She finally flew through the front door, her hair in a high ponytail. She had on a blue-and-yellow sundress with her swimsuit under it. And damn if she didn’t make him catch his breath.
She slid her sunglasses down from her head onto her face and fixed him with a bright smile. “What are you waiting for? Let’s go.”
Since he was already wearing his shades, she missed his eye roll. “Waiting on you, princess.”
She slid her hand up and down his arm. “Then let’s get this party started. Hey, where’s Murphy?”
“Out on the vineyard with your dad. He’s watching him today. Said they were going to sit inside, have snacks and watch a baseball game later.”
She laughed. “Of course they are. They’ll probably nap together, too.”
“No doubt.”
The drive to Sabra and Dave’s house took about forty minutes. They played music on low and mostly talked to each other about their week. It had always been easy to slide into conversation with Brenna. Whether it was about current events, weddings, his whiskey or an argument, they never ran out of things to talk about.
“What’s in all the bags and boxes and cooler?” he asked.
“Food. Wine. Clothes. Towels. I assume you handled the fishing gear.”
“I did. And I brought a fresh batch of whiskey.”
“Looks like we’re going to have a great day.”
He took the exit off the turnpike. “Clothes?”
“Yes. So I can change out of my swimsuit. And in case I get dirty.”
“You plan on getting dirty?”
She shrugged. “You never know. I like to be prepared. How about you? Did you bring a change of clothes?”
“Pretty sure there’s a pair of jeans and a T-shirt back there somewhere.” He tossed his thumb over his shoulder.
She rolled her eyes. “I guess that’s something.”
“I don’t think guys need to have as much stuff as women.”
“I’m amazed your species has survived as long as it has.”
He figured if he laughed she’d probably throw something at him, so he kept his mouth shut. They got to the house about ten minutes later. It was a big two-story, and while it wasn’t right on the lake, it wasn’t far. He couldn’t wait to get out on the water. He’d grown up by the sea, and being near water was one of the things he missed the most. He and his da would often go out on the boat to fish, and it was in his blood. He was aching to stretch his legs and toss his pole in the water today.
“You seem anxious,” Brenna said as they started to unload the truck.
“I miss the water,” he said.
“Oh, of course. You want to fish.”
“Yeah.”
“Hopefully you’ll catch something today.”
“I know I will.”
Her lips curved. “I do like a confident man.”
They carried everything to the door, which opened as soon as they got to it. Dave was there to greet them.
“I’m happy you two could make it,” he said. “Sabra’s in the kitchen making . . . I don’t know. Something. Sue’s out back putting the meat in the smoker and the rest of us are drinking and wishing it was already time to eat. Come on in.”
They carried the bags and cooler inside with Dave’s help. Andi was in the kitchen along with Hilary and Marie, who was helping Sabra slice strawberries. They all shouted out a hello.
“We’re so glad you came,” Sabra said. “I thought maybe you’d have to do a wedding today.”
“There is one this evening, but it’s a small event and my sisters graciously offered to handle it without me.”
“Awesome. There’s sangria in the fridge if you’d like a glass. Help yourself. And Finn, there’s beer in the cooler outside.”
Dave motioned with his head. “Follow me.”
Finn looked over at Brenna, who waved him off, so he knew she’d be okay, and he followed Dave outside.
Brenna was happy to see that Sabra and the others were comfortable enough to let her make herself at home. And that Finn didn’t feel like he’d have to sit right by her side all day.
She’d always been independent and confident enough in herself to be comfortable in a crowd of strangers. It didn’t take her long to get to know the women. Sabra was vivacious and super friendly. Hilary was gorgeous and had a wicked sense of humor. Andi was smart as hell and adept at keeping the conversation moving along, and Marie was just incredibly sweet and friendly, always the one to fill drinks or pitch in to help.
They worked together to make sandwiches and fill up containers with fruit and other snacks for the boat.
“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I think we make a damn good team,” Hilary said. “We got that task done in record time.”
“Which is good,” Andi said. “Because I’m so ready to get in the water.”
Brenna was as well, and she hoped Finn would get to spend some quality time fishing.
They ended up having two boats. One was at the marina, and one that Marie’s boyfriend, William, had brought.
Dave, Finn, Sue, Will and Johan took one boat to fish, and the rest of them climbed onto Andi’s boat so they could hang out in the water.
This wasn’t exactly the day she thought she’d have with Finn, but he seemed excited about being able to fish, and that was what she wanted for him. Besides, they had coolers of booze and plenty of food to eat on each boat, so they’d all be fine. They made plans to meet up in a cove for lunch.
They started out skiing and tubing and Brenna had never laughed so much. Andi was an expert skier and Hilary had never gotten up on water skis in her life, with the rest of them falling somewhere in the middle. They gave Hilary a lot of pointers, but she still face-planted a few times, and each time came up sputtering and laughing. When she finally got back onto the boat, she was still laughing.
“Thank God I have these enormous boobs to break my fall.”
Then they all started laughing so much that Andi said she was unable to maneuver the boat, so they took a break and had a drink. Brenna felt the heat from the sun and didn’t want to get sick, so she drank a lot of water and drove the boat while Andi skied for a while.
The time passed quickly and they made their way to the designated meeting spot. The other group showed up about fifteen minutes later, all of them grinning, which was a good sign.
“How was the fishing?” Marie asked.