Taking one of the pints, I attempt to lighten the mood by raising an eyebrow at him and asking, “Are you sure they aren’t both for me? You know how much of a lush I am.”
He smirks and I feel the tension crack. I take a long drink, staring at him the whole time, then lick the foam off my lips. He tracks the movement with those vivid blue eyes.
“Something bothering you, Eamon?”
His brows furrow in confusion. “Why do you ask?”
I shrug then nod towards the stove. “You seemed pretty mad at that pot of stew earlier. You were staring daggers at it.”
I may be quiet and shy, but I’ll always try to add laughter to unpleasant moments.
He hesitates, rubbing the stubble on his jaw. “It’s just that…that batch of stew wasn’t as good as I had hoped.”
Eyeing him dubiously, I take another swallow of Guinness. “Whatever you say, Kennedy.”
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry yourself about it,” he says, moving his hand to rub the back of his neck. The movement raises the bottom of his t-shirt, revealing his well-defined stomach and the start of his happy trail. I gulp down another drink, trying not to ogle himtoo muchbut failing miserably. He’s too beautifulnotto look at. The longer I stare, the more my skin heats.
“You alright, love? You’re looking a bit flushed,” he asks with concern.
Thoroughly embarrassed, I clear my throat. “Yeah, sorry. It’s warm in here; that’s all.”
Good lord, Norah. Pull yourself together.
“Aye, it is,” he agrees with a nod. “Thanks again for coming to help out tonight. Alicia and I would have drowned without you here.”
“Sure, no problem. It was actually kind of fun. And I’d do anything for Pat.”
“He’s a good aul fella, to be sure.” Eamon smiles softly.
I smile in return. “Well, if we’re done for the night, I better head home.Another early morning awaits me.”
“How are you getting home?” he asks, pushing off of the kitchen island and taking a couple of steps towards me.
“I was going to call Charlie and have her pick me up.”
Taking my now-empty glass, he reaches past me to put it in the dishwasher tray with his own. My spine straightens at his proximity. Why does he always smell so good? I resist the urge to bury my nose in his shirt. After setting the glasses down, he pulls back, leaving just a few inches between us. I should be filled with anxiety right now with how close he is, but that’s not what I’m feeling at all.
“I’ll take you home, lass,” he says simply. “No need to have her get out when I’m already here.”
“N-no, it’s okay,” I stutter, looking up at his face. “I can’t ask that of you.”
“You didn’t ask, love. I offered. And it’s not any trouble.” He smiles warmly.
“Are you sure?” I ask, twisting my hands together nervously. I don’t want him to feel obligated.
“Absolutely. I don’t say things I don’t mean, so you can be sure that if I’m offering, it’s because Iwantto.”
“Oh,” I breathe out. “Well, okay, then. Thank you, Eamon.”
“You’re welcome.” He gestures towards the doors leading to the bar. “Let me just check with Alicia to see if she needs us for anything else, then we can go.”
I duck into Pat’s office to grab my purse from the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet. When I come back out, Eamon holds the door open, letting me go before him. Glancing up at him as I pass I give him a small smile. His eyes soften, and one side of his mouth lifts in return. We find Alicia closing out the cash register and completing the nightly deposit.
“Hey, Alicia, we’re done in the back. What can we help with out here?” I ask.
She holds up a finger to signal us to let her finish her current task before putting down her ink pen and turning our way.
“Okay, sorry.” She grins. “When I’m closing out the cash till, I’m laser-focused.”
