Page 41 of His Ringsend


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“Myra,” I tell him. It’s not like Mac to want to impress a girl. Normally he hooks up with them once or twice, then wipes them from his memory. They do seem pretty perfect for each other though from what I can tell.

“That’s the one! So are you coming or not?”

“Yeah,” I grumble. “I’ll make an appearance. I won’t stay more than an hour or two though. End of.”

“Grand! See you then!” Ro hangs up, and I immediately shoot off a text to Norah.

Chapter Sixteen

Norah

I’m just finishing up the bodice of Belle’s gown when I hear my phone chirp from the kitchen. I stand and stretch my cramped muscles before heading inside. I’m pleasantly surprised with all that I’ve accomplished since Eamon left. Our time together had been more enjoyable than I expected, and I still can’t believe how comfortable and safe I feel with him. It’s a welcome change to the trepidation I normally feel around men.

Speak of the devil.

A text from the man himself.

Eamon:Sounds like there’s a meet-up at Paddy’s tonight. Mac and Myra set it up. Ro’s begging me to go. Keep me company?

My cheeks hurt from the huge smile on my face and the thought of seeing Eamon again so soon makes me giddy. I should spend theevening working on costumes, but maybe I can go out for an hour or two. A girl has to take a break sometime, right? I’m not thrilled about seeing Mac and Myra together, but there’s going to be a pretty gorgeous distraction holding my attention. Feeling emboldened, I decide to flirt a little.

Norah:Missing me already?

Eamon:Guilty as charged. I’m only staying an hour or so. And I won’t be imbibing.

Norah:Someone probably needs to make sure you stick to water. I don’t trust Mac to do that.

Eamon:Considering how we met, I’m not sure you’re the one for the job either, but I’m happy to let you try.

Norah:Fine, Kennedy. Just so I can prove to you that I’m a responsible adult, I will come and babysit you. What time should I be there?

Eamon:I’ll come pick you up if you’d like. Or I can meet you at your place, and we can walk together. Say 8:00?

Norah:I’d like that. See you at 8:00!

It’s official. Bantering with Eamon is my new favorite hobby.

Taking my time getting ready, I pair my favorite black skinny jeans with a cream-colored off-the-shoulder sweater and curl my hair just enough to tame my natural waves. I finish applying my make-up and am just putting in my pearl earrings when I hear a car pull into my driveway. Taking one last look in the mirror, I spin and hurry to the front door. When I open it, I nearly gasp out loud. I just saw Eamon a few hours ago, but he still takes my breath away. We stand there, eyeing each other, then burst out laughing. He’s wearing black jeans and a cream-colored cable knit sweater.

“Nice outfit,” Eamon says, grinning at me.

“Right back at you. Maybe I should change so others don’t think we planned this…”

“Don’t you dare. You look ravishing,” he growls, eyes heating. “I don’t give a single fuck what anyone has to say about us.”

I shiver in delight at his words. This man is making me feel things I never thought I’d feel again. “In that case, let me just slip on my shoes and we can go,” I say with a laugh.

* **

Fifteen minutes later, Eamon opens the door to O’Nelly’s and ushers me in with his hand on the small of my back. I’m hyper-aware of the contact, and it’s hard to focus on anything else around me. Saturdays are usually busy, but it’s absolute chaos in here tonight. As we make our way through the masses, his hand never leaves me.

“There he is!” Rowan exclaims, jumping from the booth the team normally sits at. He claps a hand on Eamon’s shoulder, then turns to me. “With the lovely Norah! What a pleasant surprise. We haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Rowan Gallagher, but you can call me Ro!”

“No, we haven’t,” I reply, smiling at the handsome redhead. “It’s nice to meet you, Ro.”

“Likewise,” he beams. “Come and sit! Mac was just trying to impress your friend, Myra, with some tall tales!”

I hesitate a moment but slide into the booth next to Myra. Eamon drifts in close behind.