Page 97 of Hard Luck (Blackstone House)

Cole felt as though he were cheating on his staff by spending this time in San Gallicano with Bella. Yes, she could be prickly, and yes, she could be secretive, but she’d slotted into his life so easily, so comfortably, that he wondered how he’d ever thought he could spend the rest of his life alone. It wasn’t just the sex. It was her. Now that Cole had the space to look back on his time with Gretchen, he realised how screwed up that relationship had been. How subtly manipulative she’d acted every time she wanted to get her own way.

If you buy me the ring with the full carat, it’ll show how much you love me.

Can you believe she accused me of flirting with her boyfriend? You’re not going to let her get away with that, are you?

Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of a honeymoon in the Caribbean. Don’t you want to make me happy?

Although he did have to thank her for that last point. When he’d seen photos of Emerald Shores on a travel blog, off the beaten track and therefore affordable if he maxed out his credit card, he’d booked the trip. Except it turned out that when Gretchen said “Caribbean,” she meant Aruba. Cole had bought non-refundable tickets because they were cheaper, and when he insisted he couldn’t exchange them, she’d stormed out.

To Marcus’s place.

Cole had only found out because he’d decided to head over there himself to ask Marcus if he was being selfish about the tickets. Gretchen’s car had been parked in the driveway, and when he looked through the living room window…

A shake of the head did nothing to clear the memory.

“Areyouokay?” Bella asked.

“I’m fine. Just trying to forget about the past.”

She nodded. “I can understand that. Is there anything else we need to do before we set off?”

“I want to take another look at the charts. Restless spirits aren’t the only reason folk avoid the area around Skeleton Cay. The waters around there are rocky, and the sea is poorly mapped. The last people to sail the area regularly were pirates, and they turned the hazards to their advantage.”

“How dangerous is the trip? If the charts lack detail, is there a risk theCrosswindmight sink?”

“No trip is one hundred percent risk-free, but if I thought there was a chance I’d lose my boat, I’d have turned down the job. I just need to prepare, that’s all. When theCrosswindwas built, the specs included fish-finder sonar, which looks a little way ahead of the boat. As long as we stay slow in the problem areas, we can avoid any rocks.” Cole wrapped an arm around Bella’s shoulders and gave a comforting squeeze. “I promise I’ll keep you safe.”

Was that a snort?

“Sorry, I swallowed a bug.”

Good thing Cole had just brought a box of drinks to restock the cooler. He uncapped a bottle of water and handed it over.

“Year before last, a customer swallowed a paper wasp.”

“Bet that stung like a motherfucker.”

“She screamed until her throat swelled up. First time I’ve had to use an EpiPen.”

“You carry one on board?”

“Frankie’s brother is—” Cole realised he’d used the wrong tense and thanked the stars he was talking to Bella and not his friend. “Was. Hewasallergic to peanuts. Frankie used to store EpiPens everywhere. And now…now it seems like a good idea to keep one in the first-aid kit.”

“Proper planning and preparation prevents poor performance.”

“My neighbour in Crescent City used to say that. Old military guy. Except he used to say ‘piss poor.’”

“I was trying to be polite.”

“You just said ‘motherfucker.’”

Bella shrugged. “Yeah, well.”

Cole had to smile. “Relax, there’s not going to be any drama on this trip. Only sea, sun, sand, and…”

“Sex,” she finished.

No, serendipity.

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