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Colm gave her a crooked grin. “Hey, at least I don’t have to clean up shitty underwear.”
Kelli tapped her wineglass against Colm’s mug. “Good point. So…are we going to be the voice of reason for each other at the end of these drinks, or are we going to take this to the next level?”
The question was pure Kelli. He knew if he paid his tab and said good night, she’d follow suit. They’d both head home, pass out, and while they’d have headaches in the morning, they wouldn’t be too much the worse for wear.
But if he ordered another beer, she’d finish the bottle of wine—and maybe even order another—and they’d both pay dearly at work tomorrow.
For Colm, there was only one answer. “Next level.”
She grinned and took another sip. “Game on.”
They continued to bitch about their days until her bottle of wine was drained and he’d finished beers number five and six. After that, they moved on to tequila, though at least they’d been somewhat intelligent and ordered food as well. They complained about their jobs until the bartender yelled out “last call.”
“What time is it?” she asked.
Colm glanced at his phone. “Almost midnight.”
“Damn. Made a critical error. Came to the wrong Collins twin for moral support. Paddy would have switched me to coffee after glass number two and poured me into a cab.”
Colm shrugged unapologetically. “Hey, you gave me a choice.”
“Yeah, I did.” She glanced toward the door. “I guess I should…”
“Did you drive here?”
She nodded. “Really only intended to have one glass of wine while I chewed Paddy’s ear off.”
“Come upstairs. You can sleep in Finn’s room. Sheets are clean. Set your alarm early enough that you can go home, shower, and suffer through a hungover Thursday.”
Kelli stood up. “That sounds perfect. I don’t feel like being alone tonight.”
Colm felt the exact same way.
Chapter Two
Kelli was no stranger to sleepovers at the Collins Dorm—the name Aunt Riley had given the apartment above the pub. She, like so many of the Collins friends, had spent countless nights there, either after too many drinks or simply because it was late and they were tired. Now that so many of Colm’s cousins—and his brother—had moved out, there was plenty of room.
The two of them settled their tabs, then trudged upstairs. Kelli started to turn toward the staircase that led to the third floor, where Colm’s room and what had been his cousin Finn’s room, until he’d moved out, were located.
Colm stopped her. “I’m not tired.”
She laughed. “Yeah. Me either. God. We’re going to be totally fucked tomorrow.”
She was right, but he was keyed up, wired. It was strange, given how completely wiped out he’d been after work. He walked over to the couch and dropped down heavily. “Guess Darcy and the guys have already turned in for the night.”
“Looks like.” Oliver, Darcy, and Gavin had all stopped by to chat for a few minutes as they’d returned home from work before heading upstairs.
Kelli followed him, claiming the other side of the couch. “Do you regret your chosen career?”
It made sense that Kelli had gotten that impression after listening to his work horror stories the past few hours. “Not a bit.”
“I’m glad. Paddy told me once he worried about you, about how hard you work, but that he understood the reason why. That it was because of your mom.”
“You know our mom was in foster care when she was a kid.”
Kelli nodded. “I do.”
Colm’s mother, Lane, had grown up in the system, and while she’d shared bits and pieces of her childhood, it was evident her upbringing had been rough. When Colm decided to study law, specializing in family law felt like a no-brainer because he wanted to do as much as he possibly could to make sure other kids didn’t suffer the same fate as his mother.
