Flirt With Me

by Kristen Proby

  “Oh, hey,” Maeve says when she sees me.

  “Where did you go?” Rachel asks. “We heard your car.”

  “I ran back over to Maeve’s to fix her sink.”

  “You did?” Maeve asks with round, green eyes. “You didn’t have to do that. It was so stinky.”

  “I held my breath.” I shrug a shoulder and give her a wink. “It’s working now.”

  “Well, thanks. How much do I owe you?”

  I laugh and shake my head. “I think it’s a fair trade for your interior design services.”

  “We found some cool stuff,” Rachel informs me. “I just need your credit card.”

  I raise a brow, but Maeve continues.

  “We didn’t go too crazy. I think you’ll like it. Oh, my phone’s ringing.” She pulls her cell out of her pocket and scoots off the bed. “I have to take this. I’ll be right back.”

  She slips past me, and I walk over to sit on the bed with my daughter.

  “I like her,” she says, staring at the doorway. “She’s really nice, and she’s easy to talk to. I told her some stuff. And, I have to apologize to you.”

  “You do?”

  “Yeah.” She swallows and stares down at her iPad. “I know I’ve been kind of difficult.”

  “Kind of?”

  “It’s just…Maeve says that it’s okay for me to screw up sometimes, but I have to apologize if I’ve hurt someone I love. So, I’m apologizing. Because I know I made you really mad. And kind of sad, too.”

  “Yeah, I was kind of sad.” I brush my hand down her soft hair and wonder when my baby grew up. I lean over and kiss her temple. “Listen, this is a good move for us. A clean slate. You don’t hate it, right?”

  “I thought I would,” she admits. “I wanted to hate it. But the house is awesome, and I like the water. And, someday, I’m getting that apartment above the garage.”

  I smirk. “I knew you’d love that.”

  “I’m nervous about school, but Maeve says it’ll be okay. That the kids here are pretty nice. And I have the whole summer to get used to it here, and meet some people.”

  “You had quite a lot to say in the short time I was gone.”

  She smiles and then looks up when Maeve comes back to the doorway.

  “Sorry, guys,” Maeve says. “I had to talk a client off the ledge. It happens sometimes.”

  Rachel’s stomach growls next to me, catching my attention.

  “Are you two hungry?”

  “Uh, yeah. I’m going to die of starvation,” Rachel says.

  “I could eat,” Maeve adds.

  “Let’s go to the pub for lunch. I know you eat there all the time,” I say to Maeve, “but I’d love to show Rachel. Or, we can go somewhere else.”

  “The pub!” Rachel announces. “After you pay for my new bedroom stuff.”

  “The pub it is,” Maeve says with a laugh. “I think my parents are there today. They just arrived from Ireland a couple of days ago.”

  “Your parents live in Ireland?” Rachel asks as I type my credit card into the iPad. “That’s so cool.”

  “That’s right,” Maeve says. “But they’re here for a while because my sister-in-law is about to have a baby, and they don’t want to miss it.”

  I press purchase on the screen and then tuck my card away. “Okay, ladies, let’s go eat.”

  But they’re already ahead of me, walking together and chattering away.

  The pub is fairly empty when we arrive as they’ve just opened for the day.

  “You don’t work until later,” Maggie reminds Maeve as we walk in.

  “I’m not here to work,” Maeve replies. “I’m here to eat. And to show off the pub to my new friend, Rachel.”

  “You must be Hunter’s daughter,” Maggie says with a smile. “You’re welcome to sit anywhere you like, as you can see.”

  “And will you be having a Guinness then?” Keegan asks my daughter with a wink. She smiles, completely charmed by the accent.

  “Dad would kill me,” she says. “But I’ll have a Coke.”

  “Coming right up,” Keegan replies.

  “Let’s sit at the bar,” Rachel decides and climbs up onto a stool. “This place is so cool.”

  Maeve passes us menus. “We think so, too. Izzy, are you okay?”

  The pregnant woman comes waddling into the bar, pressing a hand to her back.

  “Yeah, I’ve had these stupid false labor contractions all morning. It’s so annoying.” Izzy smiles at Rachel. “Hey there, I’m Izzy. That one’s wife.” She points at Keegan, and Rachel looks almost disappointed.

  “You’re married?” she asks Keegan.

  “Aye, I am, darlin’.” He winks at her, and I feel my lips twitch. “But if she ever leaves me, you and I will run off together.”

  Rachel laughs and sips her Coke, and we order a little bit of everything off the appetizer menu to share.

  “Are you sure you’re having false labor?” I ask Izzy when she scowls and presses her hand to her back once more.

  “Yeah, Keegan has rushed me to the doctor several times in the past week. But it’s nothing. And I’m still a few weeks out from my due date. The doctor says this is just my body’s way of getting ready for the real thing.”

  “Does it hurt? Having your belly out like that?” Rachel asks.

  “It’s not comfortable,” Izzy replies. “I’ve become best friends with a bottle of shea butter that I slather all over it all the time so I don’t get a ton of stretch marks. And, man, my ankles have never been so swollen in all my life. I’m not even thirty and I have cankles. What’s that all about?”

  “Ew,” is all Rachel says.

  “Exactly,” Izzy agrees.

  “Hey, guys,” Maeve says to her siblings. “Hunter invited me to go to the ESPYs with him in LA.”

  “The whatsies?” Maggie asks.

  “You know, the prestigious awards show that recognizes excellence in sports,” Rachel says.

  “Oh, right. Cool.” Maggie grins. “That’ll be fun.”

  “I don’t have anything to wear,” Maeve replies. “And I don’t know where to start.”

  “I do,” Izzy announces. “When I needed on-air clothes, Natalie and Jules helped me out.”

  “Jules McKenna?” I ask.

  “Yes, exactly.”

  “Good idea.” I nod.

  “He knows Jules?” Izzy asks Maeve, who nods.

  “Long story,” Maeve says. “Okay, I’ll call them. I don’t know them very well. Is it weird to call and ask for fashion advice?”

  “Trust me,” Izzy assures her, “it’s not weird. They love this stuff. They are the experts.”

  Someone turns on the sound system, and Irish music fills the air. There’s no live band this early in the day, but Maggie and Maeve begin to sing with the music.

  They have beautiful voices, and suddenly, Maggie starts to dance in that fascinating way the Irish do.

  “I’ve always wondered how to do that,” Rachel says as she watches with wide eyes.

  “Well, come on then. We’ll show you,” Maeve says and takes Rachel’s hand to pull her onto the floor.

  The two sisters slow down to show Rachel the steps.

  Suddenly, an unfamiliar man comes walking out of the kitchen area and joins the girls with a smile. For an older guy, he sure can move.

  “Da loves to charm the ladies,” Keegan says as he joins me to watch them. “You haven’t met my parents yet, have you?”

  “No. I’ve been busy moving into the house over the past couple of weeks.”

  Keegan nods and then looks me in the eyes. “I know you have your eye on my sister. And I understand it, as she’s a lovely lass. But if you hurt her, my brothers and I will make you suffer for it. It’s no matter that you know your way in the ring.”

  I nod and know in my gut that I’ll have the same conversation with any man who has his eye on my daughter someday.

  “I would expect nothing less.”

  “I’m g
lad we understand each other.” Keegan nods and steps back as Izzy joins him behind the counter.

  She has to lean against the bar and take a deep breath.

  “Izzy, I don’t think this is false labor,” I inform her. “I’m no expert, but this doesn’t look fake at all.”

  “Doesn’t feel fake, but none of it has this week. It just is what it is.”

  But before she can say anything else, a sploosh of water floods the floor from beneath her maternity dress.

  “Well,” Izzy says in shock. “I guess I am in labor.”

  “Call an ambulance,” Keegan announces, and I immediately reach for my phone and dial 911. Someone cuts off the music, and everyone gathers around.

  “Take some deep breaths,” Keegan says to his wife, rubbing his hand in a circle over her back.

  “I do not want to have this baby in a bar,” Izzy says between breaths.

  “We’ll get you to the hospital,” Maggie says and then turns to the kitchen, yelling, “Ma! Come quick!”

  “What’s all the fuss?” An older woman draped in a white apron with red hair just like her daughters’ bustles out of the kitchen while wiping her hands on a tea towel. “What’s wrong?”

  “Izzy’s in labor,” Maeve says. “Sorry, Hunter, these are my parents, Tom and Fiona. This is Rachel and Hunter.”

  “Oh, we’ve heard about you,” Fiona says as she sidles up next to her daughter-in-law and takes over rubbing the woman’s back. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Maybe Rachel and I should go.”

  “No way, Dad,” Rachel says, shaking her head. “I’m not going anywhere. I don’t want to miss this.”

  “You stay right here with me,” Tom says with a wink for my daughter.

  “Oh, God, I have to push.” Izzy meets her husband’s gaze with scared eyes. “I seriously don’t want to have the baby in the bar. Why is this happening so fast?”

  “I suspect you’ve been in labor all week,” Fiona says.

  “Let’s get her upstairs then,” I announce and hurry behind the bar. Keegan takes her head and shoulders, and I lift her legs, and we easily carry her up the stairs to the apartment above. We lay her on the bed, and I make a hasty retreat back downstairs.

  “Send the paramedics up when they get here,” Maeve says as she and the other women rush past me to help Izzy.

  “Is she going to have the baby up there?” Rachel asks when I return to the bar.

  “Maybe. I don’t know.”

  “She’s in good hands,” Tom says calmly. “My Fiona knows what to do. She had five babies of her own, and has helped plenty others have their wee babes.”

  “I like to listen to you,” Rachel admits to Tom, and the older man smiles gently. “I like your voice.”

  “It’s glad I am to hear it.” He pats her shoulder. “Do you want some cake? My Fiona made some, and now that she’s busy, we can sneak a bit, you and me.”

  “I love cake. What kind is it?”

  “Apple, and it’s the best you’ll ever have. And that’s the truth of it. Come now, we’ll get us some.”

  Tom leads Rachel into the kitchen, and people start coming through the doors.

  “What’s going on?” Shawn asks as he and Lexi join me. “Maeve called but only said to get our asses over here.”

  “Izzy’s having the baby upstairs.”

  “Upstairs?” Lexi asks. “Holy crap, I’m going up.” She tosses her handbag onto the bar and hurries to the stairs.

  “I have no interest in going up there,” Shawn says with a shudder. “I don’t care if that makes me a coward. I’ll stay here and be moral support from afar. Kane and Anastasia are on their way over.”

  “Why isn’t the ambulance here?” I ask but hear sirens in the distance. “Ah, here they come.”

  “It can take a while around here,” Shawn says. “It’s bloody annoying.”

  Paramedics rush in, and we direct them upstairs. And then it’s quiet. We hear voices, footsteps rushing above us.

  Maeve runs down. “It’s too late to move her. She’s pushing. It’s going to be a bit, and then they’ll take her to the hospital.”

  And with that, she runs back up.

  I blow out a breath and decide to check in on my daughter and Tom. Before I can push through the swinging kitchen door, I can hear them talking.

  “You were a wee bit short with your da out there,” Tom says.

  “I didn’t say anything bad to him,” Rachel replies.

  “It’s not what you said, but how you said it,” Tom says.

  “I guess I get frustrated with him sometimes. Or, a lot of the time. He’s just so strict. So…bossy. Like I’m not old enough to make my own decisions or something.”

  “How old are ye then? Thirty?”

  “No, I’m fifteen.”

  “Ah, that’s a good age, and that’s for sure. But, you’re not fully grown yet, and your da’s just trying to be a good father. I know because I’m a da meself, and I raised five babies. I have to admit, if my kids spoke to me that way, even today, it would hurt my feelings.”

  “Your feelings?”

  “Of course. Because I love them, and I wouldn’t speak to someone I love like that. What if you didn’t have your da anymore? If something happened to him?”

  “Well, that would be awful.”

  “Indeed it would. I’ve always said, we should treat those we love as though we’re not guaranteed tomorrow with them. Because we aren’t.”

  “I guess you’re right. I’ll do better.”

  “That’s all anyone can ask. Now, should we have another piece of this cake?”

  I walk away before either of them knows I was there. I don’t know if that talk will help with Rachel’s tone when it comes to me, but it can’t hurt.

  Just as I join the other guys at the bar, Izzy screams.

  “Jesus,” I mutter and rub my hand over my face, as nervous as I was when Rachel was born.

  “Yeah.” Shawn swallows hard. “Didn’t need to hear that.”

  Suddenly, Maeve comes rushing down, smiling widely. “It’s a girl. A perfect little girl. They’re looking everyone over and getting them ready to transport to the hospital so they can be checked out. But I think everything went just beautifully.”

  Her eyes fill with tears, and I tug her over to me.

  “I’m glad to hear it, Doctor Maeve.”

  She smacks me on the arm but laughs. “She’s such a tiny little thing.”

  “Women always get all bent out of shape over babies,” Shawn says, shaking his head, but his expression is soft. “I want to see them before they leave.”

  “What did we miss?” Anastasia asks as she and Kane hurry through the door. “What’s going on?”

  “Izzy had the baby upstairs,” Maeve announces. “A little girl.”

  “Wow, that was fast,” Anastasia says. “Hi, Hunter.”

  This is the most entertainment I’ve had in months.

  “Hey there.”

  “Are they okay, then?” Kane asks, his accent almost as thick as his father’s.

  “As far as we know, yes,” Maeve says. “It just happened so quickly. Ma thinks Izzy’s been laboring for several days.”

  “I think she’s been in labor all week,” I add. “Just based on what she said a few minutes ago. But I’m not a doctor. I could be wrong.”

  “As long as she’s okay. And the baby is healthy,” Anastasia says, and we all turn as the EMTs bring Izzy and the baby downstairs.

  Tom and Rachel hurry out of the kitchen, and Tom leans in to kiss Izzy’s cheek and rub his fingertip across the baby’s head.

  “Blessings to you, my darlin’ girls.”

  We follow as a group while the little family is loaded into the ambulance.

  “Take care of my pub,” Keegan yells out at us, the biggest smile on his face. “I’m a da!”

  “What a big goof,” Maggie says but wipes a tear from her eye. “Thank God for Ma. If you weren’t here, things could have be
en bad.”

  “But I was here, my darlin’.” Fiona wraps her arm around her daughter. “Now, let’s go inside. I’ll cut into the apple cake I made.”

  “We already cut into it,” Rachel says, and Tom shakes his head mournfully.

  “Tom O’Callaghan,” Fiona says sternly. “You know I said to wait.”

  “It was what the Americans call stress eating. I was just a wee bit worried about all of my girls up there.”

  “Bollocks,” Fiona says. “Come, now. We’ll eat what’s left and anything else that anyone wants. We have a new grandbabe.”

  Once back inside, the music starts again, and there’s laughter and celebration as the O’Callaghans celebrate their new addition.

  Rachel’s managed to situate herself right in the middle of it all. Not shy in the least, she’s eating food and dancing with the girls. Laughing.

  My baby is laughing and acting like a kid. Something I haven’t seen in far too long.

  It seems the O’Callaghans are good for both of us.

  I catch Maeve by the hand as she sweeps past me and lead her down the hall to a private corner. When I’m sure we’re out of sight of the others, I close my mouth over hers in a long, sweet kiss that has me wanting far more.

  “What was that for?” she asks with a smile.

  “I just needed it.” I kiss her forehead. “It felt like the right moment.”

  “Well, I’m not complaining at all. I’m glad you were here. It made all of the craziness even more fun.”

  “Rachel’s having the time of her life.”

  “And you?”

  I tuck a lock of her auburn hair behind her ear. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. But I have to tell you, your family is a bit crazy.”

  She laughs and pats me on the cheek. “You don’t know the half of it.”

  Chapter 7

  ~Maeve~

  “Are you sure it wasn’t completely crazy that I called you guys? I mean, we don’t know each other all that well, and I don’t mean to put anyone out.”

  “This is what we were born to do,” Jules says, her face completely serious. “Tell her, Stasia.”

  “She means it,” Anastasia assures me. “Jules and Nat are the bee’s knees when it comes to fashion.”

  “We like to shop,” Natalie says with a smile. “Like, if shopping were an Olympic sport, Jules and I would be tied for first place.”