“Hello?”
“Hi. It’s Deirdre.”
“Your face pops up on my screen when you call.”
“It would be rude not to announce who was calling even if my face did appear on your screen.”
Something was off, making her want to hang up and pretend she hadn’t called. He didn’t sound fun and friendly, and she didn’t like it. “I’m sorry. I dialed before realizing that while my workday was finished, you would probably be in the middle of yours.”
He sighed. “I am at work, but I’m not busy right now. What did you need?”
Her stomach flip-flopped. Why had she called? To hear his voice? Laugh with him? Her mouth answered before she gave too much thought to the words. “I hoped you might be free tonight.”
“Hold on.”
She heard movement on his end and a heavy door slammed. He was going somewhere.
“Sorry. I wanted to go outside to have a little privacy. My coworkers are always nosy. Did you figure out what you want?”
“Not really. But you said that I should call if I want to hang out.”
Silence hung between them. She should’ve known. As soon as he’d found out she was a virgin, he didn’t want to have anything to do with her.
“I’m busy tonight. I have a hockey game.”
“Never mind then.”
“You could come with me.”
“Um . . .” It wouldn’t quite be the same as going out with him. She’d be sitting by herself watching him play. She could sit by herself at home.
“Norah said she’ll be there, and she can introduce you to the other girls. Players’ wives and girlfriends. Then we usually go to McGinty’s after.”
Tension crept along her shoulders. She didn’t do well in crowds, especially with people she didn’t know. The loneliness she’d been feeling was worse, though. Being alone had never been a problem for her. In fact, she often sought out solitude.
“It’ll be fun.”
“In truth, I wanted to see you.”
“You will see me. I can wow you with my prowess on the ice. Then you can ply me with alcohol after.”
The coaxing and joking in his voice made her smile. This was the Tommy she missed. “How can a girl resist? Text me the time and address.”
“How will you get there?”
“As far as I can tell, everything is accessible by bus in the city.”
“Come to my house and I’ll drive you. Six o’clock.”
“Okay.” The gesture shouldn’t have had an impact, but her cheeks warmed at the thought of him wanting to take care of her. Even if it was simply a lift.
Looking at the clock, she decided she had time to do some housework for Aunt Eileen and still take a nap before going out. She vacuumed the living room and dining room quickly. She couldn’t fathom how they’d get dirty with just her and Eileen living there, but she knew that Eileen liked to make sure it was spotless for when she babysat her grandchildren.
The kitchen was where she spent most of her time. The space was rather small, but she was used to that. The only time she had a lot of space for baking was when she worked at the bakery or on the rare occasions she’d been able to use the pub’s kitchen back home. Their schedules didn’t allow for it to happen often. If the pub was closed, she was usually asleep. One day, she’d have a huge kitchen of her own. And she’d be able to set it up how she liked and she’d have all the time in the world to experiment.
Aunt Eileen came in while Deirdre had her head in the oven. “What do you have going on here?”
“Just some cleaning,” Deirdre said, looking over her shoulder.
“Better than my own daughters, you are. Thank you.” She set about to make some tea.
Deirdre finished up and washed her hands.
“Will you be baking some cakes today?”
“No, actually. I’m going to take a nap. I’m going out tonight.”
Eileen shook her head. “Not with Tommy O’Malley again.”
Deirdre pressed her lips together before answering. “I’m going to watch his hockey game.”
Eileen tsked.
“Why don’t you like him? Moira is marrying his older brother, so the family can’t be all bad.”
Eileen sat at the table while waiting for the water to boil for tea. “Do you know about Siobhan O’Malley, his mother?”
Deirdre nodded. “Tommy said she was killed when he was young.”
“Siobhan and I were friends. After she was gone, Seamus fell apart. He focused on little more than work. Those boys ran amok, terrorizing the neighborhood. Jimmy did what he could to corral them, but he was a boy himself.”
“And?”
“I tried to help Seamus, but he pushed me away, sniping at me, telling me to take care of my own.”
“But they all turned out okay, right? They’re grown and have jobs.”
“And all have taken turns to return living at home.”
Deirdre didn’t have a response for that one. While Tommy had led her to believe it wasn’t out of necessity, she didn’t know what to say. “Donal, Eamon, and I live at home.”
Eileen narrowed her eyes at that. “And I’ve spoken with Una about that. At least you’re all there to help with the pub. Those boys are still about playing and drinking.”
“Isn’t that what being young is about? I just don’t see why you don’t like Tommy. It seems your problem is mostly with his dad.”
“I see the trouble they can be. Except Jimmy. That boy always had his head on straight and did right by his family.”
The kettle whistled and Deirdre poured tea for her aunt.
“I like Tommy. He’s sweet and he’s nice to me.” She sat across from her aunt. “You know what my life is like back home. I’ve never had the chance to get away from the pub. Your kids had a choice. You didn’t automatically expect them to spend their lives there.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that my parents want to retire. We need to run things. This might be my last chance to just have fun.”
Eileen nodded. Deirdre had often heard Eileen and her mom arguing about things. Una was a good mom, but she expected everyone to fall into line with what she wanted. Deirdre often wondered if her mother would have been different if she had come to America when Eileen had. Her aunt and her cousins had a freedom that she hadn’t experienced. “I’m going to take a nap.” She left Eileen in the kitchen.
She took a quick shower. Before crawling into bed, she called Rory one more time. The phone rang against her ear and she closed her eyes.
“What are you callin’ my boy for, Deirdre?”
Why the hell was her brother answering Rory’s phone? “I’m calling for Rory.”
“We’re swamped and he left his mobile in the office. When you do talk to him, you better thank him for doing everything for you. While you’re off hanging with our cousins, he’s stepped up and is practically running the place with me.”
Deirdre didn’t know if she wanted to smile or cry. Of course Rory would step in to make everyone miss her less. “Tell him I phoned.”
“Sure.” He hung up without another word.
No warm and fuzzy feelings between the Murphy siblings. Deirdre rolled over and closed her eyes, willing herself to forget about her home and family in Ireland.
Chapter Seven
Deirdre woke after a nap and felt oddly refreshed. She grabbed her phone and checked the time. She’d missed a text from Tommy.
I’m off work. Be ready at 6? Followed by another. I’ll be ready in 30. Hope you’re not blowing me off.
She typed quickly. Sorry. Fell asleep. I don’t want to make you late. I’ll find my own way.
She jumped out of bed and rifled through her clothes. Her phone buzzed on the bed. As she pulled a T-shirt on, she glanced at it.
I’ll wait.
She shook her head. The man was silly. Be ready in 10.
Yanking on her jeans, she checked her reflection in the mirror. Her hair wasn’
t too bad, but her complexion was ghostly. She rushed through swiping on some makeup and ran downstairs. She called out to Eileen, “I’m leaving. I shouldn’t be too late tonight.”
Eileen didn’t answer, but that wasn’t too unusual. Deirdre opened the front door and found Tommy standing on the porch.
“Wow. That was like ten minutes on the nose.”
“I don’t tend to say what I don’t mean. Have I made you late?”
“We’re good.” He placed a hand on her back as they walked to the car. “I’ve missed you the last few days.”
“Like you told me—you know where to find me.”
“I thought you needed space.”
So had she. “Turns out space is pretty lonely.”
On the way to the game, Tommy talked to her about a client he’d had this week who had begged him to tattoo a picture of his penis on his arm. Deirdre was laughing so hard, she was surprised when Tommy put the car in park.
“Did you do it?”
Tommy blew out a heavy breath. “Kai always says that if someone has the money, they get to pick what they want as a tattoo. The worst was when he thought I wanted him to whip it out right there in front of everyone so I could sketch it.”
Deirdre dabbed away some tears. “Remind me to never visit you at work.”
“Don’t worry. I made him keep his pants on until he got to the back room. Then he took some photos and sent them to me.” He shook his head. “I literally spent my afternoon drawing dicks.”
Truly, that was the last thing she wanted or needed to think about. Tommy jumped from the car as though he hadn’t mentioned anything, but her mind was suddenly filled with the thought of his drawings. As she stepped out, she saw him hefting a bag from the trunk.
“Gotta hurry.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the building. Inside, he kissed her cheek and said, “Head to the left near the center. Look for Norah. I told her to watch for you.”
Then he disappeared down a hall. Taking a deep breath, she pushed forward, suddenly feeling as if she were intruding on someone else’s night. Inside the rink, the stands had people sprinkled about, but it wasn’t overly crowded. She did as Tommy suggested and headed toward the left, peering over the heads of fans to look for Norah.
A sharp whistle caught her attention and she saw Norah waving wildly at her. Deirdre made her way down the aisle. When she got to the bottom, just behind the glass, Norah reached out. “Glad you came. Deirdre, this is Caitlyn. And this is Emma, Sean’s girlfriend.”
Caitlyn shook her hand. “Sorry if my whistle scared you. Norah couldn’t get your attention.”
“Thank you. I don’t know how I missed her waving like that.” Deirdre looked toward the ice. Men were skating around, but she didn’t recognize anyone.
“Our team is in green. The Savage Tools.” Norah pointed at her chest.
Deirdre snickered and slapped a hand over her mouth.
“Go ahead and laugh,” Emma said.
“Their name means vicious idiots?”
“My dad thought it was funny when he got them started years ago.”
The women sat and Deirdre looked at the skaters again.
“Do you know anything about hockey?” Norah asked.
Deirdre shook her head.
Caitlyn stood and shooed Norah and Deirdre over. “Let me sit on the other side of you. If you rely on Norah to explain anything, you’ll be more lost than when you came in.”
They shifted and Caitlyn began to explain the game to her, from the different positions to basic rules. She pointed in front of them. “That’s the penalty box. When a player does something wrong, he’s sent there for a time out.”
“Ah, so it’s the sin bin.”
“I thought you didn’t know hockey.”
“I don’t. Rugby, however, I am familiar with.”
“If you like rugby, you’ll fit in here. Our guys like to fight.”
Deirdre couldn’t imagine Tommy as a fighter. He was quiet and gentle. But she kept those thoughts to herself. As blind as she was to most men, even she knew that a man wouldn’t want to be called gentle.
After a while, the buzzer sounded, and players skated around and back to their respective spots to begin play. Keeping in mind Caitlyn’s primer, she watched in fascination as the puck was dropped.
* * *
Tommy showered quickly after the game because he didn’t want to leave Deirdre waiting too long. At his locker, he dropped his towel and grabbed his jeans. His phone buzzed. Norah texted to say she had taken Deirdre ahead to McGinty’s. While it was nice of Norah to bring Deirdre into the fold, he’d wanted every extra minute with her he could get.
Rather than wait for Sean or Kai, he left the locker room and headed to the bar. He drove quickly because part of him thought Norah might do something to sabotage this. Maybe not intentionally, but as a nosy little sister, she could easily say the wrong thing to Deirdre.
Luckily, the bar was close, like around-the-corner close, so he was there in minutes. Inside, the team had a few tables pushed together and Deirdre stood at the corner next to Norah. A nearly full Guinness sat in front of her, and she had a smile on her face.
When he got to the table, he put his hand on Deirdre’s hip. Norah leaned forward and said, “Your girl here has a bit of bloodlust. You should’ve seen her go crazy at the fights.”
He liked the sound of that, Deirdre being his girl. She said nothing, but her cheeks grew pink.
“She has a competitive spirit and enjoys every minute of it,” Tommy said.
Deirdre bumped her hip into his. “And how would you know what I like, Tommy O’Malley?”
“Ooooh . . . I think she fits right in,” Emma said.
“Have you forgotten that I’ve played with you?” He let those words hang in the air, knowing that they would bring more warmth to her cheeks. But then he let her off the hook. He looked at the other women and added, “We went to Dave and Buster’s, and she tried to beat my ass at every game we played. She has a stubborn streak.”
The smile she gave him was soft and genuine, and if he got nothing else for the night, it would probably be enough.
Then, as his eyes found her lips, he knew that no, it wouldn’t be enough. He wanted to taste her again. As if she knew his thoughts, she reached for her beer and gulped.
Norah poured him a glass from the pitcher she had in front of her and slid it over.
“Thanks.” He gave Deirdre a squeeze. “Did you have a good time?”
“Yes. Everyone was very nice and welcoming.”
He shot Norah a look, wondering what she was up to. Norah was nice enough, but she wouldn’t let a chance slip away that could cause him a little grief.
“Don’t look at me. I introduced her to Caitlyn, who, by the way, should be named official team welcome committee.”
Caitlyn waved her off. “I’m just being friendly to the newbies.”
“Thank you for that.” He was glad that Deirdre had company during the game.
Kai came up to the table and sat on the stool beside Norah, pulling her to stand between his legs. He rested his head on her shoulder. Looking at Tommy, he said, “You owe me a shot.”
“For what?”
“For the bruise forming on my shoulder I got protecting you.”
Tommy nodded. He couldn’t argue. Kai had taken one hell of a hit to save his ass. He patted Deirdre’s hip and walked to the bar. While he waited for the bartender, Sean came up and hip checked him.
“Thought you were gonna cut and run.”
“Huh?”
Then he caught Sean gesturing to where Deirdre was standing with their sister.
“Oh. She called and wanted to hang out, so I invited her.”
“It’s a mistake, man.”
“What do you know?” The bartender came over and Tommy ordered three shots.
When she set them in front of Tommy, Sean took one and slammed it back. Then he put an arm around Tommy. “I know you. Jimmy knows you. Hell, ev
en Kevin knows that you fall head over heels for any girl that does more than spread her legs.” He hitched a thumb over his shoulder. “This one’ll crush you because she’s leaving.”
“I know what I’m doing. No one said that just because you go out with someone you need to be thinking about the future and forever and shit. I like her. She likes me. Isn’t that enough?”
Sean shrugged. “Who knows? I’ll be here to buy you booze when you need to drown your sorrows.”
Then he snatched another shot and slammed it back.
“Hey, that was mine.”
Sean swung around and walked toward the table with a loud cheer for their teammates. Tommy grabbed the remaining shot to bring to Kai. As he turned, a short brunette stepped in his path. He knew her, but her name escaped him.
“Hey, Tommy. Long time, no see.”
Her name came to him. “Hi, Lisa.”
She stepped closer. “Want to buy me a drink?”
“Uh . . .” He looked over her head to his table. “I’m with people. Maybe some other time?”
She licked her lips and smiled. “Give me a call.”
Kai didn’t notice Tommy set the shot in front of him because he had his tongue in Norah’s mouth. As much as he liked Kai both as a friend and as a boss, he really wished the guy wouldn’t make out with Norah in his presence. She was still his baby sister.
Conversation among the guys drifted toward the game, like it usually did, and the women quickly became bored. Norah and Caitlyn tugged Deirdre’s sleeve, and they went to put music on the jukebox.
Norah was always putting music on and dancing like they were in a club instead of some neighborhood bar. Normally, he ignored her and the dancing, but tonight part of him hoped she’d get Deirdre to dance. He liked Deirdre most when she was loose and relaxed, but he didn’t get to see that side of her often.
She seemed most relaxed when she was baking. Although when she was out with Maggie and Norah, she’d been pretty friendly. He thought back to that first night they’d been together. She hadn’t been totally relaxed though. She’d laughed plenty, but there had been a stiffness—no, more a distance—that she’d kept.
Through Your Eyes Page 9