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Like his cousins. Penelope and Emily at Atlantic Rise. Hunter Bond at The Retreat. Eli at Bond Casino.

Hell, even his cousins Bode and Drew with their retirement community, he’d been talking with them about putting things out for future tenants. He could make it work. If he could find the time.

“You do,” Kelsey said. “And it’s cost effective.”

“You get off on words like that, don’t you?”

“I don’t need my brother asking me what I get off on,” Kelsey said.

“Geez, Kelsey. Cut the shit. You always do that to me.”

He didn’t need to think of his sister being with a man or anything at all related to one.

“It’s fun to get you worked up.”

He dumped the eggs into the hot pan, then followed it up with the vegetables, ham and cheese. He had two pans going at once. Might as well make one for himself while he was at it.

“You always did like to yank my chain,” he said, moving to the oven and checking on the bacon. He knew it was done. Everything was timed in his head and he was never wrong.

He pulled it out and set it down, then went back to finish up the omelets.

Once he had their plates completed, he carried them out to the bar. They could sit there and talk.

Kelsey helped herself to orange juice. She knew where everything was. She’d been behind the bar a time or two helping out when he’d been short staffed. The same with his parents. That was what family did. They were there for each other.

“Mmm,” Kelsey said. “You made mine as big as yours on purpose and now I’m going to feel sick all morning when I finish this, but it will be so worth it. I just won’t eat until dinner later.”

Exactly what he’d thought she’d say. “Tell me why you stopped over this morning other than me feeding you.”

“You told me that three years into Duke’s you were going to start looking at other opportunities on the island.”

“I did,” he said.

He wasn’t jumping on anything. It had to be right. The right location, the right building that didn’t need too much work. The right style of fare he’d want to offer. Once he found the place, the food would come next. He wasn’t tied into anything.

“I might have an opportunity for you.”

“Are you selling real estate now? I thought that was Drew’s domain.”

“Very funny,” Kelsey said around a mouthful. “No. I’ve got a client. They own a pub on the south end. Less than a mile from Juliet.”

Amore Island’s south port was Juliet, the north Romeo. Everything tied back to the lore and legend of the island of love at first site. Or fate. Or whatever other tales had been spun from it over the years.

Duke never believed any of it, but it seemed a lot of his cousins were proving him wrong.

“Are they looking to sell? What’s the name of the place?”

He was aware of every restaurant on the island. Best to know his competition.

“Southside Pub,” she said.

“I’m familiar,” he said. “They opened shortly after I did.”

“Yes,” Kelsey said. “Stan and Louisa Breaton. They are retired educators from Plymouth. It’s their second career. Really nice couple. They live on the island. They’ve had a cottage in their family for years.”

“Did they have any experience in running a pub? Or at least cooking or working in one?”

“No,” Kelsey said. “It was a dream they had. To them, they wanted to just break even. They had their pensions and were comfortable. If they were able to take a paycheck and keep people employed and bring business to the island, they were happy enough.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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