Between Love and Loyalty

by Shannyn Schroeder

  “Forget Connor and I’ll never bother you again.”

  Fiona looked up from her drink. He was serious. “Why Connor? I’ve dated some real deadbeats in the past and you never even blinked. How can you decide he’s the worst man on the planet after only talking to him for what, five minutes?”

  “Because I know.”

  As much as she wanted to ask how he knew, she didn’t. The possible answers frightened her. She wanted to believe Aiden and her dad were wrong, but something in their conviction about Connor left her unsettled.

  Aiden stared at her, almost willing her to ask, she could feel it, but instead, she smiled and walked away. She wouldn’t let Aiden or anyone take tonight from her. She’d talk to Connor. She’d get answers from him.

  Back at her table, she was glad she’d had the foresight to call her cousin and ask not to be seated at the same table as her parents. Being stuck between her parents and Aiden would suck every ounce of fun out of the night. Instead, she sat at a table with some of her cousin’s college friends.

  She sat and introduced herself. Plenty of friendly conversation to keep her mind occupied, even as she kept an eye on the door looking for the one man she wanted to see. As cocktail hour wrapped up, more people filtered into the banquet hall and to their tables, but still no sign of Connor. The band announced the bridal party and the bride and groom. Once the head table was seated, salads were brought out.

  Fiona discreetly pulled her phone from her purse. Connor hadn’t called, so she shot him a text. Salad coming out now.

  Then she thought maybe he’d lost the address and like a typical man, wouldn’t call for help, so she texted him the address again. She picked at her salad, waiting for a response.

  “It’s only salad. There’s no way to screw it up, so it’s gotta be safe to eat,” the man sitting on her left said.

  She smiled at him. “Maybe you should be the guinea pig.”

  He returned her smile and shoved a forkful of lettuce in his mouth. He chewed, swallowed, and then said, “See? Totally safe. I make no guarantees about whatever meat they bring out for the main course though.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” She wiped her hand on her napkin and extended it to him. “Fiona.”

  He took her hand. “John. Friend of bride or groom?”

  “Bride’s cousin. You?”

  “Groom’s colleague.”

  “Which would mean you do what?” She felt kind of bad she knew so little about her cousin’s fiancé—husband—that she didn’t even know his occupation.

  “Accountant.”

  They ate their salads in silence and Fiona grew more uncomfortable. She had a bad feeling about Connor not answering his phone. “I’d kill for another glass of wine, but the bar’s closed until after dinner, isn’t it?”

  John smiled again and she caught a glimpse of dimples. “I can’t help with wine, but I do have an extra beer.”

  “I don’t want to take your drink.”

  “I always grab a backup before dinner is served at a wedding. People always underestimate how long the meal and speeches will last before they can get another drink.” He put a bottle of beer in front of her.

  She moved it back. “You shouldn’t lose your beer because I didn’t plan ahead.”

  He put it back in front of her. “You look like you can use it. Bad day?”

  “I think my date is standing me up.”

  “Oh. Then I definitely insist.”

  “Are you here alone?”

  “Yep.” They looked around the table. Most of the other people sitting with them were paired off.

  The wait staff cleared their plates and brought out the main course.

  John nudged her with his elbow. “I tried the salad. It’s only fair if you try the meat first.”

  “Doesn’t seem like a fair tradeoff. Like you said, it’s difficult to screw up salad. Meat opens up so many more possibilities.” But she cut into the small slab of beef and tasted. Bland and slightly tough, but not unbearable. She took a swig of beer to wash it down. “Not horrible, but I’d trade it for a cheeseburger in a heartbeat.”

  “We could always cut out of here and go grab a burger.” He flashed another smile, this time a hint of white teeth gleamed at her and full dimples winked in his cheeks.

  Cute charm on a platter.

  “I think that would be a little rude. Plus, my whole family is here and they’d notice. I can’t leave until after the dancing starts.” She scooped some mashed potatoes and tried them. Better than the meat, but still not stellar.

  “I can understand. Save a dance for me?”

  “Sure.”

  “Tell me about yourself.”

  In between small bites of food, Fiona told John about her jewelry and the outreach center and he seemed genuinely interested. At least as interested as any man who thought he might get some no-strings wedding sex.

  But he was cute. And he was here, unlike Connor. As soon as the speeches finished and the bar reopened, John stood. “Would you prefer a wine or another beer?”

  “I think I’ll stick with beer, thanks.”

  She watched him walk away and texted Connor again. This time, she let him know how angry she was. He’d had plenty of opportunities to back out. She’d been prepared to go to the wedding alone. But when he volunteered to be her date, she felt so relieved. Word had spread through the family that she was bringing a new date to the wedding.

  Her cousins had all asked about him and she could feel their stares at the empty seat beside her during dinner. Luckily, her parents were at a table at the far end of the room, close to the head table. She sat near the back, which would allow her to make an early escape.

  Before, she thought her early escape would be with Connor, so they would have more time together, but now, she just wanted to be gone. She needed to get away from the prying eyes of her family. At least the people at her table didn’t know she’d been stood up. Except John, and since he was flying solo for the evening, he was happy for her loss.

  John made his way back through the crowd with two bottles of beer and she checked her phone. Still no response from Connor. Asshole. She dropped the phone back in her purse and accepted the bottle from John.

  “Boyfriend call?”

  “No, I was letting him know he’s an asshole for blowing me off. Want to dance?”

  “Sure.”

  They set their drinks on the table and walked to the dance floor. The band had already played a few waltzes for the older people in the crowd, and now they started to play more upbeat music. The beat thumped and Fiona started moving. John wasn’t much of a dancer, but he obviously wanted to be with her.

  After returning to their table, they finished their drinks and then went back to the dance floor. They danced through three or four songs, with each one, John moving closer and getting bolder with touching her. She didn’t rebuff his advances. She liked the attention.

  As the band took a break, she grabbed John’s hand to lead him from the dance floor. “I’m thirsty.”

  On the way to the bar, her mother stood in their path. “Fiona, darling, have you been avoiding me?”

  Yes almost slipped from her lips before she bit her tongue. “Of course not, Mom.” She leaned in and brushed a kiss on her mom’s cheek.

  “Are you going to introduce me to your date?”

  “Uh…” Fiona didn’t know how to respond. How could her mother not know that John wasn’t supposed to be her date? Was it possible Aiden and her father had left Mom out of the loop? “This is John.” She shifted slightly. “John, my mother, Sheila Cavanagh.”

  “John, so nice to meet you,” she extended her hand in her usual limp shake.

  Not wanting to give her mother a chance to do too much talking, she took John’s hand again. “We were on our way to the bar for a drink.”

  She tried to curve around her mother, but Sheila wasn’t having it. “What’s your hurry? I could use another glass of wine myself.”

  Fiona dropped
John’s hand and headed to the bar, hating that her mom invited herself. Sheila either didn’t notice, or ignored, Fiona’s irritation as usual, and tucked her arm around John’s elbow. “Tell me about yourself,” she started, and Fiona picked up the pace to reach the bar. She needed a drink now more than ever.

  Her cousin Stacy, younger sister to the bride, swirled a straw in her glass and smiled at Fiona’s approach. Fiona had wanted to avoid this most of all.

  “Hey, Fi. Good to see you.” She pulled Fiona into a one-armed hug, careful not to spill her drink. Before pulling away, she whispered, “Where’s the new boyfriend?”

  Fiona’s jaw tightened, but she forced a smile. “He got hung up doing something and isn’t going to make it.”

  “Oh, you poor thing. You really aren’t having any luck in the man department, are you?”

  Moments of being naked with Connor flashed in her head and she almost said she’d been plenty lucky. Instead, she offered, “I’m in no hurry to find the perfect guy. There are plenty to sample.”

  Just then, Sheila and John pulled up behind her. Stacey checked John out and gave Fiona an appreciative smile. “Your mom seems to be doing okay.”

  Fiona rolled her eyes. “She only nabbed John because I was dancing with him and having a good time.”

  She ordered another beer and headed back to her table to avoid engaging with her mother. Once seated, she gulped her beer and tapped her foot to the music. Her tablemates had left, some gone to dance, others to chat and mingle. She sat alone at a table for ten. Just when she’d about given up on John ever joining her, she saw him weaving around guests, carrying two bottles of beer. The man was a lifesaver.

  “Thought you might be ready for another.” He set a fresh bottle in front of the one she’d almost finished.

  “You thought correctly.” She was pleasantly buzzed and saw no reason to stop. She chugged the remainder of her first beer and started on the one John brought. “Did you have a nice conversation with my mother?”

  He laughed. “I think she was vetting me. Her main concerns were that I had a stable job and no wife at home.”

  “Since you’re back here sitting with me, you must’ve passed. Congratulations.” She tipped her bottle in his direction. “Do you have a car?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I mean, do you have one here or did you carpool with someone?”

  “I drove myself.”

  “You want to get out of here?”

  “Say the word.”

  “Word.” She stood, possibly a tad wobbly. “Let’s find a better place to drink.”

  Fiona looked around and debated saying good-bye to people. She ultimately decided that doing so would ruin her buzz.

  Chapter 9

  Connor reached for his phone again, wanting to call and apologize to Fiona. Standing her up had been a dick move. But after listening to her father, he knew he couldn’t show his face at a family wedding without doing a whole lot of explaining. Part of him wanted to show up and cause a scene, tell everyone the truth, but he couldn’t ruin the wedding of some woman he’d never even met. Fiona would definitely hate him then. Now, however, it seemed as though she hated him anyway for blowing her off.

  He toyed with his phone and studied the last text from her. You’re an asshole. If you didn’t want to come to the wedding you shouldn’t have offered.

  Connor slugged back a shot. Dermott simply shook his head. Connor spent the day finishing the cabinet he’d created for Fiona. He didn’t know why he continued to work on it. It wasn’t not like he thought she wouldn’t care if he blew her off. Somehow, it was important that he finished it. The whole time, he’d put the wedding out of his mind and along with it, the possible ramifications of not showing. He hadn’t learned all that much over the years. The same fucking thing he’d done when Cavanagh approached him years ago. Act without thinking it through.

  He drained his beer and then dialed her number. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to say, but he wanted to hear her voice, even if she just called him an asshole.

  “What do you want?”

  Yeah, she was pissed. Not even a hello. “I’m sorry. I should’ve called you to cancel.”

  “Damn straight.”

  Her voice held an odd quality, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. “Can I stop by when you’re done at the wedding?”

  “We’re already done. Moving on to the next drinking establishment.”

  We? Who was she with? Aiden?

  Before he could ask, she continued, “No need to worry about me. I met John, who wasn’t afraid to attend the wedding. We’re heading out for drinks.”

  She picked up a guy at the wedding. Connor’s gut began to churn, a mixture of alcohol and regret. Then his stupidity got the better of him. “I’m at Dermott’s. Come have a drink with me.”

  She snorted. “You had your chance.”

  Then he recognized the odd quality to her voice—she was drunk, or at least well on her way. Drunk and with a strange man. “At least call me when you get home so I know you got there safely.”

  “I might be too preoccupied to call.” Then she disconnected.

  Connor felt like shit, both because Fiona was really upset and because she was talking about fucking some other guy. He drank another beer to put Fiona Cavanagh out of his mind, but knew it wouldn’t work because he hadn’t been able to accomplish that in weeks.

  * * *

  Fiona hung up and looked at John. He was a good-looking guy. Short hair, precisely cut, probably for the wedding. Clean-shaven. His hands were smooth, unlike Connor’s rough calloused palms. John’s lips were full, like they would be comfortable to kiss and when he smiled, his whole mouth widened and brightened his face.

  He caught her staring at him. “Boyfriend?”

  “He’s not my boyfriend. We had a casual thing going. Until he blew me off. He just invited me for a drink. Want to go?”

  “You want me to take you to have a drink with your boyfriend?”

  “Not with him. But you could go with me and show him what he missed out on.”

  “So you want to use me to make him jealous.”

  “If you’re game.”

  He shot her a look from the corner of his eye. She was being adolescent and the alcohol clouded her judgment. She was aware of that much. But she wanted Connor to feel a hint of the hurt she’d been feeling all night.

  “How big is this guy?”

  “Not huge. But strong.”

  “Violent?”

  She shook her head. “Not that I know of.”

  “You seriously want me to make a guy jealous and risk getting my ass kicked.”

  “He won’t start anything.” She was pretty sure anyway.

  “What’s in it for me?”

  “A good night kiss?”

  “You’re asking for a lot of risk for very little reward. I think I’d get a kiss no matter what.”

  “Whatever. I thought it would be worth a shot.” She inhaled deeply. “I want him to hurt a little. I believed he was coming as my date tonight and I was excited about it. It’s disappointing, that’s all.”

  John sighed. “Where are we going?”

  “You don’t have to do this. I know I’m acting childish.”

  “So was he. He deserves a little of his own medicine.”

  Fiona gave him directions to Dermott’s and hoped Connor would still be there. When they parked on the street alongside the bar, Fiona became nervous. She turned to John. “Are you sure about this?”

  “I’ve got nothing else going on tonight.”

  She reached across and tugged at his tie, then unbuttoned the first couple of buttons on his shirt. “This isn’t very upscale. More neighborhood bar, so you might want to lose the jacket.”

  “Why don’t you take the jacket? It’s a chilly out.”

  They stepped from the car and he laid his jacket across her shoulders. Fiona’s mind flashed back to when Connor had done the same the first night they met. John’s cologne
swirled around her. It smelled expensive and a little too strong. But the coat warmed her and warded off the shivers.

  John walked beside her with his hand on her lower back. When they entered the bar, it was darker than Fiona remembered. Then again, it had been full of soccer-loving men last time she’d been here. It wasn’t overly crowded for a Saturday night. A row guys sat on stools at the bar and couples sat at a few scattered tables. Fiona felt infinitely overdressed, but she refused to feel out of place. She grabbed John’s hand and led him to a table.

  As they walked, she scanned the room for Connor, but saw no sign of him. He would’ve been at the bar if he were still there. He wouldn’t sit at a table alone. She didn’t know how she knew that, but she did. She studied the backs of the men at the bar. Connor’s broad shoulders would’ve called to her.

  John pulled out the chair for her. “Thank you.” She took the seat and when he was settled across from her, she said, “I think he’s already gone. Sorry to have dragged you here.”

  “No big deal. We were planning on stopping for another drink. Might as well be here. What’ll you have?”

  “Beer is fine.”

  He stood to go to the bar to order their drinks and she caught him by the hand and pulled him toward her. “Most guys would’ve dumped me off as soon as I suggested this. I appreciate you being a good sport.”

  She tilted her head up and moistened her lips to hint that she planned to kiss him. John lowered himself to her and pressed his lips to hers.

  His lips were soft and comfortable. He opened them slightly and deepened the kiss. It was a nice kiss. But that was it. Nice. No sparks. No real chemistry.

  John pulled away with a smile. “I’ll be right back with our drinks.”

  She saw it in his eyes. He felt it too, or rather, didn’t feel it. Damn Connor. Now he was ruining her for other men.

  * * *

  Connor rounded the corner from the bathroom and froze. A man bent and kissed a woman he knew had to be Fiona. He didn’t need to see her face; the mass of red curls would forever give her away. Every muscle in his body tightened and flexed. His hands fisted. Why the fuck would she bring her date here?