other people’s business.”
For some reason, Jesse gives Jake a long look at that.
I frown, leaning forward with my hands on the back of their seats. “What was that? What’s that look you just gave Jake?”
Jake shakes his head. “It’s nothing. Jesse just… it’s nothing,” he says again. “We’re almost there, anyway.”
“This looks like a bed and breakfast. It’s so cute,” I say.
“That’s exactly what it is. Our grandparents lived here, then our parents built the cabin when dad got into architecture. They turned this place into a bed and breakfast as a passion project to benefit the town. Caroline fell in love with it when she was little and always wanted to be here. She and our mom spent so much time here, so it didn’t surprise anybody when Caroline kind of turned this into her full time job. That, and acting as the event coordinator for the town.
“You know,” I say, feeling a sudden annoyance with Jake. “You never even told me Jesse had a sister.”
Jake glances over his shoulder. “I never told you anything about my teammates. Apparently, my instincts to keep you away from them were spot on, too.”
I sink back in my seat. “Low blow.”
“Fair blow,” he counters.
“Caroline just turned thirty last month,” Jesse says, as if trying to make up for my brother’s tight lips.
“Is that younger than you?” I ask, because I’m nosy.
“Stop asking him questions,” Jake says.
“I’m thirty-three,” Jesse says.
“I’m thirty-two!” I say. “Right between you two. How funny is that?”
“It’s not funny at all,” Jake says.
“You know I ask people questions all the time, Jake. It’s possible to be curious about somebody without wanting to jump their jimmies.”
“Considering what I walked in on?” Jake says. “You two have a much shorter leash with me than usual. So I don’t particularly care what you usually do.”
I roll my eyes. “Well, I’m excited to meet your sister.”
* * *
The bed and breakfast is charming, cozy, and we’re all situated on various sofas and loveseats by a crackling fire in the living room. Caroline has turned the kitchen nook into a little office, which was where we found her when we came in. She was just finishing up checking in two guests, who shuffled off to their room upstairs after giving us a wave and a smile.
Caroline told us to sit while she made hot chocolate for everyone.
She sets down the cups beside us, making no secret of the curious looks she’s throwing my way.
Jesse eyes me over his cup, but jerks his gaze away when he sees me looking.
Caroline takes the open seat between Jesse and Jake. She has dark hair like Jesse, but the similarities kind of stop there. She’s short, bubbly, and from my brief interactions so far, highly sarcastic. She’s wearing somewhat eccentric skinny glasses with half-moon lenses that make her look like the kind of librarian who has a special stack of extra saucy romance books for her favorite customers. She’s also beautiful in a girl-next-door kind of way, almost like she’s trying to downplay her looks for some reason.
Subtle or not, Jake must notice. He’s sitting extra stiff in his chair and apparently making a point not to look at her. Aw. Does my big cranky brother have a crush?
“Careful with those hot chocolates,” Caroline says. “I brew them hot enough to invite lawsuits. Now that I’ve told you they’re boiling hot, you can’t sue me.”
“Have you considered lowering the temperature to something farther from the surface of the sun?” Jesse asks.
