In Too Deep

Chloe was beyond overwhelmed.She’d done what she could to calm customers who witnessed Alan collapse. A few regulars were sweet and tried to check on her, but she couldn’t think about how any of the events from tonight might affect her. So she just kept moving. As much of a distraction as Ronan usually was for her, his presence bolstered her. He didn’t have to say anything, but she felt his watchful gaze on her. She was a little surprised when he moved to take the Cahills’ table, but then she realized he was probably removing the bug.

And of course, right now, no one else wanted to sit there, as if the booth had caused Alan to keel over.

After the wave of customers who had been present during the emergency had left, things settled down. Fresh faces filled the bar, people who had no clue about the excitement from earlier. As things slowed down, her adrenaline finally started to wane. She called Mr. Byrne to let him know what happened. The man would be worried about his friend. Mrs. Byrne immediately yelled at him for not telling Chloe she should close early and send everyone home. She assured them that the bar was fine now and the current customers were unaware of the emergency.

The conversation went on for a few minutes and her hands began to shake. She sank to the chair behind the desk in the office, suddenly feeling weak.

“Chloe? Is everything okay?” Mr. Byrne asked.

“Yeah. I mean, I’m feeling a bit off now that the chaos is over. I think I’m going to head home a little early if that’s okay. Johnny is here to close.”

“Of course. Whatever you need.”

“Thank you.” She disconnected and rested her head on her hand propped on the desk. A wave of wooziness hit her. What the hell was going on?

A knock sounded at the office door. Crap. Couldn’t she just get like five minutes of peace to get her shit together? “Yes?” she called, straightening.

The door cracked open and Ronan’s face poked through the space. “Hey.”

“Oh, it’s you.” She sank back, not feeling the need to feign politeness.

“Can I come in?”

She just waved.

Once he was through the door, he took one look at her and rushed over. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” She took a deep breath. “Just a little overwhelmed from everything and my body is letting me know it’s stressed. I’ll be okay in a few minutes.”

He reached for her hand. “You’re freezing.” He rubbed her hand between his. “Can I get you something to eat or drink?”

“Actually, I’m going home.”

“You ready to leave now?”

“Yeah. I just need to let Johnny know he’s closing.” She stood and wobbled a bit.

Ronan steadied her. “How about I go tell Johnny and then we’ll go?”

She plopped back onto the chair. “Sounds good.”

While he was gone, she rifled through the desk drawer for a snack. Maybe a hit of sugar would help. She found a bag of M&Ms and poured a handful into her palm. Her mouth watered and her stomach grumbled. Then she remembered that she hadn’t eaten dinner yet. She’d planned to grab something from the kitchen after the Cahills left for the night.

With a deep breath, she stood. She was a little steadier on her feet. They could stop and grab some food on the way to her place.

Ronan came back into the office. “Whoa.”

“I’m fine. I just realized part of my problem is that I haven’t eaten. With knowing about Nolan and everything...” She sighed again. “We can pick up something. I’m fine.” At his skeptical look, she added, “Really.”

She gathered her things and waved goodbye to Johnny. At her car, she unlocked the doors, but then Ronan gently took her hand and removed the keys.

“I’ll drive.” He opened the passenger door for her and she got in.

“I’m fine.”

“I know.” He closed the door and walked around the car. He squeezed behind the wheel and adjusted the seat and mirrors. “I’ll feel better having something to do. I’ve been stuck all night with my hands tied.”

She didn’t put up a fight. She was tired. Tired of the Cahills and tired of fighting with Ronan. Just everything.

“About the other night...”

She held up a hand. “Can we not? I don’t have it in me for a big discussion or a fight. Can we just let it sit until later?”

He nodded. He hit a drive-thru on the way to her apartment and ordered a mountain of food.

“How many people are you feeding?”

“You’re not the only one who skipped dinner.” He set the bags on the floor behind her.

When they got to her building, she trudged up to her apartment. Ronan still hadn’t said anything. They ate their food in silence, tension filling the air until she couldn’t take it anymore.

“What are we doing?”

He looked at her with confusion. “Eating dinner.”

“You know what I mean. Why are you here? Trying to take care of me.”

“You said you didn’t want to talk about it.”