Page 117 of Rescued by the Single Dad

“What’s going on?” Clint asked, coming to stand beside but also slightly between the two of them. Gabrielle stood opposite him, her amber gaze bouncing between Jagger and her cousin.

“Yesterday, I caught Raina here, leaving Keturah Katz’s house,” Jagger said with venom.

“So?” Clint asked.

“The day before, she’d been at Abe’s and Hattie’s houses. The day before that at Vern and Jolene Dandy’s.”

Gabrielle’s eyes narrowed. So did Clint’s. But they remained silent, waiting for more of an explanation.

“Then tonight, I hear her chatting up Sunflower Patrick, offering to come and help her weed her garden, clean her gutters and who knows what else? She’s cozying up to all the elders one by one to sway the vote.”

“Or, I’m paying my respects and being a good neighbor,” Raina countered, glaring at Jagger. “It’s not against the law to help out neighbors or go offer condolences. I enjoy hearing stories from my elders. Sitting and drinking tea with them and hearing all about life on the island from decades ago.”

“Not against the law, but pretty fucking convenient timing. Did you do this shit before Bonn died?”

Raina looked like she’d just bitten into a lemon.

Jagger’s face turned smug.

The redhead with attitude hinged forward a little, even though she still had to look way up to glare at Jagger. “How do you know where I’ve been? Are you following me? Are you stalking me?”

Now Jagger looked like he’d bit into the same lemon. “You? Fuck no.”

“Then how do you know where I’ve been and who I’m talking to? Obsessed with me much?”

“Oh, my fucking God. Get over yourself, princess. I was driving past and saw your stupid blue bike with the dumb basket parked in their driveways.”

“It’s turquoise, not blue.”

Jagger rolled his eyes. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.”

Clint had never seen his brother this riled up before. It was ... weird, to say the least. Not to mention disconcerting and certainly drawing attention. Unfortunately, it was the wrong kind of attention. The last thing they needed was for the elders to catch a whiff of what was going on and take Clint and his brothers out of the running for that land altogether.

“All right, I think tensions are just extra high right now,” Clint said, keeping his voice calm as he placed a hand on Jagger’s muscular shoulder and encouraged him to take a step back. “We’re all grieving Bonn, interested in the land, and doing whatever we can to get a leg up. It’s understandable.”

“Fuck that,” Jagger spat out, shaking Clint’s hand off his shoulder. “What she’s doing shouldn’t be allowed. It’s padding the voter box is what it’s doing.”

“It is not,” Raina shot back. “Our proposal is going to win of its own accord.” She turned to Gabrielle. “Right?”

Gabrielle gave her younger cousin a stern look before facing Clint and his brothers again. “At this moment, we can not confirm whether we’re submitting a proposal for the land or not. And frankly, it’s nobody’s business but ours and the island elders.”

Raina had the smarts to blush and look a little sheepish. Apparently, they’d been keeping their interest in Bonn’s land a secret—at least Gabrielle had—and now Raina went and let the cat out of the bag.

“However,” Gabrielle started, “my cousin is free to visit and help out whomever she pleases on this island and without repercussions or accusations. We are a community-minded business and committed to upholding our aunt’s legacy. Aunt Dolores was very active in the community, on the island, and had strong friendships with the elders.”

“Rumor has it she had more than just a friendship with Abe Jeffries,” Naomi said, not quite under her breath.

“And Theron Oliver,” added Danica.

“Don’t forget Sunflower.” Raina whispered with a scrunch to her lips. “They had a torrid affair back in the seventies.”

Several of them all snickered.

It was no secret the elders and many of the other long-time island inhabitants took part in free love, orgies and other variations of polyamory.

“Be that as it may,” Gabrielle said, steering the conversation back to the tension that percolated between her cousin and Clint’s brother, “accusing Raina—or any of us—of foul play or trying to pad the voter box will not be taken lightly. We are just being community-minded and upholding Dolores’s wishes and involvement as best we can.”

Oh yeah, Gabrielle had been a lawyer before she gave it all up to run the winery with her cousins.

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