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“I’ll come help you,” Nuala said, and I frowned a little as she joined Shay and immediately engaged him with more sign language. It seemed to put him at ease, while I was left feeling some discomfort because she was a beautiful woman. Of course, I was going to be jealous. My feelings for Shay were deeper than any I’d had for a man before, and it was scary because we were still in such a tentative place.
“You don’t need to worry about Nuala,” came a voice, and I turned to find Rhys sitting next to me, his intelligent eyes taking me in. “She’s friendly like that with most new people she meets.”
“A golden retriever, I think, is the term for it,” Tristan said.
“Oh, I wasn’t worried,” I told them, flushing.
Both men didn’t look convinced, and I swallowed thickly. Seeming to sense my discomfort, Rhys changed the subject and addressed his friend. “You mentioned there was something you wanted to tell me?”
“Right,” Tristan replied, smacking his forehead. “I’ve been meaning to mention this for ages but kept forgetting. Guess who’s coming to work at the hotel in the New Year?”
Rhys shot him a sceptical look. “Who?”
“Charli. Remember my cousin from back in the day? She came to stay with us that one summer?”
My attention went to Rhys, who seemed to stiffen at this news. “Oh,” he said finally. “Yes, I remember Charli. Didn’t she get married?”
“Straight out of college, yeah. Never met the bloke, but it turns out, he was a bit of a shithead. She divorced him a few months ago. That’s why she’s moving over here, for a fresh start. Dad offered her a job doing payroll, and she jumped at the chance. You know she always loved Ireland.”
“Well, hopefully, the fresh start will be good for her,” Rhys said just as Shay and Nuala returned with the drinks. Shay set my Coke down, and I took a fortifying sip as he slid into the seat on the other side of me. Soon, Stephanie appeared, joining our table, and conversation turned to other topics. I wondered if Shay felt like as much of an outsider as I did because the four obviously knew each other well. They spoke of people and events that meant nothing to me.
I bent close to Shay and murmured, “I’m just going to use the bathroom. I’ll be back in a minute.”
He nodded, his eyes meeting mine as he gave my hand a squeeze. Leaving the table, I went in search of the bathroom and found it easily enough. There was a bit of a queue, and by the time I got to a stall, I was ready to burst. Maybe I shouldn’t have drunk that Coke so fast. I was almost finished doing my business when I heard a new group enter the bathroom, and they sounded tipsy, well on their way to being drunk.
“Did you see Rhys Doyle tonight?” one of them said, catching my attention. “I swear, I could eat that man right up.”
“Not cool,” another said. “Don’t you know he’s engaged to Stephanie Moran?”
“Of course, I know that. Sure, the woman barely leaves his side.”
“Marking her territory,” a third put in. “You can’t blame her. If I had a man like that, I wouldn’t be letting him out of my sight either.”
“Well, what about the cousin?” The second one said, and my belly tightened. “He’s just as handsome as Rhys, and he always looks so dark and mysterious in the security uniform.”
“Right, but he seems kind of shy. I’ve never really seen him talking to anyone.”
“Didn’t you know? He’s mute, like, can’t speak at all.”
“Really? I had no idea. Wow, that’s fascinating.”
“How is it fascinating, Monica? The man can’t utter a word. Can you imagine how life must be for him?”
“It’s just rare, I guess. I’ve never met anyone who was mute. Maybe that’s why it’s fascinating.”
“If you find it so fascinating, why don’t you go out there and ask him to dance? You don’t need to be able to talk to dance at a party. You also don’t need to talk to do other things, if you get me. Who knows, maybe you might get lucky.”
“You think I won’t do it, but I will. He’s gorgeous, and I deserve a Christmas fling.”
Panic set in as I quickly emerged from the stall, but they were already gone. I was possessive of Shay, and I hated hearing those women talk about him. But my jealousy aside, I suspected he’d hate being approached by a tipsy coworker and asked to dance. And that was why I hurried back out to the party to save Shay before that Monica lady got to him.
18.
Shay
I frowned in the direction of the bathrooms, wondering if Maggie was okay. She’d been in there for a while. Then a woman appeared in front of me, blocking my view. She was younger than me, probably in her mid-twenties. I recognised her as one of the bar staff from the hotel restaurant.
