As I waited to be served, I took a bunch of photos of the store to share on Instagram, and by the time the line moved down, Roane had returned to my side. He didn’t say a word, just waited patiently for the guy behind the counter to ring up my book, and when I was ready to leave, he placed his hand on my lower back and guided me out through the crowds.

“You liked it then?” Roane asked, as if he hadn’t just tried to kiss me twice, been interrupted and then rebuffed.

“Yes,” I replied, deciding to follow his lead and pretend the encounter hadn’t happened. “I loved it. Thank you for bringing me here. I’ll have to come back before I leave.”

He flicked me an unreadable look and yanked open the driver’s-side door of his SUV.

Despite our pretense of normality, tensions were high between us as Roane drove me to the rental car place. Unfortunately, it was closed so we’d have to come back another day. When? I didn’t know. I was already halfway through my vacation. The thought depressed me.

Our last stop was the supermarket, and as we strolled through the aisles, Roane pushing the cart, it felt weirdly more intimate than the two near kisses at the bookstore.

So domestic.

People stared at us. I didn’t know if it was because it was difficult not to notice Roane, or if it was the two of us together that was causing the stir. Then I caught sight of us in one of the mirrors in the clothing department, and my uneasiness increased.

We looked good together.

We looked . . . right.

“We should invite Caroline to dinner,” I blurted out, almost desperately.

A buffer. Caroline would be the perfect buffer, and it would give me an opportunity to get to know her better. I hadn’t seen her again these last two weeks.

If Roane suspected my reasons, he didn’t let on. Instead he frowned. “Caro won’t leave Helena alone for tea on such short notice. Believe me, I’ve tried inviting her to different things and she declines every time. I stopped asking ages ago.”

It was my turn to frown. “Well, maybe that’s the problem. You stopped asking.”

Roane drew to a halt in the middle of the canned food aisle. “I think I know my cousin well enough to know what the answer will be, but if you insist.” Clearly irritated, he yanked his cell out of his back pocket to call her. His irritation was strangely amusing, probably because he was usually so laid-back about everything. Holding out my hand, I said, “Let me.”

His brows puckered. “You want to call her?”

“Maybe she’ll find it harder to turn me down.”

Roane’s lips twitched as he slapped the cell into my palm. “Aye, anyone would.”