In Too Deep

Chloe walkedto the bar to pour two pints of Guinness. She didn’t usually wait tables anymore unless they were swamped, but she always took care of Mr. Cahill. When Alastair Byrne, owner of the Black Rose and her dad’s friend, had promoted her to manager, he gave her a list of customers who expected special treatment. Danny Cahill and his father Alan were at the top of that list. That meant when she was on duty, she took care of them.

Seeing Ronan with Cahill had been a bit of a shock, but hearing him refer to her as some girl from his neighborhood irked her. She supposed it wasn’t a lie, but since he’d done a body shot off her, it felt like she should be more than some neighborhood girl. Although they had history, she was being irrational because her flirtation with Ronan had always been one-sided and thoughts of him had taken up permanent residence in her rub club for getting off.

She should’ve just let him pretend they didn’t know each other. It was what he wanted. But there was little in the world that bothered her as much as being dismissed. A huge part of her wanted to go back to that table and make sure he couldn’t ignore her.

However, she also acknowledged that it was that kind of impulsive thinking that got her into trouble. And Mr. Cahill was here for business. She couldn’t risk upsetting him even if it meant driving Ronan crazy.

When she delivered the beer, Mr. Cahill was no longer at the table. She set the glasses down without a word.

“Thank you,” Ronan said.

“Will there be anything else?” she asked stiffly, staring him in the eye, challenging him to dismiss her again.

He leaned back in his seat. “Is there a problem?”

She glanced over her shoulder for any sign of Mr. Cahill. When she saw the coast was clear, she spoke in a harsh whisper. “Your tongue was in my mouth two weeks ago. You licked salt from my stomach. But I’m just some girl who grew up in the same neighborhood?”

“We’d both been drinking. It was a party. What was I supposed to say?”

She opened her mouth but realized she had no comeback. They weren’t anything to each other. This was why she should’ve kept her mouth shut.

She turned to leave and he grabbed her wrist. The rough calluses on his hand rasped against her sensitive skin. When she twisted, he tucked some cash in her apron, his fingers causing a tingle to spread across her abdomen even though there were layers of material between his hand and her stomach.

“Thank you for the beer.”

She gave a quick nod because if she said anything, it wouldn’t be nice. Not that anything she said would offend Ronan. But she didn’t want Mr. Cahill overhearing. Without much effort, Ronan had managed to treat her like no one, pushing cash at her in that stiffly polite way. He was different at the block party. At least he’d made her think so. He was every bit into that body shot as she was. But now, he was pretending otherwise. She wondered why.

She went back to the bar and wiped down the counter. Normally at this time of the evening, she would go to the office and get some work done, but until Cahill walked out the door, she would have to remain out front.

Watching Ronan, she tried to figure out why he was meeting with Cahill. Had Ronan started working for him, like his dad had? She hadn’t known he planned to stay in town. This was the first time she’d seen him in here. The Black Rose was known in the neighborhood as the place for business meetings for the Irish community. More deals were made across these tables than happened in boardrooms or offices. These men liked cordial conversation over a pint. It was a litmus test she’d witnessed hundreds of times. Talk of family preceded business. Points of the contract discussed after two pints when everyone was more relaxed.

She could probably write a book on the dealings of Irish businessmen. Older men drank only here, rarely at home. Alcohol didn’t have a place with the family. She briefly wondered if it changed through the generations. Did Danny Cahill do things differently than his father? Or did Alan expect Danny to keep everything the same?

Ronan ran a hand through his dark hair and she realized that he’d gotten it cut. His waves were tamer, no longer curling at his collar. His hands were broad, his fingers thick and blunt. What he could do with those hands...

“Someone you know?” Alyssa said as she leaned against the bar beside her.

“Yeah.”

“He’s hot. You know, if you go for the broody, grunting type.”

Chloe looked at the waitress.

“Which based on the attention you’re giving him, you’re totally into.” She threw up her hands. “Hey, no judgment here.”

“I’m not into anything he has. I’m just waiting for them to finish up so I can go in back to get paperwork done.”

“Sure. Whatever you need to tell yourself. I’ll just ignore the eye fucking I saw when you delivered his beer.” She paused to wink. “While I have you here, can I get next Thursday off? My sister is coming in and my mom is planning a family dinner.”

“It should be okay. Let me see who I can get to fill in.”

“You’re the best. Thanks.” Then she spun to go pick up her drinks from the bartender.

Chloe took out her phone and pulled up the schedule to see who might be able to switch with Alyssa. As she texted Brian to see if he could cover the shift, she considered Alyssa’s words. Sure, Chloe spent too much time staring at Ronan and thinking about him naked. But eye fucking was a two-person sport. He was painfully uninterested. After making rounds to check in with tables, she stopped back at Mr. Cahill’s booth. Ronan was gone.

“Is there anything else I can get for you, Mr. Cahill?”

“Can you get another Guinness for me? My father’ll be joining me for dinner. He should be here soon.”

She smiled and nodded, even though inside she cringed. If the Cahills were staying for dinner, she wasn’t going to be getting any paperwork done tonight. As she poured another beer, her phone dinged.

A text from Lance Nelson asking if he could stop by for a drink. Her night was shot anyway—might as well get all of the punishment out of the way at once. Glancing back at Cahill’s table, she considered the time. Alan Cahill had arrived and was already sitting in the booth. She texted Lance back letting him know she could take a break soon.

As she set the beer in front of Danny Cahill, she looked at Alan. “Good evening, Mr. Cahill. What can I get for you today?”

“Just a coffee. How are things?”