Page 57 of The Beachside Rental

“What are you smiling about?”Jenna’s voice drew him back to the present.

“Who?Me?I wasn’t smiling.”

She sent him an I-don’t-believe-you stare.“Okay.Let’s get you out of here.You just have to decide whose couch you want to rest on.Mine?Or yours?”

Oh yeah.He was definitely smiling now.Some might say this was the silver lining part of him getting injured.

She was concerned.

Every time Jenna looked at Simon, it looked like the bruising on his face had worsened.He definitely didn’t look like himself.

And according to Gus, he didn’t smell quite right either.She was guessing it was the disinfectant stuff they used to clean out his wounds.

Myra had been waiting at Jenna’s place with the dog when they arrived home.The power still wasn’t back on.Before her sister left, she went to get them some food.Luckily, the Lighthouse Cafe was open.It was almost always open during events like today.They had a generator to keep the lights on and the grills hot.It was a refuge for the locals.

Simon got mashed potatoes and gravy because chewing was painful for him at the moment.She got a club sandwich with a side of fries.She was ravenous.

Together, they sat on his couch while Gus ate a bowl full of kibble.The silence engulfed them.She tried to think of something to talk about that had nothing to do with his injuries, but she couldn’t come up with anything.

As though he’d read her thoughts, Simon said, “So, how are things going at work?”

She shrugged.“Fine.I guess.”

“What is the idea you wanted to share with your brother about the market?”

She sighed.“We still have to win trivia night before he’ll hear me out.”

Simon arched a brow.“Do you really believe that?”

“It’s starting to feel that way because he won’t stand still long enough for me to explain my idea.”

“He’s a businessman.”Simon dipped his spoon in the potatoes.“If you have a good idea and a strong presentation, he’ll listen.He’d be a fool not to.”

“You really believe that?”

He nodded as he swallowed.“Give him a reason to listen to you.”

Even though the Island Market was a business, it was a family business, so a lot of the norms of a typical business wouldn’t apply to them.As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she realized that was part of the problem.She wasn’t approaching this idea or her brother in a purely professional manner.

“I can see by the glint in your eyes that you have some ideas,” Simon said.

“I do.I’ve been approaching this all wrong.”

“So, if your boss wasn’t your brother, how would you go about it?”

They tossed around ideas.She loved having someone so invested in her vision, who was willing to throw out ideas that she hadn’t contemplated yet.

In the end, she decided she needed some visual aids to get her point across.And maybe she would write up her bullet points.She could present them to her brother at the end of her presentation.That way he could refer back to them as he was debating the pros and cons of her proposed modifications.

“Thank you.”She sent Simon a big smile.“I think you’re right.My approach was all wrong.The transition after my father died has been hard.Anyway, thank you.”

“I didn’t do anything but point out what you already knew.”

He did more than that, but she could see he was growing tired, so she excused herself and took the dirty dishes to the kitchen.

Once she put the disposable dishes in the garbage can, she offered him some ice cream that her sister had picked up.He declined.She returned to the kitchen to finish straightening up.It didn’t take her long.When she returned to the living room, he was asleep on the couch with Gus sleeping next to him.

But it was time for his medicine.The doctor said it would help with the pain and swelling.She really hated to disturb him.