“Ah.”Caitlin nods.“That makes sense.You met with his coaching, and that’s why you’re older.Yer boys are in secondary school.”
I wait for Jack to clarify that we met before I ever came with my boys, but he doesn’t seem to care what they think, so I leave it alone.“Do any of you have kids?”I glance around.
Jack drops his hand over mine.“I have two, as you know.”
“None of the rest of us,” Seàn says.“Jack’s the only one who got married.”
“You know, you can actually have children without being married.”I nod slowly.“That shocked my boys as well.”
It takes them a moment, but his friends burst out laughing.
“She’s funny,” Daniel says.“I like that.”
He would—definitely the joker.
“I hear you ride horses,” Lorcán says.
I nod.“Well, I ride sometimes.I had a bad experience, and I’ve been a little nervous ever since.”
“You do have a big property, though, right?”Daniel asks.
“Jack told us you bought the Fortwilliam estate,” Seán says.
“And you’re Rián’s boss.”Lorcán’s lip is twitching.
“I suppose that’s all true,” I say.“But I bought it with two of my best friends, so I don’t own it all myself.”
“Rich,” Shannon says, “but notrichrich.”She winks.
I can’t help laughing.“I mean, recently I sold my husband’s company—which is a long story—and I needed to invest the money somewhere.When you’re all as old as me, you’ll probably be just as rich.”
“Except for Jack.”Caitlin giggles.
“Why not Jack?”I squeeze his hand.“Does he spend all his money on his kids?”I chuckle.“Or on hurling trips?”
All of them frown and glance at each other with strange expressions.
“What am I missing?”
“Oh, nothing,” Jack says.
“What?”I catch Shannon’s eye.
“I just meant because he’s rich already.”Shannon arches an eyebrow.“Did you really not know?”
Rich?I look at Jack.
He rolls his eyes.“Stop, you guys.”
“But really, his dad owns TQS, and his mom’s family owns every building on the entire street of downtown Lismore, so his dad’s giving him TQS, and his sister gets the little businesses.Everyone here knows.You really didn’t?”Shannon sounds annoyed now.
“Leave off,” Seán says.“It’s not our business.”
Shannon blinks, but they all hush.
“Ah, the food’s here,” Daniel says, pointing.
Blessedly, it is, and as usual, it’s quite good.I’m not as shocked, though, when Jack picks up the tab...and his friends let him.He may very well be the jock, if there really are characters like Sam said, but he’s also the financier, apparently.Everyone knew he was rich except his new girlfriend, and they all let him pay like it’s expected.
