Brendan's Baby - Annie J. Rose Page 0,2

rock.”

Chapter 2

Brendan

I stowed my equipment and put my shirt on. Another full day of teaching surfing lessons to tourists was in the books. I had been scheduled solid since seven-thirty in the morning. Business was booming, and my surfing business, which was only opened eighteen months ago, had already turned out to be a strong addition to the O’Shea portfolio. My brothers and I had started investing in the island as soon as we arrived one by one. By the time I retired from the Navy after twenty years, my older brother Connor had already moved down to St. Martin and opened the pub.

I pitched in and eventually branched out. Because being in the water and sand and sun was where I wanted to spend my days. I sent Archie and Carrie, the locals who helped me out on a part-time basis, home. It might be time to hire them full-time, considering the workload.

I headed over to O’Shea’s Pub, the authentic Irish pub that was the crown jewel of our growing island empire. My brothers and I had always been a close-knit clan. Going into business together was a natural extension of that. The place was already crowded when I got there, and a line was starting to form outside. I went around back and came in. I reached behind the bar and got a beer, cracked it open.

“You need a hand around here, bro?” I asked Connor.

“Nah. Tommy’s got it covered. You wouldn’t think a guy that talks that much could keep up with this pace, but he does.”

“Well, he was a SEAL, too,” I said.

“He was indeed. And I’m willing to believe he’s the strongest one of us all. He came back the same man he’d always been. Happy go lucky,” Connor said.

“Tommy’s always been the life of the party. So maybe you’re right. I always thought he was just immature.”

“He’s immature too,” Connor snorted, “but he’s a hell of a bartender.”

“I assume you’re talking about me, since I’m a hell of a bartender,” Tommy said, joining us.

He took a drink from his water bottle, “How’s the beach bum life, Bren?” he said.

“It’s about like the pub. Busier than you’d think. I may need to take on full-time help. I’m booked solid again tomorrow.”

“That’s what we want to hear,” Tommy said, “And I can always pitch in.”

“I’d have to teach you to surf first,” I teased.

“I’m a SEAL. I could rescue them.”

“They don’t need to be rescued. I’m a good teacher,” I said.

“Like I said. I can save them from drowning,” he joked.

“I taught your ass to swim,” I said.

“And I taught yours,” Connor said, “besides, Tommy’s more than busy enough here at the pub.”

“That reminds me. It’s time to get this crowd on their feet with an Irish jig,” he said.

Off he went, talkative and cheerful, to convince tourists to try some Irish dancing. Everyone at least clapped the beat. The dancers laughed and stumbled through the routine, and everyone had a blast. I clapped right along with them and finished my beer. I was ready to shove off when I saw a flash of bright red from the corner of my eye.

Instinctively, I glanced that way. Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw.

She walked past me, talking in a low voice to her friend, and went to sit down in a booth. She had masses of red hair, wavy and long, and a gorgeous pair of legs that were bare up to the shorts she wore. Or maybe it was a one-piece thing because the top matched. I couldn’t be sure, although I wouldn’t have minded a closer look.

She flipped her hair back, that bright, rich red that I wanted to comb my fingers through.

She was so beautiful, her creamy skin and red-apple cheeks and eyes that looked so green even from a distance that they had to be contacts. No one had eyes like that except maybe a cat or a Disney princess. I had to stop clapping along because I’d lost the beat. I was too distracted by the sight of her, by the fact that I could only hear the pounding of my own heart in my ears. The music was blocked out, the chatter of a crowded room. Not even the clink of glasses. Only my heartbeat in my ears and my vision trained a hundred percent on in the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.

Chapter 3

Elise

We only had to wait in line about twenty minutes before we got