Page 83 of The Romance Adventure

She waggles her eyebrows. “I bet you’re thinking about making someone feel extra special this Valentine’s Day.” She passes me a bakery box tied with red and pink ribbons.

“Almost forgot about the chocolate.” She has an in with several specialty chocolatiers.

Bean cocks her head. “Let me tell you something about my sister. She has a big heart. Don’t be surprised if she comes home with a lost dog—” She glances at Nutmeg. “Maybe even a cat. She’ll have half the neighborhood over for Thanksgiving. The woman loves big. She’s generous, almost to a fault, and she trusts people when she shouldn’t.” Bean closes her eyes for a moment.

“Is that a warning?”

“No, you doofus. That’s a sister telling you the truth about someone she loves. Someone whose feelings are big, in case that wasn’t clear.” She gives me a little don’t be thickheaded look.

I take that to mean Isla has big likes for me. But there are things Bean doesn’t know. Things that have come between Isla and me.

“She doesn’t ask for much, if anything, in return. She’ll let people walk all over her, use her truck, and address. Luckily, she stopped short of giving out her ATM PIN. Then again, she didn’t answer that question directly.” Bean waves her hands as if she got off track and is saying more than she should.

I can’t help but read between the lines. However, I can’t go there. I have to bring things back into focus, instead of getting carried away by false loves and false hopes.

“She’s had some bad relationships in the past. Turns out, most recently, with a very bad person. But Isla doesn’t have a bad bone in her body. Don’t make her regret wanting to figure out your love language this Valentine’s Day.”

Staggering back, the words I could hardly hear from Isla’s phone float toward me, a reminder of the strange non-end to our conversation. However, they remain blurry.

“Have you seen her today?”

“No, actually. Not since last night. We had a sisters’ sleepover and a major heart-to-heart. But she was gone first thing this morning. Probably trying to solve the McGregor mystery, seeking mural inspiration, or scouting spots.”

“There’s no mystery.”

“Well, there is a mural aside from this one, of course. That Glandman guy who owns Platinum Shores wants to hire Isla to do a project at his resort. It would be a great way to help her get the word out there.”

She sounded excited on the phone, was that her news? That she’s going to play for the rival resort team? I grunt. “Do you know if her friend Jack is visiting?”

Bean’s face turns a shade of red that I’m not sure is a blush or hot rage. “No. As a matter of fact, he’s banned from Coco Key.”

My eyebrows shoot upward. “What? Jack Butler?”

She grinds out, “How do you know that scallywag?”

I stifle laughter at her word choice. “We’re college buddies.”

“We’re going to have to rethink this chocolate exchange.” Bean reaches for the box of candies that I fully intended to eat myself, alone, later, after I deliver the news that things between Isla and I are over, despite Bean’s sisterly words of advice.

“What are you—?” But the muffled words from Isla’s phone come to me.

No, trusting you was my first mistake, Dax.

The tingling turns into lightning as adrenaline shoots through me. My vision sharpens and my ears pick up every sound. Nutmeg yawning, someone sipping coffee, and Bean saying, “Everything okay, Royal?”

I shake my head. “No.” I tell her about the call earlier. Isla said, No, trusting you was my first mistake, Dax. “Where did you last see Isla?”

“At the guest house last night.”

I race out of the bookstore and down the street. Bursting through the courtyard, I rapidly assess my surroundings. No shady characters hiding in the bushes. Nothing is out of place. I knock on the door and check the handle. It opens. “Isla, you should lock your door.”

Then again, no one does on this island.

I check over the small space and nothing seems out of place except the rice crispy treats and the card with my name on it.

My heart tumbles, but I’ll think about what that means later. Where is Isla?

I rush back to my car and Bean stands outside her shop. “What’s going on? Is Isla okay? She told me about when she left Charleston and the guys that were chasing her in the eggplant on wheels. Did they follow her here?”