He pushed away from the table and headed toward the snack table. But halfway there, his new neighbor, Millie Leclair, appeared in front of him with her hands on her hips and her lips pressed together in a grim line.
“Why do you hate my aunt’s legacy?”
Braxton frowned. “I have nothing against Mildred’s legacy. I thought she was a lovely woman.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Then why are you trying to buy up her land and block her hotel?”
It’d been a hard day and all Braxton wanted was a bottle of water, to finish his work, and get home to put Alice to bed. He let out a sigh and reached around her until he could snag one of the bottles on the edge of the table. Still, he admired her tenacity.
“I’m not trying to block you.” He twisted off the top and raised an eye brow. “Plus, I thought you said you wanted it to be more of a bed and breakfast.” He took a long pull from his drink, keeping his gaze on her.
She blinked in rapid succession. While he’d managed to catch every word she’d said on their first meeting, he somehow missed how pretty her eyes were. They were the color of rich caramel and they simultaneously calmed and ignited something within him.
“It’s… well… yeah. So you were listening.”
Braxton nodded. “Of course I was listening. My job, however, is to make sure everything that happens in the neighborhood is in everyone’s best interest.”
She propped her hand on her hip again, regaining her footing and igniting the passion for her project in her beautiful eyes. “And you don’t think my great-aunt’s legacy, my livelihood, is what’s best for the community?”
He took another swig of his water, trying to turn is attention to anything other than the way her eyes sparked when she spoke. Or how they were causing a flurry somewhere deep in his chest.
“I didn’t say that, but there are a lot of things at play here. The bylaws were written to protect our residents, our neighborhoods and our beaches.” It might be an unpopular opinion, but he happened to like rules. They protected things that needed to be protected. They kept people safe.
“What exactly do you think I’ll be doing at the B-and-B? Holding midnight raves and dumping my trash on the beach?”
“I wouldn’t think so, but one should never assume.” He leaned in as if sharing a secret. “By the way, if you’re planning on the rave, you should make it an early evening thing. There’s also a noise ordinance that goes into effect at eleven.” He gave her his best ‘what-do-you-do?’ look and shrugged.
She rolled her eyes and the flurry in his chest upgraded to a fluster, which he immediately stomped down. He didn’t have time for that, no matter how much he admired her gusto.
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