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He slows down as we drive through the island’s only town and looks at me when he stops at a red light.
Shit, he just caught me ogling him. I’m normally not shy, but I realized that when I like a guy, I go totally quiet. I feel heat rise to my face as he smiles at me in that slow, lopsided way, and for a second it looks like he’s about to say something, but the light turns green, and whatever that was is lost as he turns his attention back to the road.
The scenery begins to change as we leave the side of the island that’s more developed. Here, the manicured beauty of the resort and Main Street give way to the spontaneous vegetation that grows at the sides of the long, winding road that wraps around the coast.
The houses are fewer and far between on this side of the island, and they look more modest compared to the opulence of the country club buildings that make up my father’s resort.
Drew parks the Jeep on the side of the road by a lookout point with an amazing view of the ocean. He offers me his hand to help me out of the car and doesn’t let go as we walk toward the spot where the only sign of life is an old food truck.
I follow him without even noticing the breathtaking view, too busy trying to get my knees to support me as the contact with the warm, slightly rough palm of his hand causes my heart to pick up its pace.
I’m so wrapped up in the slight warmth that radiates from his body and his fresh, clean scent with just a hint of masculine spice that I’m caught by surprise by the excited squeal that greets us as we stop in front of the food truck.
“Drew! Yay, what a nice surprise!”
A tall, slender brunette runs out of the truck and wraps Drew in a tight hug.
She’s absolutely gorgeous, with long, wavy dark hair and shimmering gray eyes.
He hugs her back, letting go of my hand and placing a kiss on her temple. She looks a few years younger than him, maybe even younger than me. I guess the six year age difference between Drew and me wouldn’t have been an issue had he not had a girlfriend.
I know I’m being a jealous bitch, and that he never said this was a date or that he was single. I know that aside from that moment after I got that splinter, Drew has been kind and friendly, but he hasn’t gotten nearly as close as Matt and Brady have. The only reason I have to believe that Drew might be into me is because of what Matt and Brady told me the other night and my wishful thinking.
“Greer, this is Rue, my baby sister. Rue, Greer is surfing with me and the guys next month.”
I’m grateful that he introduced me as his teammate rather than his boss’s daughter, and I feel incredibly stupid for not having immediately noticed the resemblance between Rue and her older brother.
She wraps me in a hug. “It’s nice to meet you, Greer. So, how did you meet my brother? Did he lure you into surfing for his team with one of his signature dishes? And does his boss know that he’s poaching guests from the resort to replace poor Jamie?”
Her tone isn’t mean, she sounds the same way Brady and Matt do when they joke around with each other. “How do you know I don’t work at the resort?” I ask.
Rue’s smile doesn’t falter. “Nah, your clothes are too nice.” She shrugs. “And you’re obviously not a local, or we would know each other. Since this is a small island and Drew works too many hours to meet a tourist off the island during high season, you can only be a guest at the resort.”
Fucking touché. I mentally curse my mother for insisting on buying designer clothes down to the flip-flops I’m wearing.
“Look at my little Sherlock Holmes.” Drew chuckles, getting Rue in a playful headlock and rubbing the top of her head with his closed fist, making her squeal and squirm as she attempts to break free.
“So did you just come here to show off your hot girlfriend and be a pain in my ass, or do you want lunch?”
I try not to dwell on the fact that he doesn’t correct her when she calls me his girlfriend.
“Duh.” He smirks. “Lunch of course, you smartass. I swear when I was sixteen, I had more respect for my elders.”
Rue doesn’t bow down, which makes me like her instantly. “Right. The way I remember it, you had a different girl every weekend and drove Mom insane with your experiments in the kitchen.” She turns to me. “Don’t let him fool you with his skills now, culinary school was a godsend. When Drew started trying his hand at being a chef, he had a few accidents. Like his infamous explosive lasagna.”
Drew rolls his eyes, but he’s laughing. “You’ll never let me live it down, huh? Greer, it happened just once. I never had any explosions in the kitchen before or since that lasagna. It was my first time making the white sauce from scratch. I left it a little too liquid, and I put too much of it in the dish. The oven was also too hot, so the white sauce started splattering everywhere. But I definitely learned from that mistake. Right, Rue?”
The girl giggles, punching her older brother’s arm jokingly. “True. I have to admit that you make the best lasagna I’ve ever had. Did you have the chance to try it, Greer?”
I shake my head. “Not yet. But Ilovelasagna, so hopefully you’ll put it on the menu soon.”
Drew winks at me, almost causing my panties to melt with the way his gray eyes shimmer under the sunlight. “Of course. Anything for my favorite girl on the island.”
“Suck up!” Rue laughs. “I swear to God, my brother went to culinary school to impress his dates.”
Drew flips her off, but his smile reaches his eyes as he walks me to one of the few rickety tables that dot the area in front of the food truck. “I’ll have you know that I don’t need to cook to impress my dates, sis. I choose to cook just for the ones I really like.”
I try my hardest not to read anything into his words. I mean, he’s cooked for me, but he’s the resort’s chef, so it’s not like he has a choice in that matter.
