“Thanks,” I said tightly. “Appreciate it.”
Phoebe pushed the cart forward. “Talk to you later, Lainey. Don’t forget about book club next week.”
“What?” Lainey couldn’t drag her eyes away from me.
“Spice Rack night, remember?”
“Oh, right.” She waved. “See ya then.”
“Aren’t you exhausted by all the people who want to talk to you?”
Phoebe snickered. “You get used to it. Wait until they find out who you are.” Her voice went sing-song. “You’re in trouble. Everyone will have questions.”
“Do you have grocery delivery around here?”
She laughed and hustled toward the butcher. “You wish.”
I sighed and followed, trying not to notice how her overalls hugged her ass. Overalls for Christ’s sake. Or the large swipe of hot pink paint that arched across her heart-shaped ass.
I looked up and my gaze crashed into a tall guy with narrowed eyes. He had his hands tucked into a blue ski jacket. A ball cap obscured part of his face.
“Phee, what’s up?”
“Oh, hey!” She left the cart and rushed over to the guy, throwing her arms around him. “When did you get back?”
“Yesterday.” He smiled down at her, but then that blank face was back for me.
“I thought you were gone until May.”
“Nah. I can do the rest of the job remote. There’s not a damn thing to do in Sarasota anyway.”
Phoebe linked her arm through his and dragged him over to me. “Come meet someone.”
I stuffed my hands into my pockets. Why the hell should I care if she touched some guy? And not my business if the guy looked like he was ready to drag me out to the parking lot.
“Lance Valentine, meet Dutch.” She grinned up at me. “Dutch meet my brother.”
Well, that did change things.
THIRTEEN
Phoebe
My smile slipped.
What the heck was with the tension between them?
One of my superpowers had always been reading the mood of a room. Keaton, my eldest brother, he was usually the one who rubbed people wrong. Lance? Absolutely not.
Lance gave Dutch a quick nod. I pinched my brother’s arm and he flinched, frowning down at me. I narrowed my eyes at him, hopefully projecting the “don’t be rude” into his head.
“Welcome to Haven. How do you know my sister?”
“Lance,” I admonished out the side of my mouth.
“We’re neighbors. I moved into the cottage across the road from her.”
“Oh.” My brother relaxed. “Careful, my sister adopts people.”
