Page 17 of Shamrock Kisses

“It’s my job … I don’t want a career. I want to be retired, especially when shit like this happens.”

He’s stressed.We silently walk to my SUV.We were just starting to connect, and now this?I feel a little deflated.

“Can I be rude and be on my phone the entire drive back?” he asks, giving my hand a little squeeze.

“Of course. I won’t bother you until you’re ready for me to bother you.”

“You’re not bothering me. Work is.”

Sitting on the couch overlooking the lake, I realize I’ve never truly enjoyed this house before. It’s always been about work—frantic cleaning sessions with my team, racing against the clock. Even with four people, this place takes hours to get through. Butnow, sitting here with nothing to do but wait, I take it all in.It really is beautiful.

“Hey,” a voice interrupts my thoughts. I glance up to see the Dubois guy I met briefly yesterday.

“Hey,” I respond, suddenly self-conscious about being here. “Sorry, I’m just waiting for Patrick.”

“You’re a guest, I know,” he says, giving me a casual smile. “Patch told me what’s going on. Can I get you anything?”

Patch?That’s cute. I smile, feeling more relaxed. “Water would be great.”

“Brandon, by the way,” he says, handing me the water.

“Rachel.”

He leans against the wall, looking thoughtful. “I’m proud of him, you know. For flirting with you. He’s usually his own worst enemy when it comes to women.”

“Well, I’m happy he showed up today. He’s … cool.”

“The coolest.”

I’m curious now about their friendship. “How did you two become friends?”

“We work at the same company.”

“Are you a hacker too?”

He laughs. “I’m not that smart. I’m more of a relationships guy. I focus on bringing high-net-worth clients to the platform.”

Rich kid,makes sense.

“Patrick seems like a big deal at your company,” I say, testing the waters.

“He is. CIO.”

I cock my head. “CIO?”

“Chief Information Officer.”

I blink, his title sinking in.Why did he downplay this?“Why didn’t he mention that?”

Brandon shrugs. “Because that’s just him …” He hesitates, then smirks. “If you want to learn something epic about Patch, you should Google his name and casino hack 2021.”

Now I’m really curious.I pull out my phone again, and when I search, the results make my heart race.Patrick Nowak.

“Holy shit,” I whisper to myself.He’s like … a real hacker.My jaw drops as I read. The casino hack. He and a group of guys took down an entire casino, putting cats on all of the slot machine screens.Cats. Funny. He said he wasn’t black hat. “Whoa,” I breathe out. Felony charges? Computer Fraud and Abuse Act violations? My eyes keep scanning the article until I see the charges were dropped, and the casino later hired him as a consultant.

That was nearly four years ago. Four years ago, he was twenty-three. Four years ago, I was engaged and planning a wedding. Both of us are living such different lives now.

And for some reason, instead of being freaked out, I’m even more intrigued by him. Chuckling to myself, I wonder why I’m so turned on right now.

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