Page 2 of Shamrock Kisses

“Oh no!” She giggles, and I find everything about her cute. For someone mopping floors, she’s got an unshakable confidence, like she’s totally comfortable being the coolest person in the room. She’s got to be about my age, mid-to-late twenties. “The owner swears it’ll be nothing like that. I believe the tagline is, ‘All of the Guinness, None of the Sloppiness.’”

“Sounds fun,” I say, staring into her eyes. The quiet coder with no game. That’s me. Yet here I am, trying to flirt with a girl who’s way out of my league.

“We’ll see,” Brandon says, his tone uninterested as he walks farther into the home.

Okay, I need to say something to her. Just something smooth.You’ve got this. Don’t blow it. Maybe something about beer …

“Good thing I like Guinness,” I say softly, passing her and following Brandon. I can’t believe I managed to flirt. That was solid. I don’t need to overanalyze it. But it was a good line.

“I’ll be there with my friends,” she says, holding my gaze before my eyes betray me, dropping to check out her ass. “It’s always a good time.” And damn, she’s even more perfect from behind.

I wish I could just tell her I’ll see her tomorrow, but I don’t know if I can confirm. I need to talk to Brandon, and I really want to see her again.

Following him through the house, we stop at the panoramic windows overlooking the lake. “I get why this view costs thirty million,” I say in awe.

“I love this house,” Brandon says, smiling at the view.

“Should we go to that bar she mentioned?”

I want to go, but Brandon’s been sober for a few years. I’ve been to bars with him before, so I know that’s not an issue, but I don’t want to assume.

“I don’t know, man.” He rubs the back of his neck. “That place holds some rough memories for me.”

“All good. We can skip it.” I should be a good friend. We didn’t plan on girls being part of this weekend anyway.

“Come on.” He laughs. “You’re going!”

“I am?” I can’t hold back my smile.

“You were really checking her out. You like her.”

“That obvious?” I ask, feeling a bit nervous. “I thought I was keeping my cool.”

“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you so stunned by a girl before.” Brandon fist-bumps me. “Go flirt with her. Stop overthinking.”

“How do you know I’m overthinking?”

“Because you’re Patrick ‘The Patch’—one of the smartest, most thoughtful people I know.”

When was the last time I talked to a girl outside of work or gaming? Too long.

“I think her name is Rachel,” Brandon says with a mild level of confidence. “She seems between us in age.” Entrepreneurial. Cute.” He raises a brow. “Short brunettes are great, but tall ones …” He trails off, rolling his eyes. I wish he and his on-again, off-again girlfriend would just stay off.

“You know, not so funny story,” Brandon starts, “our last cleaning company stole a figurine worth a quarter of a million dollars.”

“Fuck.”

“It was insured, no big deal, but we had to find a new company. Usually, the house manager handles that, but Kent insisted on hiring the next one. She came over, they exchanged a few sentences, and he hired her.”

She owns a cleaning company that‘s trusted with multimillion-dollar homes. Now I’m more intrigued.

“I’m sure this is a good gig for her.”

“Yeah, but what I’m saying is that Kent approves of her. And Kent rarely approves of anyone.”

I bite the inside of my cheek. “I should ask her when she’s getting there.” Nervously, I walk back toward the entryway.

Looking around the foyer, I don’t see her. Opening the front door, I notice the cars that were there are now gone.Shit.That’s what you get, Patch—hesitating, overthinking. Classic. But tomorrow, I won’t mess it up.

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