“How much can I pay you to forget all about this?” Ro asks, reaching for his wallet.
“Not a dime, Gallagher,” I say, tipping my glass in salute. “Suck it up.”
Ro looks like he’s about to rip me a new one when Alicia saunters up to the table with a pitcher of water. She stops beside him, looking amused.
“What are you bitching about now, Rowan?”
He whips his head in her direction and straightens in his chair. He’s drinking her in, eyes roaming from the top of her midnight Dutch braid down to her red combat boots. She pretends not to notice, but her cheeks flush slightly.
“Hello there, love. Norah here is being unnecessarily cruel. Try to make her see some sense, would ya?”
Alicia just laughs. “Norie, cruel? How much have you had to drink?”
“Not a fecking thing! I only just got here!” he cries indignantly. “Look at this and tell me it’s not cruel. The fire sprite expects me to wearthisin front of people!”
He holds the drawing in front of her and a bubble of laughter escapes her. She tries to cover it with a cough, but it’s not fooling anyone.
“What’s the matter, Ro?” Alicia coos, placing a hand on his shoulder that has him stiffening in response. “I thought you were confident with your body? This seems right up your alley.”
He stares at her in disbelief for a moment before blurting out, “What the feck is that supposed to mean? Aye, I may know that my body is in pristine condition, but that doesn’t mean I want to go flaunting it in front of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the entire drama department!”
“Welcome to the world of women, where we’re expected to look a certain way and dress accordingly to please the male species,” Alicia says with an eye-roll. “But God forbid something happens to us in those clothes. Then it’s clearly our fault for dressing provocatively.”
The table goes silent, everyone’s eyes widening.
“Sorry,” she mumbles. “Sensitive subject. Anyway. The point is, don’t be such a baby. Embrace the opportunity and give it your all like you do on the pitch.”
Spinning on her heel, she stalks back to the bar. Layla and I share a look and rise from the table in pursuit of Alicia. We find her drying glasses behind the bar, staring pointedly at the floor.
“Hey,” Layla says, getting her attention. “Is everything okay, Li?”
She looks up, quickly quelling the tears threatening to escape. “Yeah, I’m good. It’s just been a long day.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask softly. If anyone can understand what it’s like to be objectified and taken advantage of by a man, it’s me.
“Nah,” she says, picking up another glass. “Really, I’m okay. Thanks for checking though.”
“Okay, but if you change your mind, you know we’re here for you, right?” Layla reminds her.
“Yeah, I know. Love you girls,” she says, then grins devilishly. “Now, tell me what else I can do to torment Ro.”
I chuckle at the gleam in her eyes. “I think challenging him to own it like he does while he plays will go a long way. If he thinks it’s something he can win at, I bet he’ll jump in full force.”
Alicia smiles and then casts a glance over my shoulder. “Incoming…” she warns.
The Irishman in question sidles up next to me, resting his corded forearms on the bar. Glancing at me and Layla, he says, “Eamon and Teagan are asking for ya, ladies.”
Taking the hint, we wave at Alicia and head back to the table. Eamon pulls me down next to him, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
“Everything okay?” he mutters.
“She says she’s fine, but I don’t buy it. I’m going to try to catch her alone and see if she’ll open up.”
“She looked like she was about to cry,” Layla interjects.
“Shite,” Teagan breathes. “She’s one of the toughest lasses I know. Something big must have happened if she was that upset. Here’s hoping Gallagher can get her to spill.”
“Only if she wants to,” I say pointedly. “Whatever is going on, she doesn’t seem comfortable sharing it. And if it has anything to do with her outburst,I can understand that. I just hope I’m wrong.”
