Page 33 of Taming Irish

“That’s notright.”

I shrug. “It’s thelaw.”

“Still…”

“Trust me, I feel the same way. Especially now that he’s…” I shake my head, feeling the stomach ulcer I recently acquired burn a path of acid up my esophagus. “I’d prefer not to talk abouthim.”

Shane gives a small nod. “Tell me about yerbusiness.”

“It wasn’t anything big. The boutique started out more as ahobby.”

“Ye soldclothes?”

I nod. “And designedthem.”

“Really? Did ye go school forit?”

“No. I…” Damn, why does everything go back to Chad? “I got married young, and we didn’t have enough money for both of us to go after our dreams,so…”

“Ye gave yers up, while ye supported him.” I hear the faintest trace of judgement in thestatement.

“Like I said, I was young and inlove.”

“He sounds like adouchebag.”

I laugh out loud, then sigh. “He wasn’talways.”

Shane grunts. “People don’t change thatmuch.”

I shrug. “No. I guess theydon’t.”

“So, coming here, it’s a way to reinvent yerself,orto forget about yerex?”

“Both, maybe. It was my cousin, Quinn, that convinced me to come. She was the one that found Colleen’s place, had all the paperwork done up. This is moreherthing. But I’m here now, so there’s not much I can do aboutit.”

“Ye’re alreadyhomesick?”

I’m not used to a man asking me so many questions. Or having any interest in me at all. Chad usually talked mostly about himself. And I’m starting to realize that other than their celebrity status, they aren’t much alike atall.

“I like the quiet here.” It’s the truth. “Back home, everyone knewme.”

“And that’s a badthing?”

“It is when you’re the main source of gossip for an entiretown.”

An awkward silence fills the car, and I regret sharing my insecurities. It’s not something I normally do. I’ve learned how to keep my emotions in check and my thoughts to myself, hiding the most vulnerable places of my soul. But something about this man makes my tongue loose, and my body evenlooser.

Damn, I’m introuble.

“What do ye plan on doing when ye have to go home?” Shane asks, his voicesoft.

“I don’t know.” I give a small shrug, looking out the window at the rolling hills that surround us. “I’ll have maxed out my savings by then, so I guess I’ll get a job. What about you?” I ask, needing to change the subject. “Do you ever tour with yourband?”

He laughs. “Ye really don’t know who we are, doye?”

Heat creeps into my cheeks. “I recognized one of your songs that Nora played for me,” I say, hoping to appease his ego. “Do you really run a record label, or was that just your coverstory?”

“Unfortunately, that part is true.” He makes a noise in the back of his throat, his easy smile gone as he turns his gaze back on the road in front of us. “I started it with Owen after our last tour ended. The guys want to stay stagnant for now.” There’s a hint of frustration in hisvoice.

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