Page 1 of Dublin Brute

CHAPTER ONE

Nora

The long line of bronze and glass doors swings open, and we’re swept along by the crush of well-dressed patrons exiting the iconic Abbey Theatre. My cheeks ache from grinning, my entire body still buzzing from the power of the live performance. There’s something truly magical about pulling together a cast of talented performers to transport an audience to another reality.

Tanya hooks her arm through mine to ensure we don’t get separated in the crowd. She hugs my arm and presses her head to my shoulder. “That was bloody brilliant. My mind is officially blown.”

“I knew it would be.” I’ve always loved live theater, and it’s especially fun in the rare instances when I can share it with someone. “It’s been a favorite escape of mine for years.”

“It’s like being sucked into another world.” She stops beside me as we wait for the crowd to file through the doors. “How many plays have you gone to?”

“Oh, man, I have no clue. My mum started taking me to musicals like Beauty and the Beast and Lion King when I was a kid. I think because my dad worked so much, she didn’t want me to have time to miss him. We were always off on one adventure or another.”

“We have lived very different lives, Nora Kelly.”

That’s true. It’s one reason I adore her.

Tanya and her friend Kate were the first girls I met when my father was appointed a new task force, and we moved back to Ireland. I was about to go into a coffee shop, and I saw this crazy girl with purple hair and outrageously glittery boots run into the street and hold up her hands like a traffic cop.

There was a squirrel on the grassy median between the two lanes of cars, and Tanya literally stopped traffic to usher it to safety while Kate laughed her ass off and filmed the whole thing on her phone.

Tanya is loud, alive, and is her true, authentic self at all times.

Kate is sassy, daring, and not afraid of anything.

And they are everything I wish I had the courage to be.

Where they are bold, I’m bland. Where they are robust, I’m restrained.

But for some reason, from the first moment we met, they saw something in me, and we clicked. In only five months, they’ve quickly become my besties and the greatest emotional support cheerleaders a girl could hope for.

I squeeze Tanya’s arm. “We may have started in different places, but fate brought us together. And once we get our flat, we’ll be living the same path.”

Even saying that out loud makes my heart flutter.Once we get our flat.

Living on our own means freedom. Real freedom.

At twenty-six years old, I’m long overdue.

When we get outside, Tanya tugs me past the bottleneck of people stopping along the edge of the street to await their ride share. We leave the protection of the wide overhang of the building and break away from the crowd of theatergoers.

It’s the first week of October and the warmth of summer abandoned us without looking back. I pop the collar of my cashmere coat and tuck my silk scarf around my neck. But not even gusty winds and autumn drizzle can dampen my spirits tonight.

“The three of us should make cultural enrichment part of our new lives. We can see live shows and go to museums, and I’ll teach you all about art history and the works of the Old Masters.”

Tanya snorts. “Chickie, unless you’re holding out on us and have access to a secret trust fund, working part time as a library clerk won’t provide you enough play money for cultural enrichment. Living on our own will be expensive, and as generous as your da is now, I don’t think he’ll be buying us tickets to the theater once you announce you’re moving out.”

She’s right, of course.

My father has always supported my love of the arts, but I’m sure that will stop the moment he finds out about my plans.

Doesn’t matter. I crave more out of life than a library job, endless art supplies, and a closet full of clothes my father approves of.

I want to live life, turn heads, and not only burn brightly—I want to blaze!

I don’t care if I have to sell my eggs to pay my share of the living expenses—Tanya, Kate, and I are making this happen.

“If our interviews at Legend go well tomorrow, I won’t need the library job. Kate says the tips alone will cover our expenses.”

---