Page 19 of Kissin Irish by Morgan
“My brother broke Jassica.”
“I’m a bit depressed myself about Irish and his ex.”
I stopped eating at the sound of his name.
“Oh honey, I know you didn’t do anything with Irish. Cousin told me all about it. I’m not worried about you. That Charlotte, though. She’s up to no good.”
“How so?”
“As soon as Irish made a name for himself here, here she comes. Her husband mysteriously dies in his sleep.”
“You think she killed him?”
“Nah, nothing like that. I’m just saying she didn’t want him before his bed was made, if you know what I mean.”
I didn’t. I shook my head.
“Oh, Irish came over here with nothing. Not a pot to piss in. Charlotte played him. But she wouldn’t have him. He almost didn’t join the Royal Bastards over her, ya know. She didn’t want this life.”
“Who can blame her?”
“Well, I for one enjoy it here. I have my freedom to do as I please. Do anyone I please and one day I’ll land me a Royal Bastard.”
“I have no freedom.”
“Your brother’s protecting you, Cece. Some of these men are ruthless. You wouldn’t be able to hold your own if one of them snuck up on you. You’re lucky it was Irish who found you in the locker room. He would never do to you what some of these fellas would.
Anyway, Charlotte didn’t have what it took to be an ol’ lady. She married that seventy-year-old man, Mr. Kipler who had a large fortune. Then Barney, his cousin with such an unfortunate name, who came from Ireland with him died in that horrible crash. Irish felt it should’ve been him that died. Not Barney. Heaven knows why. Something about promising his mother to watch after him. He was in a real funk after that. He earned his patch after that.”
“I didn’t know any of that.”
“How would you? You were in nursing school then, too good for the kind of people your brother ran with.”
“That’s not true. But I was busy back then, you’re right about that.”
“And you were engaged. Oh sorry, honey.”
“I don’t give a fuck about Ron anymore, Paisley.”
“You came here a couple years after the crash, I think. Irish walked away without even a scar. No physical ones anyway. And he’s on his way to really being someone in this club, being undefeated and all. And he and I, well, we’d been getting along just fine. But low and behold Charlotte shows up in his life again. Cece, I just can’t win for losing.”
I finished my food while Paisley waited on the other guests. It was Saturday so there’d be Church soon. After that, the noise would get too much for me, so I was fixing to leave, but Paisley was back.
“Like I was saying. Irish is undefeated. A real star around here. You know Kingpin’s all about that. Money and fame. If your brother bests him on Friday, well, I don’t want that to bring him down. Even if he chooses Charlotte over me. Do you think you can talk to your brother, sweetie? Get him to go easy on Irish?”
“I don’t know if that will help.”
“Come on. You’ve got to try. After all, it’s your fault he’s in this mess. Letting them all believe he had sex with you when he didn’t.”
I knew she was a snake in the grass.
“Listen Paisley, I didn’t just let them believe it. They wouldn’t believe anything else. I wouldn’t put Irish in danger on purpose.”
“Oh, honey. I’m sorry to imply.” Paisley turned sweet again.
“Shove it up your ass, Paisley.”
“Well, I never.”
