“Now just a minute,” I counter, pointing a finger at him. “I do believe the blame falls squarely on saidwee lass. She provoked me. I swear it.” I can’t help the grin that spreads over my face.
“See here, young man. I’ve known Norah as long as I’ve known you, and she’s as innocent as they come. I’ve only seen her do that once before, and I never wanted to see it again, you hear?” the older man protests.
“How was I to know? I’ve never seen her before in my life. I won’t deny it was a bit of fun dueling it out with her, though. She’s got spunk, that one. Are you sure she’s not Irish?”
“Ach. She may be Irish a little bit. But either way, shame on you for behaving that way towards a lass. I’ve a mind to ban you from this pub,” he threatens.
That won’t do. I mindlessly grab a coaster and spin it between my fingers.
“Ah, Paddy. Come on! It was just a bit of craic. You’re not going to ban me. How can I make it up to you?”
“Well, now that you mention it, you can come back tomorrow night at seven and wash dishes.”
“What? You’re not serious,” I say in shock, the coaster drops to the bar. I didn’t think he’d actually make me work off my transgressions.
“I am serious. As serious as Christ on the Cross, and you know I don’t take that lightly, lad. This is a respectable place. I can’t have it turning into one of those sports bars or whatever they are. Come and have a good time, yes, but taunting young girls into drinking until they fall over gives the wrong impression. Now, get out of here. I’ll see you tomorrow night.” And with that, he turns his back and continues counting bottles.
What the bleedin’ hell?Looks like I’ve been properly dismissed. He’ll change his mind. He’s just slagging me. Has to be.
Chapter Four
Norah
“So, tell me more about your night out,” Layla demands. “Charlie gave me the Cliffs Notes, but I want your version.”
News certainly travels fast in this group. I’m rarely the source of excitement, so all this extra attention is putting me on edge.Hello, anxiety.I take a sip of my coffee in an attempt to stall the conversation. God, I love coffee. It’s always there for me when I need it.
“I know you’re stalling, Norah. Spill.” Layla levels me with a look I know she inherited from her mama.
“Ugh, Layla. I don’t know what came over me. Honestly, I’m just ready to forget about it and never do it again,” I confess.
“So don’t. Move on. It was just one mistake. You never do anything fun or adventurous, so consider this your rebellion era andshake it off.” Sage advice. She’s probably the most levelheaded in our entire group.
“You’re right,” I say, then backtrack. “But Idohave fun, thank you very much! I’m not an old maid. I’ll be twenty-five in a month. I’d like to think I still havesomelife in me. Even if I’m not like Myra and Amie.”
“You know what I mean. You have your own definition of fun, and it usually includes a bottle of wine, sweatpants, and Netflix.”
I glare at her.
“Now, don’t give me that look. You know as well as I do that I’m all for that kind of night, but sometimes we need to let our hair down, you know?”
“I guess,” I concede with a shrug.
“Now, what I really want to know is who the guy is. You can blame this on My and Amie all you want, but you wouldn’t have done that without proper provocation. Out with it.”
This is exactly what I didn’t want to talk about.
“There’s nothing to tell,” I hedge. “He accused me of not being able to hold my own, and it just triggered something in me. An Irish guy thought I was just another stupid girl at a bar trying to look cool. I couldn’t stand it. Next thing I know, I’m three sheets to the wind.”
“That red hair of yours certainly doesn’t help, Norie. The girls told me he was good-looking…” Layla wags her eyebrows.
If she only knew. As stupid as my actions were, I can’t say I regretted staring at his face all night.
“For the sake of honesty, yes. Yes, he was. He was tragically handsome. Built just right and had eyes that could suck out my soul.” I tell her dreamily.
Layla cocks her head to the side. “You know, it probably wouldn’t hurt to go out with a good-looking guy every now and then. Now, before you get up in arms,” she holds up her hands in defense as I bristle. “Just hear me out. You have a bad history with men, I know. I’m not saying go out and have a one-night stand or find the man you’ll marry. I’m not even saying to date. But maybe, just maybe, get to know a guy on a friend level.”
“Pot, meet kettle,” I say. Layla is almost as shy around guys as I am.
