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“Mmm, I totally just blew through the Rock Rebels series. I loved them. The way she writes…just, yum,” Iris sighed, and Kane’s breath caught. He could’ve kicked himself for putting himself in this position. “What’s your screenplay about?”
“It’s…a romantic comedy, actually,” Kane admitted, his cheeks flushing a bit. It was one of the reasons he wrote under a pen name. It wasn’t as common for a man to write in the romance genre, so it had been easier for him to write the books of his heart under a pen name.
“Reallllllly?” Iris drew the word out. “Color me surprised. I was certain it would be like fantasy death machine war stuff.”
“Is that right? Do I strike you as violent?” Kane raised an eyebrow as the fiddler started to play.
“Well, what with all the murdering…” Iris choked on a laugh when Cait, who’d been cruising by their table at that exact moment, shot them both a warning look. “She’s going to kick us out soon if we don’t behave.”
“Music’s starting up anyway. It’s a good time to be quiet,” Kane said, hoping to move past the subject matter of his work. He’d need to come clean with her soon enough if they spent any more time together, but not tonight.
“Do they really just shove into a booth and play like that?” Iris lowered her voice as a thin woman with tangled gray hair started to sing a lively tune.
“Yes, ’tis true. We Irish love a good session. Settle in and enjoy. It’s a treat to hear, I’ll tell you that much,” Kane said, a smile on his lips as he relaxed into the music.
“I have to say…I’m thinking this was a good choice for us both.” Iris raised her wineglass to his again. “Instead of nursing broken hearts, we’re eating world-class food and listening to beautiful music.”
“Is your heart broken, then?” Kane surprised himself by asking, even though he’d just said they didn’t have to talk anymore. But he found himself desperately wanting to know the answer.
“It…it is. But not for the reasons you’d think,” Iris whispered, not wanting to be rude over the music.
“Then why?” Kane pushed the point.
“Because it taught me that I couldn’t trust myself. Or others,” Iris said, sadness creeping into her eyes as she swayed lightly to the music.
Kane wanted to say something to change her opinion or to give her hope that she wouldn’t always feel that way.
But then he’d just be a hypocrite, wouldn’t he? Instead, he leaned back in his chair and sipped his pint, wondering how two shattered souls had ended up at the same table together.
Chapter 7
“I think he’s the one,” John said late the following morning while Iris lingered over her second cup of coffee and watched the world pass by on the street below.
“You say that with every man you meet,” Iris pointed out.
“And I’m not wrong,” John said, the sound of the shower running coming through the phone. “Until he’s not.”
“An optimist at heart.” Iris chuckled, crossing her arms and leaning on the window ledge. Her eyes caught on a familiar face, and a warm trickle of…something washed through her as she watched Kane stop and pick up a bunch of mixed flowers on the sidewalk in front of the market across the street.
“More like a romantic. Maybe you’ll get there again someday if you can get past Warren,” John said. Iris heard the shower curtain rattle on its rungs and knew she’d be put on speakerphone shortly. It wasn’t uncommon for them to chat while they got ready for the day, something that had often annoyed Warren. While she’d changed a lot of things for her ex-boyfriend, her friendships were one area that Iris had never capitulated on. The idea of family was somewhat foreign to Iris, as she only had her mother and no siblings or extended family members. The fact she’d managed to procure a small set of loyal friends was something Iris never took for granted.
“I am past him,” Iris mumbled absentmindedly, her attention fixated on Kane as he took his time picking out which flowers he wanted. The contrast was appealing to her–this overly handsome and exceedingly masculine man taking his time to examine which delicate bunch of posies he wanted. The fact that he would even think to stop and smell the flowers was also equally appealing.
“Are you really? It’s been just over a week since he blew up your world and your business. You’re over him already? If that’s the case, honey, you never should have been under him,” John said, his voice echoing in the bathroom as he showered.
“You’re not wrong,” Iris said, his words settling inside her. The truth laid down, like the first layer of foundation to build her new life upon, and she felt some of the tension that plagued her begin to ease. “You are absolutely and entirely correct, John. If a man didn’t have the ability to shatter me when I left, then what was I even doing with him? I should have seen that a long time ago. I became complacent and accepting because…it was just easier. And this is what the universe has served up. One big heaping lesson with a side of get your shit together on top.”
“Life lessons are rarely fun, are they?” John asked. It was something else she appreciated about him. While he certainly enjoyed pointing out when he’d been right about something, John never rubbed people’s faces in it. It was as though he wanted his good insights to be noted, a little checkmark next to a line item on a list, and then he’d happily move forward to help however he could. It was one of the many reasons he was the best of friends.
“No, they really aren’t.” Iris sighed. But it wasn’t the sigh of someone sad about a life lesson. She sighed because Kane had turned and laughed at something a passerby had said. She found herself caught on him, his head thrown back and his face alive in laughter, and she committed the image to memory. When his eyes lighted on her, Iris squeaked. “Eeek!”
“What? What’s happened? A mouse?” John asked, the shower going off.
Iris ducked from the window, having totally been busted staring, and then took a few breaths to remind herself that she was a grown woman who had every right to look out the window of her apartment, no flat, if she wanted. Drawing herself back up, she leaned on the window again to find Kane gone. Her heart fell.
“No, I just got busted staring at a guy…” Iris admitted.
“Oh, tell me more…” John said.
