Free Weekend Agreement by Barbara Wallace Page A

One of about a half-dozen he’d flashed in the past ten minutes. Charlotte ducked her head and ran a hand over the back of her neck.
    “Well, of course she does,” Vivian said. “I was only thinking of her comfort. What with the wind blowing sand everywhere out there. Really, Daniel, I don’t know what you find so appealing about trolling about the dunes.”
    “The beach is beautiful,” Charlotte countered. “I enjoyed the walk.” Why she felt the need to defend Daniel, she didn’t know. The fact that he hadn’t spoken up said he didn’t care about Vivian’s comment, so why should she? Especially when, looking to her right, she saw zero acknowledgment on Daniel’s expression. Sometimes it’s easier to just acquiesce. Was that what his silence meant? Or was he regretting the moment they shared? She wished she knew. Her skin still tingled from his touch. Judy would tell her that was a bad sign.
    “How lucky Daniel found a friend who shares his obsession,” Vivian said.
    “We own about three miles in either direction,” William told her. “Makes for terrific privacy.”
    “Except for those people who insist on walking their dogs.”
    “Now sweetheart, a few little dogs never hurt anyone.”
    “Those aren’t ‘little dogs’,” Vivian told her husband, “They’re midsized at best. Their owners should know enough to respect private property.”
    “There’s only one beach route on this side of the island, Mother,” Daniel said. “What would you have them do? Make a large roundabout circle so they don’t step foot on your sand?”
    “Yes, they should. Why should they be allowed to leave their dog droppings and refuse on our part of the shoreline?”
    “I’ve told you before, Vivian, the Ferncliffs have allowed walkers on the beach since they purchased the property. You don’t want to disrupt tradition, do you?”
    “No, of course not,” she said. “I know how important tradition is to our family.” Charlotte noticed how she stressed the word our, the opposite of Daniel, and felt a small pang on his behalf.
    “Speaking of the ocean,” Vivian continued, “Cole has a wonderful business idea. Don’t you?”
    The blond man shrugged. “Just a thought I had.” He reached for the bottle and poured himself a second glass of wine. “A friend of mine and I had an idea for a more efficient racing sailboat. Something similar to the cat they’re using on the circuit now only narrower, with different sail placement.”
    “You designed a boat?” Daniel asked.
    Cole shook his head. “More like a design concept.”
    “But one with real potential, don’t you think?”
    “I wouldn’t know,” Daniel said. “I’m not a sailor or an engineer.”
    Vivian waved off the comment. “Cole thinks it could be faster than the current America’s Cup design. Can you imagine a Ferncliff sailboat winning the America’s Cup? As soon as Cole mentioned the idea, I knew he had to talk with you.”
    Charlotte could feel his body tense from two feet away. “Is that so?”
    “Who else? After all, as I told Cole, these days you have to be careful whom you choose to associate with.”
    “Yes,” Daniel said. “You never know who’s out to take advantage of you.”
    There was such an edge to his voice, Charlotte stiffened as well. Though she wasn’t a sailor either, and therefore had no idea if Cole’s idea had merit or not, she had a feeling this was not the first business idea Vivian had put to Daniel. She couldn’t help noticing that Cole himself wasn’t doing much to sell the idea. Either he wasn’t as invested in the idea as Vivian made it sound, or he was simply content to sit back and let his mother do the pressing for him. Either way, she felt for Daniel.
    The rest of the dinner passed uncomfortably enough. Except for some polite conversation with William regarding the stock market, Daniel continued to remain lost in thought, leaving Charlotte to listen to island gossip and fend off more grins from