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“Uhm, hello, I flew for hours to get here. Brynn will come with me,” her mother said. “If you are so inclined, you may join us at our hotel later this evening. I would like to talk to you about your dog. I think she could be a star.”
Her mom had given him her brightest smile, the one she used on producers and directors.
Major kept his hand out, and she realized he was allowing her to make the choice. The one she knew she had to make and had just had a whole inner monologue about.
She didn’t even hesitate. She threw that inner monologue away. It needed a rewrite. She put her hand in his and felt warmth flood her system, her instincts telling her this was the only place for her to be. “Take care of Duke for me. I’ll be back later.”
“Brynn!” her mother shouted.
She ran with Major down the dock, Dolly barking and racing beside them as though this was the best day ever. The dog bounded onto the boat and took her place at the front, eager for the next adventure.
When Brynn got in the boat this time, she wasn’t afraid.
“Seriously?” The sheriff was frowning at Major from the dock. “You’re leaving me with them?”
Ally was still taking pictures, but her mother was making her way down the planking, Duke settled into her Louis Vuitton bag.
Major flashed a grin. “Do you remember when you left me to deal with the entire bachelorette party after they found out the groom was sleeping with the bride’s sister?”
Armie held a hand up. “Peace, brother. Now we’re even.”
“Sheriff! I demand you arrest that man.” Her mother’s glare promised retribution somewhere down the line if her will wasn’t exerted. “He is stealing my daughter.”
Her mom should have been the actress. She was very dramatic, and she could sell a scene when she wanted to. “I’ll see you soon, Mom. I promise.”
But as Major started to pull away from the dock, she kind of wished they could float away forever.
chapter seven
Major maneuvered the boat away from the island.
“Aren’t you going the wrong way?” Brynn sat on the seat across from him, watching the water. “This isn’t the way we came in.”
“If I go that way, I assure you we’ll be able to hear your momma cursing my name the whole ride. The point was to get away, not gain a soundtrack,” he grumbled.
She turned in her seat and then those gorgeous eyes were on him, her lips curled down in the cutest frown. “You’re going to be grumpy again.” She sighed. “Not that I can blame you. My mom can be a lot, and we’re in a situation neither of us planned to be in. I need to talk to you about that.”
“Armie mentioned it. Apparently we’ve gone viral, and I have a new nickname. That will teach me to skip laundry day. I usually wear boxers. I’ve come to realize boxers are absolutely the more respectable of the underwears,” Major replied. “And I’m not grumpy. Your sister irritated me, and it’s obvious your mom is not a big fan of mine. Who is Stephen?”
How much had Ally managed to spill in the short time she’d talked to Major? “He’s a friend. We grew up in the business together.”
He nodded. “She tried to tell me he was your boyfriend, but I knew he wasn’t. You wouldn’t have kissed me if you have a boyfriend.”
“I don’t have a boyfriend, though the press will try to twist any relationship I do have into something serious, and that’s what we should talk about.”
This was why he’d decided to sweep her away from her mom. They needed to talk and he didn’t think it was a good idea to wait. He’d seen the worried expression on her face, and he rather thought the anxiety wasn’t for her. He’d known her mom had told her something that made her rethink what had happened only moments before. Deep down he knew he should rethink it, too, but he didn’t want to. He wanted to kiss her again, wanted to explore this thing they had for as long as they could. “I suppose we should have expected it would get out. I thought we might escape unscathed because who watches that feed? Who spends their time watching a bunch of birds or deer or gators do what they do?”
“Habitat streaming is a big thing right now,” she replied. “And someone is always watching.”
“Out here they usually aren’t.” Had she been reminded of how she always had eyes on her? They hadn’t talked much about how she felt about that aspect of her career. It had to be the worst part. He was sure some people thrived on the attention, but he didn’t think Brynn was one of them. “I know it seems like everyone is up in everyone else’s business, but it’s usually well-meaning.”
