Layer by Layer (Riggings Brothers 1)

“I need names,” Hadley says, grabbing her phone from the table and swiping at the screen.

“What would Derek think?” I tease her. Derek is her longtime boyfriend turned fiancé, and Hadley can do no wrong in his eyes. He knows she’s not going anywhere.

“There’s no harm in taking a look. Besides, I need to see what I’m dealing with here.”

“What do you mean? What’re you dealing with? I’m the one working with them.”

“Exactly. I’m the best friend, and I see that gleam in your eye. I need to see the man who has caught your attention.” She points at me accusingly.

“They all have,” I admit. “They’re all gorgeous. The Riggins genes are strong and on point,” I say, draining the rest of my margarita.

“Even their last name is sexy,” Hadley says, her fingers flying across the screen of her phone. “Holy shit,” she breathes. Tearing her eyes from her phone, she looks across the small high-top table we were lucky to snag. “You work with all of them?” she asks, turning her phone so that I can see the screen.

There, in all their sexy glory, are the Riggins brothers. Conrad loaded the new images yesterday. “That’s them.” I nod, lifting my glass to my lips, remembering that it’s empty.

“I’ll go grab us a couple more. You hold our table.” Hadley slips off her chair, exchanges her phone for her small clutch, and makes her way toward the bar. Unable to resist, I reach for her phone, type in her password, and take a look at my bosses.

I’ve learned a lot about the brothers this week. Gail is rather chatty and offered up information freely. I know that Conrad and I are the same age. That Marshall is, of course, the baby. Grant is a people person, while Owen keeps to himself, and in Gail’s words, Royce carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. I’ve witnessed how hard the five of them work, and the dedication that each of them holds to the family business.

“Sawyer?”

I turn to look over my shoulder to find a smiling Marshall. “Hey.” He leans in for a hug. I don’t hesitate to return it, which surprises me. I’m not exactly in the habit of hugging my boss. Especially the slimeball Phil.

“Fancy meeting you here,” he says, stepping back. “Are you alone?” he asks, looking at the seat that Hadley just left.

“No. I’m here with my best friend, Hadley,” I say as the woman herself slides back into her seat and pushes a fresh margarita across the table to me. “Marshall, this is Hadley. Hadley, this is Marshall, one of my bosses.”

“No,” he groans, rolling his eyes playfully. “Not one of your bosses.” He switches his beer to his other hand and offers it to her. “Marshall Riggins, a friend of Sawyer’s.” He winks.

“Nice to meet you, Marshall. Join us?” Hadley offers.

“Yeah, let me call Conrad and tell him where to find us.” He pulls his phone out of his pocket and taps the screen. “Yo, where are you?” he asks. Placing his beer on the table, he covers his other ear to hear better. “I found Sawyer. Yes, that Sawyer. We’re at the high-tops near the bar.” He ends the call, slides his phone back in his pocket, and grabs his beer from the table. “He’s on his way.”

“Hello, ladies,” Conrad’s smooth voice greets us. He doesn’t wait for an invitation, sliding into the chair across from Marshall. “Sawyer, who’s your friend?” he asks, eyeing Hadley.

“This is my engaged, very-much-in-love-with-her-fiancé, best friend, Hadley. Had, this is Conrad, another one of my bosses.”

“Just Conrad, lose the boss. We save that title for our older brother Royce.” He grins, offering Hadley his hand.

“So, is it just the two of you tonight?” I ask them. I don’t know if I could handle all five of them at once. Who am I kidding? I don’t know if I could handle Royce being here. The other four, a piece of cake.

“Yeah. Grant left this morning to go to Idaho to check on things there, Owen probably has his nose buried in a spreadsheet, and Royce I’m sure is either at the office or in his home office. He never stops,” Marshall says.

“I thought Grant was leaving on Monday?” I ask. I’m suddenly panicked that I messed up the schedule.

“He was, but shit hit the fan there last night. The guy in charge has gone AWOL, and we need to get things in order. He caught a flight out earlier. We dropped him off on our way here,” Conrad explains.

“Well, I’m glad you could join us. We’re celebrating Sawyer’s first week at her new job. It only seems fitting that the two of you join us for a toast.” Hadley smiles at each of them.

“Oh, we’re celebrating, but we need shots.” Marshall is out of his chair and headed toward the bar before any of us can object.