She started her search at the beach, where she found Troy repairing some boards that had come loose on the dock. When she asked him about Kevin, he shook his head and adopted the same pitiful expression Roo had just used when Molly had left the house without him. “He hasn’t been around for a while. Have you seen Amy?”

“She’s finishing the bedrooms.”

“We’re, uh, trying to get everything done so we can go home early.”

Where you’ll rip off each other’s clothes and fall into bed. “I’m sure that’ll be fine.”

Troy looked as grateful as if she’d scratched him under the chin.

Molly headed for the Common, then followed the sound of an angry hammer to the rear of a cottage named Paradise. Kevin was crouched on the roof taking out his frustration on a new set of shingles.

She tucked her thumbs in the back pockets of her shorts and tried to figure out how to go about this. “Are you still planning a trip into town?”

“Maybe later.” He stopped hammering. “Did she leave?”

“No.”

His hammer thwacked the shingles. “She can’t stay here.”

“She had a reservation. I couldn’t really kick her out.”

“Damn it, Molly!” Thwack! “I want you to …” Thwack! “… get rid of her!” Thwack!

She didn’t appreciate being thwacked at, but she still had enough warm feelings left over from last night to treat him gently. “Would you come down for a minute?”

Thwack! “Why?”

“Because it’s hurting my neck to look up at you, and I’d like to talk.”

“Don’t look up!” Thwack! Thwack! “Or don’t talk!”

She sat on a stack of shingles, letting him know she wasn’t going anywhere. He tried to ignore her, but he finally blasted out an obscenity and put aside his hammer.

She watched him come down the ladder. Lean, muscular legs. Great butt. What was it about men and their butts that was so enticing? He glared at her when he reached the ground, but it was more annoyance than hostility. “Well?”

“Would you tell me about Lilly?”

He narrowed those green eyes. “I don’t like her.”

“So I gathered.” The suspicion that had been eating at her wouldn’t go away. “Did she forget to send you a Christmas present when you were growing up?”

“I don’t want her here, that’s all.”

“She doesn’t look like she’s going anywhere.”

He braced his hands on his hips, his elbows jutting out in angry wings. “That’s her problem.”

“Since you don’t want her here, it seems to be yours, too.”

He headed back to the ladder. “Can you handle that damned tea by yourself today?”

Once again the base of her neck prickled. Something was very wrong. “Kevin, wait.”

He turned to look at her, his expression impatient.