by Jill Snow
“So am I. Did the other person die? Did you see blood and stuff?”
“Hey man, that’s enough. Your poor sister has already been questioned by the cops,” Declan intervened.
Zoe did a double take. Declan had done something nice. Two things, really. Entertaining a child wasn’t everyone’s idea of fun and now he was telling Dominic to give her some space.
“Sorry.” Dominic turned to her. “I got you something.”
Declan handed Dom a bag.
“I got you two, since I know one is never enough,” Dom said, passing her the bag.
Everyone laughed as she rolled her eyes, opening the bag. The whiff of chocolate hit her stomach, making it growl. She hadn’t eaten in hours. Her cheeks flushed and she caught Declan’s gaze. His eyes were full of concern. For a moment, she was touched. But then she hardened. She didn’t want anyone’s pity.
“Thank you, Dom. They’re perfect.”
“Wasn’t really me. It was Dec. Zoe, you should have seen all the money he gave the waitress. Her eyes were this wide.” Dominic stretched his eyes wide open making the adults laugh. All apart from Declan. He seemed like he was embarrassed.
Chapter 19
“Come on Dominic, we’re going home now. Say thank you to Declan, please.”
“Thank you Dec, can I, um, see you again? You’re cool.”
Zoe wanted to kill her little brother. How could he ask that of a stranger? Well, not a complete stranger, but still. The man must have other things to do.
“I’d like that young man, but it depends on your sister. Think she might come with us next time?”
He was being kind. Again. What was he up to?
Zoe was about to answer, but her brother got there first. “Nope she’s always too busy to have fun.”
“That’s not true,” she said reflexively, even as her heart ached with the truth of his words.
“It is. When was the last time you came out with me? You even missed last month’s game and I scored.”
She remembered. He hadn’t spoken to her the whole way home, wouldn’t eat and had gone to bed without a word. She’d apologized over and over. Jim had left her a car to fix but it was a huge job to do alone and she desperately needed the money.
“Dominic, I said I was sorry about that. I didn’t miss the whole game.”
“No, but you missed the important part.”
Zoe rolled her eyes and caught Declan staring at her again.
“Look Dom, I’m sorry. Sometimes adults get caught up in things they can’t just leave because of a game.”
“That’s what you always say. It just isn’t important to you, is it? If I had a mom or a dad they’d come.”
Dominic’s whining was the last straw. She got up.
“Home. Now, young man. I’ve had a bad enough day without having this argument again. I do the best I can.” Zoe picked up her things.
“I can drive you, if you like,” Declan offered quietly.
Maybe she had pegged him all wrong. Kathy was always saying she judged people too quickly. It would be nice if someone drove her home. Then she wouldn’t have to concentrate on anything.
“I guess…I mean. That would be nice. Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” he said. “Come on little dude, let’s get you home. And let’s give your sister a break. She’s had a rough day.”
“Nice to see you Gertie and Joe,” she said before kissing her aunt goodbye. She was gone before she could hear another lecture. Dom jumped in the back, leaving her to sit with Declan in the front.
“Right, where are we going?”
He was being really sweet. If he were an ordinary guy, she could get to like him a lot. But he wasn’t ordinary. He was an actor. According to her aunt, he was a very rich and successful one.
Giving him directions, she forced herself to relax on the drive back to her home. She didn’t close her eyes though. Every time she did, she saw the other car coming at her. She couldn’t get out of his way. Knowing he was going to hit her, she had tried to relax her body. It was that reflex that helped her avoid injury. Or so the police had said anyway. That and the fact he had hit some unfortunate man before hitting her, the impact slowing him down some.
“You okay?”
Chapter 20
Startled, she looked at Declan. “Sorry, what was that?”
“I just asked if you were okay. That was a rather big sigh.”
Her cheeks grew hot at the look on his face. He looked worried. But then, for him to worry, he’d have to care about her and they had only danced one dance last night. It was hardly as if they knew each other.
“Fine. I was just miles away.”
“He’s a great kid.” Declan’s eyes went to Dominic who was crashed out in the back of the car.
“Yes, he is. I know he sounded whiny back there, but it was just because he’s tired. Usually he never complains.” That wasn’t strictly true but she didn’t want this man thinking badly of her brother.
“All kids moan, it’s natural.”
“That’s true. I love him, don’t think I don’t, but sometimes the whole parenting thing is tough.”
“He said your parents were dead. How long have you been on your own?”
“Just over five years.”
“You’ve been working as a mechanic all that time? What age did you leave school, twelve?”
“Ha ha, I’m not as young as I look.”
“At least I could make you laugh,” he said. “So, do you like it?”
“What? Being a mechanic? Yeah. Ever since I was a little girl I used to work with my dad. He showed me how to change oil and stuff. He wouldn’t teach me how to do the hard work until he was sure it was what I wanted. He said he didn’t want me to feel trapped. Oh the irony.” Zoe nearly bit her tongue. She’d never told anyone how having the garage felt like a noose around her neck.
“Dominic told me he wants to be an astronaut.”
She was relieved when he didn’t call attention to her bitterness.
“That’s this week,” she said. “Last week he wanted to be a stuntman in the movies. Next week it will be something different.”
“He also said he wanted to be a doctor.”
Zoe sat up. That was unusual. Dominic had confided in Declan. “Really? He told you that? Wow.”
“Why wow?”
“He doesn’t tell anyone that. He says it’s his secret dream. I guess even at ten he knows it’s not likely to happen.”
“He has more of a chance of being a doctor than an astronaut.”
“When you see where we live, you’ll realize that’s not true. Not many doctors from our area. The parents can’t, or won’t, put their kids into college. It’s not their fault a lot of the time. They just don’t make that type of money.”
“Don’t they qualify for grants or financial aid or something? I’m sure it’s possible if you look hard enough to find a way.”
She stared at him, at his clothes which, although casual, spoke of money.
“Easy for you to think something like that.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’m not trying to offensive, Declan, but you look as though you’ve never known what it’s like to go hungry or worry about paying your bills. That’s the reality around here. People work two or three jobs just to put food on the table.”
Oh great, now she was telling him sob stories. What would he think of her?
“I know certain areas have it rough. It’s the same in Ireland.”
“Not likely.” She knew she shouldn’t be arguing. But for some reason she couldn’t help it. He needed to know just how different their respective lives were.
“Have you been?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“Then, with all due respect, how would you know?” His cool response got to her but she didn’t know how to retaliate.
Declan pulled up outside their house.
“I grew up in one of the poorest areas of Dublin and I di
d fine. Sometimes luck plays a part, but I prefer to think opportunity finds those who look for it. Let him dream big. You never know what might happen.”
She was too tired to argue with him. She didn’t believe his story, but it was a good one at least. All she wanted to do was put her head on her pillow and sleep.
Chapter 21
Declan half walked, half carried Dominic into the house. “Where’s his room?”
She showed him rather than try and wake her sleeping brother. Declan went back downstairs as she took off Dom’s shoes and socks and put the duvet over him.
When she came down, the kettle was boiling. She glanced at him for an explanation.
“I hope I haven’t overstepped, I thought you might want a hot drink. A cup of tea is the Irish answer to everything. Do you want to talk about what happened earlier?”
She didn’t want to relive the accident, but it would be nice to have a hug. But she didn’t know him and asking him to put his arms around her would make her sound dumb or desperate.
“No, but thanks. I don’t mean to be rude but I just want to sleep.”
He smiled at her, making her feel awful. He was being so kind. Why? What exactly was he up to?
“I’ll go then. I’m sorry we had to meet again under these circumstances, but I am not sorry I saw you. I wanted to apologize.”
“For what?”
“For what I said last night, at the wedding. I didn’t mean to upset you, but Gertie said I was to blame for you walking off.”
“Gertie?”
“Yes, she gave me a right lecture. But anyway, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to cause offense. I just wanted to see you again.” He opened the front door. “Goodnight Zoe. I hope you sleep well.”
She stared at the back of the door, feeling more than a little confused. All her ideas about rich people were coming crashing around her ears.
Declan couldn’t sleep for thinking about Zoe. What a woman. To take on responsibility for bringing up her brother when most women her age were out having fun.
When she was talking about working two jobs just to pay the bills, had she been talking about herself? He knew Dominic had complained she missed his games, but kids always thought the world revolved around them. From what he’d heard and seen, Declan believed Zoe would put her little brother first as much as humanly possible.
He’d only just met Zoe but she’d had more of an impact on him than any other woman. He wasn’t just sexually attracted to her, although he most certainly was, it was something more. He had a feeling about her. He pulled his pillow over his head. If his management team heard him talking about his feelings, they would kill him. They teased him enough about what they called his “Irish fairy blood”. They’d give him a script to see what he thought. If he said no to it, they would ask him if the Leprechaun said no.
His mam called it his gut instinct. He could hear her saying, “Never ignore your gut and you can’t go far wrong.” It had worked well for him so far, but he had never applied it to his love life.
Chapter 22
His cell buzzed. Picking it up, he saw it was his agent, Mark Le Fleur.
“Hi Mark,” he said sitting up.
“Don’t ‘hi Mark’ me. Didn’t you get my calls? Where are you?”
“What’s going on?” Declan ignored the question about the calls. He had left his answerphone on and hadn’t looked at it since before the wedding.
“Have you been online lately?”
He couldn’t believe Mark was so upset over his last girlfriend getting on one of the social media sites to tell the world what a horrible boyfriend he’d been.
Marissa had her own agenda. She hadn’t wanted him, only his wallet. There were plenty more rich men she could catch. He had treated her well, even after he found out she’d been seeing someone else. And this was his payback? She’d accused him of treating her badly, crying to the press about all his imagined wrongdoings. It was a pity she wasn’t as good an actress on film. If she were, she could make her own way.
“No, not really. I heard Marissa was throwing accusations around but there’s no truth to them. I was out here all weekend. I haven’t been near LA.”
“The big deal, sunshine, is you need to get your butt back here and do some firefighting. We got to get your name out of the gutter or you can kiss your lead in Action Hero 5 goodbye.”
Declan let those words sink in. Would he care if he didn’t get the lead in Action Hero 5? No. The truth hit him like a bolt. It would be a relief.
“Mark, stop panicking. Stevin Sinclair told me that role was mine. It’s in the bag. Even if it isn’t, there are plenty more roles around.”
“God kid, I thought you were brighter than this. Nothing is ever in the bag. He likes you, sure. But would he throw you under the bus? Of course. This is Hollywood, not nursery school. Now have I convinced you, you need to get back here?” Mark snarled.
“I’ll leave tomorrow. There’s something I need to do today.”
“Listen Malone, I’m serious. I don’t care if it’s your grandmother’s funeral. Forget that. I don’t even care if it’s your mother’s funeral. You get back here. The jet is on standby at the airport.”
“Mark, I can’t hear you, it must be the signal. I’ll see you in a couple of days.” Declan cut the call mid-sentence. Darn the man anyway. Didn’t he know you didn’t talk about funerals when people were still alive? Declan crossed himself. How dare he summon him?
He decided the only way to get his mind off the ridiculous accusations was to sweat them out. He went for a grueling, three-mile beach run and returned to the hotel, winded and glistening with sweat.
“You working out this early?” a familiar female voice asked as he made his way through the lobby.
“Morning Gertie. You look well today.”
“Thank you, darling. Flattery will get you everywhere.”
Declan laughed with her.
“Have you heard from Kathy?” he asked, cringing at his own eagerness. “How are Zoe and Dominic doing?”
“They seem okay but Kathy is worried about Zoe. Seems she takes everything to heart but doesn’t trust anyone to help.” Gertie shook her head. “I guess she feels Kathy has enough to cope with, her being on her own with her kids.”
Declan decided not to push the topic. Everyone was entitled to a little privacy—which was something he wished the world would remember about him and his friends sometimes.
“So, are you staying around for long?” Gertie asked.
“No, I have to leave soon. My manager rang earlier, wants me to fly out today.”
“So soon? Is that because of the scandal?” Gertie asked.
He shuddered slightly as a shiver crawled down his back. If Gertie had seen the news, maybe the problem was bigger than he thought. “You saw?”
“Yes. I don’t believe you are capable of cheating on someone. If you were, you wouldn’t be Conor’s best friend.”
“No, absolutely not. But nobody wants to believe that. It’s more exciting to think I was a horrible idiot who mistreated his girlfriend.”
“For what it’s worth, I saw the interview and I know crocodile tears when I see them.”
Declan wanted to hug her. “Thank you, Gertie. It helps to know not everyone believes the worst of me.”
“I like you and wanted to get to know you better. I pride myself on being a good judge of character. Pity you’re leaving so soon.”
“Conor and I are practically family. I’m sure you’ll see me loads.” Declan bent and kissed her on the cheek. “You are a wonderful lady, Gertie. A real tonic.”
“And you are a lovely young man. I want to meet your mom someday. She must be awesome to raise a kid like you.”
“See you around, Gertie. Take care of yourself.”
As Declan headed back to his room to shower and pack, he thought about what Marissa had said. Maybe Mark was right and he should get back. But something told him to check on Zoe and Dominic one last time before he left.
<
br /> Chapter 23
Zoe listened as her accountant ranted on the phone. There wasn’t any point in trying to interrupt him, he’d just talk over her. He was an older, antiquated type who believed a business shouldn’t be run by a woman. Although given she seemed to have lost ten thousand dollars, maybe he was right. Maybe the business would do better without her as the owner.
Chris Lyons had offered her a substantial sum for the business. But he had no interest in keeping the garage open. He wanted to demolish the current buildings and turn the area into a range of luxury apartments for people to have as second homes. With the beach views and the weather, he was convinced it would make all the investors a lot of money.
Chris had even offered her the chance to get in ‘at the bottom’ as he called it. She could double or triple her investment. Although having no financial worries was attractive, she didn’t believe in what Chris was doing. She’d seen far too many small beach areas being destroyed by over development. The locals would be pushed out of their homes to make way for those who could afford the newer developments. As for the impact on the wildlife and sea life, she shuddered. The town was lovely as it was. They didn’t need high rise apartments destroying the landscape. A customer walked in. Smiling, she saw it was Mr. Epstein. She put the cell phone on hold, sure her accountant wouldn’t even notice.
“Morning Mr. Epstein. What can I do for you?”
“My car dear. It just won’t run properly. Don’t know what’s wrong with it. I know you think I should get rid of it.”
She did, the car was ancient and not in a way that made it a valuable antique. She hesitated though, he’d gotten real upset the last time she suggested he replace it.
“Want me to have a look at it?”
“Would you? You seem to have a golden touch. I can wait while you take your call.”
“Oh he won’t notice.”
“Your young man should treat you better,” said the older man.
“Oh Mr. Epstein, you are funny. It’s my accountant. He doesn’t listen to me, prefers the sound of his own voice.”
