Page 101 of Nothing to Do

She smiled. “Don’t worry.”

“I don’t have to go—”

“Yes, you have to go. I demand that you go. He’s one of your best friends. The memory of this will last all of you a lifetime. I’d never ask you to give that up. I’d never want you to give it up.”

He gripped her waist. “Being with you is what I care about the most.”

“And you will still be with me,” she said and nudged him to tease. “Don’t, for a second, think leaving me on your island makes you free and single out in the world. We said we were doing this.”

“We are.”

Stretching her arms straight, she draped them around his neck to pull him lower. “Yes, we are. So go and ogle the strippers with your buddies and slip those c-notes into her thong, but you call me before you go to bed. Alone.”

Except if she was on the island, there wouldn’t be a way to call.

“I’ll leave you the sat phone.” Like they’d shared the thought. “You could come with me.”

“To your friend’s bachelor party? Oh, yeah, I’d be real popular, right behind you.”

“Roxie will be at Lilya’s, it’s the Sunday—”

“Oh, the boys get the Saturday, and the women have to party on a school night?”

“Lilya’s choice, no one else’s. She’s more than six months pregnant. Doing great, but she doesn’t know the meaning of slowing down. They’ve got some Huddle Hope meeting and—I don’t know, it’s Rox and Roux, no one ever really knows anything with those two.”

“Do you know Lilya? Do you like her?”

“We’ve met. The time we’ve spent together, yeah, I’d say she’s authentic, which hasn’t always been Kintyre’s style.”

“Authentic? You mean she doesn’t just want him for his money?”

“Lilya doesn’t need it. Her family has money.”

“Do they have a prenup?”

“Nope, not a chance, Kintyre learned his lesson with prenups. And it’s different with Lilya than it was with Julietta. They’re such different women. Kinda makes a guy wonder how he could go from one to the other.”

“Everyone deserves a little latitude in love, don’t they?”

“Oh, Julietta got more than latitude with him, she almost got the farm.”

“Julietta…” she said, pondering the name before she hit on it. “You don’t mean Ines-Kintyre. Your friend was married to—”

“Just Ines now.” He kissed her quick. “The only thing Kintyre asked for was his name back.”

“It must be difficult, breaking up so publicly.”

“Not something he’ll have to worry about again any time soon.”

As he walked away, she propped herself on the vanity. “You’d look cute with a baby.”

“I think they want to keep him. And if they’re looking to hand him over to anyone, Jane’s at the front of the line.”

“Jane? Knox’s Jane.”

He slid his arms into the sleeves of his jacket. “You and Roxie did cover a lot of ground. Not all her stories are one hundred percent true. Sometimes she… embellishes.” Though the smile on his face felt more fraternal than accusatory. “I guess it’s no surprise she’d start with Jane. She’s protective of her.”

“Roxie’s protective of everyone. She has a good heart, and good intentions. She never means any harm. You should’ve heard her last night with Sway.” Or more accurately thatmorning. “She’d give her last to anyone in need. I hope Zairn understands it’s his responsibility to protect her.”

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