Hunter shot her a smile that said he would be more than interested if she reciprocated at all. “I’m gonna be around for the next four months. We’re building your boss a studio.”

Her head snapped in my direction. “You’re building something?”

I felt as if I’d just been caught with my hand in the cookie jar. But this was my damn island. “Did I need your permission?”

Her face flamed, and I instantly felt like an asshole. “No. Of course not,” Shay hurried. “I’m just surprised, is all.”

“I need a place to work.”

I could see the thoughts flying through her head at a million miles an hour. Her gaze drifted to Hunter and then back to me. “So, I guess it’ll be pretty busy around here for a while.”

“My crew’s fairly small, and we’ll do our best to stay out of your way,” Hunter offered.

It made sense that Shay was annoyed. I was disrupting the thing she’d said she loved most about the island: peace and quiet. I took a step closer to her. “They won’t be working on the weekends, so you’ll get your dose of quiet then.”

She startled slightly as if shocked I’d remember something she’d told me. “Don’t worry about me. It’s your island. Just let me know if I need to prepare anything for the start of construction.”

“All we need is for you to show me the pulley system,” Hunter said. “My team can cover the rest.”

Shay pointed to one of the outbuildings barely visible from where we stood. “It’s in the storage shed. I can set it up if you’ll let me know when you’re starting.”

Hunter shook his head. “We’ve got it. Thanks, Shay.”

“Well, I’m about to head to Anchor to pick up the mail. Do you need anything, Brody?”

“No. I think I’m good. Thanks, though.”

“I’ve got my phone if you change your mind. You should be able to send a text if you’re connected to the Wi-Fi.” She waved and headed down the path before I could utter another word.

Hunter tried to hide his chuckle with a cough. “She’s something.”

“I still haven’t quite figured her out.”

“Buddy, no one has. Shay’s not unfriendly, but she doesn’t exactly welcome conversation either.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“She just shuts it down or evades. As far as I can tell, she doesn’t have any friends. No boyfriend or husband, either. It’s gotta be lonely. She’s lived out here all by herself for years. But it seems that’s just how she wants it to be.”