“It doesn’t matter to Charles. His father’s gone, and he still has to prove to everyone that he’s better than me. I’m the villain in his personal story, and no amount of trying to make it right can change that.”

“He’s never worked for the company?” Sylvie asked.

“He did the same summer internships almost everyone in the family has,” Rene explained. “I think he got his law degree with the idea he would take over legal eventually, but my father didn’t trust him. Of course, Charles blamed me for that, too.”

“Isn’t what he’s doing illegal?”

“He’s smart enough to know I can’t bring the police in. It would be terrible press, and he could use that against me, too. There are going to be people in the family who won’t believe it no matter what proof I give them. This is what I have to deal with. This is the line I have to walk.”

Sylvie seemed to think about that for a moment. “So he’s working with another firm? Is it always the same firm that underbids you?”

“It’s been the same so far. I have to wonder if he’s got a backup plan in case he doesn’t get the votes. Becoming our competitor’s legal counsel would make me look bad and cause a lot of talk.”

“They would probably be angry with him if he gave them the wrong information,” Sylvie said, a sly tone coming into her voice. “They wouldn’t like that at all.”

He looked to his wife, who was far sneakier than he gave her credit for. “You want to switch this for a higher bid?”

She nodded. “Because our friend was wearing those headphones and you smartly hid our boat, he has no idea anyone was here this morning.”

He smiled her way. The problems that had seemed huge before suddenly weren’t unbearable. “Is that spin you’re putting on our situation, Madam Mayor?”

She nodded. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s how to turn a negative into a positive. Yes, we don’t have a boat, but that means no one’s seen it tied to the dock. We could be on any of the islands. Depending on who comes to find us, we can control this narrative.”

He liked it when she was plotting. She was awfully sexy in her big fluffy robe, plotting how to outmaneuver his cousin. “So we put out the word that we rode out the storm anywhere but here, and then at some point before Charles comes to the cabin, we come back and replace the bid.”

“You could even ask Charles to send you a report on the cabin since he’ll be the first one out here,” Sylvie mused.

He knew exactly how to get to his cousin. “I’ll ask him if he wants me to check on the condition of the place before he comes out this weekend. See what he says.”