“Damn. I was looking forward to a bit of a scrap.”
Dani rotated her shoulder and turned to her drink. “Shit. He looked over here again.”
I peered in his direction. He was eyeing the women, but when I caught his gaze, he shifted and pretended to be focused in the other direction. I didn’t like the looks of him either.
Josie’s phone rang. She looked at the screen. “Excuse me a minute.” She stepped away to answer it.
Dani shivered. “I feel like…he’s stalking me or something.”
“I always feel that way about Bill.”
This made Dani laugh. “That’s because he probably is.”
“’O’s Bill?”
“The ex,” Dani explained.
“Ahh.”
Sam slammed her hand on the bar. “Did I tell you he somehow finagled things so his new territory includes Nebraska?”
Dani gasped. “No.”
Sam took another swig of her drink. “I’ll never be rid of that man.”
I spoke up. “You ladies, don’t ya be leaving here tonight without me walking you out to the car. Understand?”
“Yeah.” Sam smiled. “Thanks, Killian.”
“No bother. I have to look after my favorite customers, don’ I?”
“For sure.” She drank the last dregs of her beer. “Now why don’t you look after us with another round, on me.”
I grabbed a glass, flipped it in the air and caught it. “You’ve got it.”
Sam looked at Dani. “How’s Zoe doing with the break up?”
“Not very good. I still can’t believe it.”
“No.” Sam sighed. “They always seemed so good together.” She took a drink. “I had to talk Kyle out of stopping by and kicking Zack’s ass.”
Dani sputtered and laughed and Sam joined in. “He is prone to violence.”
“That’s what I’ve been telling you.” Sam gave this funny little grin. It was the expression she had on her face whenever she spoke about that newlywed husband of hers. “Plus, you know he has a soft spot when it comes to Zoe.”
Dani nodded. “Yeah. I know. He’s such a sweetie.”
Sam stared off. “Yeah. He is. And good in the sack, too.”
“Oh, my gosh.” Dani swatted her. “Too much information.” She looked at me. “Think of poor Killian’s innocent ears.”
I stuck my thumbs through the braces I was wearing. “Shocked to the core, I am.”
They laughed. “Yeah, right,” Sam said as Josie walked over, wearing a frown.
Dani put a hand on her arm. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh. This day keeps getting worse and worse. First a bus broke down and I had freaked out parents calling me. They acted like I should hop in my car and go…jump start it or something. Then, one of our students had an allergic reaction to peanuts and his teacher accidentally held his Epi-pen the wrong way and injected herself. We had to send both of them to the hospital. Now my contractor calls and tells me—” She held up a finger. “After he’s ripped my bathroom apart, mind you—it’s too small a job for him, and I’ll need to find someone else to handle it.”
Sam summed it up succinctly. “That stinks.”
I interjected. “I could help you out with that.”
All three of the women turned to look at me. “What?” Sam queried. “You a bartender, bouncer, and now a plumber, too?”
I smiled. “Plumber, electrician, carpenter. I’m a man of many trades, Mrs. Scofield. Boxer….” I pointed to my eye.
“Yeah. Yeah.”
I looked at Jo. “I’ve got time tomorrow. I could stop by and fix ya right up.”
She blinked. “You’re serious?”
“As serious as me own funeral. What time would you like me to come?”
She bit her lip. “I’d have to pay you.”
I brushed it away. “Nah.”
“No. That’s part of the deal. I have to pay you.”
“We can figure that out later.” A customer called me over. “Write your address down for me,” I called over my shoulder as I moved off.
We had a small rush, and I wasn’t able to get back to them for a while. When I did, Josie was sitting by herself.
“What happened to Sam and Dani?”
“They left.”
I frowned. “I told them to let me walk them out.”
“They had to go,” she said quickly. “Their ride was here. And I walked them out. And anyway, that guy’s still here.” She looked toward the bathroom where he was standing, but he was nowhere in sight. “He was here a minute ago….”
“Where were Sam and Dani going?”
“They had a concert to go to.”
My eyes widened. “And they didn’t ask their chum along?”
She shrugged. “Said they’ve had the tickets for a while.”
I noticed a cocktail napkin with an address scribbled on it. I snatched it off the bar. “This yours?”
“Yes.” She squinted her eyes, rubbing at something on the bar. “Are you sure you want to do this? You don’t have to you know? I can call around and—”
“I know I don’t have to Josephine. I want to.”
She looked doubtful. “If you’re sure….”
“That I am. Eight o’clock too early?”
“You’re up at eight?”
“Oh, I’ll be awake before that. I’ll go for a run and—”
“You’re a runner?”
I acted offended. “Don’t I look it?”
“Well, yes, but…you work so late here. I would think you’d want to sleep in some.”
“As me Uncle Seamus used to say—”
“Do you even have an Uncle Seamus?”
I chuckled. “I do. And he said, ‘Lose an hour in the morning and you’ll be looking for it all day.’”
“That’s true.”
“And ’e taught me everything he knew about running from his experiences being chased by the guards.”
She smiled.
Some new people approached the bar. “Be back in a sec.”
When I turned around a few minutes later and began walking back toward Josie, she had her chin on the bar and was spinning a cocktail napkin around and watching it. I approached slowly, observing her.
“I’m sorry I had to run off.”
She shrugged. “’S okay.” She lifted her head and gave me a goofy smile. “You’re always so polite. I like that.”
“Thank you,” I said slowly. “My Uncle Seamus said—”
She waved an arm at me. “You don’t have an Uncle Seamus.”
I laughed. “I do,” I insisted. “And he always said, ‘Better good manners than good looks.’”
She giggled. “And you’ve got both.” She slapped a hand over her mouth. “Did I say that out loud?”
“You did.” I put my hands on my hips. “Why, Miss Josephine. I do believe you are snockered.”
She pointed a finger at me and made circles in the air. “I like the way you say my name.”
“Uh-huh. I only served you two drinks.” I leaned in, planting my elbows close to her. “How, pray tell, did you get this ossified?”
“Ossified?”
I nodded. “Ossified.”
“Oh. Well, it may have been…Sam and Dani’s drinks. They had to leave suddenly, so I finished their drinks for them.”
“What a pal you are.”
She grinned. “Ain’t I?” She was kicking her feet in front of her like a little girl on her da’s lap. “Killian?”
I have to admit. I was tickled by her. “Yes, dear.”
“Did you know it’s my birthday?”
I jumped back. “It’s your birthday?”
“Yup. But I didn’t tell anyone.”
“You didn’t tell anyone all day long?”
“My mom didn’t even call.” She sighed, stirring ice around her cup with the straw.
My heart stung for her. “Well I’m glad you told me.”
She looked at me with wide eyes, continuing
to stir and knocking a few cubes out onto the bar, which she didn’t seem to notice. “You are?”
“I am.”
“You’re nice.”
“Thank you.”
She sighed again. “But, and here’s the thing…it’s my birthday, and I’m all alone.” She rested her chin on the bar, staring at the ice in her glass.
“Oh. Now, that is a sad state. But you know what? In fifteen minutes I’m off and I can join you.”
Her shoulders straightened and she beamed at me. “You can?”
“I can.”
“Oh, goodie. Let’s have a shot to celebrate.”
I studied her. “I don’t know….”
“Oh, come on. I’m not really ostrichfied. I’ve only had four drinks. I’ve seen you drink twice that much.”
“Yes. But I’m twice your size and have twice as much experience drinking. Probably more than that.”
She pouted. “But I’m the Birthday Girl.”
I hesitated and she looked on hopefully. “All right. But only one.” I retrieved the glasses.
“Two.”
“One,” I said sternly. “Then you need to stay around a while to get yourself sober.”
“You’re bossy.”
I ignored that, handed her the shot and bent my head a little, resting my glass against hers.
“May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks.” I started jovially, but got more serious as I continued. The fact she was alone on her birthday fair ripped me apart. “May your heart be as light as a song.” I found myself falling into those beautiful green eyes of hers. “May each day bring you bright, happy hours that stay with you all the year long.”
“That’s beautiful.” She clinked, a mite too hard, sloshing liquid out of both our cups. She downed hers. “Oh. That one rhymed.”
I laughed. “Yes.” Quinn arrived and cozied in at the bar on his favorite stool. I poured a Guinness without asking. I didn’t have to. “I’m going to go clock out,” I told her.
She clapped her hands together. “Good.”
I looked at Quinn. “Watch her, would ya?” I tipped my head in her direction. “It’s her birthday.”
“Oh,” he said happily, turning to her. I left, but heard some of their conversation as I walked away. “Celebrating another year, are ya?”
“Yes. I’m way too old.”
He chuckled. “If you are, what the hell am I then? Besides, the older the fiddle, the sweeter the tune.”
“Aww. You’re so sweet.”
I guess everybody’s a sweetheart tonight.
When I came back out, half the Guinness I’d poured for meself was gone. I eyed Quinn as I took the stool next to Josephine.
“You drink my pint, old man?”
He didn’t look at me, but he smiled. “Not I.”
I turned my head slowly. “Is that a Guinness mustache you’re sportin’?”
Josie made a swipe at her mouth.
“Aha.”
“You tricked me.”
I thought for a moment then pulled a scratch-off lottery ticket from my back pocket. “Does anybody have a key I can use?”
“Aye.” Quinn began rummaging through his pockets. I stared at him and gave my head a shake. “Oh, aye. I thought they were here….”
I heard the jingle I was looking for and turned to find Josie holding hers up with a smile.
“Thank you very much.” I scratched away. “Darn. I lost.” I pocketed the keys. When I twisted to her, I found Josie staring at me.
“I want to know more about you.” The alcohol-related directness was tickling me.
“All right. But I’m not sure you’ll remember any of it on the morrow. What do you want to know?”
She bit her bottom lip and squinted her eyes. “Where are you from?” she came out with at last. She slid off her stool until her feet hit the floor. Our two stools were so close she winded up pretty much between my legs.
I put my hands on the sides of her thighs. Mostly to steady her, as she seemed a pinch wobbly, but also because I wanted to be close to her. “Ireland.”
She rolled her eyes. “Well, I know that. Where in Ireland?”
“Cork.”
“How long have you been in Lincoln?”
“Umm…about two and a half years. No, wait. It’s been almost three years now.”
“What brought you here?”
“Uhh….” I debated not tellin’ her the truth. But she looked at me with such an open, expectant expression, I felt the need to skip the malarkey and just reveal the reason. I didn’t speak about it much. I gave her a pat, and created some distance so I could turn to the bar. “Too many memories.” I took a long drink of me beer. She waited. “My parents were killed in a factory explosion.” The words still tasted the same flavor of bitter in my mouth.
She gasped. “Oh.” She spun to face the bar, too. Taking her cocktail napkin, she turned it around from corner to corner, working the edges. “Both of them?”
I nodded.
She put a hand on my arm. “Killian?”
I looked at her.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah. Thank you.” I was a wee bit surprised by how it still weighed on my heart. I pushed back on the melancholy. It was her birthday. We should be celebrating. “It happens.” I took a breath and studied her. “When do I get a crack at asking the questions?”
She tilted her head and nodded, putting one hand out, palm up, as if inviting me to ask.
I rubbed my hands together, playin’ the devil. “Hmm…. Do you have brothers and sisters?”
She dipped her head. “Four brothers, four sisters.”
“Whoa. Ya must have some Irish in ya. Four brothers and four sisters!”
“Yes. I’m in the middle.”
“Will you be getting together for your birthday, then?”
Her smile faded. She took a drink of the water I’d left for her, staring off for a moment. “We’re…not exactly a normal family. The nine of us came within a twelve-year period. It was always chaotic at our house, and a good day was a day you made it through. Wasn’t an ideal situation for becoming close.” She deflected. “You?”
I stared.
“Brothers or sisters?”
“Oh. No. Just me. It was quite the scandal in town, me parents only havin’ the one.”
She laughed. “I’m sure it was.” A regular entered from the door behind her.
“Killian. You’re on the wrong side of the bar, Spud.”
“Hey. Even I deserve some time off. Dooly’ll take care of ya.”
“Oh, no. Not Dooly.”
Brendon Doolittle was given the right name. A lazier cuss I’d never met. “’Fraid so.”
He smiled at Josie. “Are you going to introduce me to your friend?”
He was a charmer and good-looking. “No.” But to be honest, the bleedin’ pope could ’ave sallied over at this point and I’da told him to take a number.
He laughed and pointed at me as he walked away. “I see how ya are.”
I looked at Josie. “Not tryin’ to be rude. He’s a…well, he’s a speck too good looking for his own good.”
She smiled at me and grabbed hold of my braces, reeling me toward her. “Was he?” She batted her eyelashes. “I didn’t notice.”
I was certain she wouldn’t be acting this…friendly, if she weren’t plastered. Her gaze fell to my mouth and her lips parted. By Gawd, the things she was doing to me. Every inch of me wanted her savagely. She leaned in, and I slowly bent my head toward her, closer, closer, until only a veil of air separated us.
And damned if my conscience didn’t rear its ugly puss. Her eyes were closed. A perfect angel she was. I brushed my lips over hers, and even as I told myself not to, I kissed her. Just a soft, wee nip of a thing, which would have been followed by me swallowing her whole had not me mam’s voice thundered in my head, “Killian, dear. Never take advantage of a gal who’s not possessed of her full faculties. If you do, you’re a cad and morall
y reprehensible, and you’d be no son of mine.”
Shite.
“Uhh….” I chased the cobwebs in my mind and couldn’t find one word to speak. The blood was busy pulsing to other parts of my body. I put my hand on her face and swept my thumb over her lush, waiting lips, and groaned. “I think—”
Her eyes fluttered open. “Don’t think, Killian.” She slid her hands behind my neck and drew me closer, nipping on my bottom lip, urging me to her. I’m not ashamed to say it, I’m a weak man. And, strangely, her kiss was not the sloppy kiss of someone who’s been on the tear. It was skillful and sense-robbing. She angled her head and opened her mouth wider and…dammit all, I responded. But briefly. Only briefly.
I drew back, closing my eyes to try to stop thinking about that kiss, and explain myself. “Josie.” I opened my eyes, and she was staring at me.
“Oh. Umm….” She put her hand over her lips. “Yeah. I….” She began fumbling around for her purse. “I guess…I shouldn’t have. I….” She made a move to leave, but I gently put my arm out and took her shoulder.
“No, Josie. It’s no—”
She was mumbling to herself in a frantic manner. “What was I—oh, God, I need to—”
“Wait, honey. You don’t have to leave. I—”
“Oh, yes, I do. I definitely do.”
“Josie, please stop. Listen to me.”
She froze. “Okay.” She seemed resigned to the fact she had to listen, but in her mind she was bolting out the door.
The bar room was noisy, and I wanted to make sure she understood me. “Let’s go outside.”
“Okay.”
I grabbed my cap and jacket from the bar. “Good night, all.”
There were mumbled responses but Jo was headed to the door, and I hustled to follow her. Once she hit the outside door, she really put on speed.
“Josie. Josie. Wait.”
“No. It’s okay, Killian. I just need to get out of here.” She’d apparently gotten to her car as she plopped her bag on the hood of a sedan. “Thanks for everything.” She wasn’t looking at me at all and was rummaging around her purse. “Where are my damned keys?”
I held them in the air and jingled them. She slowly turned around. “How did you…?”
Without a word, I walked around her and unlocked the passenger side door, opening it for her.
“What are you doing?”
“Driving you home. Get in.”
She tried to reach for the keys. “No. That’s all right. I’ll be fine.”
Satan, Line One Page 14