Page 118 of The Bossy One

I’d put a million dollars in it, to be precise.

“You didn’t have to—”

“That way, if you ever need money, you can use it without having to justify your choices to me.” My smile was crooked. “Someone mentioned I can be overbearing. And it’s possible that I don’talwaysknow what’s best.”

Sinead stopped and faced me, hands on her hips. “You bastard. You know I can’t turn down anything that will help Catie.”

I grinned and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “I love you too.”

We started walking again. I updated her on my new plan for the O’Rourke mansion. “I’m thinking of turning it into a community center and naming it after Da. I know you’re heading back to the States, but if you ever wanted to move back, I was thinking you could help me run it.”

I stuck my hands in my pockets and faced forward so she wouldn’t notice how badly I wanted her to say yes.

“…I’ll think about it,” Sinead said. “One of the things I realized in rehab is that the reasons I left don’t matter as much anymore. And the things pulling me back are stronger than ever.”

I bit my cheek to keep from smiling too hopefully.

Sinead was in recovery. And she and Catie might be coming home for good.

We started walking again. “What did Olivia say when you told her you’re turning the mansion into a community center?”

“I haven’t told her,” I said.

She slugged me. “Why?”

I shook out my arm where she’d hit me. “She told me to stop chasing her. I don’t think ignoring her wishes is the way to win her back—if she even wants me back.”

“Why wouldn’t she want you back?” Sinead asked, confused. “She was going to move to Ireland for you.”

I shook my head, ruthlessly shutting down the hope trying to flicker to life at her words. “She reached out a while back to talk about something that matters a lot to her. You know, as a friend. I was in a bad place, and I shut her down. She hasn’t tried to talk to me since.”

Sinead looked disappointed. “That’s too bad. I wanted to meet her.”

I changed the topic. “Catie can’t wait to show you the bugs she found. She was keeping them in a shoebox, but I convinced her to upgrade to a terrarium.”

Eventually we wound our way back to the car. We were saying goodbye to my mum, when Catie spotted Molly across the street and started jumping up and down.

“Mom! That’s the lady who sells me books!” She pointed.

Molly and Sinead’s faces lit up when they saw each other. I was surprised for a second but then realized I shouldn’t have been. Sinead had been closer to Molly in school than I was.

“She’s illustrating Olivia’s book,” I added, and then wished I’d bit my tongue. I sounded like a teenager talking about my crush.

Sinead got a gleam in her eye. “Well, we have to say hi, then.” She towed Catie and my mum across the street. I followed warily.

They’d barely made it through two minutes of small talk when Sinead blurted, “You’re Olivia’s friend. Tell Declan he’s being an idiot. He won’t go after Olivia even though he’s clearly head over heels for her.”

Sinead gestured to me, as if my longing for Olivia was written all over my face.

Who knows, maybe it was.

I crossed my arms and scowled at my brat of sister. “She told me to let her go.”

Sinead arched an eyebrow. “And your gut’s telling you that’s the right thing? To let her go?”

I clenched my jaw. I knew she meant well, but this wasn’t a game. “It doesn’t matter what my gut says.”

Molly was watching this exchange, wide-eyed. “Um. I think there’s something you should see, Declan.”

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