“Don’t act like you have never done it.”
Fiona flicks him the middle finger before going to the back, leaving me alone with him. I want to ask her to come back out. I don’t know why it is weird today with him. I was so comfortable with him yesterday. Was it the alcohol? Or is it the fact that I now know Declan is single? How shitty is that? Casey has done nothing but be nice to me. Yeah, we may need to set some ground rules on the whole touching me thing, but he’s a nice guy. He brought me a daisy. But then again, something is off. I don’t know. I just feel weird.
“What brings you in?”
He smiles. “You. I thought we’d make plans for tonight.”
I smile back at him. “Of course, what would you like to do?”
“Anything you want. We can go driving, we can go to dinner, go back to my place, whatever you like.”
The only thing that appeals to me is dinner. “Dinner would be great. I’m not working tonight.”
“Great. So I’ll pick you up at six?”
I nod. “That would be fine.”
“Awesome,” he says. Getting up, he leans over the bar towards me. I’m pretty sure he is going to kiss me, so I ask, “How do you know Declan O’Callaghan?”
He pauses, his strong forearms on the bar as he looks at me. “Went to school together.”
“Do you two get along?”
He shrugs. “Sure, why?”
“Just asking.”
“Do you talk?”
I nod. “Yeah, he comes in to eat almost every day.”
He eyes me suspiciously, and I have no clue what that is about. “Yeah, like I said, we went to school together, used to be friends, but not so much anymore. He doesn’t really come out and mingle with the common folk anymore. He let the money go to his head like the rest of the O’Callaghan’s do.”
I don’t believe that for a second, but I smile anyway. “Oh, he seems nice to me when he comes by, but I guess I don’t know him that well.”
“Yeah, he’s a shithead. Watch out for that one,” he says before hopping off the stool. “I’ll see ya tonight.”
“All right, bye.”
He sends me one last grin before shutting the door behind him. I lean against the bar, resting my chin in my hand as I replay our conversation. Why was that weird? Forced even? And why can’t I stop thinking about the way Declan held my hand?
“Thank god, he’s gone.”
I jump once more and send Fiona a disgruntled look. “You scared the living shit out of me.”
She laughs. “My bad.”
“No worries,” I say as she passes by me, her arms full with the plastic tray from the dishwasher. “You don’t like Casey?”
She looks up at me as she loads the glasses in the cabinets. “He’s annoying. I went to school with him, dated him for a while too. He’s okay but not really my favorite person. I’m surprised you fancy him actually. He’s an eejit. You should ignore him.”
“Why’s that? And when did y’all date? Is it okay that I’m dating him?
Fiona throws her hands up, palms facing me, as she sets me with a look. “Whoa! You’re dating him?”
“Yeah, he asked me to dinner.”
She lays the tray on the bar and wipes her hands on her apron. “Okay, first, we dated when I was like fifteen. It was mainly just sex.”
“You had sex with him?” I gasp. “That is not cool! I can’t date him when you slept with him.”
“That’s not the reason you can’t date him.”
I’m confused. “Huh? This doesn’t make sense. You’re my cousin, my best friend… Why would he go after me if he’s slept with you?”
Fiona only looks at me, her eyes holding mine for so long that I don’t know if I should say something. She looks as if she is deep in thought, and I’m not sure what to think of it. “Listen, Casey has some history. He may think you don’t know his history and that you’ll give him a fair chance. Most of the ladies in this town already know, but I’m not letting this happen. Like you said, you are my cousin, my best friend, so no way.”
My heart speeds up as she continues to hold my gaze. “What? What history?”
Fiona lets out a breath. “Don’t get mad, okay? I didn’t think you’d actually go out with him. I thought we were just having fun last night, and he is the best tattoo artist in town. Now I see he is blinding you, and there is no way I can let you go out with him. I mean, it’s your choice, but I strongly advise that you don’t.”
“What are you talking about? What’s going on?”
“He was accused of raping someone.”
My heart drops. Surely not. Casey? “Excuse me?”
“It wasn’t proven. It is only rumored, but yeah. Mostly everyone believes it.”
My heart is pounding, my throat dry, and I feel dirty. “I let him touch me. Why didn’t you say anything last night?”
“Kane was there, I was there, nothing was going to happen, and like I said, I didn’t think you really fancied him, Amberlyn. I understand that he is hot, but I thought you were only havin’ a bit of craic.”
I’m shaking my head before she finishes talking. “I was, but I liked him. I thought he was nice.”
Fiona shrugs her shoulders. “He’s charming. He never treated me badly. That’s why I find it hard to believe, but people that know the girl claim it to be true.”
“The girl?”
“Lena O’Callaghan.”
Declan’s sister. “Oh fuck.”
Fiona nods. “Yeah, it wasn’t pretty, but a lot of it was covered up because Lena was out with an eighteen year old, drinking at fifteen. He apparently left her outside the gate, drunk and passed out. She was found by the guards and when her ma was getting her to bed, she noticed bruises and scratches all over Lena’s thighs. They took her to the clinic, and they said she had been raped, but since her mom gave her a bath, there was no evidence to get, ya know? Everyone saw her with Casey though, but he still claims it wasn’t him. I don’t think anyone believed him. Lena doesn’t remember what happened, so they couldn’t really press charges. Old Man O’Callaghan has been trying to get him out of town for years. Last I heard, he offered to pay him to leave. He won’t though.”
Fiona flicks him the middle finger before going to the back, leaving me alone with him. I want to ask her to come back out. I don’t know why it is weird today with him. I was so comfortable with him yesterday. Was it the alcohol? Or is it the fact that I now know Declan is single? How shitty is that? Casey has done nothing but be nice to me. Yeah, we may need to set some ground rules on the whole touching me thing, but he’s a nice guy. He brought me a daisy. But then again, something is off. I don’t know. I just feel weird.
“What brings you in?”
He smiles. “You. I thought we’d make plans for tonight.”
I smile back at him. “Of course, what would you like to do?”
“Anything you want. We can go driving, we can go to dinner, go back to my place, whatever you like.”
The only thing that appeals to me is dinner. “Dinner would be great. I’m not working tonight.”
“Great. So I’ll pick you up at six?”
I nod. “That would be fine.”
“Awesome,” he says. Getting up, he leans over the bar towards me. I’m pretty sure he is going to kiss me, so I ask, “How do you know Declan O’Callaghan?”
He pauses, his strong forearms on the bar as he looks at me. “Went to school together.”
“Do you two get along?”
He shrugs. “Sure, why?”
“Just asking.”
“Do you talk?”
I nod. “Yeah, he comes in to eat almost every day.”
He eyes me suspiciously, and I have no clue what that is about. “Yeah, like I said, we went to school together, used to be friends, but not so much anymore. He doesn’t really come out and mingle with the common folk anymore. He let the money go to his head like the rest of the O’Callaghan’s do.”
I don’t believe that for a second, but I smile anyway. “Oh, he seems nice to me when he comes by, but I guess I don’t know him that well.”
“Yeah, he’s a shithead. Watch out for that one,” he says before hopping off the stool. “I’ll see ya tonight.”
“All right, bye.”
He sends me one last grin before shutting the door behind him. I lean against the bar, resting my chin in my hand as I replay our conversation. Why was that weird? Forced even? And why can’t I stop thinking about the way Declan held my hand?
“Thank god, he’s gone.”
I jump once more and send Fiona a disgruntled look. “You scared the living shit out of me.”
She laughs. “My bad.”
“No worries,” I say as she passes by me, her arms full with the plastic tray from the dishwasher. “You don’t like Casey?”
She looks up at me as she loads the glasses in the cabinets. “He’s annoying. I went to school with him, dated him for a while too. He’s okay but not really my favorite person. I’m surprised you fancy him actually. He’s an eejit. You should ignore him.”
“Why’s that? And when did y’all date? Is it okay that I’m dating him?
Fiona throws her hands up, palms facing me, as she sets me with a look. “Whoa! You’re dating him?”
“Yeah, he asked me to dinner.”
She lays the tray on the bar and wipes her hands on her apron. “Okay, first, we dated when I was like fifteen. It was mainly just sex.”
“You had sex with him?” I gasp. “That is not cool! I can’t date him when you slept with him.”
“That’s not the reason you can’t date him.”
I’m confused. “Huh? This doesn’t make sense. You’re my cousin, my best friend… Why would he go after me if he’s slept with you?”
Fiona only looks at me, her eyes holding mine for so long that I don’t know if I should say something. She looks as if she is deep in thought, and I’m not sure what to think of it. “Listen, Casey has some history. He may think you don’t know his history and that you’ll give him a fair chance. Most of the ladies in this town already know, but I’m not letting this happen. Like you said, you are my cousin, my best friend, so no way.”
My heart speeds up as she continues to hold my gaze. “What? What history?”
Fiona lets out a breath. “Don’t get mad, okay? I didn’t think you’d actually go out with him. I thought we were just having fun last night, and he is the best tattoo artist in town. Now I see he is blinding you, and there is no way I can let you go out with him. I mean, it’s your choice, but I strongly advise that you don’t.”
“What are you talking about? What’s going on?”
“He was accused of raping someone.”
My heart drops. Surely not. Casey? “Excuse me?”
“It wasn’t proven. It is only rumored, but yeah. Mostly everyone believes it.”
My heart is pounding, my throat dry, and I feel dirty. “I let him touch me. Why didn’t you say anything last night?”
“Kane was there, I was there, nothing was going to happen, and like I said, I didn’t think you really fancied him, Amberlyn. I understand that he is hot, but I thought you were only havin’ a bit of craic.”
I’m shaking my head before she finishes talking. “I was, but I liked him. I thought he was nice.”
Fiona shrugs her shoulders. “He’s charming. He never treated me badly. That’s why I find it hard to believe, but people that know the girl claim it to be true.”
“The girl?”
“Lena O’Callaghan.”
Declan’s sister. “Oh fuck.”
Fiona nods. “Yeah, it wasn’t pretty, but a lot of it was covered up because Lena was out with an eighteen year old, drinking at fifteen. He apparently left her outside the gate, drunk and passed out. She was found by the guards and when her ma was getting her to bed, she noticed bruises and scratches all over Lena’s thighs. They took her to the clinic, and they said she had been raped, but since her mom gave her a bath, there was no evidence to get, ya know? Everyone saw her with Casey though, but he still claims it wasn’t him. I don’t think anyone believed him. Lena doesn’t remember what happened, so they couldn’t really press charges. Old Man O’Callaghan has been trying to get him out of town for years. Last I heard, he offered to pay him to leave. He won’t though.”
