Page 97 of Dirty Dylan: Dirty Dusters

Eoin glances at us over his laptop but doesn’t respond. It’s my guess it’s the same duration for him.

We’re spending more time in his office than anywhere else these days. It’s because our intendeds are always around, so the meeting room has become more of a free-for-all. Even more so now Da is working fewer hours.

It would appear all three of us are being ignored by Jaine and Jessie. For the past month, from a business point of view, everything’s been conducted with Candice as the go-between. Who would have thought the three of them would find an ally in each other?

The process seems to be working fine, so it’s difficult to argue with their justification that we continue as we are.

Jaine is no longer replying to Paddy’s messages, and neither is she taking calls. We’re all getting the silent treatment.

Reading between the lines, I reckon it’s a combination of things for Jaine.

She’s had enough of what she sees as me messing her business partner around. She thinks history’s repeating itself. That what happened to her is now happening to Jessie. It’s dragging up too many painful memories when she’s already emotionally strung out.

She’s also had enough of Paddy asking questions about what went on in the past when, since he’s pretending to be me, he should already know the answers. It’s frustrated her no end. She’ll either be thinking I’ve banged my head and am now experiencing some sort of memory loss or I’m deliberately being inconsiderate by bringing up history we agreed from the outset was never to be discussed.

Not that I could tell our Paddy the answers even if I wanted to, as it would open up a Duster can of worms, with our Eoin being exposed as the biggest snake.

To be honest, in a roundabout way, Jaine not speaking should be a blessing in disguise. She’s due back in New York in around five months anyway, and with her having thrown her toys out of the pram and pressed the mute button on us all, there’s less chance of the cliché blonde secret being revealed. The only way it could be unearthed is if Jessie blabs about the fact she was my first.

And what could go wrong if it did come out?

Well, Jaine would throw a hissy fit at our Paddy and me before shooting us both in the head with an engraved bullet. Minor detail. The Dusters could survive that short-term inconvenience if they had to. The preference would be for that situation to be avoided, but it’s preferable to the other that could arise. That somehow Sophia finds out her fiancé and the man who currently won’t put his dick anywhere near her has been messaging the love of his life all this time. Naturally, that revelation would not sit very well with the Sicilian mafia. Heads would roll. Our Paddy’s being one of them.

As for Jessie and me?

Well, it’s obvious why I’m getting the silent treatment. Jessie saw Grace in my apartment wearing nothing but a dressing gown and me sporting my ‘just got out of the shower’ look. Is her huff deserved?

Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t.

I got her number from Eoin in the end as I’d never used it. I sent her a message, but I’d been blocked in advance. Probably from the moment she returned to her apartment after witnessing the condemning visual.

Sophia, meanwhile, is still trying to get Paddy to fuck her, while he’s continuing to politely decline and coming up with every excuse under the sun.

Molly is still being fucked but now by a distracted Eoin. Was he ever really into her or was he just trying to lull our folks into a false sense of security? Pretend he would toe the Duster line when he never had any intention. Is the novelty starting to wear off?

The latter is the main reason our Eoin’s never been in a serious relationship let alone contemplated marriage. Why he always reverts back to daily desk sex with good old faithful Candice. No woman can ever hold his attention long enough.

Apart from Jaine, that is.

As for me. I’ve tried to get out of my arranged marriage. I’ve sat down with my folks. I’ve begged. I’ve pleaded. I get the feeling it’s my ma who’s refusing to budge, that my da would be receptive to having Jessie as his daughter-in-law. I appreciate he has to weigh up his options, however. If he didn’t side with my ma she would make his life a misery by making him sleep in the summer house and have him fend for himself.

It boils down to a simple case of every man for himself.

So, unless The Almighty grants me a miracle like he did our Cillian, then there’s no way out for me. Or for Paddy. So, does it matter if the girls aren’t speaking to us?

Yes. It does.

Because call me either a hopeless romantic like that Noah fella inThe Notebookor call me an eejit, but it’s not over. Not until I’m standing at that altar with a gun pointed at my head being forced to say I do by the fat lady herself as she hums the wedding march.

I think the odds of Paddy being able to extract himself from his upcoming nuptials are short. Sophia said yes to the dress some time ago, and the guest list will have been compiled. It’s already earmarked to bethesociety event of the year. The ceremony itself will be for the very chosen few due to Paddy’s insistence it takes place at St. Peter’s. But if you’ve not got an invitation to the evening do at The Meeting Rooms, then you’re not worth knowing by Manhattan’s elite standards.

Eoin and I haven’t even proposed, so no engagement party has been diarized for either of us.

Yet.

Given he got caught by the ear first, I’m hoping his will be announced before mine, but there’s no guarantee. His event will be a bigger draw, as he’s the future Irish King, whereas I’m the Duster no one can ever remember the name of.

“Have you tried messaging Jessie from another number, Dyl?”

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