“Oh, for God’s sake,” Erica muttered, and Jake rolled his eyes.
“Always one in every bunch.”
He glanced over his shoulder into the laughing eyes of one of the waiters. He hoped they didn’t paint them all with the same brush and think the whole group was going to be a pain in the ass like Lucy always was.
Then Jake suddenly had bigger problems than Obnoxious Lucy—the carafes of coffee arrived, carried by none other than the very gorgeous cowboy, Shea. Jake quickly glanced away and gulped another glass of water. Of course he swallowed it too fast, sending it down the wrong way, and he started to choke and cough, drawing the attention of the entire room.
“Damn, you okay?” Oliver patted him on the back, and he wheezed and kept coughing, unable to answer, but he nodded.
“Jake, take it easy. Don’t fight it,” Shea’s deep, warm voice rumbled from behind him, and he took over, patting Jake between the shoulder blades until he could draw in one breath, then another.
“I’m fine, I’m fine.” He cleared his throat and mustered a smile, but he was slipping in the faking-it department because he could see the doubt in Shea’s impossibly blue eyes.
“Are you? Even after last night? You didn’t wake up with a headache or a hangover? Nothin’?” His generous mouth curved up in a smile, and Jake found himself breathless again, for an entirely different reason. And maybe Shea didn’t realize his hand rested on Jake, but Jake sure as hell did.
Openmouthed, Erica stared at him from across the table, but it was Oliver who spoke first. “Wait, I know you from somewhere, don’t I? You look so familiar.”
“You might. I do some modelin’ aside from working here.” Shea rattled off the designers he’d modeled for, and the list was even more extensive than Jake had known.
“Of course, now I see it. That’s awesome.” Oliver stuck out his hand. “I own some of the stuff you’ve modeled.” He and Shea shook.
“TMI, Ollie,” Jake growled. “No one needs to think about you in your underwear.”
“I’m Erica, by the way.” She waved across the table to Shea. “Another friend of Jake’s. How do you two know each other?” She quirked a finely shaped brow.
“I checked him in last night when he arrived.” Shea removed his hand, and Jake breathed a sigh of relief.
“Why would you have a hangover? I don’t understand.” Erica was always good at ferreting out information.
Patty returned with a plate filled with watermelon, grapes, blackberries, and cantaloupe. “Here you go. I hope you enjoy. Shea, can I talk to you a sec?”
“Sure.” He flashed that perfect smile. “’Scuse me, please.” He and Patty disappeared into the kitchen.
“He’s so gorgeous,” Erica said, and when he failed to respond, she kicked him under the table.
“Ow, what?” He chewed his watermelon, then took a roll and buttered it.
“Don’t you dare act so nonchalant with me.” Her eyes flashed at him. “Why would you have a hangover? What happened?”
“Nothing. I, uh, had a few drinks and was a little tired when I got here, so I went to sleep. That’s all.” In order to forestall answering any more questions, he stuffed half the roll into his mouth.
“Yeah, sure. And I’m blonde, six feet tall, and have big blue eyes.” She continued to glare at him, but when Jake refused to say anything, Erica threw up her hands. “I give up.” She helped herself to eggs and bacon and began to eat.
Shea didn’t make another appearance during breakfast, and Jake relaxed enough to eat a pancake, several pieces of turkey bacon, and drink three cups of coffee. He finally felt human again and decided to forget about the previous evening.
With breakfast finished, Clarke stood up at the head of the table.
“We’re going to take a tour of the ranch now, and then you can all decide between boating, fishing, or riding. We’ll meet back here for lunch, and you’ll have the afternoon free until the barbecue at night, where we’ll have some team-bonding time. This is the perfect place to get to know each other better.”
“Ooh, what’re you guys going to do?”
None of it. “Not a clue. I have to call home. I’ll see you later.” Without waiting for them to answer, he left the dining area and headed out the front door.
The landscape was a totally different sight during the day. Tall trees shaded the house, and bushes of yellow roses as well as other flowers surrounded the long white porch. A winding brick path led down to the parking lot. Jake sat on the porch swing and FaceTimed home. After two rings, Terry appeared with Stacey sitting beside her at the kitchen table.
“Hi. It’s Daddy.” With a big smile on his face, he waved. “I miss you.”
Stacey gazed at him but didn’t smile or wave back.
