Read Online Five Days in Skye: A Novel by Carla Laureano - Free Book Online

not to compete directly with his brother. Not in school. Not in sports. Certainly not with women. He’d be daft to think Ian hadn’t already guessed his interest in Andrea and decided to show him up as a matter of principle. These things just never ended well. If he won, Ian could never let it go. If he lost, he’d never let James forget it. Just more proof his older brother had rotten timing.
    This time James wasn’t in the mood to back down.

Chapter Seven
    Being in the same room with the MacDonald men was like standing in a demilitarized zone. It seemed safe and cordial until someone got trigger-happy and started sniping. Even with Ian’s departure, the tension in the living room remained so thick Andrea thought she might trip over it on the way to the kitchen.
    Ian MacDonald was not what she had expected, either as James’s brother or as his chief operations officer. For one thing, he looked more like an athlete than a lawyer, lean and broad shouldered, dressed casually in a cabled sweater and khakis. And he was nearly as good-looking as his younger brother, which was saying something. Taken with their ethereally pretty sister, it was obvious the MacDonald children had gotten more than their fair share of looks from the family gene pool.
    The enmity between the two men, however, took her by surprise. What on earth had happened that they couldn’t even stay in the same room together? And why did Ian remain an officer of James’s company if they’d had such a drastic falling out?
    She followed James through the attached dining room into a small kitchen. “May I ask what that was all about?”
    James grimaced. “Old, ugly business. He didn’t tell me he was coming, because he assumed I wouldn’t put in an appearance if he did.”
    “Would you have?”
    “Probably not.” He cast a glance over his shoulder at her and gave her a crooked grin. “Then again, that was before I laid eyes on his consultant.”
    And back to business as usual. “Nice change of subject.”
    “I thought so.”
    “What can I do then?” Andrea leaned against the counter and watched him gather ingredients from various cabinets.
    “You can pour.” James opened the pantry and came out with a bottle of red wine, followed by four glasses and a corkscrew. He popped the cork and set the bottle back on the counter, then frowned. “Serena! You raided my wine cellar again!”
    Serena ducked into the room and gave James an exasperated look. “Do you mind? I just put Max down. And yes, I raided your wine collection in the cottage. You’ve been holding out on us.”
    “That’s because you don’t know Syrah from Chianti,” he said, his tone affectionate. He glanced at Andrea. “Or so she claims. She managed to find my best bottle of reserve Cabernet, which I am very sure I hid in the back.”
    “I know how you think. You’re not just going to stock your cupboard with a collection of ten-quid Chablis. They had to be decoys.”
    Andrea picked up the bottle and filled the four glasses with a flourish. Then she raised her own. “To a sister who isn’t fooled by the decoys, then.”
    “Well said, Andrea.” Serena grinned and clinked her glass against Andrea’s. “Now I’m going to go enjoy the quiet. Give a shout if you need me.”
    Andrea turned to James as Serena exited the kitchen. “What else can I help with?”
    “Since you already boasted about your water-boiling skills, you can fill the stockpot under the sink.”
    Andrea chuckled and found an enameled stockpot in the cupboard, then filled it with hot water and carried it to the stove. “This cooking thing is easier than I thought.”
    “You’re a natural. I can do the rest, though. Have a seat and enjoy your wine.”
    Andrea slid onto a barstool at the island, shrugged off her suit jacket, and placed it neatly on the stool beside her. They’d strayed far enough from business matters for one day. Time to get back on point. “Tell me about the dining room you’ll have in