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Rory’s grin faltered. “Wha…” He looked at Declan, then at me, and did a double take back at Declan and asked, “What the hell did you just say?”
“You heard me. You’re the only man that I trust, even though you two hate each other.”
That was it, I stood up, said my goodnights and walked out of the room laughing to myself as Rory sat there sputtering.
Chapter 8
Kat
I walk into the kitchen at 7:30 am in a state reminiscent of a zombie, and I feel like throwing up.
“What will you have, Kat?” Connor asks, cradling a bowl of eggs in the crook of his arm.
I pull out a stool from the breakfast bar. Sitting down, I watch in fascination as he beats the hell out of them. I was always jealous of people who knew how to cook. Me, I can burn a pot of water.
As he pours the mixture onto the grill set in the granite countertop, it sizzles and the smell of it has me swallowing the bile that stings my throat. He tosses green peppers, onions and crispy bacon onto the mixture, and I look away.
After going to bed, I tossed for a good hour before I finally caved and called Derek in Nevada. The bar was hopping with the usual breaking of theglass, and I wished I was there instead.
After giving him the rundown of my current situation, he was tickled pink that I was challenging the spot as Captain. We talked a few minutes more before he had to let me go but made sure to tell me to kick Rory’s ass if the need arose.
I spent the rest of the night tossing and turning until the witching hour of 3 am when I finally fell asleep. But it was a fitful one because I ended up having a nightmare about spending time with Rory.
“Kat?”
I yawn into my hand. “Just coffee for me, Connor.”
“Nonsense, you barely ate any supper last night, and you have a big day ahead of you. You need the fuel,” he smiled, setting a steaming mug down in front of me.
I took a sip of the strong brew as I looked at the grill and said, “Whatever that is, is fine.”
I stared blankly, lost in my thoughts as I sipped my coffee only to snap out of it when he set a plate piled high with scrambled eggs down in front of me.
“Eat,” he ordered as he folded his arms across his chest. “Eat and tell me what’s on your mind.”
I looked at him as I picked up the fork off thenapkin beside my plate and said, “What makes you think something is on my mind?”
“Intuition.” He smiled, topping off my coffee. “No, not really. But it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that your life has taken a turn since coming here.”
I nod. “It sure has.” That’s all I was willing to divulge of my life. “Tell me what kind of person Rory is.”
“Rory?” He grabbed his coffee cup and took a sip as he sat down beside me. “Well, he’s funny as hell, reliable and dependable. If you’re ever in a bind, he’s the man that you want to have your back.”
I wondered for a minute if he was deliberately trying to make Rory sound better than the man I saw or if he meant every word. “Is he actually related to the family?”
He shook his head. “Nah. Declan met him years ago. Almost killed him, but he didn’t. Thick as thieves after that first meeting, they were… well they still are,” he chuckled. He stood up abruptly as if he had said too much. “You want anything else to eat? Some fruit maybe?”
I heard the footsteps of someone coming from the dining room and knew instantly that it was Rory. Connor must have too, because he had quickly changed the subject by asking if I wanted anythingelse.
“Is she in there Connor?” He barked before he entered the room.
Ignoring him as he stepped into the kitchen, I looked at the cook and said, “No thanks Connor, the eggs were enough.” Surprised that I finished it all, I picked up my plate and asked, “Is there a dishwasher?” I was fully prepared to wash it if there wasn’t.
“Right here.” Connor opened the door to it and took the plate from me.
Rory stalked over to the coffee machine and filled a Yeti with the brew. He snapped the lid on and turned to look at me. “Let’s go.”
With a wave to Connor, I followed him out the kitchen into the mud room where he was rifling through a cupboard.
