Holiday at Magnolia Bay (Southern Born Christmas Book 1) by Tracy Solheim Page B

that framed the entry way to the wide porch overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Dressed in black cargo shorts, with a grey T-shirt advertising a bar in Annapolis, Maryland stretched across his chest, and flip flops, Drew looked better than handsome. He looked edible. All Jenna could manage was a little hum of agreement which sounded embarrassingly as though she’d just swallowed a satisfying piece of Dove chocolate.
    Those all-knowing eyes twinkled at her almost like he had a direct line to her thoughts. His hair was still damp and she caught a waft of freshly showered man with an extra helping of testosterone. Jenna shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
    “Now, Aunt Evie, there’s no need to fish for compliments for me. You’re making Jenna uncomfortable.” The obnoxious man had the nerve to wink at her. “If you’re trying to evade my question it won’t work. What’s this about someone taking your money?”
    “No one’s ‘taking’ my money. I’m donating it. To Jenna. So she can establish a turtle hatchery here in Magnolia Bay.” Miss Evie patted the chair beside hers. “Come sit and she can tell you all about it.” Drew remained where he was while Zarah wound her way between his ankles.
    Jenna sprung from her chair. The last thing she wanted was a long coze with Drew this morning. She’d accomplished what she’d come here for and she had lab work to follow up on at the Turtle Center. “I really have to get back to work. I just wanted to drop those documents off.”
    Miss Evie slid the prospectus toward Drew. “I’m sure Drew would love to hear all about your hatchery, Sugar.”
    “It’s not my hatchery, Miss Evie,” Jenna corrected her as though she hadn’t done so many times before. “It belongs to Magnolia Bay. I’ll just be one of the fortunate scientists who gets to bring it to fruition.”
    “As long as those two from Downunder don’t have any say-so.”
    Jenna swallowed a sigh of frustration. “I’ve told you before, Miss Evie, we need Perry’s expertise to make this work.”
    “Pfft,” Miss Evie said. “You’re smarter than both of them. You just remind them that no money goes to this project until after they make themselves known at the low country boil. It’s going to be a great way to end the summer and announce the plans for the hatchery.”
    “Aunt Evie, I think we need to discuss this hatchery project a bit further before you commit to anything.”
    Some of the wind left Jenna’s sails with Drew’s words. Maybe Perry was right to be concerned. She still had no idea how Drew fit into Miss Evie’s life or whether or not he could derail their plans for the hatchery. Her heart and her brain told her to keep her distance from Drew, but with the project caught in the balance, that was going to be hard to do.
    “That’s what I’m trying to do here, young man. You both need to sit back down and discuss this project.” Miss Evie tapped the prospectus with a well-manicured finger.
    *
    His godmother was meddling again. Drew was fairly confident she couldn’t just stroke a check for millions so Jenna could reproduce sea turtles without approval from her trustee, so he sensed Aunt Evie had an ulterior motive: mainly throwing him and Jenna together. Not that his body was complaining. He just didn’t want to hear his beloved godmother complaining when Drew got his mind back on track and left for another tour of duty—without Jenna.
    “Leave the paper, Jenna,” he said as he pulled away from the column. It was better to just appease them both. “I needed some beach reading anyway.”
    “But Jenna can explain it so much better,” his godmother insisted. “And what if you have questions?”
    “I know where to find her.” Drew couldn’t decide if the flush creeping up Jenna’s cheeks was a good sign or not. He wouldn’t mind another late night trip to the beach house at the end of Bayshore, though, even if it was only to discuss the sex lives of turtles.
    “I have a better