Ireland gripped the phone. “Excuse me?” Her boss was on the other line, working from one of their parent company’s other casinos.

“Hayden tells me you need time for a side consulting job,” he said. “I have no problem with it as long as you keep things running smoothly at Blue. Does that sound good?”

Was he serious? He was asking her if she was okay with a freelance job? And what job? Hayden couldn’t know about Club Tahoe and Bran. Ireland had only spoken to him last night.

“Y-yes, of course.” And in the meantime, she’d figure out what in the world Hayden was up to.

He chuckled. “You’re the best damn programmer I’ve ever hired. It would have taken two people to accomplish the work you’ve done since you came on board. I’ll be able to give you a raise soon. It’s not much—my hands are tied with manager pay caps—but hopefully it’ll be enough to entice you to stay.”

He was giving her free rein to freelance…and a raise? “I enjoy working at Blue. I have no plans to leave.”

“Glad to hear it. Until I can get you that raise, I understand your need to work side jobs, and appreciate you keeping me posted.”

Ireland had worked for one of the most well-known social media platforms in the world. They hired women to appear gender-balanced, but that was bullshit. Women weren’t treated as equals. At her old company, she was disposable. But not at Blue. And that meant more than any high-paying salary.

“Tell Hayden the days you’ll be leaving early,” her boss continued, “and let your assistant know your schedule.”

Dazed and more than a little confused, Ireland agreed. Her new boss was the nicest man she’d ever worked for.

She saved the program she’d been working on—a new surveillance system that featured artificial intelligence—and logged out of her computer.

Ireland stood and walked over to Mark, her assistant. He wore headphones, so she tapped him on the shoulder.

He pulled off the headphones and looked up.

“I need to speak with Hayden. Text me if anything comes up?”

“No problem,” he said. “I’m working on the backups you requested. I’ll have those finished by the end of the day.”

“Oh…okay, thank you.” God, she wasn’t used to working with nice guys. Mark was in his early thirties, married, with a toddler at home. He was competent and respectful. And so opposite from the men who used to work for her.

Ireland walked down the hallway toward Hayden’s office, grateful for this place and all it had done for her these past few months.

She rounded the corner, and caught Hayden outside her office door, smiling at something Adam was whispering in her ear.

Ireland rolled her eyes. These two.

Hayden looked up, and Ireland mouthed, Get a room.

Hayden smirked. “How’s your day going?”

“Fine and dandy,” Ireland said, “until my boss called to tell me I have a new consulting job. What’s that about?”

Hayden looked at Adam. “I’ll come by your office later to discuss that merger we talked about.”

Adam grinned. “I’ll be waiting.” He nodded at Ireland. “Good to see you, Ireland.”

Adam swaggered down the hallway, and both Ireland and Hayden shamelessly watched from behind.

Hayden sighed when he turned the corner.

“You two are not the least bit discreet,” Ireland said.

Hayden entered her office, and Ireland followed.

“Merger?” Ireland said. “I don’t even want to know what innuendo that represents.”

Hayden smiled. “You have a filthy mind.”

“Possibly,” Ireland agreed. Considering all the unwanted fantasies she’d been having about Bran and bodies of water, she was convinced he’d unleashed something in her. A filthy mind seemed about right. Still… “How long has it been since you two got married? A year? Shouldn’t the newlywed phase be cooling by now?”

Hayden sat behind her desk. “Not likely. You’ve seen my husband. You think I could say no to that man?”

Good point. Those Cade men were a menace. Ireland was conflicted as hell when it came to Bran.

“And for your information, there is a merger going on with the company that owns Blue, and it has nothing to do with horizontal desk acrobatics.”

“Riiight. There may be a merger going on, but that hushed whispering in the hallway was not sly, nor was it about a merger.”

“We’re sly,” Hayden said.

“No you’re not!”

“Fine. We’re discreet when others are around. You don’t count because you’re a friend.”

Ireland threw up her hands. “I could have been anyone walking down that hallway.”

Hayden sent her a pitying look. “I caught you from a mile away. I have eyes in the back of my head. It’s how I survived when this place was a cesspool.”

“Thank God management changed before I started,” Ireland said. “I’m convinced my boss is the nicest human alive. He just gave me permission to do consulting work. And he doesn’t care if I leave early for it. What kind of boss agrees to that?”

Hayden shuffled paperwork. “A generous one?”

“Mm-hmm. And you wouldn’t have had anything to do with that, would you?”

Hayden glanced up. “Of course I did. Club Tahoe needs help with the restaurant software, so I offered your services.”

“How did you know they needed help? I only found out last night.”

“Cali.”

Ireland sank back into her seat and groaned. “My cousin has the biggest mouth.”

“Your cousin saw what I did. There’s something between you and Bran.”

“A passionate urge to kill each other?”

Hayden grinned. “Kill each other with love.”

Ireland made a face. “I would never love that man. He’s a jerk!”

“So you keep saying.”

Ireland pressed her lips together. “Look, Bran hasn’t approached me about the consulting work.”

“I thought he did last night?”

“Last night Cali strong-armed him into agreeing to look into it.”

Hayden shrugged. “In any case”—she stood and walked around her desk—“you have Blue’s permission to adjust your hours accordingly.”

Earning extra money on the side wasn’t a bad idea. But spending time with Bran…

Ireland glanced up and noted Hayden standing by the door. “Sorry, do you need to be somewhere?”

Hayden winked. “Got a merger to discuss.”

Ireland shook her head. Merger, my ass.