Her blue eyes looked over to me. “But there’s another reason he’s kept dating Mallory.”
My head tilted as I waited anxiously for her to keep talking. “And that is?”
Paxton jumped in. “He announced he’s running for mayor of Oak Springs, and he sees her as a good addition. Someone stable by his side. Successful politicians are rarely single, the public likes to see a family man running things.”
“He’s long since stopped his man-whoring days and has found someone who is pretty much squeaky clean. No dirt to dig up,” Amelia stated.
I cringed at Amelia’s words. To know Tripp had slept around made me feel ill. I’d had a few boyfriends off and on, and of course, had sex with them. But nothing like what I’d shared with Tripp.
Dropping my head, I tried to take in a few breaths to calm my sick stomach. “I wouldn’t say she was squeaky clean. She showed up at Tripp’s office dressed in lingerie when I was there.”
They all snarled, then the snarls morphed into ewwww faces.
“For real?” Amelia asked.
“I had dropped my key and had to go back.” Tears filled my eyes. “I heard them…you know.”
They all gasped.
“I’d love to chop my brother’s dick off and shove it down his throat sometimes!” Waylynn huffed.
Warm hands rubbed my back. It was Corina and Paxton. “Let’s forget all about Mallory and Tripp and the clinic for tonight. Let’s go have fun.”
Forcing a grin, I asked, “What are the plans?”
“Dinner first, then we’re off to do some dancing at Cord’s Place.”
Waylynn held out a black dress that looked like it wasn’t finished being made. “And you’re wearing this.”
I cocked my head and narrowed my eyes. “It looks sort of…revealing.”
An evil grin appeared on Waylynn’s face. “It’s going to showcase this curvy rocking body of yours. Now, let’s go get you ready.”
Glancing down once again, I sighed. “Seriously, I feel like this dress reveals a whole lot.”
“My dress shows cleavage,” Amelia said as we walked into the restaurant.
“You’re a lot younger than me! You can get away with it.”
I looked at Paxton, Corina, and Waylynn again. “Okay, Corina is dressed in a darling dress that showcases her pregnant tummy.”
Corina grinned and rubbed her bump.
“Paxton and Waylynn, y’all have on dresses that are more…age appropriate. They say ‘I’m married but out having fun.’”
Waylynn pointed to me. “Watch it, Carbajal. I only just let you back into the circle of trust. I can kick you out again. Age appropriate, my ass…”
Paxton chuckled. “Harley, you have a smoking hot body. You’re single, and you need to get out there and start a new life. Showcase it, girl!”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Paxton had two kids and a body to die for. She could easily get away with wearing this dress. Me? I was never the one to wear sexy outfits, but I had to admit, I felt pretty good for the first time in a long time.
“Well, I still feel like my dress is screaming ‘Hey, I want to get laid!’”
Of course, the second I had said that, the hostess walked up. She eyed me up and down and then looked at everyone else. “Do you have reservations?”
We all looked at each other.
Sighing, Amelia said, “Um, no, I didn’t realize we needed them.”
The hostess lifted her chin. “We’ve become very popular and require them on Friday and Saturday nights”
Amelia huffed behind me.
“Seriously? Since when?” Waylynn asked.
The girl shrugged. “If you don’t have a reservation I cannot seat you.”
“Screw this!” Amelia said. “I’m down for Lilly’s. We’ll be the best dressed there.”
We all agreed and started to walk off.
“Wait! You can’t be serious. You want to go to Lilly’s dressed like this?”
They looked at their dresses and then back to me. A wide grin moved over Corina’s face as she said, “Jacob will certainly be happy to see you!”
When the rest of them started laughing and walking toward the parking lot, I started after them, moving the best I could in these damn heels.
“Okay, wait! Who is Jacob?” I shouted as their giggles grew louder.
“Corina!” I shouted.
A truck came around the corner and the driver had to slam on the brakes to miss me. Throwing my hands up in the air, I yelled, “Slow down, asshole!”
“Um, Harley. That’s Tripp,” Amelia said, grabbing my hand and pulling me away.
“Oh, shit,” I mumbled.
“What in the hell, Harley!” he yelled out the window. I turned to face him and give him a piece of my mind, but I saw Mallory sitting in the truck and froze.
“Sorry, Tripp. You better have a reservation or you’ll be joining us at Lilly’s,” Amelia said.
My eyes were locked on Tripp. He quickly looked my body up and down before focusing back on Amelia.
“Yeah, we have reservations.”
Pulling my arm free of Amelia, I walked away. Amelia went up to Tripp’s window. I did a quick glance over my shoulder and saw her talking to him. I slid into the back of Corina’s car and closed my eyes.
“I’m never going to get used to seeing him with her, and I know I have no right to feel that way. Not with what I did to him.”
Paxton took my hand in hers and gave it a squeeze.
“You’ll get used to it,” Waylynn said, crawling behind Paxton into the third row of seats. “Besides, did you see the way he looked at you? Oh, yeah, my baby brother still has the hots for you.”
I threw my arm over my eyes as I leaned my head back. He may look at me with lust in his eyes, but he had no plans to act on it, and I just had to resign myself to that fact.
“Lilly’s then?” Amelia asked, getting into the front seat.
“Let’s do it!” Corina replied.
Chewing my lip, I wanted to ask Amelia what she’d talked about with Tripp, but I looked out the window instead. Were the girls all friends with Mallory? Had they gone out together? A part of me hoped not, and I felt so guilty for that. They didn’t have to forgive and take me back into their lives like they had and here I was hoping they weren’t friends with Mallory. Christ. How shallow could I be?
“Penny for your thoughts,” Paxton said.
“Thinking about the problem with the vet clinic,” I lied.
“It’s all going to be okay, Harley.”
I dragged in a deep breath. “I wish I could be so optimistic. I’m still waiting for Chuck White to call me back.”
“I’ve heard he’s a good lawyer,” Paxton said with a smile that screamed she’d heard the opposite.
Shit. I am so screwed.
Doc Harris had a brother who was an investor. After Doc had retired and sold me his practice, his brother showed up claiming he owned part of the practice and Doc had no right to sell it to me, and he wanted his share back. It was so messed up. If there was any truth to his claim, I’d never be able to buy his brother out. Hell, I was in debt for buying the vet practice as well as paying off my school loans. I’d already squeezed every ounce of blood out of the turnips that I could. And I hadn’t been able to sleep in days.
It didn’t take long before we were all walking into Lilly’s. Jacob, I quickly found out, was one of the cooks. Apparently he had let it slip to Amelia he thought I was hot. He couldn’t have been over twenty. Thankfully, Lilly’s was so busy he never noticed I was there.
After eating our dinner and laughing more than I had in years, we walked across the square to Cord’s Place.
“So, how’s the work going on the new Irish pub?” Paxton asked Waylynn.
“It’s good. Jonathon’s almost done. He said Maebh should be opening up soon.”
“Who’s Maebh?” I asked.
Waylynn rubbed her hands together and laughed. “Oh, just a pretty little Irish
thing who happens to have caught the eye of Cord. Although he claims to detest her because she’s his competition.”
“I thought she was opening up more of a restaurant, fine dining-type place,” I said.
“Oh, she is,” Amelia said. “But Tripp keeps feeding Cord lies to get him fired up.”
“Steed said Cord knows the truth now, I guess. But I think the poor guy doesn’t know what is up and what is down. He’s not sure what to believe.”
We all laughed.
“Maebh. That’s such a pretty name.”
“It’s spelled pretty, too. It’s Irish. M-A-E-B-H, pronounced like may with a v on the end,” Corina added.
Waylynn stopped walking and put her hand up for us to stop.
“I looked it up,” she said with a huge grin. “I means…ready for this? She who intoxicates.”
We all let out a gasp. “Wow,” I said as I looked over to the entrance of Cord’s Place and then back down the street to Maebh’s restaurant. The sign read Aisling.
“Aisling?” I asked as Waylynn shook her head.
“It’s pronounced, Ash-ling. Jonathon said it means vision or dream.”
“That’s beautiful…” Corina and I said at once.
“Y’all should see the inside. You feel like you’re stepping back in time. The mahogany is amazing. Jonathon had to hire a guy from Dallas to come down and bring Maebh’s vision to life. There are shelves she plans on filling with books.”
“Books?” Corina asked, confused, just like me.
Waylynn nodded and motioned for us to follow her. “Come on. Let’s see if we can peek inside.”
When we walked up, the lights were on but you couldn’t really see into the place.
Waylynn cupped her hands around her face as she peeked into the windows. “Her vision is for people to come during the day, grab a coffee, a sandwich and relax. Hence, the books.”
The front door opened and a beautiful woman stepped out. Her brown hair was pulled into a ponytail. She wore overalls that had paint covering almost every square inch. She didn’t look to have on even an ounce of make-up, and she certainly didn’t need it. She had the most beautiful green eyes I’d ever seen.
She smiled the sweetest smile ever. “Hello. How are you ladies doing?”
“I love your accent!” I blurted out while the other girls all laughed.
“And I love yours!” she replied.
“Sorry to bug you, Maebh. I was trying to give the girls a peek. We were headed to Cord’s Place.”
Her eyes lit up. “Really? How fun.”
“Would you like to join us?” Paxton asked.
Maebh’s cheeks flushed. Interesting. Was that excitement about being asked to hang out with the girls, or was that because she would get to see Cord?
Amelia squealed. “Yes! Please do, I’d love to get to know you better! Plus, you haven’t met Harley. Our town vet!”
I chuckled and stuck my hand out to shake Maebh’s.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I hear you’re adding a restaurant!”
She nodded. “Would you all like to come in for a tour?”
The five us responded with an overly excited, “Yes!”
Maebh laughed and motioned for us to follow her in. The first thing I noticed were the old, wide plank floors. I remembered them from the pharmacy that used to be here. As a little girl I would try and keep my feet on one plank as I walked.
Lifting my gaze, I took in the beautiful blue walls. They matched the paint on Maebh’s overalls.
“These bookcases are stunning!” Corina said as she made her way over to them.
“Thank you! My inspiration came from a picture of some bookcases that are in our home back in Ireland.”
Corina faced her. “You still have a home in Ireland?”
“Oh, yes. It’s been in my father’s family for years.”
“Wow, that’s sort of cool knowing you have a place to stay if you want to go back.”
Maebh smiled and nodded. “There will be a bit of a sitting area here in front of the cases. I want to open for a few hours in the mornings a few times a week, for those who’d like to come in for coffee and relax.”
“Great idea!” Paxton said.
We moved through the place, taking it all in as Maebh gave us a tour.
Amelia turned to Maebh. “It seems like it will be really cozy, yet have an elegance to it.”
“I hope so. That’s the look I’m going for.”
Looking up, I couldn’t help but notice the amazing crown molding. “This used to be the old pharmacy, but I do not remember that crown molding.”
Maebh laughed. “It had been covered up. Jonathon’s workers discovered it. You should see it up in the sitting room.”
“Sitting room?” Amelia asked.
With a wide grin, she motioned for us to follow her up the old wood steps. “This part of the restaurant is nearly finished.”
The moment I stepped off the last step, I was in awe.
“Holy shit,” Waylynn gasped. “Jonathon told me it was beautiful, but he didn’t say it was stunning!”
“What is a sitting room, Maebh?”
“I guess it would be like your bar, not like Cord’s Place. It’s more of a cocktail bar. So, if you are early for dinner, or even after dinner, you would come up here and order perhaps my father’s famous whiskey and have a bit of craic.”
“Crack? What kind of place are you running, Maebh!” Paxton said with a wink.
“It’s spelled, c-r-a-i-c, but yes, pronounced like your crack. It means good conversation. High-spirited fun.”
“I love this idea!” Paxton said. “For those who don’t really want the atmosphere of Cord’s Place, you can come here. I can totally see me and Steed coming up here and relaxing on a date night.”
“I agree!” Waylynn and Amelia said at the same time.
“It’s simply beautiful, Maebh. Was this fashioned after your house in Ireland again?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yes. One of the ballrooms.”
I lifted my brows and couldn’t help but notice how Maebh tried to cover up what she clearly hadn’t meant to say. “I’m thinking here in the fireplaces we can put candles when there isn’t a fire going.”
“Beautiful idea,” I said as I gave her a wink. I was pretty sure I was the only one who caught that she’d said ballroom.
“Do you have a culinary background?” I asked.
Maebh nodded. “After school I worked for a two-star restaurant in Dublin. I found myself moving up and was soon running the back-end. I loved it, maybe even more than cooking.”
“So you decided to open your own place?” Amelia asked as she sat down in one of three oversized leather chairs. I was guessing Maebh had them up here to plot out where the furniture would go.
Letting out a laugh, she shook her head. “No. That’s a bit of a long story.”
“Well, you’ll have to tell us about it someday. Jonathon said you and your father are living on the third and fourth floor?”
She nodded.
“Then I say go get cleaned up while we dip into your father’s whiskey and come out with us tonight.”
Her eyes lit up like Christmas morning.
“Really? You’d let me come along with you?”
Paxton took Maebh’s hand in hers. “Of course! Besides, you look like you’re getting more paint on you than the walls, sweetie.”
Maebh glanced at herself and laughed. She chewed on her lip for a few seconds before saying. “Yes! I’d love to join you. I’ll not be long!”
Waylynn had made her way behind the bar and somehow found a bottle of whiskey. “Take your time. We’re not in a hurry.”
“Maebh, I hate to ask, but do you have a restroom?” Corina asked. “The baby pushes against my bladder, and I swear I pee every five minutes.”
She took Corina’s hand and led her to a door. It opened and led to a set of stairs. “We’ll be back!” Maebh called out in excitement.
“Geesh
, poor thing. Do you think she has any friends here?” I asked as I walked up to the beautiful wood bar. Running my hand along it, I slid onto one of the matching stools.
“I don’t think so. I never see her out. I think she puts every spare second into this place.”
“Hmm. Well, we’re going to have to change that. The girl is too pretty to be hiding out.”
“Agreed,” Paxton said.
The four of us held up our shots of whiskey and downed them.
“Holy…shit!” Waylynn stuttered between coughing. She held up the bottle and read it. “Sona Single Pot Still Irish whiskey. Motherfucker, this shit is strong.”
“I think I grew a few hairs on my chest,” I said as I shook my head to help chase the burn away. Picking up the bottle, I turned it around and read the information on the label.
Created and produced by the O’Sullivan Distillery, Cork.
“What’s Maebh’s last name?” I asked.
Waylynn was pouring each of us another shot. “O’Sullivan.”
My eyes drifted back to the bottle. “Does her father make this whiskey? Is that what she meant when she said my father’s whiskey?”
“I don’t know, why?” Waylynn asked.
I pointed to the bottle. “It says it was created and distilled by O’Sullivan Distillery in Cork.”
“Isn’t she from Cork?” Paxton asked.
We all looked at each other. Waylynn’s mouth opened before she said, “Shit. She said ballroom and then tried to move on. You don’t think they’re from money, do you? I mean, the money she is sinking into this place would likely say yes.”
Corina came rushing into the room. “Y’all, get Maebh to spell her name!”
“What?” Amelia asked. “Why?”
“Trust me! Just do it!”
Corina looked at the shot glasses and pouted. “Dang. That looks good.”
Waylynn grabbed the shot and held it up to Corina. “It will grow hair on your balls.”
Corina snarled. “I don’t have balls.”
“You will after you drink this,” Amelia added with a giggle.
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