“Kieran!” Clare reached out a hand and squeezed his. “It’s great to see you here. Who’s your gorgeous date?”
“I’m Nora, and I’m definitely not his date.” Nora introduced herself with a handshake and an infectious smile.
“Wow, you’re eager to make that clear, huh?” Kieran teased, his brows raised and a smile spreading over his lips. He wasn’t interested in dating her, but it certainly didn’t help his ego to know she had no interest in him, either.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Clare’s cheeks flushed crimson. “I didn’t mean to start—”
“It’s fine. I’ll just have to pine after Nora in secrecy,” Kieran joked.
Nora rolled her eyes at him, and Clare laughed. “Can I get you guys something to drink?”
“I’d love a Coke,” Kieran said.
“And I’ll have a vodka with cranberry. Ignore Kieran’s lies. I’m just not dating anyone right now. I’m dating myself, and it’s the best relationship I’ve ever had.” Nora leaned over the counter toward Clare. “I’ll be honest,” she whispered conspiratorially, “I think I may have found The One.”
Both women erupted into more laughter at her comment, and Clare walked off to fetch their order. A few minutes later, he and Nora were enjoying their drinks, and Clare was leaning against the bar chatting with them.
“So why are you working here, Clare? I know Rory’s doing better than me when it comes to finances, since he signs my paychecks,” Kieran asked, not really caring if the question was rude. If she was going to be part of the Kavanagh clan, she’d have to get used to the prying that came along with it.
“Who’s Rory?” Nora butted in.
“Oh, I’m dating Kieran’s older brother,” Clare told her before turning to Kieran. “He wishes I wouldn’t work here, always has. I went down to just two nights a week, though, so he’s a bit happier about that. I like earning my own money to pay my own way, you know? I’m going to school, and I don’t want him paying for all of it, so I try to contribute when I can.”
“She’s studying to be a vet,” Kieran informed Nora before she could ask, surprised at the pride in his voice. He barely knew Clare, but he felt like she was his sister already. He hoped Rory didn’t fuck it up; he wanted Clare to stick around.
“Yeah, I feel the same way about my independence,” Nora told Clare.
“Plus, now that my old boss was sacked, it’s so much more fun to work here.” Clare grinned.
Kieran thought for a moment; he’d been coming to this bar for years. Everyone in Woodlawn went to O’Leary’s. “Oh, yeah, there was a scrawny man who was the general manager when Casey was working here. He was definitely an ass.”
“Cian was the worst,” Clare exclaimed. “Literally the worst. I wanted to rip his nuts right off during every shift. Casey hated him, too.”
Nora laughed as she finished her drink. Kieran nodded, remembering the prick. He knew it was very likely Rory had had a hand in the change in management, but he doubted Clare knew that.
“I’ll need to bring my best friend, Fiona, in here sometime. She reminds me a bit of you, Clare. Same snarky personality that I love,” Nora told her.
Kieran blew out a large breath. He really didn’t want to think about Fiona right now. He’d been wondering where she was all day, and he felt off without her around. Then he felt even more off because he’d spent an entire day obsessing about the whereabouts of a woman he’d known less than a week. His mind was beyond conflicted, and he didn’t like it.
“She live around here?” Clare asked.
“Yep, a few blocks over on the edge of Woodlawn, barely in Woodlawn anymore. She’s my best friend from when we were kids, and she runs that flower shop down the street, Fiona’s Flowers.”
“Oh, I’ve been there. We go there every week almost. My boyfriend loves that she picks things out for him ahead of time so he isn’t standing there staring at thousands of options with no clue what to choose.”
“She’s amazing. I swear that woman has a talent for beauty. Ever since we were kids, she’s brought flowers to everything, gives them to everyone. She says that the world is gray, and she wants to bring the color back into it.”
Kieran thought of the gray prison walls he’d once known so well…Fiona had definitely colored his world just by being in it. She was beauty without even trying, just by being.
“Wait, Kieran, isn’t that the girl you went on a date with?” Clare asked. Nora went wide-eyed and rotated her stool to face him.