morning.”
Randall’s chin lifted. “But I thought if you drew up the contracts, we could start straight away with the exchange.”
Colin reached the pontoon, and placed Gabe’s hands together on the deck. Melanie hurried over to the edge of the pontoon. “The solicitors do the contracts, Randall, not me. It can wait until Monday.”
She grasped hold of Gabe’s hands. He smiled up at her, and she paused. His brown eyes were full of joy, with a sparkle of almost child-like innocence as he grinned up at her.
“Hello. You’re pretty.”
She couldn’t help laughing. “Hello. You’re wet.”
Colin hauled himself up out of the water, and Melanie stopped laughing. His t-shirt was now transparent, and she could clearly see the delineation of muscle, washboard abs and dark nipples. She couldn’t help staring. He was all hot, and wet and sexy, and strong and…
”Wow. You must work out,” Gabe commented as Colin stood up, leaned over and grasped his hands. Her thoughts, exactly.
Colin’s laughter wheezed out as he hauled the heavier man up onto the pontoon. “I work out with you, Gabe.”
Gabe frowned as he lay back on the pontoon. “Oh.”
“Oh, Gabriel, dear, are you all right?” Esme hobbled up to them.
Gabe’s perplexed frown switched from Colin to Esme. “Yeah, I’m okay…Who …?”
“Aunt Esme, dear,” Esme patted him on the arm. “Oh, dear, we need to get you inside and out of these wet clothes.”
“Let’s get him upstairs, we’ll find something for him to wear,” Melanie offered, and flicked a brief glance at Colin before looking away. “You, too, Colin.”
“Here, let me help you,” Esme crooned, and Melanie shifted so she could reach her grand-nephew, only Esme crossed to Colin, and took hold of his arm. A surprised Colin let her. Melanie shrugged and turned to help Gabe to his feet.
He leaned heavily on her, and they almost pitched over the other side of the pontoon before she was able to find her balance. “Let me help you,” he said to her, smiling as water dripped down his face.
Melanie rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Gabe.”
Randall followed behind them, shaking his head.
Cole nodded his thanks when Melanie handed him a fluffy towel and a change of clothes. He didn’t want to know where she got the clothes, just in case it was from Lowry’s personal wardrobe. He shuddered. Ick.
He followed her dutifully as she led Gabe and him to bathrooms where they could shower and change, his gaze resting on the casual swing of her hips. She was a beautiful woman, with a graceful gait that seemed unwittingly sexy. He sighed. She was related to Lowry. Get that through your thick skull. He entered the bathroom, but stopped at the shuffle of dainty feet behind him. He turned, surprise arching his eyebrows.
“Oh, it’s all right, Mrs Stilson, I can take it from here,” Cole told the helpful Esme, smiling politely before shutting the bathroom door on her face.
Phew. The woman had a strong grip, and had insisted on helping the man who saved her grand-nephew from a ‘disastrous end’. Although Gabe had seemed to be just fine, if a little…happy. His lips quirked. The site supervisor was normally a quiet kind of guy, almost shy. Colin knew the man had an admirable work ethic, and paid close attention to detail—particularly when it came to the safety of his crew. He was still trying to figure out if Gabe was somehow involved in Lowry’s scam, or if he was just as he presented—a hardworking good guy who put his trust in the wrong people. It was weird, seeing the man so relaxed, so outgoing. He smiled. He’d even thumped Lowry on the back and given him the thumbs up when he’d seen the house. He wondered how that would pan out Monday morning.
Cole showered under the warm spray. He lifted a bottle from the shelf in the shower and uncapped it, sniffing its contents. Melanie. His body tightened when he realised this was her bathroom, her shower. She would normally be in here,