style="font-size:15px;"> “Thank you,” she snapped.
“You’re welcome,” he bit out.
J.J.’s eyes got big and round as she glanced from one of them to the other. As soon as Colton handed her his credit card, she scurried off like a puppy afraid it was about to be kicked.
An older man who’d been making the rounds from table to table, talking to each group of tourists, stopped beside Silver and gave her a warm smile. “Who’s your new friend, young lady?”
Colton didn’t figure he needed an introduction. It was pretty hard to miss the man’s name, since it was written in big white letters across his dark brown T-shirt.
“Hey, Buddy,” Silver said. “He’s a guest at the inn. Colton Graham, meet Buddy Johnson, owner of Swamp Buggy Outfitters next door, the airboat operation down the street, and a handful of other businesses. He practically runs the town.”
He puffed up with self-importance, reminding Colton of that peacock he’d likened Silver to earlier, but minus all the colorful plumage. This man had arrogance stamped all over him. But he must have some redeeming qualities, too, because Silver appeared to like him.
“I wouldn’t say that,” he corrected Silver as he shook Colton’s hand. “But I’m definitely vested in our little piece of the Glades.” He put his hand on the back of Silver’s chair. “I thought the inn didn’t open until tomorrow.”
“It doesn’t. Not officially. But Mr. Graham needed a place to stay so...” She shrugged.
Buddy eyed him speculatively. “Decided to come see the Everglades, have you? First time in Florida?”
“No. I’ve come here every summer since I was a kid.” And fall and spring and winter, too.
“Ever been on an airboat tour, Mr. Graham?”
“Can’t say that I have.” Another lie. Normally, hiding the truth wasn’t a big deal. It was part of his job. But for some reason, lying to this white-haired man was making him uncomfortable. It was like lying to his grandfather.
“Well, then. I insist that you take a tour.” He waved toward the other tables. “I run airboat tours daily. Picked this passel up this morning at the main dock twenty miles south of here. We’re heading out in a few minutes. Three boats, plenty of room. Come along. I’ll give you ten percent off for being a guest at the inn. Silver and I offer cross-promo discounts, since I bring guests to her inn, starting tomorrow, that is. But I’ll give you a discount a day early.”
“That sounds like a great idea.” Silver sounded way too enthusiastic as she smiled at Colton. “The airboats are the best way to see the Everglades. You should go.”
The reason behind her eagerness to get rid of him was pathetically obvious. While he was gone, she’d probably rush to have a powwow with her criminal friends. His fingers itched to grab her shoulders to shake some sense into her and ask her why she was so foolishly throwing her life away.
“I’ll think about it.” He had no intention of going on a tour. He planned to keep Silver in his sights.
“Now, son. There’s no time for thinking. The tour is going to take off in a few minutes. And you won’t want to miss out. You’re going.” Buddy nodded as if it was a done deal. “And, Silver, since he’s your guest, you can both sit together on the same boat.”
Her eyes widened. “Ah, no. I’m not going to—”
“I’ve been trying to get you on one of my tours for weeks,” he interrupted. “This might be your only chance this season, since the inn opens tomorrow and you’ll be busy after that. You’ll come, right?”
“I really don’t think that I can...”
His face fell with disappointment.
Silver’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “Okay. I’ll take the tour today. But I’m sure that Colton has other plans.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Her narrowed eyes told Colton exactly what she thought of his sudden change of heart.
“Excellent,” Buddy said, grinning with triumph. “You can both pay the cashier at the dock. Make sure you tell her about the discount.” He waved his hand in the air and headed toward another table.
Silver frowned after him.
“He basically forced you into taking a tour,” Colton said. “And he’s still going to charge you for it.”
“Yeah. I noticed.” Her voice sounded grumpy. “I’ll have to return the favor if he ever wants to stay at the inn.”
Colton grinned. And, surprisingly, Silver smiled back. For a moment, they were simply a man and a woman enjoying each other’s company, sharing their amusement at Buddy Johnson’s tunnel-vision focus on making a buck, even at a friend’s expense—quite literally. But then Buddy’s voice boomed through the room, telling the tour group it was time to go. Silver’s smile faded and she looked away. The magic of the moment was lost.
“Let’s go, let’s go, ladies and gents,” Buddy called out. “We need to get going before the skeeters and no-see-ums start biting.”
Chairs scraped across the wooden floor and the buzz of voices echoed through the room. The tourists headed toward the front door like a herd of elephants, waved on by three men dressed in khaki shorts and brown T-shirts the same color as Buddy’s, but instead of their names across the front, there were logos of airboats with the company name, Buddy’s Boats.
The last of the tourists headed out. Silver mumbled something and hurried after them. She and Buddy were out the swinging doors before Colton could stop her. He had to wait for the waitress, who was heading his way with his credit card and one of those ridiculous carbon papers for him to sign. This place really was stuck in a different decade.
After taking care of the bill and thanking J.J., he hurried outside. The tourists were already halfway down the street. Buddy had Silver by the arm and was talking animatedly about something while she nodded.
Good, she hadn’t managed to escape.
In spite of Buddy’s promise to ensure that Silver and Colton could sit together on one of the three boats, Silver did her best to thwart that plan. Since the boat that Danny Thompson was captaining was the most full, she hopped on it and almost squealed with triumph when she got a seat without any empty ones close by. But, at the last minute, the man beside her got up and hurried to a different boat. And who should plop down in his place but Colton Graham.
As he settled beside her, his broad shoulders rubbing against hers, she glanced toward the man who’d just left and saw him shoving one of his hands into his pocket. The flash of green paper left no question as to what had just happened.
“You bribed that man to let you sit here,” she accused.
His very blue eyes widened innocently. “Why would I do something like that?”
Since
