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“No. Kate, did you see Fleur and Jolene at the pub?”
“Yes, they’re still there. They were dancing and having a good time.”
Acute jealousy flared up and made my jaws tighten. “Who were they dancing with?”
“One of Nellie’s friends was there with a large group of pals. They were really nice, but Nils here was bragging that Germans can outdrink Irish people any day. Turns out he was wrong and after he threw up his dinner in the bushes outside the pub, I decided it was time to put him to bed. Fleur said that the others could drive home with her.”
“Atlas, I’m gonna have to call you right back.”
Nils was dead drunk and making incoherent sounds, but he was too heavy for Kate, who was struggling to support his weight. Pocketing my phone, I walked over and hooked my arm under his elbow. I took the brunt of his weight and helped Kate steer him to his bedroom in the wing where all the helpers lived.
“Thanks.” She smiled as we walked out of his room and closed the door. “How come you didn’t go with Fleur and Jolene?”
“I stayed to watch Rose.”
“Oh, of course, I should have thought of that.”
“Kate, do you think you could watch Rose for me? She’s sleeping, but I would really like to go and make sure Fleur and Jolene are fine.”
She brushed her white top, which had a wet stain on her shoulder. “I think Nils drooled on me.”
“Sorry about that.”
Kate who was a petite woman, shrugged it off. “Don’t be, now I can brag that a young guy literally drooled over me.”
“So, can I go and check up on Fleur and Jolene?”
“Why wouldn’t they be fine?”
“I’m sure they are, I just feel the need to be certain.”
“Aww, that’s sweet.” Kate touched my shoulder. “I’ll take Rose, no problem.”
I called Atlas from the car. “I’m on my way to the pub.”
“What about Rose?”
“She’s back at the farm with Kate. Don’t worry, she’s over forty and the mother of two kids who are in college. Kate can handle watching Rose sleep.”
“Good.”
“What am I going to tell them when I get there? Fleur is going to think I can’t control my jealousy.”
“Tell her I asked you to go and tell Jolene she’d better start picking up her phone. I’ve called her ten times already. What if something happened to Rose or me?”
“Kate said that Jolene and Fleur were dancing and having fun.”
Atlas was silent… too silent.
“Did you hear me?”
“Yes, but I don’t want to think about my wife dancing with another man.”
I groaned. “Neither do I but I don’t want to scare Fleur off by storming in there like some jealous grizzly bear. It’s not infidelity to dance with another.” My head was saying the right things, but my hands were shaking from the fear in my gut that Fleur might find someone else that she liked better.
Atlas sounded like he was pacing the floor. “If Jolene wanted to go dancing, she could have told me. I would have taken her.”
“Jolene isn’t going to run off with a random chap when she has a child with you. She just wanted to have a little fun. It’s worse for me. Fleur doesn’t have a ring on her finger. All the lads there are going to assume she’s single.”
