Ben didn’t even try to hide his smile. “She has that date in the pool. January 14.”

“Not you, too.” Connor suddenly hated pools.

Ben smiled. “Jenna suggested this one.”

“What are you talking about?” Maddie asked before Connor could stop her.

“The date people—Jenna, in particular—predict Connor will leave the island.” Ben shot Connor a look that suggested he thought he’d won. “Taking you, of course. Because he’s not a total dumbass, though he likes to pretend to be.”

Maddie nodded. “Sounds good. Carry on and put me down for February 1.”

“That’s insider information,” Ben pointed out.

Maddie shrugged in response.

That was the exact wrong answer. Giving Ben that sort of green light spelled disaster. “Stop betting on my love life.”

Ben whistled. “Those are big words.”

Well, shit. “How did this conversation become about me?”

“I wonder,” Ben said in a dry tone before turning to Jenna. “What about you? You breeze in, surprise everyone by not being what we expected.”

She shook her head. “You thought I’d be an old man.”

Maddie jumped in with her support. Even silently toasted Jenna with her glass of water. “Of course, because only men own islands. Idiots.”

Ben ignored both of them. Didn’t pay attention to the rest of the room either, which Connor found interesting. He planned on giving Ben a lot of shit for that later, out of Maddie’s presence. The last thing he needed was her rushing to Ben’s defense.

Ben put an elbow on the table and leaned a tiny bit closer to Jenna. “Are you staying with Sylvia and maybe . . . ?”

He really sucked at this. Connor was happy he didn’t know that when he went seeking advice days ago. “Subtle. As she has her own really big house on the island.”

Jenna didn’t seem to get it. Her eyes narrowed. “What are you really asking?”

“You and Sylvia.”

“Are friends,” she said, drawing the words out for emphasis. “We’re not dating. She’s not my type. I prefer men, actually.”

“Oh.” Ben sat back hard in his chair. “Interesting.”

“He’s truly terrible at this.” Maddie didn’t even try to whisper the observation.

If he hadn’t been running full speed at being in love with her before then, that would have done it. She delivered the line perfectly. Connor wanted to kiss her for that . . . and other reasons.

“Shouldn’t you be celebrating his continued stay on Whitaker? Maybe somewhere private that’s not right here?” Ben asked.

Maddie just smiled. “We did before dinner.”

“I’m ignoring you both now.”

Jenna reached for her glass. “I’ll be staying for a while as well.”

“How long?” Ben’s attention immediately returned to the woman sitting across from him.

“I’m not sure yet.” She swirled the red wine in her glass.

“That’s good.”

Oh, Ben. “Is it?”