Break the Rules (The Flanagan Sisters Book 1) (7 page)

Jack
had
said he would make sure it got done.

Could
she rely on him to follow through on the promise? In the past the only person
she could rely on at work was Jeremy. Should she take the chance?

Jack’s
comment about her being fatigued niggled at her. She didn’t think she was, but
she wasn’t necessarily the best judge – she was too focused on what had to be
done. She would hate to put the plant at risk.

Now
might be the perfect opportunity to do the course.

“That’s
a great idea!” Tanya said.

Hal
nodded. “Jack always raves about his dives.”

Bridget
took her meal out of the microwave and placed it on the table. She grabbed
Tanya’s tablet and searched for diving courses in Houston. She found a place
that offered a three-day open water course and there was one coming up next
weekend, starting on the Friday.

What
did she have scheduled for Friday? Quickly she fired up her laptop and opened
the project schedule. It was contractor work. They needed someone to show them
what to do and a number to call if they had any trouble. If she explained
everything to Jack, or one of the chemical engineers, they could easily fill
in.

She
cross checked the diving course information and her chart. Could she actually
do it? The price was within her budget, but was it a little bit decadent to
spend so much on
herself
?

She
shook her head. If she wasn’t going to spend her money on herself, who else
would she spend it on?

Acknowledging
the little voice in the back of her head yelling,
Do it! Do it!
she
clicked the “book now” button and signed up for the
course.

Bridget
sat back. It was a little terrifying now she’d booked it. She hoped Jack would
give her the Friday off. She probably should have checked with him first. This
was why she didn’t do spontaneous very well. It always ended badly.

Knowing
it would niggle at her over the whole weekend, she called his cell phone.

“Hi Bridget.
Everything all right?”
His voice warmed her
body and made her smile. She was glad he couldn’t see her.

“I’ve
booked a diving course and realized I should have checked with you first. It’s
next Friday.”

“That’s
great news! No problem on my end. Why don’t you take the Monday off as well and
make it a four-day weekend?”

She
glanced over at Tanya. She always had Mondays off, and by the time Bridget had
done the course she might need a day of pampering. She wasn’t sure how physical
it would be.

“All right.
That would be great. I’ll update the project plan this weekend to make sure
we’re on track and will give you the details on Monday.”

“No.
You’re not going to work on the weekend. We’ll sort it out next week.” His
voice was stern.

“Sure,”
she lied. “I’ll see you then.” She hung up.

“So
when’s the course?” Tanya asked.

“Next
Friday. Do you want to do the girls’ day the following Monday?”

Tanya’s
face lit up.
“Absolutely!
Let me organize everything.
We should go shopping and then get a massage. It’s time you had something more
than high-vis in your wardrobe.”

Bridget
smothered a groan. She wasn’t much of a shopper, and never had the time for
hair and makeup. Her only weakness was painting her toenails, and she had a myriad
of colors already. But Tanya was right. Most of the clothes in her wardrobe
were at least two years old and it would be nice to have something new for a
change.

“All right.”
Finishing her meal, she tidied up and grabbed her laptop from the
table.

“I’ll
leave you love birds to it,” she said. She wanted to give them some privacy and
she wasn’t comfortable sitting out there while they got all lovey-dovey on the
sofa.

Besides,
she had work to do.

Chapter 7

One of Bridget’s favorite things about the weekend
was being able to wake up without her alarm going off. She could sleep as late
as she wanted to – a complete indulgence for her.

So
when Tanya pounded on Bridget’s bedroom door on Saturday morning, waking her
up, Bridget swore. “What’s the emergency?” she called, clearing her eyes of
sleep as she reached for her cell phone to check the time. It was seven
o’clock.
Way
too early for the weekend. Tanya was never out of bed this
early. What had got into her?

“We’re
going on a road trip and you’re coming with us.”

Bridget
frowned, trying to get her brain functioning.
A road trip?
“What happened to lunch and a movie?” She flung the covers back, knowing Tanya
wouldn’t give up until Bridget had at least shown her face. She got up and
opened her bedroom door.

“We
decided a road trip would be more fun. We’re heading to Brenham – wine, food,
and antiquing. What could be better?”

Brenham
was one of Bridget’s favorite places. She loved the atmosphere and the fact it
was far enough from Houston and the plant for her to be able to relax. If
anything happened, someone else would have to deal with it.

Down
the hall she could hear someone making coffee. The smell wafted tantalizingly
toward her. “Tanya, you don’t want me tagging along. Besides, I’ve got work to
do.”

“No
you don’t. We called Jack and he said you shouldn’t be working. He’s going to
come too, so you’ll make sure he doesn’t feel like the third wheel. Now, get
ready. We leave in thirty minutes.” Tanya whirled around and headed to the
kitchen.

Bridget
watched her go, her brain still processing what was going on. Tanya was awake
and chirpy at seven o’clock on a Saturday
morning.
Hal must have some
kind of secret potion. Then she focused on one point. Tanya had called Jack and
he was coming too.

That
should be enough to make her refuse, but the idea of spending a whole day with
him away from the plant held significant appeal.

Which meant she couldn’t possibly go.

But
she’d think of a reason to give Tanya while she had a shower. She wasn’t going
to get back to sleep now.

As
Bridget showered she thought about the last time she’d been in Brenham and the
little winery they’d discovered with the most amazing wine she’d ever tasted.
It also had a cute little café attached to it with the best apple pie.

Tanya
wasn’t playing fair. It was way too tempting.

As
she turned off the shower she reminded herself she had work to do. If she was
going to have a four-day weekend next weekend, she needed to get a few things
sorted. She didn’t have time to go gallivanting across the country, no matter
how much the idea appealed.

She
took her time deciding what to wear. It was a warm fall day, but everything in
her wardrobe was old and tired. It was just as well she was going shopping with
Tanya next week.

She’d
been staring at her wardrobe for five minutes when she realized she’d made the
decision to go with them. Why else would she be agonizing over what to wear?

With
a sigh, she threw on a pair of black
capri
pants,
some sandals and a blue top. She grabbed her purse and opened her bedroom door
to find Hal and Tanya waiting for her with a travel mug.

“Here,”
Tanya said, handing her the coffee. “We’re late picking up Jack.”

“We
should invite Trish and Sally,” Bridget said, a little desperately. “They love
Brenham.” At least with a couple more friends, she wouldn’t have to focus on
Jack.

“Too late.”
Tanya
bustled
Bridget out of the house and into Hal’s
bright red four-door sedan.

Damn
it. What had she got herself in to? She shouldn’t be sitting in the back seat of
Hal’s car, sipping coffee and heading for a day out with the boss she was
trying her hardest to pretend was just a colleague.

No
other colleague made her body hum like he did.

Still
if Tanya and Hal were going to stay together, it was inevitable they would
socialize with each other outside of work. They needed to be able to be cordial
and to work past the attraction. Today was a prime opportunity.

She’d
never been so pleased her friend had found someone.

She
rolled her eyes. She was being ridiculous. She had her rules for a reason – a
Lionel-sized reason – and so her attraction to Jack didn’t matter.

She
would be polite, friendly even, but she wouldn’t respond to the feelings he
evoked inside. She was an adult. She could ignore her baser instincts. Plus she
wasn’t going to let Jack scare her away from a chance to go to Brenham.

Hal
pulled up in front of a house that had
a seventies
look and honked his horn. Jack was out of the front door before the noise
faded. He wore black shorts and a striped shirt that clung to his chest,
defining every muscle. It was a shame the usual high-vis work clothes did
little to accentuate anyone’s figure.
Because Jack had a
figure worth accentuating.

He
gave a casual salute and climbed into the backseat next to her.

She
had to stop staring.

“Morning,”
he said.

“Morning!”
Tanya sing-
songed
back.

Bridget’s
mouth had gone dry so she merely nodded. She had to get a grip. This was her
boss she was checking out. The whole day suddenly seemed like a really bad
idea.

“So
where are we going?” Jack asked as Hal pulled out of the driveway.

“Brenham.”
Tanya told him. “We can tour a couple of wineries, have brunch, check out some
antique shops, and maybe do the tour of the ice-creamery.”

“Sounds
like a plan.” He turned to Bridget. “I’m glad Tanya convinced you to come. It’s
too gorgeous a day to be inside.”

He
was right. The sky was clear and pale blue, the sun was warm, and the forecast
was for the first cooler day since summer – which meant it might actually be
pleasant.

“I didn’t
have much choice in the matter,” Bridget said, wincing at the sarcasm in her
tone. She sounded bitter and she wasn’t. A day out in Brenham would normally be
top of her list of things to do. She just didn’t want to spend the day fighting
her body’s response to Jack.

“Don’t
be like that, Bridge,” Tanya said. “You’ll have a great time.”

Bridget
sighed. “I know.”

“Plus
you’re under boss’s orders not to work,” Jack said with a smile.

She
couldn’t resist smiling back at him. It was too hard not to. “He does seem to
be taking an inordinate amount of interest in the hours I put in.”

“Just
making sure my
staff are
looking after themselves,” he
replied.

It
was nice. He noticed the hours she was working,
plus
he was taking on
some of her work so she could have the time off she deserved. Not many people
would do that.

But
would others view it as favoritism? Was he checking the hours for the rest of
his department, or was it just her? Her shoulders went stiff. This was one of
the reasons why dating the boss was a bad idea. She was constantly
second-guessing herself.

As
they drove through the city, doing their best to avoid traffic snarls, they
chatted about their favorite Brenham location. Their first stop when they
arrived was to get food. After a brief argument they settled on a café that
served breakfast. Bridget slid into a booth that had windows facing the street.
The town was already buzzing with people – some striding purposefully to their
destination, others just wandering, pointing out places of interest. Bridget
breathed deeply, inhaling the coffee fragrance mixed with cooked bacon coming
from the kitchen.

Jack
slid in next to her. “Something smells good.”

“Sure
does.” She wasn’t referring to the food. Jack was sitting so close his leg
brushed hers and his masculine aftershave teased her senses.

She
resisted the urge to lean closer and
sniff
him.
Shuffling a little further away she grabbed a menu. “I don’t know what I want.”
She buried her face in it, hoping to get herself under control.

“It’s
a no-brainer,” Hal declared.
“The works every time.”

“I’m
going with pancakes,” Tanya decided.

Everything
on the menu sounded delicious, but Bridget couldn’t go past the pancakes
either.
“Me too.”

Jack agreed
with his brother and after they’d ordered he turned to Bridget. “Which dive
school are you going with?”

She
named the school. “They do a three-day course, which suits me.”

“Do
you need any gear? My stuff arrived from Australia this week, so you can borrow
it if you want, though the fins might be too big.”

The
idea of using his equipment was a little too intimate for Bridget. “It’s all
included in the price.”

“Where
will you dive?”

“I’m
not sure. The website said there will be lake dives on Saturday and open water
dives on Sunday.” She hadn’t considered lakes a source of diving, but when
she’d researched it further, there were a few places around Texas.

“That’ll
be good. You won’t have to worry about any swell for your first couple of
dives. You can focus on the breathing and gauges.”

“What’s
the most important thing to remember?” she asked, curious as to how difficult
it would be.

Jack
was quiet while he considered it. “Always keep an eye on your depth and the
amount of oxygen you have.”

That
didn’t sound so hard. Details were her specialty so she shouldn’t have a
problem.

“It’s
hard not to get caught up in what you’re seeing – the whole new underwater
cosmos – but you’ve got to be aware of your surroundings and your safety at all
times.”

Safety
she could do. It was in her blood.

“Where
shall we go next?” Tanya asked.

Bridget
raised her eyebrows. There were two antique shops they had to visit every time
they came to Brenham. Carly loved antiques and insisted Bridget tell her what
they had in stock. Inevitably they ended up carting something home for her.

Tanya
grinned at her. “OK, antiques first, then wine.”

The
men swapped a pained look and Bridget explained. “I can’t come to Brenham
without shopping for my sister, Carly. If she found out I came here today and
didn’t call her, there would be hell to pay.” So she might be exaggerating a
little. Carly never got upset over anything. She was the most level-headed
person Bridget knew and had inherited none of the fiery temperament from her
Salvadoran mother and Irish father. Bridget had no idea how she’d avoided it.
Zita, Bridget and their mother were all known for their passionate natures.

“We’ll
be an hour, tops,” Tanya promised. “You guys can stay here and have another
coffee if you want.”

“I’m
game,” Jack said. “There wasn’t much that was considered antique in Australia.”

They
finished their meal and wandered down the street. Ahead of her, Tanya and Hal
held hands and pointed out things in shop windows. Beside her, Jack walked at a
comfortable pace. The temptation to take his hand was strong so Bridget stuck
her hands into her pockets and nodded to Tanya and Hal. “They’re so into each
other, aren’t they?”

“Yeah.
It’s nice. I’ve never known my brother to be so smitten.”

“Tanya
either. She usually flits from guy to guy but they don’t catch her interest. I
think I’m going to need to find a new roommate.”

“Are
you renting?” he asked.

“Yeah.
We’ve still got our place for six months.” Their lease would run out about the
time Hal and Tanya were talking about traveling. Bridget didn’t think that was
a coincidence.

They
arrived at the first antiques shop and Jack held the door open for her.
“Thanks.” She cursed the flush that warmed her cheeks. She wasn’t used to such
old-fashioned gallantry, especially not working on the plant.

Getting
out her cell phone,
she
video called her sister.
“Guess where I am?”

There
was a big sigh.
“Where?”
Carly had dark circles under
her eyes and a defeated slump to her shoulders. Bridget stopped smiling.

“What’s
up, Carolina?” Bridget asked in Spanish.

“Nothing.
Just work stuff.”

Bridget
frowned. If Carly didn’t want to talk, she wouldn’t, but Bridget would grill
her on the drive to their mother’s tomorrow. “I’m in Brenham, at your favorite
antiques store.”

“Now that’s
news to cheer me up,” Carly said, her voice more animated. She forced a smile.
“I’d love a jewelry box. What have they got in stock?” She indicated that
Bridget should turn the phone around so she could have a look.