Bran’s jaw clenched. He didn’t like thinking of Ireland with other guys, especially his brothers. The fact it bothered him at all pissed him off even more.
Chapter 2
Ireland sipped her morning coffee at the kitchen table, and Cali walked into the great room in her fluffy bathrobe with wiener-dog caricatures decorating the material. She also happened to be holding her wiener dog, Buddy, which made the image comical.
“Morning.” Cali sneezed and grabbed a wrinkled tissue from a fluffy pocket. Buddy licked her cheek. Her nose was bright red and her face looked unusually pale.
“You okay?” Ireland asked.
“Yeah, sure. Just a little sick.”
“Completely sick!” Jaeg called from the bedroom.
Cali glanced back and frowned. “But I can still go today,” she said to Ireland. “So, no worries there.”
An agitated groan sounded from down the hallway.
Ireland stared past Cali to where Jaeg had emerged, a disgruntled look on his face. “If you’re not feeling well,” she said to Cali, “we can cancel. I’m sure Hunt will understand.”
Hunt had ended up joining them at the pizza restaurant the other night, after Jaeg had gone over to say hello. Hunt’s brothers had taken off, but Hunt hung out and chatted while Ireland, Cali, and Jaeg finished their beers. He invited them on a booze cruise he hosted every week for the club, and it was scheduled for today.
“No!” Cali said, her voice coming out in a croak. “I can make it.”
Jaeg placed his fingers on his hips, muscled arms winged out at his sides. “Cali.”
She looked back. “What? I promised Ireland.”
“If this is for me,” Ireland said, “I’m fine staying home.” She’d pull on her own fluffy socks and sweatpants, and she and Cali could binge-watch their favorite Netflix shows. Preferably something featuring hot, sweaty Viking men.
Cali frowned. “You finally get a date—”
Ireland’s face flamed. “It’s not a date!”
“And you’re going to cancel?” Cali’s expression was almost pained.
Was Ireland that pathetic?
Yeah, pretty much.
She’d stayed home every weekend since she arrived—unless Cali and Jaeg had dragged her out—and here she was, about to pass up an opportunity to get out there.
Ireland rested her elbow on the dining table and placed her chin on her hand. “I guess I could go.”
Cali’s face brightened and she handed Buddy to Jaeg, who tucked the small dog in a football hold while he walked to the fridge and poured orange juice into a glass.
He handed the glass to Cali. “Drink, sick girl.”
Cali sipped the orange juice and sat next to Ireland at the table. “This is perfect. There will be other people on the cruise, and without me there, you’ll be forced to socialize. Plus, you’ll be able to spend time with Hunt, the fun one.” She winked, and Ireland flinched.
It wasn’t that Ireland didn’t like socializing or Hunt; she was just afraid of being awkward around people. But Cali was right. Ireland had moved to Lake Tahoe to build a better life. “I’ll go, and I’ll be fine. You stay home and rest.”
Jaeg mouthed a silentthank youbehind Cali’s back.
Ireland madeher way past the Club Tahoe pool area and to the beach. She looked across the sand in the direction of the dock and held up her glasses to her eyes. A restored boat was anchored there. The boat was classy, with a third of it covered by beautiful wooden paneling.
Everything about Club Tahoe was classy. Ethan Cade, the patriarch, had spared no expense when he’d designed and built this place.
Ireland glanced down at her outfit, worried she’d gone too casual. She wore white cutoffs and a denim shirt over her lavender bikini. The wordsbooze cruisewere not synonymous with elegance, but this boat certainly was.
