She held her breath, waiting to see if she’d said too much.
“I know exactly what you mean,” Megan said while Claire nodded. “See that guy over at the bar?”
Rainne spotted the guy they meant instantly. He was an older, bigger version of the two girls, only with dark hair instead of blond.
“He’s our brother, ten years older,” Megan said.
“And he’s the town’s police force,” said Claire.
“Can you imagine?” Megan said, all wide-eyed and indignant. “Not only is he watching every move we make, but he can arrest us for it. Our own brother.”
“He won’t leave us alone for a minute,” Claire said.
“He says he’s worried we’ll go wild and embarrass him.” Megan rolled her eyes.
“Like the jumper he’s wearing isn’t embarrassment enough,” Claire said as she growled at her brother.
He seemed aware that they were watching him. He pointed at his eyes with two fingers, then at them. His jumper had a knitted reindeer on it with a red bobble nose. Rainne smiled.
“See?” Megan huffed. “It’s humiliating to be related to that. Mum makes those jumpers for us every year, but none of us wear them.”
“Except the idiot,” said Claire.
Rainne couldn’t help laughing.
“You think you’ve got problems,” she said as she found herself relaxing. “My brother is ex-special forces and is trying to run the shop like a boot camp. We have strategy meetings. We get assigned tasks. He even calls his efforts a ‘campaign’ and refers to making a profit as ‘winning the war’.”
“At least he looks yummy in a tux,” Claire said wistfully.
“Oooh, yuck,” said Rainne and made a disgusted face, which made the girls giggle.
As Rainne reached for her drink, she found she had actually relaxed and was enjoying herself. She caught Alastair’s eye from across the table and felt her insides tingle as his look seemed to caress her. She flushed as she sipped her drink and the devil winked.
“Looks like it isn’t just Lake who’s yummy,” cooed Claire.
As Rainne blushed the girls giggled good-naturedly and Alastair grinned widely.
“Alastair has got that look cats get when you give them cream,” Megan said. “And you’re the cream,” she told Rainne, in case there was any confusion.
“I’ve never seen him like this,” Claire said in a lowered voice. “He’s really mad about you.”
Rainne felt herself stiffen as she waited for them to warn “the old lady” off their friend. Instead Megan leaned across the table and squeezed her hand.
“You are so lucky,” she said. “I wish some guy would look at me like that.”
Rainne didn’t quite know what to say.
“If they did,” she said at last, “your brother would pop them in jail.”
“That is so true,” Claire said as they laughed. “Hear that, Meg? We’re doomed to be single.”
“Nothing I didn’t already know,” Megan said gloomily.
“Hey, Alastair,” Claire called. “I like this one. She’s a keeper.”
Rainne felt her face burn red.
Alastair looked at her intensely as he slowly sipped his beer.