“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.”

He would say no. Charles would say he didn’t need any help, and didn’t Rene realize it had been his grandfather’s cabin, too? He would point out he spent far more time here than Rene did.

And then he wouldn’t think for a second that Rene knew anything.

He could use Charles’s arrogance against him in this case.

If he could get them off the island.

“Do you have letterhead back at the house?” Sylvie asked. “We should get it done as soon as possible. I’ll make the switch since I’ll have to come back later this afternoon and check on the families out here. You need to be seen back at the office as soon as possible. Call him from there so he knows exactly where you are.”

“I would rather come with you.”

She shook her head. “I’ll have one of the deputies with me. I do this after every big storm. It’s part of being the mayor, and it would be odd if you were with me. Now let’s get our stories straight about where we’ve been.”

“Have I told you how sexy you are when you’re being ruthless?” His leg wasn’t aching now. It was an entirely different part of his body that wanted attention.