Down Too Deep (Dirty Deeds, #4)(38)

I blinked back tears and picked at the edge of the counter. I had the best brother, and my children had the best uncle. There was no match for Brian. Our happiness meant everything to him. And his was just as important to me. I hoped he knew that.

My head flew up. “Hey, shouldn’t we be planning a wedding or something? Syd’s divorce is final soon, right?”

That was the only reason why my brother wasn’t married already. I knew he was counting down the seconds until a judge allowed them to wed. Syd too. She glowed at the mention of becoming a Savage.

Brian slowly grinned. “I should probably propose first.”

“Please.” I giggled. “You guys have been planning on getting married since last summer. You’re engaged. Time to make it official.”

A wily look lifted the corner of his mouth. He was planning something, but before I could inquire further, the front door chimed, causing me to turn my head.

Jamie drifted into the shop, head thrown back as he laughed loudly. He wore a pair of board shorts and no shirt. His hair was saltwater damp, curling against his neck and with pieces sticking to his forehead.

If my brother’s best friend and business partner ever looked like he hadn’t just gotten out of the ocean, I’d fear we were under nuclear attack. Jamie was a champion surfer. He lived in the water. Growing up, he and Brian used to compete together all the time. Now my brother did it more as a hobby. Not Jamie though. He was always out to win.

“Choke!” Jamie held the door open for someone and grinned at Brian. “This motherf—”

“Jamie!” I glared at him while hooking a thumb over my shoulder in the general direction of my kids. “Little ears. Watch it.”

Brows lifting, he smiled at me, a fifty-fifty mix of remorse and entertainment. The latter was permanent. It was a rare thing to see Jamie McCade serious about something.

“My bad, Jenna. Didn’t know you were stoppin’ in today.” Jamie moved aside and released the door as another man stepped in behind him.

He was wearing board shorts as well but had pulled on a T-shirt that did absolutely nothing to hide his build, which mimicked Jamie’s. Long, sinewy muscle with some bulk to his arms. His short blond hair was wet and would’ve curled had it been longer. It was in the genes.

I recognized him instantly. This was Jamie’s older brother…Travis, maybe? I searched my memory for a name. I hadn’t seen him in at least twelve years, but I could’ve gone twenty and I would’ve known exactly who this was. The similarity to his brother was uncanny. He was Jamie, grown-up and settled down.

“Sorry. I didn’t know I had to announce my visits,” I said. I gave Jamie a teasing look, which he immediately shot back. We joked around a lot. He was basically another brother to me.

“You don’t. But it ain’t like you’ve been comin’ around here lately.” Jamie stepped up to the counter and leaned on his elbow, facing me. He cocked his head in challenge.

“I’ve just been really busy,” I shot back.

“I heard.” A mischievous smile spread on his lips, popping out his signature dimples.

Ugh. Apparently, Tori had been sharing information as well. Great. Whatever happened to girl code? Was that even a thing anymore? I prepared myself for another hard-core grilling, but Jamie cut me some slack and didn’t press further as his brother got up beside him.

“You remember Travis, right, Jenna? The brother with zero talent on the water…”

Travis side-eyed Jamie. “Where’d you get your PhD from again?”

“The University of Suck My—”

I lurched forward and slapped a hand over Jamie’s mouth while directing at his brother, “Hi! Hello…I uh, sort of remember you. It’s been a while.”

Jamie grumbled and jerked back. “I wasn’t going to say it.”

Brian, Travis, and I all responded with different versions of “Yeah, right.”

The four of us started laughing.

Travis gripped my hand and shook it as he searched my face. He smiled, revealing yet another similarity to his younger brother. Travis had dimples as well.

I felt my breath catch. God, the McCade grin game was strong as fuck.

“You were fourteen or fifteen the last time I saw you, right?” Travis asked, releasing me.

I thought back. “Mm, probably fifteen. We moved to Denver that year.”

“Gross, Travis. You noticed Jenna when she was fifteen? You were twenty-three.” Jamie winked at me.

Most women would’ve reacted somehow to being on the receiving end of so much as a look from Jamie McCade, but I remained completely unaffected. I didn’t even blush.

I thought about Nathan winking at me…

He did it and my brain melted.

“How was it out there?” Brian cut in, directing that question at Jamie. The two of them fell into conversation about currents and wave height.

I looked to Travis and found him already watching me. His eyes were crystal blue. He smiled when I smiled. Sheesh, he was attractive. I felt heat rising up my neck.

“So, are you living here now?” he asked. “Or are you just visiting from Denver?”

“No, we’re here now. Me and my kids.” I pointed over my shoulder at the noise behind me. Olivia giggled on cue, and Travis’s grin brightened. “My parents stayed out in Denver, though. What about you? Are you still local?” Growing up, we all had lived in Emerald Isle, a town about an hour down the coast.