Chapter 32 – Sunday Brunch

As they pulled up to the pub, Nathan got a bad feeling. He checked the mirrors and didn't see the extra security.

"Jack, wait." Nathan said before he could open the door.

"What?" Jack asked.

"I don't see the extra security." Nathan said. "I have a bad feeling."

Jack pulled out his phone and texted his mother to come outside. As soon as Nathan saw her, he flashed the lights of the pickup. Charlotte went over to them.

"What is wrong?" She asked.

"I don't see the extra security that was with us at the church." Nathan said. "I just have a bad feeling."

"Let me walk Elizabeth in." Charlotte said. "Then give us a moment and you can walk in. We have about a five to ten minute wait for our reservation anyway. We were a little early and they weren't ready for us."

"Okay." Jack said. "We will be in in a moment."

Jack got out and let Elizabeth out. Charlotte wrapped her arm around Elizabeth's shoulders and led her to the pub. Elizabeth was uncomfortable with Charlotte because of her earlier treatment, but Elizabeth trusted Jack and Nathan. She also knew that James and Margaret were in the pub waiting. As soon as they turned, Jack slid back into the truck, but the front seat this time. He quickly pulled out his phone and texted the security guys. Jack had hated sending Elizabeth with his mother given how she felt, but he also knew that it was safer in the pub. It didn't take long to get a response back from security. Jack breathed a sigh of relief.

"Everything good?" Nathan asked.

"Yes." Jack said. "They were concerned about someone at the church. Apparently, someone was watching Elizabeth a little too close for their liking. They chose to follow him, since we would be with you and meeting my family. They will be sending someone else to the pub just in case. They should be here soon."

"Okay." Nathan said. "Sorry. I was so focused at church, I guess I didn't notice."

"I really didn't either." Jack said. "I knew people were watching us, but that is because there hasn't been a girl with our family since Laura got hurt, so I am sure that they were wondering who was with me. I didn't think anyone paid extra attention to us, but then again, I was trying to listen to Father Mark."

"Then today." Nathan said. "I am glad for the extra security."

Before they got out, Nathan had Jack remove the pistol from the glovebox and hand it to him.

"I didn't feel it was right to wear it to church." Nathan said.

"Good call." Jack said. "I know that protocol says that you should be armed all the time when on duty. I trust you and you do what you feel comfortable with."

Nathan tucked the pistol into the small of his back and then they went to meet the rest of the family. As soon as Charlotte saw them she gave both boys a look.

"Everything is fine, Ma." Jack said. "I will explain later."

"You bet you will." Charlotte said. "Now let's join everyone else, they just seated us."

The group was seated at the pub. Charlotte and Jack particularly liked it because it was an Irish pub. It wasn't that Charlotte drank a lot, but it had good food and she enjoyed a drink or two at times. As they were looking over the menu, Elizabeth asked Jack a few questions and he answered them as best he could. They had their choice of the brunch or lunch menu. Jack had his eye on his favorite, but was also open to trying something new if it caught his eye. Elizabeth looked around and could definitely see the Irish influence in the décor. She wanted to spend more time looking at things, but she also knew that she needed to figure out what she wanted to eat.

Finally they were ready to order. Jack ended up with his favorite – the Irish breakfast which consisted of two eggs which he had sunny side up, Irish bacon (back bacon) and sausage, along with a grilled tomato and sourdough toast. He also got the homefries that came with it. Those were hand cut fries that were cooked twice. He got an Arnold Palmer to drink. Nathan ended up getting the French toast that was made with potato bread. He also got a side of Irish bacon and chose coffee to drink. Charlotte ended up getting her favorite – shepherd's pie which was Guinness simmered ground beef and vegetables topped with homemade mashed potatoes and shredded cheese baked in a cast iron skillet served with toasted bread. She also had coffee to drink, as well as a local beer on tap to have with her meal. Tommy ended up getting smoked brisket which was served on a roll with melted cheddar, Carolina style BBQ sauce and Cajun slaw. Charlotte insisted that he get a glass of milk with his meal, but also allowed him to order a Mountain Dew. James decided to try something different and got the breakfast burrito which had scrambled eggs, sausage, home fries, cheddar, queso and bean mix with salsa and sour cream on the side. He also had coffee. Gran decided to try the Portobello mushroom burger which was served with caramelized onions, lettuce, and tomato. She also got homefries. She also had a glass of local tap beer with her meal, but stuck to water for the rest of the time. Elizabeth had had a hard time choosing, but finally decided on the farm burger which was eight ounces of fresh angus beef. She added bacon, sautéed onions and mushrooms and homefries. She got lemonade to drink as well as ice water.

Jack was surprised with Elizabeth's selection, but then again he wasn't. She had told him that she liked to eat from time to time. Jack was just glad that she was getting her appetite back. The group sat and talked about the plan for the day as well as the coming week as they waited for their food. They were having a nice time and a few people came over to greet Charlotte or Jack. Elizabeth tried to talk to Tommy since he was seated near her, but she barely got him to say more than a word or two. Jack shook his head at Tommy. It appeared that Tommy was more interested in whatever sport was on the TV. From where Tommy was sitting, he had a pretty good view of the large screen TV.

"Let him be." Jack whispered to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth just looked at Jack and shook her head.

"You have gotten him to talk more than anyone in a week." Jack whispered.

That got Elizabeth to laugh a little. She realized that Jack was right, as much as she wanted to know more about Tommy, she knew that she wasn't going to get him to open up. As they were having a nice conversation, Jack caught sight of someone and rolled his eyes. Nathan caught Jack's reaction.

"Everything okay?" Nathan asked.

"Maybe." Jack said. "My ten o'clock."

Charlotte turned to see what Jack was referring to. When she saw who was there, she narrowed her eyes and let out a harsh breath. Nathan had turned as well and when he saw who they were looking at, he looked back at Jack for an explanation. Jack just looked at Nathan with pleading eyes. Nathan didn't understand what was going on, but he knew that Jack and Charlotte were not happy so he was on high alert.

"Char." James said. "What?"

James looked around and it didn't take long for him to see what set Jack and Charlotte off. Before anyone could react or explain they heard a voice that Jack thought was worse than nails on a chalkboard.

"Johnny." The voice said. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your little friends?"

Elizabeth tensed at the presence of the young woman and Nathan leveled a glare at her that she totally missed.

"What do you want, Lacy?" Jack asked, through gritted teeth.

"I heard you were in town." Lacy said. "I was hoping that we would have a chance to hang out. I miss you."

"Absolutely not." Jack said. "I am here to work and jump. Any free time will be spent with my friends I have with me, as well as my family."

"But Johnny." Lacy whined. "You don't have to work. I mean really."

"I have told you not to call me that." Jack said. "My name is Jack or JP. And yes, I have to work. Some of us …."

"Maybe I can have daddy bring my horse over and we can jump together, like old times." Lacy interrupted.

"No can do." Jack said. "I already have a jumping partner. Actually, I have two. Besides, we are jumping at the ranch and that is closed to everyone but family and employees right now."

"But why?" Lacy whined. "Don't you miss me?"

"No." Jack said. "Now please leave us alone. We were having a nice time as a family before you interrupted us."

Lacy moved around Nathan closer to Jack.

"Come sit with me." Lacy said. "You can see your family anytime. I haven't seen you in forever."

Jack closed his eyes and let out a harsh breath. Nathan had had enough. He stood up to his full six foot five in his boots.

"You were asked to leave us alone." Nathan said. "Now I suggest you leave us alone."

"I don't have to listen to you." Lacy said, looking Nathan up and down. "Don't you know who my father is?"

"Don't know, don't care." Nathan said.

Nathan glared down at her, his blue eyes as cold as ice. Charlotte had had enough. She stood and went over to stand next to Nathan.

"Now listen here you little …." Charlotte said. "You have been asked to leave us alone. You also know I have no problem removing you myself. I thought I made myself quite clear last time we were in town. I didn't ever want to see you near my sons again."

Lacy huffed.

"I didn't think you were serious." Lacy said. "Seriously it was just a little misunderstanding. I thought Daddy took care of it."

Nathan looked around and spotted who he was looking for. He gave the man a nod which brought him quickly to Nathan's side.

"Is there a problem, Mrs Thornton?" The large man who joined them asked.

"Adam." Charlotte said. "Yes, this little hussy refuses to allow us to have a peaceful meal. JP asked her to leave, Nathan asked her to leave and I told her to leave. Yet, she doesn't seem to understand why I am upset with her for giving my fifteen and seventeen year olds alcohol the last time we were in town. She has been warned to stay away, but thinks she can do what she wants."

"Miss." Adam said. "I suggest that you walk away or I will bodily remove you as I have that authority since you pose a threat to my clients."

"Come on, Johnny it's me." Lacy said.

Adam grabbed Lacy's arm and started pulling her away.

"Let go of me." Lacy huffed. "You are hurting me."

"You were warned." Adam said as he pulled her further away.

Nathan and Charlotte sat back down. Elizabeth looked to Jack to explain what was going on, but he wasn't able to because the manager of the pub had come over to the table.

"Mr Sims." The manager said. "Is everything alright? Do you need me to call anyone?"

"It is fine, Bryan." James said. "We have private security for a reason."

"Are you sure?" Bryan asked.

"It is fine, Bryan." James said. "You couldn't have known she would come in here, much less cause trouble."

"At least let me get your security a meal on the house." Bryan said.

"You can talk to him when he comes back in." James said. "If he wants to eat, he is more than welcome. You can tell him that I said so."

"Yes, Mr Sims." Bryan said.

Bryan nodded to the rest of the people at the table before retreating back to the bar.

"Jack, who was that?" Elizabeth asked.

"The definition of trouble." Jack said.

Elizabeth just looked down her nose at Jack in what could only be described as a scary teacher face. Even Nathan flinched at the look that Elizabeth was giving Jack.

"Fine." Jack said. "Someone I wish I had never met. She is about a year older than me. We used to compete against each other in various equestrian events. You think Charlie Kensington is spoiled, he has nothing on her."

"One time." Gran said. "She was upset that she didn't place at some competition. Her father actually demanded to speak to the head judge and wanted to know why his little princess didn't place since she obviously had the best horse."

"Never mind, she dropped three rails." Jack said sarcastically.

"Oh." Elizabeth said.

"What was that about giving minors alcohol?" Nathan asked.

"It was when we were here over winter holiday." Tommy said. "We had a bonfire on New Years. She spiked mine and JP's drinks. She was hoping for an extended roll in the hay with each of us, probably together."

"Thomas Andrew Thornton." Charlotte said. "No need to be crude."

"What?" Tommy said. "I could have said …."

"Don't even say it." Charlotte said.

"I get the picture." Nathan said. "My question is how did she get the alcohol?"

"She either took it from their house." Jack said. "Or she threatened one of the staff if they didn't buy what she wanted."

Nathan nodded.

"What happened?" Elizabeth asked.

"Tommy got sick." Jack said. "I didn't feel good, so I had one of the hands take us back up to the house. The other hands that were there broke up the party and made sure everyone left the property. That was when they figured out we had been given alcohol. When they went back to clean up the bonfire site they found the bottle near where Lacy had been sitting."

"I had words with Lacy the next day." Charlotte said. "Her father acted like it wasn't that big of a deal, saying kids drink all the time."

"And to think he is a judge." Tommy said.

"Wow." Nathan said. "She was glad that I wasn't here back then. I don't care who her father is, I would have had her ass arrested."

"I tried." James said. "We couldn't prove that she gave the boys the alcohol and they didn't remember drinking it. By then the bottle was in the garbage so it couldn't be printed. But I am sure that there would have been several prints on it."

Nathan shook his head. As they were talking, their food arrived. James led them in prayer before they all enjoyed their lunch. They didn't talk about what happened anymore and no one else dared mention Lacy's name. Charlotte didn't like making a scene in public, but she also wasn't going to let someone like that get close to her children. She knew exactly what Lacy Pennybaker was after. They may have money, but Charlotte also knew that what they had couldn't hold a candle to what the Sims-Thornton family had. Because of his cavalier attitude, William Pennybaker had spent a good portion of his fortune buying his children out of trouble. You would have thought he would have learned by the time Lacy came around, but then again apparently not. Elizabeth wasn't completely sure why, but the mood around the table was tense through the rest of the meal after the Lacy encounter. She wanted to ask Jack about it, but also knew that it wasn't the time or place to do that. She tried to keep the conversation light as they ate. When that didn't work to lessen the tension, Elizabeth quietly ate her meal.

As soon as they were finished, James went to pay for the food. Charlotte and Gran were ready to go as soon as James got back to the table. Nathan and Jack both looked at them and wondered what the rush was.

"I need to make a stop before heading back to the ranch." Nathan said.

"Fine." Charlotte said. "Just let security know. We will see you back there."

"Ma." Jack said. "It is fine. Don't let her ruin your day."

"I am trying." Charlotte said. "I will talk to you later."

Jack didn't say anything else, but just looked at Nathan who shrugged his shoulders. When they got to the truck, Jack turned to Nathan.

"Where do you need to stop?" He asked.

"I need to go to Walmart or Target." Nathan said.

"Okay." Jack said. "We have both, they are across from each other pretty much. What do you need?"

Nathan blushed slightly, but didn't say anything right away.

"I need something before I can continue riding." Nathan said. "I thought I would be okay, but I realized jumping was different then just riding."

"Oh." Jack said. "Okay, just let me text Adam. Which do you want to do, Walmart or Target?"

"Let's do Walmart." Nathan said. "That way I can pick up a couple of undershirts as well. They will be cooler riding with the vest."

Jack let security know, while Nathan pulled Walmart up on the GPS.