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“Girlfriend. You became a statue. You were like a deer in headlights. ‘Maybe if I sit still, I won’t be noticed.’ Which is super silly, not wanting to be noticed when you’re freaking gorgeous.” I say it lightheartedly, but I mean the words.
“Yeah, well...”
But she doesn’t complete the thought.
“‘Yeah, well...’ You have nothing to add?” I joke, to which she laughs.
“Just eat your damn shalaylee.”
CHAPTERSEVEN
Jake
“Take your thirty, Wesley,”Saint tells me, walking behind the bar. Cash took over at the door, and Saint is now in the supervisor role. In the thirty minutes since Sophia and her friend arrived, I’ve cooled off my annoyance toward Saint, but that hasn’t stopped me from glancing across the room in the girls’ direction.
Unfortunately, Sophia sits with her back to me but watching the friend, it seems like they’re having a good time.
“Sure thing.” O’Gallaghers isn’t calm by any means, but it’s been a tolerable steady. It’s probably best if we try and get as many lunchbreaks out of the way before the later crowd arrives.
“There’s a shit ton of pizza in the office,” he adds, moving away from me and toward a patron. “Eat up.”
As I’m about to push into the kitchen area, I glance once more in Sophia’s direction—at the same time she turns her head to look over her shoulder. Our gazes collide and then hold...yet I don’t stop my forward motion, continuing to walk through the swinging door, back toward the office.
I don’t make it to the office—and damn, the pizza smells good—before giving in to the desire coursing through me.
I have to see her.
And not just random glances over to her back.
I’m not sure what it is about her that has me hooked. Maybe it was her quiet nature within her group of friends. Or, maybe it was how she slowly came out of her shell the other night. Whatever it was, she’s not been far from my mind.
If I get to her table and she’s talking, or doesn’t seem interested, or hell...if she and her friend have left, I’ll just use the excuse I needed to use the restroom.
Happy with my plan, I head back to the busy pub, walking along the back wall, all while my eyes scan the area in front of me until I find her where she’d been for the last hour.
Except once again, she is alone.
“Hey, Sophia,” I say, with far more confidence in my tone than I’m feeling. She turns her head toward me as I close the distance, crossing my arms on the high top table. “How’s it going?”
With a small smile, Sophia reaches up to push her light hair behind her ear. “Jake. Hi. I wasn’t... I didn’t...” When she can’t finish the sentence, she bites her lower lip. Something about her white teeth pushing into her plump lower lip has blood racing south.
Clearing my throat, I give her a crooked grin. “Your friend... Is it your roommate who’s with you tonight? I thought I saw you come in with someone.”
“Yeah. Emina. She just ran to the restroom.”
“Ah. That’s what I was about to do but saw you here alone. Just wanted to stop by, see how you were doing. Are you guys enjoying yourselves?”
“We are.” She nods a couple of times, her eyes never leaving mine. “I wasn’t sure I wanted to come out but Emina loves all the holidays,” she says with a small giggle. “I thought O’Gallaghers was going to be the best place for St. Patrick’s Day.”
“There are a lot of good spots, but I agree. We’re probably the best.” It’s not cocky when it’s true.
We smile at one another, but before I can ask her anything else, Emina comes back.
“Emina, this is Jake.”
“Ah, yes. Jake the Bartender,” Emina grins, holding out her hand. I shake it, even though we more or less met already. “Thank you for making sure she got home okay the other night.”
“It wasn’t a problem. I actually live near you guys, so it really wasn’t a big deal at all.”
