I smile warmly at him. “Agreed. I would be absolutely honored to design their costumes.”
A buzzing sound wrenches me from the little bubble we’ve cocooned ourselves in. Reaching into my bag, I grab my phone.
“Oh no,” I groan. “It’s almost noon. I really need to get going.”
I don’t want to leave. I could sit here talking to Eamon all day. “Don’t you have classes today?”
He shakes his head. “Not on Mondays or Wednesdays. I usually spend the mornings catching up on assignments before heading off to Paddy’s.”
“Ah, so he’s a day drinker,” I tease him.
“Hardly.” He says the word with a scoff. “I’m a pretty handy carpenter, and Paddy won’t tell you this, but he’s shite with a hammer and nails. He hired me early on as his repair man. You’d be surprised at how often he breaks things.”
I can’t help but laugh at the picture he’s painted of Pat. “He must be pretty clumsy if he can afford to keep you on.”
Eamon nods. “That he is. But I also repair for a couple of other businesses in town. It’s not constant work, what with school and soccer, but it pays the bills.”
The bell above the coffee shop door chimes, and a voice calls out loudly, “Oi! Eamon! There you are! I’ve been trying to get a hold of you allmorning!”
We both sit upright, having leaned closer to each other across the table at some point during our conversation.
Rowan saunters up to us and stops suddenly, smiling mischievously at us. I quickly gather my things and start to stand up.
“Don’t leave on my account, lass. I didn’t realize that Eam here was on a date,” he says with a wink.
“No, it wasn’t…” I start to say.
“Aye, I don’t have to tell you where I’m going, Ro,” Eamon snaps at his friend. “You’re not my Mam.”
“I really do need to go,” I tell them. “Thank you again, Eamon. This was nice.”
Eamon stands as I sling my bag over my shoulder. “It was a pleasure, Norah.”
I give them both an awkward wave and head towards the door.
Eamon
I watch Norah from the window until I can’t see her anymore. Then I turn to glare at Ro.Fecking eejit.
“What?” he asks stupidly. “Don’t look at me that way! Maybe if you bothered to tell us that you and Ginger were an item…”
“Norah. Her name is Norah, and we’re not an item. It was just coffee.” I shrug.
Ro looks at me doubtfully. “Oh, so you won’t mind if I ask her out, then? She is a pretty little thing, and that hair of hers means she’ll be fun to…”
I instantly see red.
“Don’t even think about it,” I snarl.
Ro laughs and claps a hand on my shoulder. “No worries, mate. I’m thinking about asking Alicia out anyway. Think she’d mind going to Paddy’s on her night off?”
I roll my eyes. “Only you would take a bartender to her place ofemployment on a date. That’s if she’ll even say yes.”
“Ach! You know she will! Why do you think she always gets my drink and ignores you and Teag?” he brags, wagging his eyebrows.
“You’re a louse, Ro,” I tell him, shaking my head. “Anyway, I really should get to Paddy’s. I’ll tell Alicia to be on the lookout for you, mate.”
“Don’t you dare, Eamon Kennedy! You’ll ruin the surprise!” Ro calls out as I walk towards the door.
