Free Break the Rules (The Flanagan Sisters Book 1) by Claire Boston

for five minutes when she realized she’d made the
decision to go with them. Why else would she be agonizing over what to wear?
    With
a sigh, she threw on a pair of black capri pants,
some sandals and a blue top. She grabbed her purse and opened her bedroom door
to find Hal and Tanya waiting for her with a travel mug.
    “Here,”
Tanya said, handing her the coffee. “We’re late picking up Jack.”
    “We
should invite Trish and Sally,” Bridget said, a little desperately. “They love
Brenham.” At least with a couple more friends, she wouldn’t have to focus on
Jack.
    “Too late.” Tanya bustled Bridget out of the house and into Hal’s
bright red four-door sedan.
    Damn
it. What had she got herself in to? She shouldn’t be sitting in the back seat of
Hal’s car, sipping coffee and heading for a day out with the boss she was
trying her hardest to pretend was just a colleague.
    No
other colleague made her body hum like he did.
    Still
if Tanya and Hal were going to stay together, it was inevitable they would
socialize with each other outside of work. They needed to be able to be cordial
and to work past the attraction. Today was a prime opportunity.
    She’d
never been so pleased her friend had found someone.
    She
rolled her eyes. She was being ridiculous. She had her rules for a reason – a
Lionel-sized reason – and so her attraction to Jack didn’t matter.
    She
would be polite, friendly even, but she wouldn’t respond to the feelings he
evoked inside. She was an adult. She could ignore her baser instincts. Plus she
wasn’t going to let Jack scare her away from a chance to go to Brenham.
    Hal
pulled up in front of a house that had a seventies look and honked his horn. Jack was out of the front door before the noise
faded. He wore black shorts and a striped shirt that clung to his chest,
defining every muscle. It was a shame the usual high-vis work clothes did
little to accentuate anyone’s figure. Because Jack had a
figure worth accentuating.
    He
gave a casual salute and climbed into the backseat next to her.
    She
had to stop staring.
    “Morning,”
he said.
    “Morning!” Tanya sing- songed back.
    Bridget’s
mouth had gone dry so she merely nodded. She had to get a grip. This was her
boss she was checking out. The whole day suddenly seemed like a really bad
idea.
    “So
where are we going?” Jack asked as Hal pulled out of the driveway.
    “Brenham.” Tanya told him. “We can tour a couple of wineries, have brunch, check out some
antique shops, and maybe do the tour of the ice-creamery.”
    “Sounds
like a plan.” He turned to Bridget. “I’m glad Tanya convinced you to come. It’s
too gorgeous a day to be inside.”
    He
was right. The sky was clear and pale blue, the sun was warm, and the forecast
was for the first cooler day since summer – which meant it might actually be
pleasant.
    “I didn’t
have much choice in the matter,” Bridget said, wincing at the sarcasm in her
tone. She sounded bitter and she wasn’t. A day out in Brenham would normally be
top of her list of things to do. She just didn’t want to spend the day fighting
her body’s response to Jack.
    “Don’t
be like that, Bridge,” Tanya said. “You’ll have a great time.”
    Bridget
sighed. “I know.”
    “Plus
you’re under boss’s orders not to work,” Jack said with a smile.
    She
couldn’t resist smiling back at him. It was too hard not to. “He does seem to
be taking an inordinate amount of interest in the hours I put in.”
    “Just
making sure my staff are looking after themselves,” he
replied.
    It
was nice. He noticed the hours she was working, plus he was taking on
some of her work so she could have the time off she deserved. Not many people
would do that.
    But
would others view it as favoritism? Was he checking the hours for the rest of
his department, or was it just her? Her shoulders went stiff. This was one of
the reasons why dating the boss was a bad idea. She was constantly
second-guessing