NautiCal (Forever Wilde 8)

“I recently graduated from veterinary school.”

That surprised me. “Really? That’s fantastic. My brother West is a doctor, and my brother Hudson raises rare breed sheep. Hudson’s so annoyed West didn’t become a vet instead of a physician, so he’s always teasing him about his ‘lesser’ medical degree. It’s gotten to the point I think our sister Sassy might actually go to vet school just to shut them both up.”

Lucas smiled. “It’s a lot of work just to quiet a family feud.”

“Nah, she’d be a great vet. She’s always been a natural around animals, but she’s scared. School wasn’t easy for her, so she’s convinced she can’t handle graduate school. My grandfathers have been leaning on her pretty hard to at least try.”

Lucas crinkled his brow. “That’s tough. Maybe she’d rather be a vet tech. Much less schooling, and she’d still be able to help your brother a ton.”

“That’s what I told her, and there’s a program close to home at the same place she’s taking her prerequisites.”

We talked a bit more while we ate breakfast. As expected, the food was amazing. Every time one of us groaned in pleasure or complimented Julo, he simply chuckled and continued working on whatever it was he was doing on the other side of the galley counter.

I ignored Prescott as much as possible, but I could feel his laser stare on the side of my face. When he finally got a chance to interrogate me again, he asked, “Cal, how did you and Worth meet, exactly?”

“Exotic dancing,” I said at the same time Nat said, “Sailing school,” and Worth said, “I helped him come out of the closet.”

I snorted and clapped my hand over my mouth before I was able to shower everyone in coffee.

Lucas’s laugh was light and sweet, and I knew right away I wanted to wrap him in bubble wrap and protect him at all costs. I’d only been sitting next to him for half an hour and I could already sense his genuine interest in and care for others. He seemed so different from Worth, which was especially strange since I didn’t know Worth at all either.

Grandpa had always told us kids to “go with your gut” about people, and I had a sense that Lucas was a good person. A kind person. Which made me feel even worse for having slept with his fiancé. Worth was harder to pin down. I trusted him—whether I should or not remained to be seen—but I didn’t consider him sweet and kind in the way Lucas was. Jonathan Worthington seemed more sharklike. I just didn’t know if he was a fairly harmless reef shark or a cutthroat great white yet.

I met Worth’s eyes across the table and felt the apple fritters take a tumble in my stomach. Fuck, he was sexy. He hadn’t shaved this morning, and his scruff made him look more human. The breeze ruffled his hair, and his blue eyes danced as his laughter died down. The laugh lines next to his eyes reminded me of one of those deliciously older movie stars like Hugh Jackman or that guy from Mad Men.

“Cal, darling. Are you ready to go shopping? I have plans to spoil you this morning.” Worth was clearly shocking the hell out of his brother and sister because they both gaped at him.

My lips felt numb under the unexpected affectionate attention. No man unrelated to me had ever spoken so dearly to me before. “Um… I… I’m not sure the stores are open yet?”

“I called ahead to Van Cleef and Arpels and they’ve agreed to let us in by appointment. I wanted to see if you like the Midnight Planétarium watch everyone’s been talking about.”

I didn’t know what the hell that was, but Prescott must have. He made a muffled “eep” sound and stiffened next to me.

I frowned and tried to head this bullshit off at the pass. “Baby, remember when I lost my Rolex and you bought me the Omega Seamaster to replace it? I love that thing. I don’t need a new one.”

“That’s just for the water. I want you to have a nicer one to wear out to dinner.” He stood and came over to rest his hands on my shoulders. “Thanks, Julo, for another incredible meal. Sorry to eat and run, everyone, but I want to make sure we get our shopping in before Mia and Jade get here. Captain Vin would like to depart Turshall Cay early this afternoon if that’s okay with everyone.”

I wondered if Worth could feel me shaking under his fingertips. My big mouth had gotten me into some ridiculous scrapes in the past, but this took the cake. There was no telling what his reaction would be behind closed doors. I’d rather get chewed out in private than on the streets of Turshall Cay where someone could overhear me begging him not to ditch me.