Page 61 of Once upon a Summer Night

“I did, thanks.”

“Liar. You look like hell.” She turned the kettle on and leaned on the counter, her arms folded.

He raised a brow. “Thanks.”

“Sorry. Sometimes my filter doesn’t work.”

“You have one?”

“Ha ha. So last night went really well. I’m impressed—Ellie had nothing but nice things to say about Reg. And that’s saying something, as she normally hates dating.” Gwen watched him carefully. “You really do seem to know what you’re doing. This guy couldn’t have been more perfectly suited to her.”

“Glad to hear it,” he replied.

She shot him a sharp glance. “Yeah, sure you are. So what’s it like?”

He glanced at her, confused.

She clarified, “You know, warring with yourself all the time?”

“Come again?”

“You put on the act pretty well, but I can see right through it. And if you’re not careful, Ellie will too. Which will be a shame after all the work you’ve done to convince her that you’re not that into her.”

Colin, speechless, just stared at her. His throat worked, the denial on the tip of his tongue, but the words simply wouldn’t come.

Gwen sighed. “Colin. She’s my best friend. She’s been through some really, really terrible things. And she’s the last person in the world who deserves terrible things. So I say this with all the kindness in my soul.” She leveled him with her stare. “If you won’t make her happy, then leave her the hell alone.”

And, despite the harsh words, they were delivered in such a gentle tone that Colin couldn’t possibly take any offense. Instead, he took them to heart.

The kettle whistled and she poured herself a cup of tea, then joined him at the table. “Do you have any other dates planned for her as of yet?”

“Wait a second,” Ellie exclaimed, joining them in the kitchen. “I thought that I got to decide if I wanted a second date before we moved on to a new candidate.”

“So you want a second date?” Colin asked, his hand shaking slightly as he reached for his coffee. He snatched it back and tried to look interested in her answer.

“Well…I think so. What do you do with clients the day after a first date?”

Colin straightened, determined to be the professional he was. Or had been, at any rate.

He shook his head to clear it. “You and I go over the date itself, work through any issues you found, decide if you want to see the guy again. Then I’ll call Reginald and get his perspective on it. If you’re both interested in a second date, I’ll give you each the other’s number, and I’m out of it until you notify me that it either didn’t work outand need a new candidate, or what the wedding date will be.”

“I think that’s jumping the gun a little,” Ellie replied wryly.

Colin shrugged, hoping it came off as nonchalant. “I’ve told you this before. Celtic Connections deals with life partners. Marriages are the end goal. So if you can potentially see yourself with Reg long-term, then we discuss the date.”

Say no, he silently implored her, keeping his expression bland.But say yes.

Slowly, she drew a breath. “He took me on the most perfect date I’ve ever had.”

“Oh. That’s good.” Colin tried to remain a bit distant, but his heart was thudding so loudly he could barely hear anything over it. He even thought he felt a bead of sweat roll down his back.

Get it together, O’Rourke. The man isn’t perfect. He didn’t win her in a single date.

“He took me on a literary tour of Dublin,” she revealed. And then she smiled a soft, private smile at Gwen, and all the air vanished from Colin’s lungs.

She could fall for this guy. But she’s not your mate, right?his inner voice sniped, causing him to knock over the coffee cup, spilling the hot liquid all over the table.

Gwen shot him a look that spoke volumes, but Ellie had already turned to get towels, so she missed it. By the time everything was cleaned up, James joined them.

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