Sure, Ms. Peggy had a lot of stuff, but that was only because she loved couponing and sales. She used the former to gobble up crafts, wall decor, and gnomes. It made her eclectic, not necessarily a hoarder. Especially since, from time to time, she’d been known to give up some of her stash.

Ms. Peggy led them to her spare bedroom. The bed had long since been taken out to make room for more storage. She went to a stack of bins with labels on the outside.

“You’re in luck that JOANN had that huge sale last year and I made out like a villain.” She squinted at one of the labels, then tapped the bin. “This one has metallic fringe out the wazoo in it, and this one”—she moved to the one next to it—“has a lot of nautical items.” She turned to Brady and was back to skepticism. “I’m assuming you are going to decorate the bar for the party, right?”

“From what I’ve been told, I have no choice.”

If Sloane wasn’t peeking into the bin closest to her, she would have taken the moment to be in awe at how his grumbling baritone was still a welcome sound to her. Trust or not. Instead, she lit up at one of the bins she spotted.

“Is this thing filled with blue and green streamers?”

Ms. Peggy nodded. “I’m pretty sure there’s a few pirate-themed things somewhere in here, too.”

“And why do you have all of this?” Brady’s tone wasn’t disrespectful, but it wasn’t aboveboard, either. When Sloane had said they needed to go to Ms. Peggy’s, she hadn’t specifically spelled out how much she liked the woman and how he had better get his act together around her. A conversation she would have with him the next moment of alone time they got, that was for sure.

Ms. Peggy put her hands on her hips and gave Brady another don’t cross me, boy look.

“Because we live in a town obsessed with the pirates, mermaids, and sailors theme. That’s why. I’m a one-stop shop when it comes to the people I care for. But you know what, Brady Knox? I don’t know if I care for you.”

“Ms. Peggy,” Sloane started.

The older woman raised her hand. She kept her gaze on Brady, who kept his mouth, thankfully, shut.

“But since I’ve been a fan of this girl here since she was a teen and she must think you’re worth more than just that muscled snark, I’ll make you a deal.” Ms. Peggy motioned to the room as a whole. “You can take whatever you need to decorate your bar and float if you do me a favor.”

“A favor,” Brady deadpanned.

“That’s right. One little ol’ thing you can do, and then you can take whatever you need for free.”