Aislinn grabbed Cait's arm and drew her over to where she had a garment bag hanging in front of a mirror. Unzipping the bag, she pulled the fabric away from the dress and Cait gasped.
"Wow, that color is stunning," Cait breathed.
"I know. It's perfect for you," Aislinn said, pride evident in her voice.
The dress was a deep emerald green, with just a hint of turquoise underneath it. It was short, tight, and with a sweetheart neckline. Never in a million years would Cait have picked it out.
"Just trust me," Aislinn said.
Cait grimaced, but agreed. She grabbed the hanger and stepped into Aislinn's bathroom. Unzipping the back of the dress, she quickly shed her clothes and stepped into the dress. Taking a deep breath, she slid the zipper up as far as she could without help.
"Need help?"
"Yes, please," Cait said and Aislinn stepped in to close the zipper.
"Turn," Aislinn demanded.
Cait turned and watched Aislinn's face light up. She gave one long, low whistle.
"Cait, you're a knockout," Aislinn said.
"Let me see," Cait demanded and moved Aislinn aside so she could look in the full-length mirror on the back of the bathroom door.
A stranger peered back at her. The deep green of the dress was a perfect complement to her skin and her eyes popped, looking huge in her face. The sweetheart neckline made the most of her small breasts, and the nipped waist and tight skirt showed every curve of her fit body. Cait turned and peered at her generous bottom in the mirror. This dress did nothing but good things for her butt and she laughed at herself.
"I'm a knockout!"
"Wait until we get your makeup and hair done," Aislinn agreed.
Aislinn and Cait spent the next half hour going through the beauty rituals of hair and makeup. Finishing up, Aislinn stepped back and eyed Cait.
Raising a finger, she said, "Hold on." Aislinn went to a glass display case across the room and unlocked the back door. Sliding it open, she pulled out a pair of long silver earrings.
"Here. These are perfect. They're all the jewelry you need," Aislinn insisted and handed them to Cait.
"Oh, these are lovely," Cait breathed. Long silver strands twisted together to create an intricate knot. Fluid, yet interesting, they came below Cait's hair and added just the right touch to her outfit.
"Keep them," Aislinn insisted.
"I can't, they're too precious," Cait protested.
"Consider it a stepping-into-your-own gift." Aislinn smiled warmly at her.
"You can see it, can't you?" Cait said, referencing her emotions.
"Yes, I can see it all. The excitement, the anger, and the insecurity…it's all in there. But, finally, I'm starting to see your pride shine through. That's what I've always hoped for you," Aislinn said quietly.
"It's taken me a while. I'm not all the way there yet, but I'm close," Cait whispered.
"Well, tonight's as good as any to kick off the chains of the past."
Nodding, Cait scooped her arm through Aislinn's and laughed up at her.
"Invite any cute guys from Dublin?"
"Oh, yes, indeed. There's a cute guy in the first band you'll like," Aislinn said. Laughing, they left for the party.
Chapter 29
Cait gasped as they got to the front door of the pub. A line fifty deep stood outside. A chorus of shouts rang out as the girls walked up the hill. Cait laughed and waved at everyone.
"If you'll just give me a minute to check on everything, we'll get started soon," Cait called.
"Damn, Cait. You clean up well," a man shouted from the crowd and Cait laughed and did a little spin.
"Don't I just?"
Cait pushed the heavy wooden door open and Aislinn followed her in. The pub gleamed from what looked like a fresh cleaning and Cait silently thanked Patrick in her head. Fairy lights were strung in criss-cross patterns across the room and every table held tea lights in lovely votives. Baskets of snacks were placed at each table and lined the bar. Aislinn moved across the room to greet the band that was setting up in the far corner. Cait waved to them, noting the banjo player that Aislinn nodded her head at. She'd be sure to introduce herself later.
Sticking her head in the kitchen, she found Patrick and her chef busy at work.
"Cait!" Patrick said and then stopped. Frank male appreciation filled his eyes as he looked her up and down. "Those no-fraternizing-with-the-boss rules still in place?"
Cait laughed and leaned up to peck his cheek.
"Yes, but thank you for the compliment. I needed that."
"You look amazing. Shane's going to grovel," Patrick said.
Cait stopped in her tracks and turned back to Patrick.
"What do you mean by that?"
"He told me that he hurt you. I made him promise to make it right. But, don't make it too easy on him," Patrick said with a grin and whisked a tray of food out into the courtyard.
"But…" Cait said after him. What did that mean? Shane knew that he had hurt her? Then why hadn't he tried to find her? Tried to work it out? Her thoughts a whirlwind, Cait followed Patrick's path to the courtyard and let out a little crow of pleasure.
Fairy lights were strung along the fence posts here, and candles clustered the long picnic benches that had been set up. Wildflower bouquets were peppered throughout the tables. The effect was ethereal and lovely, perfect for a summer evening party.
"This is perfect, Patrick. Thank you," Cait breathed.
"Anything to save this place. We need you here," Patrick said.
Cait nodded, a lump in her throat. "I know. I'm realizing that. Sorry that I left you guys."
"It's okay. Just don't do it again," Patrick admonished. Looking at his watch he nodded to the front door. "Ready to party?"
"Oh yeah," Cait said and went to let everyone in.
Hours later, Cait couldn't keep the smile from her face. Though she knew that the majority of opinion was that Shane was the one who had closed the place, Cait found that she didn't care that much. She never denied nor confirmed any of the allegations. Instead, she simply smiled and offered the questioning patron another drink.
Cait eyed the tables of food. Even with almost the whole village there they would have leftovers. Corned beef, ham, mashed potatoes, Irish stew, mussels in a cilantro cream sauce, and baskets of brown bread dominated the table. Bread pudding and ice cream held court on another table. Cait smiled as she saw that Fiona's famous carrot cake had long ago been devoured.
Cait turned as her name was called and her face lit up.
"Mr. Donovan!" She hurried through the crowd to where Mr. Donovan stood by Mrs. Donovan in a wheelchair. Cait hugged him briefly before bending down to kiss Mrs. Donovan's cheek.
"This is just lovely, Cait. Good for you," Mrs. Donovan said.
"Thank you. Um, I'm sorry about not coming on Monday," Cait said.
"That's alright. Sounds like you needed some time," Mr. Donovan said, his cheeks rosy in the heat of the pub.
"I did. But, I'm okay now. Not sure why I wallowed for so long," Cait said sheepishly.
"Affairs of the heart will do that," Mr. Donovan said with a wink.
"I told him. He turned his back on me," Cait rushed out and saw the smiles fall from their faces.
"Let him try and show his face here then," Mr. Donovan said and brandished his fist. Cait huffed out a laugh and threw her arm around his shoulder.
"No need for that. I'm going to be just fine. Better than fine, really," Cait said.
"Don't be surprised if he comes around, Cait," Mrs. Donovan communicated urgently to Cait.
"Well, then, I'll have to see if I'm willing to let him in again, won't I?" Cait said and straightened her shoulders. Looking around the pub, she allowed pride to sweep through her for what she had created here. It wasn't just another pub. This was a second home for many. Children laughed with their parents while old men told tall tales in the corner. Band number two of the night was getting ready to start and more than
one person had worked up a sweat dancing already this evening. She'd done this. All by herself. She didn't need any further validation than that, Cait thought.
"You're about to find out," Mr. Donovan said and gestured to the door. Cait felt a chill ripple through her and noticed that the crowd had gone quiet. Shane stood in the door, his eyes scanning the room until he locked on hers. Without hesitation, he walked across the room.
Cait felt her pulse pick up and she took a small breath. Just being in the same room with him made her skin tingle.
Shane stopped before her. He'd dressed in a casual white button-down and jeans this evening and Cait wanted to lick the little patch of skin that showed where his shirt was open a few buttons. Pulling her mind out of the gutter, she gave him a polite smile.
"Hello, Shane. Glad you could make it."
"Cait, I've been looking for you all week. I'd like to speak with you," Shane said and swept his gaze over the avidly eavesdropping crowd.
"Now really isn't a great time," Cait said quietly.
"I can wait," Shane said stiffly.
"Then you'll be a waiting a while," Cait said. "Now, you're certainly welcome to be here but I'll have to ask that you stay out of my way."
With that, Cait patted Mrs. Donovan's shoulder and turned to go speak with the band. In moments, a jaunty tune filled the pub that had people's hands clapping and feet stomping. Cait didn't dare turn back to see how Shane had taken her statement. Instead, she smiled at the cute banjo player from the first band and slipped into the kitchen to check the food prep. There she found Patrick.
"I'll kick him out. Let me have a go at him," Patrick said.
"What! No, Patrick, stop." Cait laughed up at him and patted his cheek. "You can't kick him out as he owns the building, remember?"
"Oh, aye, that he does." Patrick shrugged sheepishly and smiled.
"Did you see that girl from Keelin's wedding is here? The one you danced with?" Cait asked, smoothly changing the subject.
Patrick craned his head to glimpse out the door.
"Is she? Isn't that interesting? She disappeared fairly quickly after the wedding, you know. I never got a chance to get to know her better," Patrick said.
"Really? I could have sworn that she liked you," Cait said in confusion.
"Aye, as did I," Patrick said.
Cait made a mental note to pick at the girl's brain. Maybe Cait could help give her a nudge towards Patrick, who had turned out to be one of her finest employees. Patrick nudged her shoulder.
"You can't hide in here all night, Cait."
Cait narrowed her eyes at Patrick and raised her chin.
"I certainly am not. Was just checking on the food is all," Cait said and swept out of the kitchen.
The crowd immediately embraced her and she shouted her hellos as she swept through everyone to get to the bar. She was about to duck under the pass-through to help with drinks when her arm was grabbed.
"I don't think so, Cait," Aislinn said. She had two glasses of whiskey in her hand. "Celebrate!"
Cait smiled and took the glass from Aislinn, allowing the heat of the whiskey to trail to her stomach. She scanned the crowd and saw the girl that Patrick liked. Leaning closer to Aislinn she nodded her head towards the girl.
"Who is that?"
"She's new to town. Working on one of Flynn's boats, actually. Morgan is her name," Aislinn said and studied her. Cait felt her stiffen.
"What?"
"Read her," Aislinn demanded.
Cait glanced at Aislinn to see confusion in her eyes. Knowing it wasn't often that Aislinn was shaken, Cait reached out and scanned Morgan's mind.
Morgan whipped her head around and glared at Cait. Cait jumped and was surprised when she felt a mental shove back. Morgan slammed her glass down and pushed through the crowd to the front door.
Cait gaped after her.
"What just happened?" Aislinn demanded.
"I…I don't know. She's one of us, no doubt about that. I started to scan her thoughts and it was like a steel door came down. She pushed me out," Cait marveled.
"Not only that, but she knew it was you who was reading her," Aislinn pointed out.
"You're right. How would she know that?" Cait wondered. She wondered if she would need to warn Patrick away from her. The girl seemed hostile.
"I had trouble reading her. Which is rare for me," Aislinn admitted. Cait huffed out a laugh at the both of them.
"Two days ago I'm embarrassed by my power and today I'm mad when I can't use it." Cait chuckled at herself and finished her whiskey.
"Here comes trouble," Aislinn muttered as the cute banjo player stepped up to them.
Cait allowed herself to smile into his handsome face and wished that he sent the same amount of heat through her as Shane did. She supposed that it would take a while to get over Shane.
"Cait, this is Declan," Aislinn introduced them. Declan smiled at Cait and held her hand a moment too long.
"Nice to meet you, Cait. Smashing dress," Declan said and allowed his eyes to trail over her body. Cait felt her cheeks flush. So maybe she wasn't totally unaffected, she thought, and gave Declan a wide smile. Declan was Shane's opposite in every way. Tattoos snaked up both of his arms, his dark hair was months past due for a haircut and his bright eyes held a wicked promise. Cait felt a low hum in her stomach.
"Thanks," Cait said.
"Care to dance?" Declan asked and gestured towards the dance floor.
Whether it was whiskey or a sincere attraction for Declan, Cait found herself nodding. She heard Aislinn's chuckle behind her and didn't have to read her mind to know what she was thinking. Girl, you're stirring up trouble.
Cait looped her arm through Declan's and allowed him to propel her through the crowd to the packed dance floor. It took every ounce of willpower she had not to look for Shane. Cait laughed as the band switched to a traditional Irish step dance. She'd grown up dancing and didn't miss a beat as she bounced up on her toes and faced Declan.
Declan smiled a challenge at her and Cait lifted her chin at him. Hands at her hips, she increased the pace. Soon, they were matching each other step for step. Cait tossed her hair and laughed up at him, enjoying the challenge. The band ended the song on a flourish and Declan and Cait stopped on the beat, chests heaving, as they smiled at each other. Gauging the crowd, the band launched into a slower song and Declan immediately pulled Cait into his arms.
Cait stiffened for a second as he held her against his chest. Deciding to live a little, she let herself relax a bit and sway to the music. A piping song of lost love swirled around them and Cait swayed, wishing that she was in Shane's arms.
A tap on her arm startled Cait and she whirled around to see Shane standing there. His eyes were dangerous as he looked past her to Declan.
"I'll have to ask you to keep your hands off my woman," Shane said.
Declan dropped his hands from around Cait and pushed her gently to the side as he moved closer to meet Shane toe-to-toe.
"Your woman doesn't seem to want your hands on her," Declan said.
"Knock it off," Cait hissed. The band had gone silent, as had the pub. Cait knew that her cheeks had to be several shades of red.
"My woman is momentarily confused. I'll have to ask you one more time to keep your distance," Shane said politely.
"Piss off," Declan said derisively and turned back to Cait.
A whoosh of air startled Cait and she shrieked as Declan hit the floor. Shane shook his fist lightly and turned to Cait, his eyes just as dangerous. Without a word, he bent and scooped her over his shoulder.
Cait felt her heart spin as her world was upended. She gasped and struggled against Shane's arms as she saw the floor pass below her. She slammed her fists against Shane's hard butt.
"Stop this immediately," Cait yelled. Embarrassment burned through her as she imagined the picture that she made, her short skirt hiked up over Shane's shoulder.
Cait gasped as applause broke through the crowd at the pub. She
craned her neck to see every face smiling at her.
"Traitors!" Cait yelled.
"Give him hell, Cait," Mr. Donovan yelled.
Cait slumped down, knowing it was useless to fight. Shane carried her through the door and towards her future.
Chapter 30
The cool night air touched the back of her legs and Cait could only imagine the type of show that she had given the pub. Hopefully, Shane's arm had covered where her skirt had pulled up. Shane said nothing as he carried her up the hill until he stopped walking. Cait heard the beep of a car unlocking and a door opening.
The streetlights whirled past her head as Shane slipped her over his shoulder until she was standing to face him. Anticipating her resistance, he grabbed both of her arms in one hand as he lifted her into the front seat of his car. Reaching out, he clicked her seatbelt in.
Shane met her eyes.
"Move and I swear on everything I own that I will burn Gallagher's Pub to the ground," Shane said dangerously. Cait's mouth fell open and her heart pounded in her chest. She stayed still as he rounded the car and got behind the wheel.
This stranger, Cait thought as she slid her eyes towards Shane's face, had replaced cool, calm Shane. His face was tense as he pulled the car onto the street and floored it down the road, ignoring the speed-limit signs. Cait gulped as her mouth went dry.
"You had to dance with him," Shane spit out.
"Oh please, how many dates did you go on with Ellen?" Cait rolled her eyes derisively at Shane. The lights of the village sliced past their windows as Shane picked up speed and headed into the hills.
"She was my employee," Shane said evenly.
"Yeah, well you didn't mind that I thought she was something more!" Cait said.
"Forget Ellen. Where were you? How could you leave me?" Shane demanded.
Cait swore that her heart skipped a beat as a dull rage simmered low in her belly.
"Me? Leave you?" Cait said softly, ice hanging onto every word.
"You were just gone. All week! The pub closed. Not answering your phone. The entire town thought that I had kicked you out!" Shane shouted and slammed his fist onto the steering wheel. Cait turned and gaped at him.
The Mystic Cove Series Boxed Set (Wild Irish Books 1-4) Page 31
