Billy's Baby - Annie J. Rose Page 0,6
sailing trips. It is mostly young couples, those women that watch the Bachelor and want to dive off the boat and then come back and snuggle and drink wine while one of us takes pictures,” Jet sighed.
“So you help make them Instagram famous?”
“No, I help them look like they are living a Hollywood fairy tale. If I had a dollar for every chick that squeals ‘this is so romantic!’ as soon as she steps on the boat, I could retire tomorrow.”
“Bro, if you don’t have a dollar for every one of those, you don’t understand how to run a business,” I said, laughing.
“He’s got the dollars, he just wants to bitch about it. You wanna have customers that complain all the time instead?” Ramon asked.
“No, I don’t guess. How’s the hiking business?”
“Not as relaxing as life on a boat, but I like it. I’m still running all the hikes myself, but Mickey tells me I need to hire some help.”
“Do you have enough bookings to take on another guide?”
“Easily. I turn down bookings every week, four or five of them. I could double my business. I just know I need to train someone to do it the way I want it done, and that takes time,” I shrugged. “And I like being on my own.”
“Your brothers are always looking to expand. Are you the one without ambition?” Jet joked, knowing how hard I worked at building my business.
“Yeah, that’s me. The lazy O’Shea,” I chuckled. We gave each other shit all the time, and I could take it as well as I dished it out, “Just like you’re the fat Ramirez.” I said, eyeing the two lean brothers humorously.
“If he’s the fat one, maybe I should take some of those chips off your hands. I don’t want my little brother being able to beat me up,” Ramon said, snatching a chip off my plate.
“Go after my pickle and you won’t have fingers left,” I said, picking up my dill spear and biting into it.
The pub was the only place on this island to get a decent kosher dill. I’d been pushing them to special order these for years, but it wasn’t until Karin got pregnancy cravings for crisp, garlicky pickles that the O’Shea clan sprang into action and got some. Now they were a permanent fixture on the menu. I sighed and took a drink of my Guinness, then I glanced over at Honey Blonde. She was dazzling. I let my eyes rest on her for a minute as she continued to work.
My brother Tommy came over and nudged me, “Why not go over there and introduce yourself instead of peeping on her like a creeper, Billy?” he asked.
“Shut up,” I muttered and went back to my sandwich. It was surprisingly hard to tear my eyes away from her.
No matter how much I enjoyed my sandwich and beer or how much bullshitting I did with Ramon and Jet, I couldn’t keep my eyes off her for long. I felt drawn to her. Tommy was giving me hell about the fact that I kept glancing her way, trying to be nonchalant about it but being obvious enough that my youngest brother noticed it. Maybe I’d lost some subtlety since I left the service. Or maybe my attraction for Honey Blonde was so strong that I couldn’t seem to resist drinking in the sight of her.
Her food had come, and she was taking big bites of shepherd’s pie, setting aside her laptop. I got up off my stool and went over to her booth. Despite telling Tommy to shut up, I decided he was right. I should introduce myself. I wasn’t crossing the high school cafeteria to say hi to a cheerleader, for fuck’s sake. I was introducing myself to a tourist. I was a SEAL, a business owner, a grown-ass man. I was even something of a player. I’d hooked up with one of Brandi’s friends when they were here on a trip, but I’d sworn off tourists after that because I’d come too close to catching feelings. I liked to have a good time with no strings attached, and I wasn’t the kind of man who was going to do a long-distance relationship. So why was I going over to hit on a tourist? I had no fucking idea.
I stopped at her booth, rubbed the back of my neck, “I apologize for bothering you. I’m Billy O’Shea,” I said.
She looked up, surprised, swallowed her enormous bite and wiped her mouth