As soon as Nate and I entered the house, Granny ushered us toward the kitchen and instructed Nate to set the big box of tins on the floor. "I'm so glad they were still open. Thank you for picking them up."

I didn't mention running into Andre, and hoped it wouldn't get back to Granny. Pretending everything was fine and I wasn't kicking myself would be easier that way.

"No problem. Nate enjoyed seeing the shop."

"And we bought a ton of candy," Nate added with a boyish grin.

Granny wagged her finger at him. "You shouldn't have candy. You're already too sweet."

Reaching up, she pinched his cheek, and I laughed. "Oh no, watch out. She's buttering you up for something."

"No reason for that, Granny." Nate chuckled. "I'm glad to do anything you need."

"Well, don't agree too fast." She tugged the front of his shirt. "You're dressed so nicely, and you may not have brought clothes to work in, but Joby insisted on trimming the trees, and I worry about him doing it by himself."

Joby hadn't been joking; he wanted to avoid this family more than I did. I moved to the windows and scanned the yard but didn't see him. Then a huge limb fell, and there he was, standing on a thick branch, twenty feet in the air, holding a chainsaw.

"Yikes," Nate said behind me. "Give me a minute to change."

He rushed from the room, and Granny patted my shoulder. "I'm fond of him."

"Me too." And it was the truth. We weren't really a couple, but Nate was already a friend, and I was grateful.

Granny and I stacked containers of cookies on the counter with everything else to get them packed. Before we'd even finished organizing, Nate was back. He'd changed into worn jeans and a plain white tee that hugged his shoulders and tapered to his waist.

Stopping to peck my cheek, he said, "Call if you need me."

"Won't you be cold?"

"Nah. I have a hoodie in our room if it gets cooler later."

"Okay."

The door shut behind him and we watched as he jogged across the yard to Joby. Granny sighed. "Charming, and not too bad to look at either."

I giggled. "Granny!"

"Well, I'm not blind, and that's a pinchable butt. Now, quit gaping at that boy and help me."

***

Two hours after ruining my chances with Andre for the second time, Granny and I were almost through packing her rectangular tins. This year's design was green with sparkly gold removable lettering that read, May your day be merry and bright. Love, Charlotte.

The backdoor opened, and Nate entered with Joby following behind. The temperature dropped while they were out there, leaving the tips of their noses pink.

Joby looked worn out, and Nate's hair was adorably disheveled. I ran my fingers over the ends as I walked by him on my way to the fridge. He tickled my side and slid a stool out at the island to sit while Joby leaned against the counter.

"All finished?" Granny asked as I passed each of the guys a bottle of water.

Joby cracked his drink open. "Almost. Everything's trimmed and piled up. It should dry out a little before being burned. If it doesn't rain, I'll do it Tuesday."

"Alright, but I didn't invite you here to do yard work."

"It's no problem. This is the only place I get to, and I enjoy it." Joby smiled at Granny and then his gaze bounced from Nate to his own shoes as though he was ignoring my boyfriend.

Nate's lips curved up at one corner. He'd definitely noticed Joby's weirdness, but he only picked at the label on his bottle without reacting. Did they argue?

My heart raced. What if Joby realized we were lying? I watched them and how my brother carefully avoided acknowledging Nate while he talked to Granny about a tree he thought might be dead.

"I'll cut it down tomorrow. I ran out of sunlight today."

Granny frowned. "You'll spend your entire vacation working."

"It'll only take a couple of hours."

"I don't mind helping." Nate smirked when Joby's eyes shot to his.

"That's okay, I can do it myself. It's far enough from the house that it'll be easy." Joby moved his thumb toward his mouth, then he made a fist and crossed his arms. He wanted to bite his nails, it was his nervous habit, and now I was positive something was bothering him.

"You two probably have stuff to do tomorrow anyway, right?" Joby asked me.

His tone wasn't implying anything, so he couldn't know about our lie. Maybe he just didn't like Nate, but how was that possible? Nate was awesome.

"Nope. Nothing specific." I placed an envelope on top of the tissue paper-wrapped cookies and closed the green lid.

Setting his water on the table, Nate brightened. "Then it's settled. I'll help."

"Great. I'm going to take a shower," Joby mumbled as he left the room.

Unbothered, Nate scanned the counters. "Whoa! I didn't realize there were so many tins in that box."

"There are ninety-two homes with permanent residents, and there's one for each of them," Granny said with a touch of pride.

Nate's eyebrows raised. "Wow, that's really sweet of you."

I was so used to the tradition I hadn't thought to explain it before. "Every year, Granny delivers her cookies, and inside there's a letter listing things they need at the women's shelter in Savannah. Then, the first week of January, she has a collection box on the porch, and most people bring the tins back, filled with things.

"At the shelter, they separate the donations and prepare each tin so that when someone shows up with nothing, they're given one filled with personal care items to help them feel better on the outside, so they can focus on healing inside and getting back on their feet."

Nate's jaw dropped and his brow furrowed. "It's beautiful that you arrange all of this, Granny." His reverent tone touched my heart.

"Oh." She shook her head and waved the compliment away. "I've been lucky in life, luckier than most. If I can show them someone cares, I want to. These won't be half of what's necessary for the year, but it's a start."

"When things run too low, they tell her. She's watched over that place since before I was born."

Nate stood. "Put me to work. Are these ready to be loaded up?"

"They sure are." Granny pointed across the room. "If you'll put them in those cardboard boxes, then set them by the door, that'd be good."

Nate worked on that as we finished the last couple of tins. Then, Dad and Mother walked into the kitchen holding hands.

"About ready to go?" Dad asked, scanning our progress.

"Almost. Grab my sweater off the bed, please. We'll be on our way in just a minute." Dad left, and Granny turned to Mother. "Where are Ruth Grace and Kiaan? How was dinner?"

"Dinner was pleasant. They went to do some antiquing in Savannah. Apparently, Ruth Grace knows a place with fantastic vintage jewelry." The snooty tone was a constant with Mother that everyone ignored.

Dad brought the sweater and held it for Granny to put on as she asked, "What did you think of Kiaan? I didn't get to speak to him much earlier."

"He's a nice guy. Soft-spoken, polite."

Granny cackled. "Poor thing. Ruth Grace is going to eat him alive."

Dad grinned, clearly agreeing with her, and Mother scoffed. "Well, I suppose everyone needs a hobby."

Dad snickered at her comment and turned to Nate. "Mind carrying these to the car with me?"

"Not at all."

They carried the boxes from the house, and Granny faced me. "What are your plans for the rest of the evening?"

"We'd talked about a walk by the ocean, but it might be too chilly now in the dark."

"Here, I've got an idea for that!" Granny pulled sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, and vanilla extract from the pantry, piling them next to the stove before placing a pot on top and collecting the milk from the fridge. "Take some hot chocolate with you. Travel cups are in the cabinet by the mugs. Leave the rest here, and we'll have a treat when we're done."

"Thanks. That'll be perfect." I kissed her cheek as Dad called for her and Mother from the front door.

They yelled goodbye as I started dumping things in the pot, and Nate returned a minute later. "Hot chocolate?"

"Yep. To keep our hands warm while we walk at the beach. If you still want to go?" I glanced beside me where he leaned on his elbow against the counter watching me whisk.

"Sounds amazing!"

***

Near the parking lot, we passed the tiny police station where both of the Wayden police officers spent their days, and then the colorful row of cottages that backed up to the ocean. Lights were on in two of them, but the rest were empty vacation rentals. After that, there was only sand, water, and the night sky.

The salty breeze of the deserted beach was a little cold but still wonderful. As Nate and I stood in thick hoodies, with our sides pressed together for warmth, I was glad I'd changed into jeans. We stared out at the reflection of the moonlight on the crashing waves and sipped our hot chocolate, enjoying the sound.

"Should we stroll a bit?" Nate asked.

"Definitely."

His arm went around me, and it was comfortable, but I had to remind him, "You don't have to pretend when we're alone."

"What?"

I reached up to pat the hand resting on my shoulder, and he lifted it immediately. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking about it. I'm a touchy person, but I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"You're not. I just don't want you to think you have to be extra nice to me because of our fake relationship." I cringed at my mortifying words.

"So I wasn't bothering you?"

"Nope."

He put his arm back around my shoulders. "I'm nice because I like you, Liv. Today's been a crash course learning about each other, but I already think of you as a friend."

"Me too."

We walked for a while, then Nate paused, holding out the blanket he carried. "Want to sit?"

"Sure."

We settled beside each other, and I leaned my head against him, relaxing for the first time since we'd arrived on Wayden Isle. I loved being at Granny's, but the looming threat of Mother or Briar ruining the fun made me tense. At least I knew that here neither of them would appear and start sniping at me.

"Thank you for being a buffer. I don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't been here today."

"I'm glad to do it." He shrugged. "You'd do the same for me."

"I would. Thanks for helping Joby too. I hope it wasn't too much work."

"Nah. Actually, that's the only thing that stinks about my loft, no grass to cut. Nowhere to be outside, really."

"When your lease is up, if you want a new place, I'll find it for you. You'll even get the fake boyfriend discount, no charge."

Nate chuckled. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

For a few minutes, we sat in comfortable silence. I raked my fingers through the cold sand, making shapes and wiping them away while Nate stared at the waves.

"It's beautiful here. The entire island," he said.

"Joby and I loved being here as kids. Maybe he'll come to the beach with us tomorrow. Would you mind?"

"Not at all."

"Good. He was acting so odd earlier, for a minute I thought he'd caught our lie, but then I was afraid you guys weren't getting along." I dusted my freezing hands clean and folded them in my lap.

"We got along. He's more reserved than me, but that's okay."

"He seems kinda down. I guess it's because he and his girlfriend broke up."

"Yeah. Did you ever meet her?"

"No." I looked up to find Nate watching me intently as I spoke. "They weren't together yet last Christmas, and she was sick at Easter."

"What was his girlfriend before her like?"

"Umm..." The only girlfriend of his I could remember was from middle school. That couldn't be right, though. Could it? He didn't date much in high school, and then he was gone. "You know, I can't remember meeting any of his college girlfriends in person."

Nate's eyebrow raised, and I felt I was missing something but couldn't put my finger on it. "I always picture him with someone Mother would approve of—stuck-up, well dressed, comes from money, probably wears pearls daily—but I've never actually met them. That's weird, right?"

Facing the water, Nate frowned. "If you only see each other a couple of times a year, I guess it happens."

"Is anything wrong?" I rubbed his back, and he rested his hand on my leg.

"Nope. I'm great. Are you still planning to talk to Joby?"

"Yes, I miss him, and I'm going to force my way into his life."

"That's good. I'm sure he could use a friend like you."

"Yeah?"

"Yep." He pulled me close and kissed the top of my head. "Are you ready to go? It's getting pretty cold."

"My numb butt is definitely ready."

Nate's deep laughter rumbled as we stood and he shook the sand from the blanket.

Granny may be 85, but she's checking out cute butts and leading charity work. She's #goals, amirite? 🤩

Who wants to go on a vacation with Nate? I do! 👋 Even in this situation, he's making things fun.