Page 42 of An Irish Kiss
“Shame.I was about to give you bonus points for Irish musician appreciation.”
“You still can.I’m a fan of U2.”
“As anyone who claims an ounce of Irish heritage should be.”
He smiled.“And I don’t mind some Pogues and Cranberries.Oh, and Van Morrison.”
She sipped her drink.Maybe it was sweetening her up because she was finding the man more attractive the longer he spoke.“So you’re a little bit old school, huh?”
“My sister would say a lot.”
“What’s your sister’s name?”
“Catrina.She’s older than me, and the mother of two.Keira, the little girl I bought the book for, and Douglas, a baby boy.”
“And you’re the doting uncle?”
“I try to be.”
She nodded, took another sip of creamy chocolate.The more he spoke the more interesting he was becoming.
“Keira is a ballet dancer, so I attended her ballet concert last year.”
“Very doting of you.Are you telling me this to try to impress me?”
“Depends.”
“On what?”
“Is it working?”
She lifted her glass, hiding her smile.She had no intention to let him know just how much it was working.
“Look, I wanted to say again how sorry I am for what happened before.”
Here they went again.She settled back in her chair, her gaze flicking to the window where the sea sparkled, without a hint of the danger they’d faced before.It was funny how something that looked so calm could hold such a treacherous undertow.Like some people.She didn’t want to get dragged in by someone’s outward appearance only to be overwhelmed by their real character later.She’d been burned before.Maybe that’s what had happened to Fiona.Lord, be with her.
She returned her attention to him.“So what exactly did happen before?”
He sighed.“I wanted to see the ruined castle from the water, take some photos for my Gran, so I paddled out there.Only I didn’t realise how far it was.And I know it won’t make me seem very tough, but I got a little too tired too quickly.Then I lost my paddle, and, yeah.”
“And yeah,” she murmured.
“Then I started drifting, and you’ve got no idea how much of a fool I felt like.And still feel like, actually.”
She was getting some idea.
“And I tried to get someone’s attention, and they thought I was waving.Then my phone didn’t work, and so I was praying for God to save me, then you came along.”
“It was my sister who first noticed you,” she admitted.
“Really?I thought she didn’t like me.”
“That doesn’t mean she’d willingly watch someone drown.Besides, it’s not you so much as she—we—don’t like what you were trying to do regarding the castle,” she corrected.
He winced.“I know that I’m not in any position to make demands, but I would really like to not talk about that tonight.”
“You want to talk about that tomorrow?”
