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I swat him with the card. “You twit. Did it ever occur to you that if the Plundering Pelican does well, more people will come to Coconut Key and those same people might want an ice cream cookie sandwich to tide them over until dinner or to have ice cream for dessert?”
“I was joking. Of course, there’s enough room in this town for them and us. I just have your back since they excluded you.”
Tilting my head to the side, “Ryan, you and I both know that if I wanted a part in the Plundering Pelican, I would’ve claimed the throne as the Plundering Pelican Queen. As the youngest, I’ve never let my sisters boss me around.” I lengthen my spine. “In a way, it was a blessing in disguise, because look at what we’re doing.”
We both take in the remains of the Sip & Scoop. With little more than a couple of walls kind of standing, it looks relatively hopeless.
“Okay, don’t look, but imagine what it’ll be. And listen to this. Coconut crunch was my aunt’s special recipe. She sold it in the gift shop at the Plundering Pelican. It’s kind of like peanut brittle but with coconut. It’s hard to explain.”
“I remember it. Magnus loved the stuff.”
“One early summer day, it was raining out. I was still little, maybe five or six. The others had gone off to do something, leaving me inside. Aunt Martina must’ve sensed I was feeling left out. For the record. I wasn’t. I didn’t want to go do whatever dumb thing my older sisters were doing.” Probably. I don’t remember.
“Sounds just like you.” Ryan smooths his hand through my hair and then slides it behind my shoulder.
Slightly distracted because this could lead to a kiss, I try to recollect my thoughts. Lately, they’ve been primarily on Luke, secondarily on Ryan, and then evenly split between the ice cream shop and the treasure hunt.
Giving my head a little shake, I go on, “Aunt Martina asked me if I wanted to help her in the kitchen. She had a special recipe for us to try. The ingredients in the coconut crunch and her method were top secret, so I was kind of excited. But instead of simply making it, she wanted to try a cookies version of it.”
Ryan doesn’t look overly impressed.
“The cookies were a success—firm on the outside with a gooey middle. She gave me full credit and from that summer on, it was our special thing we’d do on a rainy day. Years later, I tried to replicate it and failed. My guess is she added the secret ingredient when I wasn’t looking.”
“That’s sweet. Literally.”
“But that’s not all. The cookies are perfect for ice cream cookie sandwiches here at the Sip & Scoop.”
Ryan smiles but doesn’t quite have the enthusiasm I was hoping for.
“We’ve been brainstorming whether to keep everything here true to the original or put a modern spin or do our own thing.This is both. It’s very Coco Key because this area used to be a coconut palm plantation, so the coconut part provides a regional draw. The cookie sandwich bar is uniquely ours.” I describe the cookie sandwich bar with an assortment of fillings between the cookies and explain how it would work.
His gaze sparks as if he too can envision it, then he moves to kiss me.
I pull away.
His lips quirk like I’m playing hard to get.
No, he’s hard to resist, but we’re in public. I whisper, “We can’t kiss here.”
“We’re the only two people on the street. This is a small town, if you haven’t noticed.”
“Exactly. What about the Coconut Wireless?”
“I’m surprised the pink flamingos haven’t made an appearance.”
By the puzzled look on my face, he must realize I’m in the dark about this more recent development.
“Ask Isla or Lally. They’ll tell you. But kissing is something people who’re in love do.”
I bark a laugh. “In love? I’m not in love.”
Undeterred, Ryan tips his head back with laughter. “Yes, you are. You just don’t realize it yet.”
I am so in love. I’m a fool for this guy. A total and utter fool.
Ryan must read the change in my expression because he plants a huge kiss on my lips. I melt a little, and despite my crunchy exterior, I feel gooey in the middle, and unable to ignore the lure of his clean cotton scent.
When we part, he says, “Have I ever told you that you’re brilliant?”
