Page 30 of One Unexpected Kiss

Claire stared at me. “When you put it that way, how can a lady refuse?”

She stood, snatched her purse from the back of the chair, primly turned on her heel, and walked out the exit. Not bad for a woman who’d needed help walking in only ten minutes earlier. I didn’t have the heart to tell her she had puke on her pants.

CHAPTER 7

Claire

THE SILENCE INBennett’s truck was filled with tension, and the longer I sat there, the angrier I got. It wasn’t like I’d planned to get sick, and I certainly hadn’t asked someone to call the cops on me. I hadn’t even realized Wes was taking me to the Banks Brew Co. until we’d gotten to the parking lot. That was becoming an unpleasant reoccurrence in my life.

While I seethed, I tried to talk myself into being grateful for the ride.Bennett could have kicked you out of the Brew Co. He could have let you walk home.My attempts to cool down didn’t work, because all I could think was that he didn’t have to be an asshole about doing me a favor I hadn’t even asked for.

“You know, I’m not here to ruin your life, despite what you might think,” I said, no longer able to stand the silence. Calling it ruining his life was overblown, but he was the one being dramatic about the whole thing.

His jaw worked. “I agree—it’s not personal, and that’s the problem.”

I should have left it alone. I should have clamped my mouth shut and stayed silent for the rest of the ride. But I couldn’t help myself. “What the hell does that mean?”

He spared me a sidelong glance. “Markham is just another big corporation—”

“Hey,” I said before he could spew disparaging remarks. “That’s my brother-in-law you’re talking about.” Phil and I weren’t besties by any stretch of the imagination, but he was my sister’s husband, which made him family. The Holdens might not be as chummy as the Ramsey-Croft clan, but we stuck up for our own.

He shrugged. “He doesn’t mean anything to me, just like the residents of the Carolina Banks don’t mean anything to him. He’s only in it to make money.”

I rolled my eyes. “Wake up, Bennett. All businesses want to make money. It’s not like the Brew Company gives away beer for free.”

If his head could have blown steam, like a cartoon character’s, it would have.One point to me.He was never going to realize he was outmatched.Stubborn until the endwas going to be engraved on his tombstone. I guessed we had that in common, but at least I listened to reason, whereas he was acting like an overgrown toddler who wasn’t getting his way.

“It’s not the same,” he ground out.

“You’re right. It’s not. Because at least Markham is willing to look to the future instead of being stuck in the past.”

I appreciated tradition as much as anyone, but Bennett took it to extremes. He might be on the local business commission with a group of septuagenarians and octogenarians, but he was the old geezer in the bunch. I hated that I’d not only managed to put myself in a situation where I felt humiliated, but I was also indebted to him.

“What do you know about it? You lived here for three months nine years ago.”

He had a valid point, and my brain was too tired to come up with a strong rebuttal. Feeling a massive migraine coming on, I rubbed my temples. “You’re right, Bennett. You are absolutely right, and the place has barely changed.”

He nodded. “As it should be.”

I felt like I was banging my head against a brick wall. “Open your eyes! Some of your neighbors’ businesses are struggling, which means they are struggling.”

“Exactly. Bringing in a big corporate resort will only make things worse.”

“That’s not true.” I sighed, and though I knew it wouldn’t work, I felt I should attempt diplomacy. “Can we at least have a calm and rational conversation about this? I can show you our analysts’ research.”

“I know what you’re going to say. A resort will bring more tourists, which means more business for the locals, but I disagree. You’re not proposing a Hilton or Days Inn. You’re proposing a self-contained ecosystem. The resort will have its own restaurants, shops, and entertainment. People won’t need to venture off the property. How is that beneficial for anyone but Markham shareholders?”

I wanted to shout at him that he was wrong and that if he’d let me show him our research, I could prove it to him. But I held my tongue because at least we were finally having a dialogue, albeit a hostile one.

“I understand your concerns,” I said slowly, trying to keep from sounding condescending, “and if my head wasn’t pounding and if I hadn’t lost my phone, I would show you the projections—”

“Projections made by people who have never set foot on the islands.”

I threw my hands up. “You’re impossible.”

He grunted in response, and we spent the last few minutes of the drive in silence. When he parked in front of my rented beach house, Stephanie’s Land Rover was nowhere in sight. I needed to rent a car so I wouldn’t have to depend on her and Uber to get around, but I would think about that tomorrow, when I would no longer be in a post-seasick haze. Right after I figured out where to get a new phone. I groaned. I’d nearly forgotten about that.

Bennett looked at me in alarm. “Are you okay?” He probably thought I was going to throw up in his truck.

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