Escape With Me (With Me in Seattle 16)

“There are exams to take,” I reply, thinking it over. “And then I’d have to make some videos of me doing pretty much just what I did for you guys to use as an audition.”

“Maybe you could get a job at one of the stations in Seattle,” Maggie says.

“I doubt it. Seattle is a big market, and I don’t have enough experience to get on somewhere like that. I’d probably have to start somewhere small, and then work my way up over time.”

“Are you going to have to go on location in a yellow rain slicker and report in a hurricane?” Maeve asks.

“I should be so lucky,” I mutter.

“You have to do this,” Maggie insists. “We can help you film the video. Hell, we know Luke Williams.”

“I don’t think I need anything that extravagant,” I say with a laugh. “But I definitely will need someone to work a camera.”

“Promise you’ll think about it,” Maeve insists. “You looked so happy just now.”

“It felt really good.” I nod, the idea taking shape in my head. “I’m going to think on it.”

Chapter 7

~Izzy~

“I need two pints of Guinness and a glass of whiskey on the rocks,” I say as I approach the bar where Keegan’s standing, talking with a customer. “I’ll be back to get those in a sec. Have to put a food order in.”

I don’t look Keegan in the eyes as I flutter away to the kitchen, pushing through the door, almost running smack-dab into Lexi.

“Whoa. Sorry,” I say with a laugh. “You okay?”

“Oh, no worries. We’re always running about. We’re bound to run into each other. How’s your day going?”

“Good, actually.” Aside from the part where Maggie and Maeve basically told me I have no chance at anything long-term with their brother. “It’s busy in the pub tonight, and that makes it fun.”

“I agree.” She hurries back to the freezer and returns with a huge bag of fries.

“What do you have for us, Izzy?” Shawn asks. I still can’t look him in the eye after he caught Keegan and I lip-locked yesterday. “Okay, let’s talk about it.”

I look up. “Talk about what?”

“Yesterday.”

“Oh, I don’t really have time for—”

“You have a minute,” he says. “There’s no need to be embarrassed. You’re both consenting adults, Izzy.”

“I know.” I blow out a breath and then shrug a shoulder. Given that I’ve decided not to see Keegan anymore, there’s no reason to be slightly embarrassed. “Okay, you’re right. I’m fine.”

“Well, that was easy.” Shawn grins and nods toward the notebook in my hand. “What do you have for us?”

I put in my order for food and then bustle away, back to the bar where Keegan’s loaded up my tray.

“Thanks.”

“Hey, Izzy.”

I stop and look up at him with a raised brow. “Yeah?”

“Is everything okay, lass?”

The lass still makes my stomach jump. Damn him. “Everything’s perfectly fine.”

I turn away and go back to work, seeing to my customers. Over the past few weeks, I’ve gotten so much better at this job. I haven’t broken a glass in weeks, my feet aren’t killing me, and I remember not only the customers’ names but also their orders most of the time. I do still use the notebook, just in case.

I’ve come to feel like I belong here, and I’m not going to mess it up by getting involved with Keegan for a short-term fling, and then have to try and act like nothing happened so I can keep my job.

I’m way too old and too smart to fall into that trap.

The rest of the evening is fun and lively, with joyful Irish music and happy customers. Maggie gets up to sing a song or two with the band, and I have a bounce in my step as I make my way from table to table, enjoying the camaraderie in the bar. I even sing along with some of the songs that I’m coming to recognize.

The night flies by, and before long, Keegan is turning the lock on the door, and we’re mopping floors and cleaning tables.

“It was a good night,” Maggie says with a grin as she counts her tips. “Tourist season may be winding down, but our locals never let us down.”

“It was fun,” I agree as I toss my rag into the dirty laundry basket and glance around the bar. “I think we’re done for the night.”

“We’re done, too,” Shawn adds as he and Lexi walk out of the bar. “Hey, Maggie, can you give us a lift home? We walked over this afternoon.”

“Of course.” The three of them walk to the door, and just as I turn to join them, Keegan’s voice, strong and firm, stops me.

“Stop.”

I turn with a raised brow. “Excuse me?”

“I’d like to have a word with Izzy. You three go. I’ll make sure she gets home.”

“Okay, see you in a bit,” Maggie says with a wave. When the three of them are gone, and the door is locked once more, Keegan turns to me with intense green eyes.