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“A little conflict isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” Stephanie said. “It’s natural in relationships. I’m always suspicious of those couples who are up each other’s asses one hundred percent of the time. That can’t be healthy. Somebody is suppressing something, and I, for one, wouldn’t want to be around when it’s unleashed.”
“I’ve had enough conflict with Bennett. I didn’t want more of it when we finally came to a truce.”
“Plus, you wanted to enjoy yourself.” She leaned closer. “But have you ever had makeup sex? It might very well be my favorite kind. I used to pick fights with Phil just so we could make up. I think he was onto me, though.”
I stared at her. My sister had been sharing many tidbits of relationship wisdom—all unsolicited, mind you—and I hadn’t had time to begin unpacking them. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “After the rezoning vote tomorrow, I have no reason to stay in the Carolina Banks.”
“That’s bullshit. You have one big reason, and he’s fond of flannel shirts and ugly dogs.”
“Larry isn’t ugly.” Why did everyone insist on hating on that poor dog’s looks? He was unique looking, but that didn’t make him ugly.
“That’s what you got out of what I said? You don’t have a job to get back to.”
“Thanks for the reminder,” I said bitterly.
“My point is that there’s no reason you can’t stay longer and see where this thing leads.”
I folded my hands in my lap and studied them. I was long overdue for a manicure. Once I’d lost my job, my nail care routine had become the least of my worries.
I hadn’t heard from Bennett since after the meeting, when he’d given me the cold shoulder. I’d planned to hang out at the Brew Co. while he worked, but instead, I’d hitched a ride with Mr. Abernathy, who invited me for another spin on his boat.No thanks.
If the resort was approved, Bennett might be so bitter he wouldn’t want to see me. The man struck me as someone who could hold a grudge.If that’s the case, he’s not worth my time, anyway. It wasn’t like I’d misled him. He knew exactly what my mission was.
Stephanie tapped my knee. “Claire? You should stay. I can leave you the Land Rover and catch a flight home.”
I smiled sadly. That was beyond thoughtful of her. But my work was done, which meant I couldn’t expect Markham to continue paying for my lodging. If I voiced concern, Stephanie would whip out her credit card and solve the problem, but I couldn’t accept that. I was too much in her debt already. Besides, I didn’t even know if Bennett would welcome my extended presence on his islands, and the possibility of his rejection terrified me. So I gave my sister an excuse I was willing to admit to.
“Actually, I have a lead on a job. I have a phone interview in an hour.” What I didn’t tell her was that the interview was more or less a formality for a gig that would last fifteen hours at most if Phil’s estimate was correct.
“Well, that’s good news!” She smiled brightly. “But jobs don’t usually start right away, so you still have time.”
“Steph—”
She put her hand up to silence my protests. “Think about it. You’re happy when you’re with Bennett in a way that you weren’t happy with Reg. That’s worth exploring.”
Again, my sister with her relationship advice. I hated that she was making sense for once, because I knew I wasn’t going to listen.
***
Bennett
I THREW THEball for Larry, and he chased it down then plopped down next to it and refused to bring it back. “Come on, boy!” I called.
Panting with tongue hanging out of his mouth, he merely stared at me. I was pretty sure he thought I was crazy. I sighed. Maybe an hour of fetch was too much for the poor mutt. For all that I bitched about my dog, he usually was a great source of stress relief. Not today. I couldn’t get the business commission meeting off my mind.
Claire was a grown-ass woman, and I hadn’t forced her to get involved with me—that would have been wrong on too many levels to count, and anyway, I doubted anyone could force Claire to do something she didn’t want to do. Still, it sickened me that my fellow Carolina Banks residents had made her feel dirty about our relationship. Explaining to the people that we’d had a history before this wouldn’t have made a difference. Besides that, we didn’t owe anyone an explanation.
She hadn’t said as much, but I could tell Claire was more bothered than she would admit. I’d helped put her in this situation, and there was nothing I could do to fix it.
My phone rang. It was Mayor Stoltz. I stared at the screen for a moment before answering.
“Bennett, hi! I heard the meeting last night was very productive.”
I scowled. “Who did you hear that from?”
“Oh, a few people,” she answered evasively. “The commission will be voting tomorrow.”
