3 Seconds (Time for Love 6)

“What do you need from me, Brendan O’Malley?” Paddy asked, causing the trepidation to fade.

I leaned in and told him exactly how he could help.

Chapter Thirty ~ Bronagh

It felt great to be working a shift with my Da again. He’d had a wonderful time back in Ireland, but seemed to be happy to be back home and behind his bar again. I’d been teasing him because his brogue was always really strong after a visit to his homeland, but I actually loved listening to the lilt of his accent.

“Hey, Da,” I called as I walked through the kitchen toward the office we shared. “I saw Heather setting up the stage out there, did you schedule someone for tonight?”

We often offered live music on weekends, usually a pianist or Irish folk singer, but most acts were booked through me, and I knew I hadn’t booked a show for that night.

“Aye, dear, did I forget to tell you?” he responded, his face the picture of innocence when I entered the room.

This made me instantly suspicious. My da’s face was often full of expression … Joy, excitement, tenderness, but innocent? Not likely.

“What’s going on?” I asked, placing my hands on my hips.

“Now don’t go getting yourself into a tither, dear, it’s nothing but a bit of entertainment on a Saturday night. The guests will love it and we’ll be pouring pints until the doors close.”

He stood and rounded the desk, then said something about checking the kegs as he hurried out the door.

His words were true enough, we always had a full house when there was live music in the pub, but his reaction did nothing to ease the suspicion in my belly.

Oh well, I thought, whatever he’s up to will be found out soon enough, I might as well go make sure we have plenty of Jameson on hand.

I was pulling bottles from storage and making sure the bar was stocked. We had plenty of hands in the kitchen today, so I was going to spend most of my time in the front of the house. Sometimes it paid to let the staff take control. It showed that I trusted them, and didn’t feel the need to hover over them in the kitchen all the time. Plus, working front of the house would give me more time to spend with my da, who I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed until he’d held me in his arms after his long trip home.

I didn’t tell him about Brendan. I was worried that he’d be disappointed, which was silly, but I already had one failed relationship under my belt, and I didn’t relish him knowing that I’d let another man in, only to be left heartbroken again. So I hadn’t said anything, yet, but I knew I would soon. Not only because I didn’t keep secrets from my da, but because I was hoping that at least one person would tell me I’d made the right decision.

Even though I thought I made the right choice, that didn’t stop me from thinking about Brendan every second of the day. I wondered what he was doing right now … Was Whiskey Heat playing, or had he already left for New York?

I sighe

d as I pushed the door that led back out to the bar. I needed to let him go…

The strumming of an acoustic guitar had my head lifting and searching out the stage. The sight of Brendan sitting on my stage, alone, guitar in hand, had me stopping in my tracks.

Dark jeans, black boots, a tank top, and a beanie on his head, he looked like everything I wanted but couldn’t have. Like a snake in a cage, while a mouse was running around free.

Maybe that was a weird analogy … Am I the snake or the mouse?

He looked like a perfectly poured pint of Guinness, all dark and delicious, and my heart pounded as I wondered how he’d ended up on my stage.

“Thanks for coming out,” he was saying to the crowd, his voice rolling over me like velvet. “I’m honored to be at Callaghan’s tonight. Most of you don’t know, but the woman I love owns this pub…”

Blood was suddenly thundering in my ears.

Holy crap! Had he just told the whole bar that he loved me?

“She doesn’t think we’re good for each other, but I’m hear to try and convince her otherwise … I may need your help with that, is that all right?” he asked, and the crowd started to cheer. Who didn’t love the prospect of bringing two lovers together? I wanted to kill him for putting me in this position, but at the same time, I was dying to hear what he’d say next.

I stood still as a statue, a bottle of Maker’s Mark hugged tightly to my chest.

“This is a song I wrote for her, and hopefully she’ll take the words to heart. For Bronagh,” he said, and I swear every eye in the house turned to me as he began to strum the guitar.

I vaguely noticed that Ming and Cass were in the audience, along with Brendan’s brothers, sister-in-law, and friends. The cute one I remembered as TJ had his fingers to his lips, whistling his encouragement loudly.

Never in my life have I been so sure