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The woman’s lips are now only inches away from her stupid whistle. Why won’t they cooperate?

“Let’s get out of here, Geraldine. This girl has clearly lost it,” the man says to his wife, and the two of them scurry away.

“Eloise, what’s wrong?” The handsome stranger’s voice is softer now, and hypnotizingly charming.

I slowly turn around. “Look, I don’t know you. You’ve got the wrong girl. Just let me go. I won’t tell anyone you chased me. I promise.”

The guy crosses his arms over his chest, an amused smile playing on his lips. “Chased you? Gee, Eloise Miller, it’s nice to see you too.”

I look up and study his face. Up close, he doesn’t really look like a killer. In fact, he looks kind of familiar. He’s got the same nose and dark hair as Maggie, almost as if he could be related to her…

Okay, so maybe I overreacted to this whole stranger danger situation. I guess that’s what some alcohol, lack of sleep, and an intercontinental flight after your life’s dreams have gone down the toilet will do to a girl.

“You don’t remember me, do you?” He extends his hand. “I’m Colton.”

I frown. “Maggie’s brother?”

He nods. “Bingo.”

I extend my hand as well, and he gives it a firm squeeze. I notice how my palm almost disappears in his. It’s an oddly comforting sensation.

I should start running again. Not because of some guy chasing me, but because I’ll die of shame if I stay put. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize him. I mean, it’s been years since I’ve seen Colton. He used to look way different. Less… sexy as hell.

“You probably think I’ve lost it,” I say.

Colton laughs. “Don’t worry about it. Maggie told me you’re going through a difficult time.”

I wave his all-too-true remark away. “Nah, I’m good, yo.”

Yo? Maybe having my mouth taped shut with duct tape wouldn’t be a bad thing after all.

He glances at his smart watch. “My ride is parked at the short-term parking lot, so we better hurry. Or are you afraid I’ll do something bad to you?”

The way he says bad lights my cheeks on fire.

I bite my lower lip. I’ve got to get it together. If I can get to Maggie’s beach house without making a fool of myself again, I can sleep off my exhaustion and then my physical reactions to this guy will likely simmer down as well.

I shake my head. “It’s all good. Let’s go, bro.”

“Okay, calm down, Jay-Z,” Colton says with a laugh. “You don’t have to call me bro.”

The guy is right. First yo and now bro… What is wrong with me?

“I won’t,” I say. “But you have to stop calling me Eloise. It’s Elle and it has been for a long time now.”

He grabs the handles of my luggage – a faded old baby blue sports bag that magically survived both high school and college. “All right, Elle.”

I glance up at him while we silently walk back to his car. We cross the carpeted area of the airport, step through the sliding doors, and walk straight past the taxi pickup zone. Then we get into the elevator leading us into the underground parking garage, all without speaking a word.

Maggie and I have been best friends since high school, but Colton is five years older than us. By the time Maggie and I were so close that we hung out at each other’s houses all the time, he had already gone off to college. I think I’ve only seen him once or twice over the holidays, and I don’t even know her two other brothers. I know one of them is a doctor and the other is a teacher. I think. Maggie never mentioned Colton had turned into a hot stud. Then again, saying that about your sibling would be weird, so I can’t blame her for hiding this crucial information from me.

When we reach a row of sloppily parked bikes, Colton stops walking, and I stumble against his back.

“Why are we stopping?”

“Because you want to get to Summerville Creek, right?” He hands me a motorcycle helmet.

“I do, but what is this?”