“Who is Noah?” she half mouthed, half whispered.
I glanced over at Bash. “You didn’t tell her?” I asked.
He looked at me before turning his focus on Abigail. “No.” His response was so matter-of-fact. Like, why would he tell her?
Men.
“Another imposition from the board. They said a woman CEO needs a bodyguard and assigned him to me.” I rolled my eyes as I pinched my lips between my teeth. I contemplated telling her about Noah and Carson’s history, but then decided against it.
I wasn’t sure if Noah wanted people to know that much about him, and it felt like too intimate a detail for me to reveal.
“So he’s just following you around?” Abigail asked, glancing in Noah’s direction once more.
“Kind of.” I shrugged. “He’s staying at my condo. Drives us around. Those kinds of things.” A protective surge rose up inside of me. I knew that Abigail didn’t mean anything by her question, but for some reason, I wanted to protect Noah and defend his intentions. After all, I was annoyed with the board, not Noah. None of this was his fault.
“Well, I think the solution to your problem is a man.” She tapped the table with her fingers. “And just your luck, the island is crawling with them from all the renovations and investments happening.” She clicked her tongue. “So many new guys are coming in and out of the shop. It’s like a buffet of men.” She punctuated her words with a wink. “We’ll get you set up in no time.”
I really wasn’t sure how to respond. The only thing I could come up with was a halfhearted, “Oh.”
“Abi,” Bash said.
We both turned to see him studying Abigail. He held her gaze, and a silent interaction took place between them. The kind that took place between two people who knew each other so intimately that they didn’t need to speak. They just…knew.
An ache rose up inside of me as the memory of having those kinds of moments with Carson washed over me. It had been so long since I’d shared my secrets with another. It felt like a lifetime ago. The memory felt like a dream I once had. One where I wasn’t quite sure if it had been reality or just fiction.
Abigail narrowed her eyes as if Bash was being ridiculous. “Of course, we’re going to vet them. Not just anyone is going to date—or marry—my sister-in-law.” She reached out and patted my hand. “I was merely saying that if she needs a smorgasbord of men, she’s in the right place. Harmony is crawling with them right now.” She paused and glanced between Bash and me. “Some of them are rich, too. Lots of investors here as well.”
My cheeks heated at her insinuation. I would be okay with a construction guy or a regular blue-collar worker. I wasn’t trying to hint that I wanted a rich guy at all. Most rich guys I’d been around had been more focused on climbing the income ladder than nurturing their relationships. I already knew what it was like to be alone by situation; the last thing I wanted was to be left alone by choice.
I just…didn’t know how to date. Where would I even start? Carson and I had been together for so long that I didn’t know who I was without him. And I certainly didn’t know who I would be with someone else.
I hurried to respond. “I don’t care about salary or income.” The last thing I wanted was for Abigail to think that I was stuck-up.
“Well, I care.”
Bash’s comment had both me and Abigail turning to face him. A quick glance in Abigail’s direction, and I knew she had the same reaction I did. Her eyebrows were scrunched together and her lips parted.
“Bash.” The way she said his name reminded me of the way I spoke to Timothy when he said something naughty.
“Listen, he needs to be a self-made man. It’s the only way we’ll know he’s not in it for her money.” Bash tapped the table with his forefinger a few times. “There’s no way I’d let my sister-in-law get with a gold digger.” He folded his arms and shook his head. “No way.”
Abigail folded her arms as well. They stared at each other for a moment before Abigail sighed and turned to face me. “I see where Bash is coming from. It could be an issue.” She scrunched her nose like she was combing through her thoughts. “Let’s see. I’ll do some digging. There have to be rich guys around.”
“There’s an investor gathering at the hotel tomorrow. A sort of meet and greet. That’s probably where we should look first.”
Abigail started nodding along with Bash as he spoke. Her expression had morphed from one of confusion to one of direction. “That’s perfect. Single, rich guys should be there, right?” She glanced from Bash to me and back.
Bash raised his eyebrows. “It would definitely be a place to start.”
Abigail clapped her hands. “Wonderful.” Then she glanced down at her watch. “Shoot, I gotta go open up the shop. Wanna come with?” She was studying me with a hopeful look in her eyes. “Fanny called in sick this morning so it’s just me.”
I glanced over to Bash, who gave me an earnest smile. I hadn’t forgotten that he’d wanted me here as much as I’d wanted to get away. Something was up with Abigail, and I could feel Bash’s anxious energy around it. Whatever it was, he seemed confident that I could help.
“Yeah, sure,” I said, but then paused as I glanced back to the room Timothy was sleeping in.
“Timothy…”
“I’ve got him for the day,” Bash said. “I’ll take him around town and then to the hotel. The indoor pool is ready for a test drive. I’m sure he’d love that.” He clicked his tongue. “We’ve got an awesome waterslide.”
