In Too Deep

Erin’s jaw dropped and her eyes went wide. She shifted and angled herself to be able to see both Chloe and Mom.

“As if you could remember. You were blackout drunk.”

Chloe laughed. “I think I would’ve remembered if the guy of my teenaged fantasies showed any interest in me. The sad thing was, I threw myself at him. He could have had me. Instead, he shoved me in the car and was bringing me home. I told you this, yet you still think he’s evil. It was fifteen years ago. How long can you hold a grudge?” She stepped away from the counter. “You know what? I’m not hungry. I have to go to work this afternoon anyway, so I’m going to head out.”

Her mother said nothing. On her way through the house, she said her goodbyes. She got to her car when the front door to the Doyle house opened and Brendan stepped out. Ronan’s truck was still at the curb. Neighborhood wisdom said the oldest Doyle boys were never in the same room together. Not in years. The cop and the criminal. They butted heads all the time.

“Hey, Brendan. Long time.”

He paused, squinted at her, and crossed the street. “Hi, Chloe.” He offered a genuine smile and leaned in to kiss her cheek.

Nothing. No urge to turn her head and catch his lips. “Visiting your mom?”

“Yep. She gets cranky when we don’t come by enough.”

“She’s been seeing a lot of her boys. I mean, that’s two days in a row for Ronan.”

He shrugged. “Ronan tells me you’re working at the Rose.”

“I am. You should stop by some time.” She pulled out her phone and handed it to him. “Put in your number. Give me a call so we can have a drink and catch up.”

“I will.” He thumbed in his number and returned her phone. The front door opened again and Ronan leaned on the frame. Brendan glanced back at his brother, who glared at him. Then he flicked a thumb over his shoulder. “I should get going.”

“See you.” She opened her car door slowly to see if Ronan would say anything. He didn’t. She climbed in and drove off.

The best thing she could do for herself would be to put all Doyle men out of her mind.

Unfortunately,the universe hated her. Chloe went to work, still pissed off that her mom disliked Ronan. She didn’t even know why it irritated her. It wasn’t like Chloe was dating him. Hell, she wasn’t sure he even liked her. And having him ignore her on the street just made it worse. Why did she care?

It was probably her lustful imaginings of him and allowing her hormones to get the better of her, but she was drawn to him. Which made it difficult to put him out of her mind. She’d spent a good chunk of her afternoon scrubbing shelves and reorganizing inventory in a desperate attempt to clear her head. Anything to avoid thoughts of why he didn’t want her.

When Danny Cahill came in and took his usual seat at the corner booth, Chloe knew she had no chance of removing the case of Doyle on the brain. As much as she wanted to pawn the Cahills off on another server, she didn’t shirk her duties when it came to work. With a deep breath, she dried her hands and crossed the room. The Cahills were the only people who took a booth without being shown. It suddenly bothered her that they strode in as if they owned that booth. They never waited for the hostess and never requested a server. Danny and Alan alike sat like kings waiting for someone to take care of them.

Swallowing her sudden anger, she plastered on a smile and went to the table. “Good afternoon, Mr. Cahill. What can I get for you?”

“Working on Sunday, too, Chloe? Doesn’t Alastair give you a day off?”

“Sure, but it varies depending on how I have other people scheduled. Plus, Sundays aren’t too busy, so I can catch up on things.”

“Can you get us two Jamesons? Neat. My father will be here soon.”

She nodded and went to pour the drinks. By the time she returned to the table, Alan was there. Setting the glasses down, she said, “It’s good to see you again, Mr. Cahill. Can I get you anything else?”

The older Cahill grunted and shook his head. She was barely two steps away when Alan laid into Danny.

“I tell you to watch out for Doyle and the first thing you do is hire him for an off-book job? What the hell were you thinking?”

Chloe slowed her gait. Ronan had told her not to eavesdrop, but she couldn’t help herself. They were talking about him again and Alan was pissed. Way more than last time. But why? It wasn’t like under-the-table work was unusual around here. Everyone knew it happened.

“And on that job, too.”

“I split the work around to all my men. What better way to test his loyalty? He didn’t question a damn thing. Took that cash and then used the concrete remainder to build his ma a porch. He’s just here to work.”

What else would he be there for? What was special about that job?

“I’m telling you, boy. He’s there to dig.”

“If I see any sign of trouble, I’ll fire him immediately. But he’s a good worker. Keeps his head down and does the job.”

A glass clanked loudly against the table. “Given the circumstances—”

“That doesn’t make sense. Why now? He’s just a regular neighborhood guy. It’s fine. You retired, remember? Let me run the company as I see fit.”

“I won’t let you ruin everything I worked my life to build. I wouldn’t let it happen then. I sure as hell won’t let it happen now.” He finished his drink and set the glass down with a clink. “Ronan Doyle is looking for answers.”

“He’s looking for steady work is all.”

The older Cahill shook his head. “One wrong step and I’ll have him blackballed.”

“This isn’t the eighties anymore, Dad.”

“Things still work much the same. Where are we on the Armitage development?”

“Snail’s pace. More red tape.”