Page 10 of Played By the Fool

“But your Irishman is coming back?” she smiles at me.

“Yes.” I laugh. “Stop looking at me like that.”

“He’s frickin sexy and he likes you. Damn. I want an Irishman of my own. Was that his brother? Maybe he’s single?”

“That was his older brother, Fionn, and I have no idea if he’s single.”

“Well, I didn’t see a ring.” She raises an eyebrow at me.

I shrug my shoulders and laugh more.

“You need an escort home?” Frank asks both of us. “I don’t like how John came in tonight and demanded to talk to you.”

“Mia has a date with a certain Irishman that was here with his family,” Courtney teases.

“I liked them, they all seemed very nice. I approve.”

“You’re both crazy. I need to clean so I can close up.”

I look at the clock and see I have thirty minutes. Just enough time to get everything done. I wonder if Ciarán is really going to come back. When I first met John, it took a while for me to agree to even go out with him. It’s not because I didn’t like him, it just didn’t exactly feel right. Like I knew from the start that something was off. But with Ciarán? As soon as he walked in, I wanted him. And it felt like he wanted me too.

I’ve heard people talk about soulmates and love at first sight. This attraction I feel for Ciarán is like nothing I’ve ever felt for anyone before. I really hope he comes back.

The chime on the door dings and I turn to look. My heart hopes it’s Ciarán. But it’s not. It’s John.

“We’re closed,” Courtney says as she stands up.

“Hey Court. It’s nice to see you.” John smiles at her.

“Don’t call me Court. Only people I like get to call me that. You? You can call me Miss Potter. Where’s your fiancée?”

“Fiancée? I don’t have a fiancée. I’ve been with your sister for the last year,” he says, still smiling.

“Wow. You’re going to keep that up?”

John frowns at Courtney. “Keep what up? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Ciarán appears as Court and John are arguing. He walks right up to me and kisses me on the cheek. Then he turns to glare at John.

“Courtney, this is Ciarán. Ciarán, my sister, Courtney.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Ciarán smiles at my sister.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your new friend?” John asks me as he tries to grab my hand.

“I’m pretty sure we met earlier tonight. And you were asked to stay away from my girl,” Ciarán says to John.

“His girl?” Courtney silently mouths to me.

Shock is probably the right word for what I’m feeling. Maybe he said that just to make John go away?

“Your girl?” John laughs. “Unless you know something I don’t, I’m pretty sure that she’s my girlfriend?—”

“What are you talking about, John? Who’s your girlfriend?” Kali asks as she walks into the restaurant.

The look on John’s face is hilarious. As much as I want to tell Kali what’s been going on, he’s done it for me.

“Kali, I don’t know how much you heard, but I was talking about you.”

---