Page 14 of Shamrock Kisses

I smile, leaning down to kiss the little tattoo on her temple. “I’m glad you bought them.”

She looks up at me, a little sparkle in her eyes. “You’re pretty smooth, you know?”

“I don’t know about that.”

“You don’t think so?”

I lower my voice and lean in close, almost whispering. “I’m so nervous talking with you.”

“What?” She stops, standing in place on the sidewalk. “Why?”

I bite my lip, holding her gaze a little longer than necessary before answering. “You’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever kissed.”

Her cheeks flush, and she twirls a piece of her brown hair with her free hand. “Well … you look like the mood board of my dream man.”

Did she really just say that?I stop walking, tugging her gently toward me for a kiss. This one isn’t as tentative as before. It’s slower, deeper—full of the feeling that I can’t believe this is happening either. There’s something about this kiss that says more than words.This connection is real.

When we pull away, her smile is bright, and she points to a nearby shop. “Sarah owns that one. It’s a maker’s studio.”

“That’s amazing. Are you all small business owners?”

“Not Emily. She has a six-year-old and does marketing for a law firm in town.”

Walking, holding hands, I feel so content and realize I haven’t looked at my phone since I got to the bar. Digital detox. It’s going well, and Rachel is more interesting than anything on my phone.

“It’s kind of freaking me out that this is happening,” Rachel says into the silence.

“What do you mean?”

“High Five … it’s like it has this magic or something.” She pauses, glancing back at the bar. “It’s how Emily and Nicholas got together. It’s how Sarah and Aaron started flirting. And now …” She trails off but keeps looking up at me.

I smirk, leaning in a little closer. “But we met at the Dubois house.”

“Well, you didn’t kiss me there ...”

“I could …”

Did I really just say that?It came out before I could stop myself, but it’s how I feel.

“Yeah right. I’m not hooking up there. It’s my biggest client, and I can’t mess that up.”

So, she’s not opposed to hooking up, just … not there.I bite my lip, trying to push down how overwhelmed I feel that she could be thinking about me in that way.

“I haven’t felt like this in forever,” Rachel says softly.

“What do you mean?”

She hesitates. “I’m probably going to freak you out, but I was engaged before. To my high school sweetheart.”

I know plenty of people who’ve been in that situation.Small towns.

“We almost got married, but I called it off. I felt like … I felt like he had his whole life mapped out, and at first, I liked that. But eventually, I realized I didn’t know who I was yet, and I didn’t want to get married when I wasn’t even sure what I wanted for myself.” She looks up at me, her eyes soft but serious. “I didn’t go to college. I’ve worked every kind of job around here and started a cleaning company a few years ago.”

“Running your own business is no joke,” I say, admiring her even more now. “And if you’re managing places like the Dubois house, you’re doing something right.”

She smiles, and I can’t get over how beautiful she is. Of course she’s gorgeous but … her energy, her warmth.

“I can relate, actually,” I share. “I’ve always been into computers, but I wasn’t sure how I wanted to spend my time until I got the job I have now. Hacking has always been fun, but this job—it’s like the pieces of my life finally started to fit.”

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