Read Island Refuge (Wildflower B&B Romance Book 1) for Free Online

sooner that we wouldn’t have any guests. I would have made man food.”
    “I’m not complaining.” He lifted a hand. “About Rachel, maybe you could reach out to her woman-to-woman since you’re concerned about her.”
    Zoe’s stomach flinched. “Maybe.” It wasn’t like they had to be best friends, goodness knows, she never wanted one of those again. But as the older of the two, and likely more experienced in whatever Rachel’s issue was she probably could help her.
    Nick lifted a brow. “It’s up to you.” He placed three scones onto a plate and a handful of sandwiches then scooped out a generous helping of whipping cream. “See you in the morning. Oh, and before I forget, my brother and nephew are taking the first ferry over and will be here for the rest of the week. Don’t worry about preparing a big meal for them. Aiden is five and prefers kid cereal to eggs and toast, and my brother eats like his son.” Without a backward glance he unlocked his apartment door and disappeared inside.
    Zoe stared at the closed door and contemplated her boss. There was more to the man than met the eye, but she had no desire to dig deeper. Her track record of late was sorely lacking when it came to discernment.
     
    ****
     
    N ICK THRASHED HIS head from side to side. “No!” He bolted upright. Another dream. They’d plagued him since Jenna’s death. Pounding sounded on the door at the top of the stairs. Bleary-eyed, he trudged up the stairs and pushed the door into the kitchen open. “What’s wrong?” He kept his voice low.
    “I was going to ask you the same thing.” Zoe stood there with bare feet, wearing shorts and a T-shirt. Concern etched her face. “You were shouting.”
    His face heated, and he was thankful for the dimly lit room. “Sorry. Bad dream.”
    “Must’ve been a whopper. I can make tea or heat some milk if you’d like.”
    “No. Thank you. Go back to sleep.”
    “But, Nick—”
    “Leave it alone, Zoe. I’ll see you in the morning.” The hurt look on her face nearly did him in, but he didn’t want to think about his dream, much less talk about it. Sure she had only suggested something to drink, but he knew she’d want him to talk and he couldn’t, not tonight, maybe not ever.
    He tromped down the stairs and flipped on the television. Maybe the noise would help him relax. He grabbed a blanket from his bed and wrapped it around his shoulders then settled onto the couch. I Love Lucy played on the screen. He kicked his feet up onto the coffee table and rested his head back, listening to the banter between Ricky and Lucy.
    Mitch and Aiden would be here early. He had a big day tomorrow—or rather today. The shingles would be delivered, and he’d enlisted help from Chase Grayson, a guy he’d run into while ordering supplies. He lived on the island and was a handyman of sorts, on top of being a landscaper and landscape architect. At least one of them would know what they were doing—correction two of them. His brother made a living in construction and had installed many roofs.
    A frown touched his lips. It was June, a busy time of year for construction. Why did his brother have the week off? A sinking feeling caused him to grit his teeth. He’d been duped. Mitch was once again coming to his rescue. His excuse of having the week off was a ruse.
    He hated that his little brother felt he had to deceive him, but more so, that he really needed Mitch’s help. He’d chosen medicine and wasn’t super handy when it came to house repairs. His brother had followed in their dad’s footsteps. He pushed up, clicked off the TV and padded to his bedroom. There was still time for a few zzz’s before the B&B would become a construction zone.
     
    ****
     
    Z OE POURED A CARAFE of coffee and placed a ham and cheese omelet on a tray beside toast and orange juice. She hummed as she breezed out of the kitchen and up the stairs. With a light rap on the door, she placed the tray beside the threshold, then