The bird—Clyde, she thought—trotted forward, bikini top in his beak, sunshine yellow strings dragging in the sand.

“What do you think he’s doing now?” she wondered.

“Watch out,” Luke warned as the gull came closer. “That marauding menace probably intends to claim the other half of his booty.”

“Was that a butt joke?” Julia tugged on her bikini bottom, feeling a ridiculous urge to make sure it was secure and safe from panty-snatching pirate seagulls.

But rather than try and steal anything, the bird dropped the top at Julia’s feet and squawked once before flying away.

Mystified by this apparent peace offering, Luke and Julia watched silently as Clyde made his way back to his nest.

“Huh,” Luke said. “I guess it’s a truce.” He bent, scooping up the bikini top and handing it back to Julia. “I’m still mad at him, though,” he muttered. “Cockblocking sky weasel.”

A puff of resigned laughter escaped her. He had a point. The interruption had been frustratingly untimely. Which was for the best anyway, Julia reminded herself, as they started to make their way back. She’d just finished reiterating the fact that she was here to do a job, not get romantically involved.

But when he reached out to hold her hand again, her heart did a rebellious little hop, skip, and jump routine that seemed designed to tell her brain, Make whatever rules you want, head … We’re going to break them all.

CHAPTER 19

LUKE

Luke wanted to do something special for Julia. The thought kept popping up in his mind, making it impossible to concentrate on anything else. Frankly, he was finding it impossible to focus on anything that wasn’t Julia. He thought about her constantly.

He woke up on Thursday still thinking about her, and decided to try clearing his head by making some progress on the game engine he was developing for his potential start-up, but all morning he kept catching himself staring off into space. He’d be running through some new code, data streams flowing by, and his mind would shift to Julia—her hair, her smell, how her hazel eyes shifted color when in sunlight or shadow. He’d shake himself and get back to work, only to recall her laugh and how, when she smiled at him, he felt like it was Christmas and his birthday at the same time.

Waving the white flag, Luke gave up trying to get any work done and went in search of his sister. Maybe Pen could knock some sense into him. And if not, at least he could pick her brain about ideas on what to do for Julia.