“There must be about forty seals there,” Jules says, but I’m having a hard time concentrating on her words when Wes puts his hands on my hips for no good reason at all, other than to send heat flaring through me.
Jules points. “Look at that gorgeous lighthouse.”
“It has a little café in it. They have the best cinnamon rolls.”
“Wait, is that a hotel?” Rider asks.
I glance to the strip hotel with rooms overlooking the ocean. “Yeah, why?”
He looks aghast. “We’re camping when the island has a hotel?”
“Oh, you hockey players and your luxury.” I roll my eyes at Jules, but she too is looking at the hotel with longing. “We’re roughing it for the next few nights, and really it’s hardly roughing it.”
“Why do you say that?” Wes asks.
“You read the brochure, didn’t you?” I ask Wes.
“If by reading it, you mean that I glanced at it, then yes.”
I laugh. “Ah, then you are all in for a real treat.”
They all eye each other, but I keep my little secret. I point out landmarks as I steer us into the dock. I park at my usual spot and jump from the boat, to tie the rope to a cleat.
“Grab your bags,” I say, and I’m about to hop back on and grab mine when Wes snatches them up and throws them over his shoulder.
“I can carry those.” He angles his head and I just shrug, giving up before I get started. “Fine, you can carry them, too.”
Jules stands on the rocking dock and lifts her face to the sun. “I might never leave here.”
“Come on,” I say and walk down the dock. Wes catches up to me, and his knuckles brush mine as we follow the path to the lighthouse, where my Jeep is stored. Good family friends, George and Roxane own the lighthouse café, and live on the island, so they let me keep my vehicle here, which makes life so much easier for me. They also manage my business from here and restock the tents and fridges for me.
“This is so quaint,” Jules says as we walk up the stone steps toward the lighthouse. I stop by my Jeep. “How are you at hotwiring?” I ask Wes and his head goes back, his eyes wide, and alarmed, forcing me to bite back a grin.
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Of course, I’m kidding. I don’t need any man hotwiring anything for me. I can do it all by myself.” I wink at him and head inside the lighthouse. They all follow me in.
“Good morning, Roxane.”
Her head lifts and she jumps up when she sees its me, lifting a portion of the counter and throwing her arms out. It was just last week I was out here getting things set up for the summer season but with her, it’s like it’s been decades.
Before her arms reach me, her face falls and she goes still, her gaze going to a spot behind me, to Wes and Rider obviously.
“What the…” She gives me an evil eye. “You didn’t tell me you were hosting Wes Hatfield and Rider Lewis.” She wags a finger at me. “You sneak.”
I laugh and she hugs me. “I wanted to surprise you.” I glance at the guys and crinkle my nose in apology to Wes. He’s always a good sport, but it’s clear he doesn’t like to be the center of attention. “She’s a big fan.”
“Scooch out of the way,” she says to me, and Jules and Rider exchange a playful look, no doubt laughing at our Canadian slang. She hugs each man, and then turns to pull Jules in for a hug. Yeah, some Canadians are huggers.
Once finished, she hands me a set of keys, and frowns. “What?” I ask, taking in the worried look on her face.
“I’m afraid there was a bit of trouble at your place last night.”
“Trouble?”
“Animals,” she says.
“Oh no.”