Page 54 of Island Whispers

“Good.” Nina closed her eyes. “She’s coming here?”

“Yes,” Jess replied. “The Guardian Agency is handling the travel arrangements.”

“Good,” Nina repeated. “He’ll be glad to see her.” And once the sister arrived, Nina would graciously bow out. She wanted to ask the sister’s name and decided that wasn’t her place. Boone would tell her when he could. Or she’d meet the woman on her way out of the hospital room.

Jess draped an arm over Nina’s shoulders. “What do you need?”

Nina bit her lip, refusing to shed more tears. “Just need him to wake up.”

“He will,” Jess promised.

Nina sniffled, nodding in agreement. Boone would be fine. Had to be. “What about Spratt?” She caught Jess’s hand. “Please tell me he dropped dead last night.” Harsh, but she didn’t want to keep looking over her shoulder and she didn’t want another bodyguard hanging around.

Boone had been more than a protector, obviously, and still the adjustment was an uphill battle.

“You’re safe again.” Jess sipped her coffee. “His original sentence, along with the escape, car-jacking, stalking, and assault with a deadly weapon will keep him locked up for life. I can’t guarantee he won’t come up for parole at some point, but he’ll never bother you again.”

A hard shiver rattled down her spine. “When I saw him in the club, I just…” She blinked away the image of his cruel expression. “He had help,” she said.

“He convinced the bouncers Boone was the bad guy. They were conned,” Jess explained. “They both want to apologize to you.”

“They should’ve come out and helped us.”

“The club owner feels terrible and the Guardian Agency has recommended some additional training for their staff.”

Hooray. Nina tried and failed to muster up any enthusiasm. Everything was coming up roses for everyone. And here she was, caught in this weird place where anger and relief bumped around making it hard to think. She was overtired and stressed. Probably pregnant too. She had so much to be thankful for. Between Boone and Jess and countless others she didn’t know personally, she was finally out of danger. She tried to focus on that, to concentrate on the silver lining.

“How did he even find us there?”

Jess swallowed the last bite of her chocolate croissant and licked her fingers. “Cell phone. Social media. He tracked you down to the shop and from there…”

Nina let her head fall back. Social media. Ugh. “I brought this on myself.” But she hadn’t posted anything since the car-jacking incident.

Jess stepped in front of Nina. “No. Spratt is the problem. He’s a calculating, conniving bastard. He tracked you down to the shop and then stalked your social media accounts. You love that band and he made a calculated guess that you’d show up. That’s all. Don’t let this change how you live your life, Nina.”

Why not? So many other things in her life were likely to change soon. She’d need to adjust the schedule and talk with Molly about hiring more help. Assuming the numbers worked. And if Boone’s hunch was right, her Charleston weekends with girlfriends would be less frequent, if not completely over.

She glanced over her shoulder, but Boone was still sleeping and Nash had settled into the bedside chair, carrying on a quiet one-sided conversation.

Through the window, sunlight sparkled on the harbor and boats rocked gently in their slips. The pelicans were on the move and seagulls were ramping up. Without Spratt’s interference, she and Boone would be at her place, likely discussing the test results. As much as she wanted to know, she’d thought the whole pregnancy question would be something private between her and Boone. She hadn’t planned on hearing any outside opinions until she had the facts straight and time to process her own thoughts and feelings.

“Did, um, Nash mention anything?”

A grin flashed across Jess’s face. “About the surplus of pregnancy tests in the car?” she whispered. “Yes, he told me.”

“And you couldn’t tell him I was buying them for you?”

Jess reared back as if Nina had slapped her. “No.”

Nina didn’t have the energy to follow up on that reaction. She thought her brother expected to have kids someday. But that was between them. It would be hypocritical of her to go nosing around in their relationship when she wanted her family to steer clear of her business with Boone.

Maybe that was the real difference. Jess and Nash had a relationship and she had a business arrangement. One that was over now that Spratt was back in custody.

“I can’t lie to Nash,” Jess murmured.

Nina waved it off. “It’s fine. And that’s good.”

“I want to know that you’re good, Nina.” Jess leaned back against the window sill, making it impossible for Nina to ignore her. “I brought the bag with me if you want to find out.”

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