“She’s not my girlfriend. I don’t know what she is yet. It’s complicated.”
“Well, you’re welcome to bring her by for dinner, anytime, once you figure it out,” Victoria said as I stood and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
When I’d met my gorgeous, sophisticated sister-in-law, I’d had little faith that she was the right woman for my lumberjack of a brother, but she’d quickly erased my fears when she’d stood up for him against our teasing.
“Thanks, Tori,” I replied, then turned to kiss my nephew’s chubby little cheek. “See you later, Big Man.”
“See you Friday.” I clapped Brock on the back, gave Brady a chin lift, and took off, eager to hear what Bronagh had to say.
I walked into Callaghan’s, looking around to take it all in. I’d been in a couple of times before, but now that I knew it was Bronagh’s place, I was seeing it in a new light.
Having been to Ireland, I was pleased to note the traditional feel of the place, and realized that although I didn’t know her all that well, I could see Bronagh in the details. It suited her. The rich wood tabletops commented the long, well-used bar. There were signs indicating which beers were available on tap, and bottles of more whiskey labels than I could name lined the wall behind the bar. Rich greens and browns were woven throughout the room, giving it an old-world feel, which was only magnified by the old Irish music that played in the background.
My eyes landed on her at the end of the bar, hugging first one woman, then another, a huge smile lighting up her face. I took a moment to register the punch in the gut I felt at that look, wanting that smile all to myself, then moved through the happy patrons to join her.
“Hey,” I said as I drew near, alerting them to my presence.
The pretty brunette shot me a pleased grin, but the beautiful Asian woman’s gaze was more ascertaining, and I knew she’d be harder to convince of my sincerity where her friend was concerned. Bronagh’s face still held a smile when she looked at me, but I could see there was some concern there, as if she wasn’t quite certain she’d made the right decision by asking me to come.
I decided my best chance at an ally was the brunette, so I turned to her first and laid on the charm.
“Hi, I’m Brendan, and I’m hoping I can get you to help me convince your gorgeous friend here to give me a shot,” I said with a wink, causing the brunette to laugh happily.
“Thanks, but I’m not interested,” the raven-haired woman said dryly, causing me to chuckle with surprise and look at her in a new light.
Bronagh laughed and made introductions. “Brendan, these are my best friends in the world, Cass and Ming. Ladies, this is Brendan.”
“You and your brothers were awesome the other night,” Cass said.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“Yes, you are all actually very talented,” Ming conceded, then turned to Bronagh and said, “Follow your heart, not your brain for once,” in a low tone, then turned to Cass and said, “Let’s give them some space.”
Cass nodded, then leaned in and whispered loudly in Bronagh’s ear, “Forget your brain, and your heart, do what your vagina wants.”
“Cass!” Bronagh hissed, her milky white skin turning molten.
I choked back a laugh while Ming just rolled her eyes and dragged their friend toward the door and out of the bar.
Bronagh’s face was still red when I turned back to her, unable to keep the grin off my face.
“Those are my friends,” she said sheepishly, to which I responded, “I like ‘em.”
She laughed and shook her head, then said, “C’mon,” and led me toward a booth in the back.
Once we were seated I said, “I’m glad you texted me tonight.”
“Well, I wanted to talk, and I didn’t think the school was a good place to do that…”
“Yeah,” I responded, then looked around. I didn’t want to get right into all of the reasons she thought we shouldn’t see each other, so I asked, “So, you own this place with your da
d?”
Bronagh pushed her hair back from her face and looked around the pub with pride.
“Yes. We always talked about opening a restaurant when I was younger, something to remind Da of his homeland. Then I went to culinary school and lived abroad for a while. When I came back here, it seemed like the perfect transition, to open a place of my own … and I knew I didn’t want to do it without my da. We’ve been open for two years now, and so far it’s been great. It’s a lot of work,” she amended. “But it’s really been better than I’d imagined.”
“Is your father here tonight?”