by Fiona Starr
“And… what happened?”
“Nothing!” She’s positively glowing. “Maddie, I can’t explain it. He’s so different from what you’d expect. I mean, he has this whole rocker persona going on, right? But that’s for show, for the band… for their fans. It’s what people want. But the real Sean is quiet and shy, and he’s thoughtful and so sweet. We met in the green room and he brought us coffees and we sat and just talked.”
“Aw, you’re blushing,” I croon.
“I’m kind of blown away. There’s too much going on tonight, we’re going to go late again, but he said he wants to spend time with me, like real time. We’re going to meet for breakfast in the morning, before the schedule starts.”
“Wow.” I am genuinely surprised. “I wasn’t expecting this.”
“Right? Me neither. I have fantasized about meeting him and having like a serious grope session or a quickie or something… but he is nothing like that—couldn’t be more different. He’s sweet and genuinely charming, and not into the whole groupie scene. Janie’s never hinted at how down-to-earth he really is. Come to think of it, I am going to have a word with her about that because I could have totally ruined this if I had gone in with guns blazing, you know?”
We laugh at the vision of her scaring Sean Black away. The bartender delivers our drinks and takes our order. I’m starving and for the first time in recent memory I feel relaxed and happy.
By the time our food arrives, the pub has become more crowded. People stand two-deep at the bar, and all the tables are full. The booth by the window is bursting with a group of friends who all squeeze in. I take in the room again and smile. It’s kind of like the bar back home in Blaze during the off season. Mostly locals, and everyone is just hanging out, catching up, and moving from table to table to check in with friends.
“All right, I’ve caught you up on every second of my trip. Your turn.” Lacy places her arm on mine, her voice serious. “How are you doing? Are you glad you came?”
I nod. “I really needed this. It’s going to be a great weekend.”
A man appears at our the table and touches the empty chair next to me. “Are ye using this?” He’s got dark eyes and a scruff of wild beard sprinkled with brown and red.
I can’t help but smile at the musical sound of his words. Even the simplest conversation seems overly quaint and charming; utterly distracting. “No, please, it’s yours.”
“Brilliant, thanks!” He turns the chair around right where it is and joins the group crowded around the table next to us.
Lacy finishes her drink and waves to the bartender to bring another round. “What did you do this afternoon?”
I don’t answer right way. I finish my beer and lick the foam from my lips. What am I supposed to say? But something on my face betrays me.
Lacy isn’t fooled. She glares at me with laser focus. “Madeline Ophelia Blaze… what have you been up to?”
I feel the flush rise up my neck as my face gets hot.
She laughs. “Tell me everything.”
GERARD
I turn the shower on as hot as it will go and step inside.
It feels great to have made the decision to fight back. My ex—that woman whose name I shall not utter—she’s been a blight on my soul. I haven’t seen it this clearly until today. Until just now. Something about my encounter with Madeline has broken through a wall in my head and made me realize just how heavy a burden this whole thing has been. I’ve been free to do whatever I like with dating and such since the snake left me, but I never really felt free.
Even today, the moment after the spell with Madeline was broken, the instant she was walking away… my ex took over my attention. And not because I miss her and want her back, not at all… but because I feel shackled to this fight.
I don’t want to live like that any longer.
Meeting Madeline—having such an amazing connection with her despite the fact that she was sent to me by my lawyer—it felt like the sun breaking through after a storm. Allen has always known what I needed and this time is no exception. I have to remember to really thank him for sending her to me.
Madeline. Just thinking of her hands on me makes my cock stiffen. I can still feel her lips on mine, the taste of her mouth, the soapy smell of her skin, her eyes… It seems so strange to feel anything for someone I spent only minutes with. And yet, whatever this is… this connection… it is undeniable.
I imagine her hand on my hardness. I remember the way her fingers felt squeezing me through the soft fabric of my kilt, running her hand over my length. I reach down and wrap my soapy hand around my cock and close my eyes, letting the heat of the shower and this fantastic memory take me away.
My phone rings as I’m heading out to my car. I pull it from my pocket and see that it’s Allen and slide my finger across the glass. “Wise One, what news do you have for me?” I ask.
“My courier has delivered the papers. He waited to confirm that her attorney had them in hand before he left.”
“Excellent.” I look at my watch. It’s not yet dinner time, but I haven’t eaten since this morning.
“Yeah. This is good, Gerry. Just brilliant. I think she’ll come to her senses and sign.”
“Hope so. Otherwise we’re going to have to arrange a leak of some compromising photos.”
Allen laughs. “I think the world can handle seeing the heir to the Cosgrave Textiles fortune in his birthday suit.”
“Well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, eh? I was thinking of heading into Dublin? Shall we go for one?”
“I assumed you had plans with your brother. Beckett’s in town this week, right?”
“Yeah, but he’s working in the kitchen. Granny sprained her ankle and you know how particular she is about the food at the castle.”
“That woman is a force. Actually, I am headed your way. Going to meet Sarah at my mum and dad’s this evening. They’re taking the boys so we can get away for the weekend. I’m leaving now.”
Allen’s parents live in the village just up the road. “Even better. How about Mackey’s say…” I look at my watch again. “Five o’clock?”
“That’ll work, yeah? I’ll see you then, so. Okay.” Allen rings off.
I head back into the house and grab my jacket and start walking to the village. As I turn into the lane, I find myself walking along the hedge row and a patch of quince flowers. I pluck a cluster and hold it to my nose as I walk. I can’t help but smile as I think about Madeline and those few stolen minutes this afternoon. I know it wasn’t real, but there was something else there, under the ruse. I know she felt it too.
I wonder if Allen will give me her number.
Chapter Seven
MADELINE
The bar is positively packed now. Each time the door opens more people step inside and chairs get lifted over the crowd and placed into any vacant spot. Lacy and I have been absorbed into the group sitting next to us. Everyone’s enthralled by her stories about all the parties and events she’s been attending with the boys from Blackthorn.
We listen to several of the locals share their tales of the Black brothers when they were just starting up and busking in the city.
Lacy doesn’t tell anyone about her private meeting with Sean Black. She leans over and whispers in my ear. “So, you expect me to believe that you and Kilt Boy didn’t finish what you started?”
I sigh. “We didn’t finish anything. We barely even spoke.”
She’s eyeing me like I am not telling her everything. “And…?”
“And nothing. Are you kidding? I can’t even think about a man right now. I am in no place to be meeting anyone new… let alone starting something.”
“Uh huh…” She isn’t impressed. “You’re holding out on me.”
I feel a flush coming up my neck again. I can’t help it, there was something electric about meeting him. “Dammit.” I take another sip of my beer and use the moment to brace myself. She’s going to laugh at me and I don’t know if I can
take it. “Lace… I promise you that everything happened exactly as I said. But…”
“But?”
“But… I can’t explain it.” I look over my shoulder as if anyone were listening, but the whole place is busy enjoying themselves. “The entire thing felt different, special. I feel so stupid, but when I first saw him it was like the Universe slapped my cheek and say, pay attention!”
She smiles and doesn’t seem at all like she’s going to laugh. “Oh, Maddie, really? But that’s exciting.” She nods as she thinks about what I just said. “So, you went for a walk, found a secret door into a hedged garden, stumbled upon this hot guy, had a magical moment with him where the Universe slapped you awake, and then you just walked away?”
I feel my eyes well up. Did I make the wrong choice again? “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him. Not the making out and stuff, but him… like… I feel like I am supposed to be here this weekend—to meet him.”
“Then go back! Find out who he is!”
“There’s no way. Besides, it’s insane. I feel like I am going crazy.”
“Why? Because he’s the groundskeeper?”
“What? No, I don’t care what he does. No. I just… Lacy… my wedding was supposed to be in two weeks. Everything in my life has just imploded. I can’t think about chasing some random guy right now.”
She leans back in her chair, her face serious. “First of all, your life didn’t implode. You discovered you fiancé was lying and you ended things—like a boss. You were powerful and in charge, and he’s in some real trouble. Nobody, and I mean nobody thinks you’re a fool. You took this mess by the reins and kicked that asshole to the curb where he belongs. Second, you just spent the last hour gushing like I haven’t seen you in years, telling me about how amazing and magical and not typical this guy was. The only thing that’s crazy about this is that you’re pushing it away.”
I stare at her and I feel only confusion. “Oh god. I don’t know what I’m doing!” I cross my arms on the table and drop my head onto them. I want to run away, but there’s nowhere to go. “What should I do, Lacy? I feel like I can’t be trusted with decisions. Tell me what to do.”
GERARD
Allen pulls open the door and I step into Mackey’s, scanning the place, looking for a couple of seats. Mackey waves to me from behind the bar and points into the main room. He lifts a couple of chairs into the crowd, handing them off to folks who pass the chairs along and drop them down at a table near the center of the room. I follow Allen toward the chairs and say hello to everyone, shaking hands and slapping shoulders as I go.
Mackey arrives at our table. “Gerry, Allen, good to see ye both.”
I shake his hand. “Thanks, man. Good crowd today.”
“To be sure. The whole world is in the city for the Blackthorn boys, so the locals are staying close. Can’t say that I mind, now.” He laughs. “A couple pints, then?”
I nod. “Thanks, Mackey.” I spin the little cluster of quince flowers in my fingers and press them to my nose again.
“What’s with the blooms?” Allen asks.
“Funny you should ask… I should thank you.”
“What for?”
“Come on. I know you sent that girl to me today.”
“What girl? You think I have girls that I send people? Come on, man. I haven’t sent anyone.”
“The girl who showed me how right you are. The one who woke me up and made me realize I needed to fight the viper. Admit it, you’re dying to say I told you so.”
“You’re mad. I have no idea what you’re talking about. But, whoever it was who made you decide to fight back… I owe them a pint to show my gratitude.” Allen stands up. “I need to use the toilet.”
He steps away, inching through the crowd toward the back of the pub. Behind him, with her shoulder to me, sits Madeline.
She’s changed her clothes and she’s wearing makeup now, but there’s no mistaking that it’s her. My heart does a flip as it hammers in my chest. I can’t look away. It is her. She’s here.
Watching her, it’s clear that something’s wrong. She looks troubled talking to her friend. Then she drops her head into her arms and groans.
I slip into Allen’s chair to get closer; I can’t resist.
Her friend is consoling her. “Maddie, I can’t tell you what to do. I am so sorry that everything fell apart. None of us really knows how anything will end up, right? Look at the bright side, you ended it before it was too late.”
Madeline sits up and drops her hands to her sides as if resigned. “You’re right. I need to snap out of it. I’m sorry I’m such a drag. I didn’t mean to come here to ruin your vacation.”
“Oh, shut up. I love you. Now, finish your beer. I’m going to get us some shots.”
Chapter Eight
MADELINE
God, the last thing I need is to get wasted. Come to think of it that’s exactly how I met Peter. I should swear off bars all together. They are terrible places to meet people.
Lacy’s ordering shots from the bartender. A couple of people have pulled out acoustic guitars and they’re strumming away in the corner. A white-haired woman at the bar hums a tune and claps in time with the guitars. The players nod to each other as they pick up the song and she begins to sing.
It’s an Irish folk song. That sense of being lost in time comes over me again and I close my eyes and let it take me. There’s something special about Ireland and the people and the easy way they enjoy the simpler things. I need more of this in my life. I take a deep breath and catch a whiff of something sweet in the air. I open my eyes and there’s a sprig of quince flowers on the table in front of me.
Adrenaline zings through my body. What the hell? Am I hallucinating? Have I lost my mind?
Lacy returns and places the two shots on the table next to the flowers. “Are you all right? You’ve gone totally pale. What’s wrong? What’s with the flowers?”
I turn to her and blink. “You can see them? The flowers?”
She laughs. “What? Of course I see them, they are right there. Where did you get them?”
I shake my head. “I… I…”
A man’s voice comes from my right. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”
I turn my head and watch as Gerry, the man from the garden, shifts in his chair and faces me.
“You look forlorn, I thought the flowers might cheer you.”
“What…? How…?”
“I might ask you the same,” he says.
Another guy sits in the chair opposite Gerry and sips his beer. “Who’s this then?”
Gerry turns to his friend and then back to me. “Really? Are you two ever going to give up the game?”
His friend smiles. “Oh, is the girl you met earlier?” He leans over the table toward me and extends a hand. “Gerry’s convinced I sent you to meet him today. Won’t hear otherwise. Says you’re the reason he’s able to change his life.”
Change his life? I can’t speak. My chest is tight and I can feel my blood coursing through my veins, rushing in my ears.
Lacy squeezes my shoulder and whispers. “Hey, you ok? What’s going on?”
I swallow and breathe, letting my senses return to me. I look at the flowers, and at Gerry, and at his friend and I can’t help but feel like the butt of a joke.
Was this all a setup? I try to puzzle it out. From the moment I arrived, the bellhop mentioned the north gardens with a wink and then the garden gate was unlocked, and… No. The only way this could have been staged is if Lacy were in on it and there is just no way… she would never do that to me. Not after all that’s happened.
I need to get out of here.
I stand up too fast. My blood rushes and feel like I’m going to topple over.
Gerry is on his feet and he catches me. His touch makes me swoon. The magic of our moments in the garden today comes swirling back.
He settles me back into my chair. “No need to run off, Madeline. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Lacy’s mouth falls open. “You know her name… Wait… You’re Kilt Boy!”
Allen sputters and sprays beer all over the table. “Kilt Boy? What ever have you done, Gerry?”
“Stop with the charade already, Allen. I’m on to you both.”
Something about the way he says that snaps me back to reality. “I don’t know what game you two are playing, but I am not interested.” I stand up and throw back the shot that Lacy bought and slam the glass down on the table.
Gerry looks offended. “I am an innocent bystander in this one, he’ll tell you.”
I glare at him. “Innocent? You think games like this are innocent?” I pick up my pint glass and throw what’s left of my Guinness on him. “Talk to me after you’ve pried a gold digger’s hands off your bank account and tell me how innocent you think games like this are.”
Gerry wipes the beer off his face, throws his head back and laughs. “Gold digger? I knew it! Ha! Allen you are a dog. A mastermind lawyer, but a dog all the same.” He raises his glass in a toast to Allen, ignoring the beer soaking his shirt and jeans. “Slainté.”
I kiss Lacy on the cheek. “I have to get out of here.”
She nods and pulls her wallet from her purse. “I’ll take care of this and catch up with you in a minute.”
She squeezes my hand as I leave. I don’t breathe until I am outside in the fresh air.
GERARD
Madeline is gone and her friend turns on me, her finger in my face. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
I don’t know what to say. “With me? I’m sorry, but I think you’ve got it all wrong. Madeline just admitted it was a set up.”
“How did she admit that?”
