Through Your Eyes

by Shannyn Schroeder

  “I love my sister, but I never want to hear about her sex life, much less about the orgasms she experiences with my boss.”

  Cupcake choked out a giggle and bit her lip.

  “It’s okay. You can laugh.”

  She did her quiet chuckle thing and shook her head a little, her hair slipping over her cheek.

  “So why did you need a rescue?”

  Her chest rose and fell with a sigh. Tommy tried to be a gentleman and not notice or step closer to feel her brush against him. He really did.

  “I’m not that forward. Maybe it’s because I don’t have any sisters. I don’t tend to get that personal with anyone.”

  “Nothing wrong with being reserved.” He tugged her close so their bodies pressed together slightly. He whispered, “As long as you know when to let go of your reservations.”

  “I don’t know that I do.”

  She said it so quietly, he wasn’t sure if he was meant to hear, but he did. He’d love to watch her let loose. Then again, watching any woman leave her inhibitions behind was a hell of a turn-on.

  He said nothing. They finished their dance and he walked her back to the table. “Can I get you another drink?”

  “Pint of Guinness would be lovely.”

  Tommy turned to the rest of the women. “Another round?”

  “I’ll help you carry the drinks,” Norah said.

  He walked to the bar with his sister. “You like Deirdre,” she said, drawing the words out teasingly like a second grader.

  He looked at Norah.

  “Admit it. Moira already spilled the beans that you were crushing on her last fall. Now’s your chance to make a move.”

  “She has a boyfriend.”

  “Maybe. But he’s in Ireland. And based on the conversation we had tonight, he might be on his way out.”

  Tommy’s spirits lifted at the news. “What makes you say that?”

  “Deirdre said they’ve hit a rough patch.”

  “A rough patch doesn’t mean she’s getting rid of him.”

  “But it’s a possibility. She danced with you.” Norah placed their order with the bartender. “Do you think I would dance with someone else unless Kai was on his way out?”

  Tommy crossed his arms. “I recall you dancing with a guy right in this bar.”

  “That was before we started dating and I did it to make Kai jealous.” She made a point of looking around. “I don’t see this Rory guy anywhere, so I don’t think she’s trying to make him jealous.”

  “She danced with me because you guys were embarrassing her.”

  “A little girl talk and she was embarrassed? We need to get her out more.”

  The bartender set their drinks down, and Tommy and Norah grabbed them all. On the way back to the table, she nudged Tommy’s elbow. “Be nice to her. I think she needs some friends.”

  “I am being nice.”

  Norah pinned him with a look. “Yeah, you’re being nice. I mean be really nice—not nice-to-get-in-her-pants nice. She’s sweet.”

  “Yeah, she is.”

  For the next couple of hours, he stayed at the table with the four beautiful women. They laughed and joked, and Deirdre even danced with him a couple more times. He didn’t want to admit how much he enjoyed having her in his arms, even though she kept a respectable distance every time.

  Before he knew it, it was time to head home. He’d stopped drinking after his second beer since he had been roped into being the designated driver. Normally, he’d bitch at Norah over that, but since it ended with Deirdre in his car at the end of the night, he’d let his sister’s assumptions go.

  Once in his car, Moira gave him directions to her house, where Maggie would spend the night. It was in his neighborhood, which was convenient. Too bad Norah hadn’t decided to go home with Kai. That would’ve left him alone with Deirdre.

  She sat directly behind him, so he couldn’t see her other than occasional small glimpses in the rearview mirror. She seemed relaxed, but nowhere near as lubricated as the rest of the women in the car. The girls continued with whatever silly conversation caused another round of giggling, and Tommy focused on getting them all home safely. He dropped off Moira and Maggie, which left Norah and Deirdre in the backseat.

  “Have a good night?” he asked no one in particular.

  Norah elbowed Deirdre.

  “It was fun,” she responded, not very enthusiastically.

  He doubted she knew what fun was.

  “Next time, maybe we’ll head to a club. That’s where the real dancing is.”

  Deirdre nodded, but it wasn’t really agreement. Tommy couldn’t picture her hanging out in the thumping dance clubs his sister liked to go to.

  As soon as he pulled up to the house, his car barely in park, Norah jumped out of the backseat.

  “You should walk Deirdre home,” she yelled over her shoulder as she ran up the stairs. At the front door, she waved. “See ya, Deirdre.”

  Then she disappeared inside the house. Deirdre closed the car door behind her and said, “I can manage to cross the street. Thank you for the lift home.”

  Tommy darted a glance over his shoulder, saw that Norah was gone, and shoved his hands in his pockets. “It’s fine. It’ll only take a minute.”

  He followed Deirdre up the stairs to the O’Learys’ front door. As she stuck her key in the lock, he asked, “Would you like to go to the St. Paddy’s Day parade with me?”

  She spun around quickly, eyes wide. “No, thank you. I don’t much like crowds. Besides, I have to work at O’Leary’s Pub that night.”

  Tommy barked out a laugh. “You don’t like crowds, but you’re going to work at O’Leary’s—Irish Pub—on St. Patrick’s Day.”

  Her lips quirked. “I think it’s expected that all members of the family chip in. Thank you for tonight.”

  She turned back to the door and twisted the knob. “You could stop by on St. Patrick’s Day if you like.”

  Then she scurried through the door without waiting for him to respond. Hell yeah, he’d like to stop by.

  * * *

  Deirdre spent the better part of the week stressing about asking Tommy O’Malley to stop by the pub while she worked. She didn’t know what had gotten into her. He was being so kind, and she liked that about him. But now, as she dressed for work at the pub, her stomach knotted.

  She and Rory had Skyped earlier in the week and she’d tried to get him to talk—truly talk—about whatever was bothering him, but he kept telling jokes and asking about Chicago. He made her laugh enough that she almost forgot the unease she’d felt before her night out with her cousins.

  And the thought of seeing Tommy had her all twisted up again, this time with guilt. Rory wanted her to enjoy her time in the States, but it wasn’t to be a free-for-all dating marathon.

  She laughed at herself in the mirror. Dating marathon. That was a joke. She’d been with Rory so long she didn’t even remember what a date felt like.

  “Get a move on, Deirdre,” Maggie called from the bottom of the stairs.

  It was almost like being at home. That was, if her brother Donal had a feminine voice.

  She tucked in the O’LEARY’S PUB T-shirt Maggie had dropped off for her and slipped into her trainers. She practiced her smile in the mirror one last time and then bounded down the steps. “Ready.”

  Maggie drove to the pub, explaining how they worked. It sounded like mayhem, but Maggie spoke with a broad smile on her face.

  “And there’s a whole crew of bouncers on staff to make the customers behave. Jimmy and Shane—both Chicago policemen—will keep an eye on everything.”

  “You mean they’ll be keeping watch over you and Moira.”

  “Well, that too, but they’re the kind of guys who’ll watch all of us.” She turned into a parking lot. “Don’t let the guys get pushy or rude. Smile and they’ll tip well. Speak to them and they’ll fall at your feet.”

  “You’re exaggerating.”

  They stepped from the car.
“Watch and see. The damn accent will rake in the tips tonight.”

  Deirdre smiled. A healthy tip jar would go a long way toward purchasing some new bakeware. She’d forgotten how much she disliked Aunt Eileen’s pans.

  Inside the bar, Maggie gave her a quick tour and instructed her to yell for one of her cousins if she got stuck on the computer for orders. Deirdre felt confident that she could handle it. The job couldn’t be all that different from the one she did every day at home.

  What was different was the crowd she encountered when she entered the main part of the bar. Wall-to-wall people. Even on their busiest night, she’d never seen a crowd such as this.

  Maggie nudged her. “Everyone’s Irish today.” Then she handed Deirdre an order pad, an apron, and a tray. “Yell if you need help. Everyone working is wearing a bar T-shirt.”

  Deirdre looked around the room. Sure enough, the dark green of the employees’ shirts was easy to spot in the sea of celebratory bright green. She sighed and waded into the crowd.

  Within minutes, Deirdre felt overwhelmed. At every turn, someone yelled in her direction because they wanted another drink. And the green beer? What was that about? If these people wanted to be Irish, they should be enjoying a pint of Guinness. Instead of correcting their silly orders, she handled them all with a smile and a nod.

  The customers were loud, but then a band set up on the stage and the noise level tripled. At least they played some good music. And Maggie had been right about the tips. As she spoke, people leaned in to hear her accent and joked about whether it was real. She was exhausted, but for a change, she wasn’t miserable.

  Halfway through the night, Maggie grabbed her arm and tugged her toward the stage.

  “What are you doing? I have people waiting for drinks.”

  “It’s time to dance.”

  “What?”

  “Moira and I started doing it a couple of years ago. We get on stage and do an Irish dance. I know you know how to.”

  “Are ye daft?” She yanked her arm back. “I won’t be making a fool of myself.”

  “It’s fun.”

  “Says you.”

  “We make it up as we go. No one expects a professional dance. It’s just a good time. Trust me.”

  Maggie grabbed Deirdre’s hand and pulled her toward the stage again. Suddenly, Moira was on her other side, boxing her in. They shuttled her up the stairs and Maggie released her hand before going to the microphone.

  The bright lights practically blinded Deirdre.

  “Hey, everyone. The O’Leary girls are back for our annual dance. And this year, we have a special guest, all the way from Ireland. Our cousin Deirdre.” She held out her arm toward Deirdre.

  Deirdre forced a small smile. Moira squeezed her hand. Maggie came to her other side again and nodded to the band.

  Deirdre waited a few beats as Maggie and Moira bounced. Then they all moved together in a simple dance, one that they’d probably learned by the age of eight. Deirdre felt silly since she knew how easy the dance was, but the crowd roared and she found herself smiling with her cousins.

  The song ended and the three of them executed an awkward bow before leaving the stage. Jimmy and Shane met them at the bottom of the stairs with glasses of water for their women. Not that either of them could drink. They were laughing too hard. But the sweet gesture broadened Deirdre’s smile.

  “Looking good, ladies,” Jimmy said.

  With a hand on her stomach, Maggie took a deep breath. “No more dancing with Deirdre. That girl is fierce. I barely kept up.”

  Deirdre stared at her cousin. “Me? I was following you.”

  Moira touched her shoulder. “Maybe at the beginning, but we were scrambling to copy your moves. Holy cow. For someone who was so reluctant to get up there, you sure impressed the crowd.”

  Deirdre felt her cheeks heat. “Thank you.”

  She turned and went to get her own glass of water at the bar before returning to her customers and filling orders. She’d only gotten two steps when a glass was thrust at her.

  Her gaze traveled up the tattooed arm holding the glass to see Tommy. Her stomach quivered.

  “Jimmy said you’d be thirsty after the dance, but I don’t have the same pull he does here, so I had to wait to get a glass of water.”

  What was he doing here? And bringing her a glass of water as if they were a couple. She accepted the glass and gulped greedily, unsure of how to respond to his presence. Yes, she’d invited him, but she had no plan when the words had rushed from her mouth.

  “You guys were really good. A lot of fun to watch.”

  “We were horrible. My instructor would’ve been correcting every step.”

  “What made it fun to watch was the three of you laughing and smiling and having a good time.”

  Heat crept back up her face. “Thank you for the water.” She made a move to walk around him to return the glass to the bar.

  His hand on her arm stopped her. His fingers were long and warm, and the colorful ink on his forearm mesmerized her. She wanted to trace each line to see where it led. More, she wanted the story behind the designs. She forced her eyes to his face.

  “Can I drive you home tonight?”

  She froze. She should say no, but she didn’t want to. Something about this man made her not want to be herself, do what she should do. That would be a dangerous thing.

  Then Rory’s words rang through her mind. I want you to be happy.

  And she hadn’t been in quite some time, if ever. Dancing and drinking with Tommy had been fun. She smiled at him. “I’ll be getting out late.”

  His fingers slid down her arm and brushed against her hand before he stepped away. “I’ll be here.”

  “That would be lovely, then, thank you.” She hurried to the bar, set her glass down, and went back to work. The customers remained friendly as they became drunker. Throughout the night, Deirdre found herself seeking out Tommy, even though they didn’t interact.

  He watched her constantly. If she didn’t like him, it would’ve been creepy. Regardless of what Aunt Eileen had said about not following in Moira’s footsteps, no matter how charming the O’Malley boys may be, Deirdre could admit to herself that she liked Tommy.

  * * *

  Tommy had spent many nights in crowded bars. Many times with the sole purpose of picking up a woman. He couldn’t, however, recall a time when he’d stayed sober in a crowded bar just to drive a woman home. He’d had a couple of celebratory beers, but once Deirdre had accepted his offer, he’d switched to water for the remainder of his evening.

  He didn’t want to risk her changing her mind because she thought he’d had too much to drink. He was well aware of how ridiculous the whole thought process was. They weren’t dating and he had little chance of getting laid. She’d flat-out said she had a boyfriend.

  Yet, she’d invited him to the bar tonight and accepted his ride home. He didn’t do well with mixed signals, but with Cupcake, it felt less like mixed signals and more like changing signals. He could be patient.

  Jimmy stood near the bar, eyes scanning the crowd. Keeping watch over everyone like always. Tommy walked over.

  “Are you on duty?”

  “Not officially.”

  “Then lighten up, man. It’s a party.”

  “People are crazy on a night like this.”

  “And the O’Learys have been doing this their whole lives. They’ll be fine.” Tommy followed Jimmy’s eyes. Moira. “She can take care of herself.”

  Jimmy gave him a rare smile. “Yeah, she can. I’m her backup.”

  Tommy laughed. “Yeah, right. More like you want to make sure no other guy makes a pass at her. She might realize she agreed to marry a stick figure.”

  “She happens to like my stick.”

  Tommy shook his head. Jimmy was the oldest of the O’Malleys, and he’d always taken care of all of them, especially after their mom had been killed. He was a natural cop, following in their dad’s footsteps. Tommy had never had
any such desire.

  “You staying out of trouble?”

  “Always.”

  The conversation was routine between the brothers.

  “Why are you here again?”

  “Deirdre invited me.”

  “Moira’s cousin? Isn’t she engaged or something?”

  Engaged? That was news.

  “I don’t think so. But she’s thousands of miles from home, so maybe she’s looking for company.” Tommy spoke as if Deirdre were no different from any other girl he’d pick up in a bar. Lying to himself came easy. He hoped Jimmy would buy it.

  Jimmy’s stare pressed heavily on him, and he tried not to squirm. “Don’t be a dick.”

  “What?”

  Jimmy watched him for another minute. Deirdre sidled up to them. What timing.

  “Hi. Can I get you boys refills of something? Moira said she’d stop by in a few.”

  Tommy shook his head. Whenever he heard the lilt of her accent, his tongue forgot how to work.

  Jimmy took up the conversation. “How long are you going to be in town?”

  “The beginning of summer, I think.”

  Jimmy nodded. “Fiancé waiting anxiously?”

  Her cheeks grew pink. She shook her head, causing her ponytail to swish. “No fiancé.”

  Tommy caught the sadness in her voice. He wanted to smack Jimmy for bringing up bad shit.

  “I must’ve misunderstood Moira.”

  Like he ever misunderstood anything.

  She pressed her lips together for a second and then said, “Well, if you need anything, give a yell.”

  When she turned and squeezed between people near the bar, Tommy shoved at Jimmy’s chest. “And you tell me not to be a dick?”

  “I was asking the question you didn’t.”

  “It’s obviously something that bothers her. It’s her business.”

  Jimmy narrowed his eyes. “If you’re planning on hooking up with her, it becomes your business, and then it becomes mine.”

  “I can take care of myself too.”

  “Not when it comes to women. I don’t want to see you fall for her and then lose her. She’s going back to Ireland even if she doesn’t have a fiancé waiting. That’s her home.”

  Of course Tommy knew that. He wasn’t stupid. But hearing Jimmy say it out loud sent a rock to his stomach. He straightened his shoulders. “I’ve been with plenty of women without falling apart.”