Was Andrew sensing something in his voice when he spoke of Shelby? It wasn’t easy to slip anything past his twin. “I told you yesterday that I like her. I like them all. Spent some time with Steven yesterday. Nice guy.”
“Yeah. Restless.”
“Did he mention that to you?”
“No. Just picked up on it while I was there.”
No surprise there, either. Aaron cleared his throat, wondering what else his brother was picking up on. “I’d better let you get ready for your meetings. Give me a call if you come up with anything interesting.”
“Tell everyone there I said hello.”
“I will.”
Disconnecting the call, Aaron frowned down at the phone for a few minutes. There was something in his brother’s voice when they talked about the Bell family...something Aaron wished he understood better. As soon as he got back to Dallas, he was going to do a little prying of his own.
With nothing pressing to do before meeting Shelby and Steven, he let himself out of his cabin. He noticed that Terrence Landon stood on the porch next door, glancing at his watch as if waiting for a late arrival.
“Good morning,” Aaron called out after locking his door, settling his cap more snugly on his head. “Looks like it’s going to be another nice day.”
Landon scowled at him, nodded curtly and backed into his cabin, closing the door sharply. Shaking his head, Aaron started walking toward the marina, exchanging greetings with a more sociable senior citizen couple he passed along the way. A green golf cart carrying two members of the resort housekeeping staff buzzed past and he waved at them, too. He was sure he could find something entertaining to do for a couple of hours. Though his first choice would have been to spend time with Shelby, he could bide his time until she joined him later.
* * *
It was far from the first time that Shelby worked all morning with a swimsuit beneath her top and shorts. That was one of the best parts about her bookkeeping job, working her own hours in the private office with little formal contact with the resort guests. She had quite a bit to do before meeting Aaron and Steven for water sports, so she was at the computer early, her fingers flying over the keyboard, numbers and forms flashing across the monitor screen. She sipped coffee at her desk, not even taking a break until she’d completed her day’s tasks. Only then did she stretch and look at the clock. It was straight-up noon. No wonder her tummy was starting to growl. Breakfast had been hours ago.
After straightening her desk, she headed downstairs. Sometimes she ate lunch at her place, or with various family members at one of the houses, but she had no plans today. Might as well eat in the grill, she figured.
The grill was busy, almost all the tables and most of the bar stools occupied. Most of the diners were guests from the campgrounds and motel, but one table was surrounded by the male members of her family. Her dad, uncle, grandfather and brother were all there—and they’d been joined by Aaron, she noted with a flutter of pleasure at seeing him. As if he’d sensed her presence, he looked around, smiled and motioned for her to join them.
Seeing her approaching, her father snagged an empty chair and maneuvered it into a space opened when the others moved closer to each other. Shelby helped herself to a diet soda from the fountain behind the counter, then scooted sideways into the chair. It was a tight fit, but she managed to squeeze in between Aaron and her dad. “Am I interrupting anything?” she asked cheerily.
“Would it make any difference if you were?”
She wrinkled her nose in response to her brother’s dry response. “No. But carry on.”
It looked as though the men hadn’t been there long. They’d barely started on their burgers. Aaron, she noted, was having grilled chicken again. He really was a healthy eater. She’d have to keep that in mind while planning the date she owed him.
“Want a sandwich, Shelby?” her mother called out from behind the counter.
“Got time to put another chicken breast on the grill?”
“Of course.” Her mother opened the fridge.
“We were just outlining the work that has to be done around here during the next few months,” Bryan informed her while she waited for her lunch.
“Like the marina remodel?”
“That. A lot of painting and weatherproofing. Need to put a new roof on Cabin Two next week, and on the motel before winter. Still thinking about putting in two new RV pads over by the boat storage to use for holiday overflow. The usual maintenance and grounds upkeep.”
Shelby happened to be looking at her brother while her uncle listed only some of the jobs scheduled for the upcoming months. Steven’s jaw seemed to tighten a little more with each task mentioned.
“How much of the work will you hire out?” Aaron asked, seemingly fascinated by the inner workings of the resort.
“As little as possible,” Bryan answered with a shrug. “Like everyone else these days, we try to keep our expenses down. The whole family will chip in when not taking care of their other chores, along with some of the seasonal workers we employ during summer break from school.”
“I wield a mean paintbrush,” Shelby said.
“But don’t let her near a nail gun,” Steven said with a grimace.