Ada grinned, and Hailey laughed. “Well, then the goldfish has a strategic advantage because it’s not stupid! Many people think they are, but the goldfish's ability to learn is comparable to a dog's. I don’t know if your dad can say the same.” She winked at Cian and then left the patio with Ada in tow.
Groaning, Cian buried his face in his hands. “That woman...”
Rachel laughed. “Should I make sure your daughter doesn’t come home with a goldfish, a goat,anda chicken?”
“Yes, please!”
“No problem. I’ll do my best. But Hailey is enthusiastic about programmingandabout rehoming animals, so... I can’t promise anything.”
“I’m betting on a goldfish and a goat,” Gareth mumbled.
“Only a goldfish,” Connor countered. “Ada’s smart. Withjusta goldfish, she has a bargaining chip.”
“Both of you shut up,” Cian said grimly. “And speaking of bets: How were your dates on Friday? Did you find your dream partners yet?”
“Oh,” Rachel replied lightly, “it was...”
“Disastrous.”
“Pretty good.”
Connor snorted. “Liar,” he muttered.
Rachel didn’t look at him, but a faint blush crept up her neck. “It could have gone better,” she admitted.
“A date running away from the table after fifteen minutes means things could have gone much better,” Connor countered with a snort. “The only thing I liked about that evening was the alley next to the restaurant. There were some interesting discoveries to be made there.”
Rachel’s face suddenly went from flushed to red.
Confused, Cian glanced between them. “Your date ran away after fifteen minutes? What was the problem?”
“I don’t know how, but somehow she stumbled across the I Hate Connor Stone website by accident.”
“Wait.” Cian’s eyebrows shot up. “The silly site your high school sweetheart made, the girl you stood up at prom because you had to babysit? Don’t get me wrong, there are hundreds of reasons why women should run away from you, but not because your mom worked the night shift, your dad was doing his...stuff, your sister was pregnant and a wreck, and your two other siblings needed someone to babysit them! Maybe you should have explained it to her, but shit, you were seventeen, and I can understand why you were too embarrassed to admit that your family was so messed up that taking care of them was more important to you than spending the evening with her.” He looked at Rachel, who was staring at him with her mouth slightly open. “She thought he was seeing someone else. She hated him for it, and that hate resulted in a website, and now she can’t delete it.”
Connor gritted his teeth. His friend had a big mouth. Rachel didn’t need to know all that. He felt her eyes on him, but this time, he was the one ignoring her.
“Didn’t your date understand?” Cian persisted.
“I didn’t get a chance to explain,” he said calmly.
“Ahh.” Cian nodded. “Well, then the woman wasn’t for you anyway,” he said, waving his hand dismissively.
Exactly.
Looking uneasy, Rachel cleared her throat. “I... I should go. Before I can’t find them,” she muttered, raising her hand. “It was nice meeting you, Cian, Gareth, and...” She hesitated, but finally forced herself to look at Connor as well. Their gazes locked. Three blinks longer than necessary. Her eyes were huge and filled with compassion, guilt, and heat. Something inside Connor clenched. Certainly not his heart, which never reactedthis enthusiastically. But...there was something else. It was a tug he didn’t recognize that filled his chest with warmth and unease.
You might be able to make a woman come, Conner, but can you also make her happy?
Fuck. Her damn voice wouldn’t vacate his mind. It turned out, he wasn’t sure about the answer to that. He’d never been certain if he could make anyone happy, even if he were brave enough to try. The bet was bullshit anyway. Obviously, he could easily enter into a serious, long-term relationship, anytime he wanted. But a happy one, one that didn’t make him feel trapped and forced to give up too much? One that didn't make him remind himself every day that he wasn’t his father? A relationship where he wouldn't have to explain to a woman that he wasn’t her soul mate and end it the moment she thought so?
This time, his stomach lurched too. But before he could worry about the state of his health, Rachel said, “See you later, Connor,” and disappeared.
Shit. He nervously ran his hand through his hair. He shouldn’t have opened Pandora’s box. Annoyed with himself and his reaction, he took a sip of water as Rachel rushed through the back patio door.
“Hmm,” Gareth said, putting his phone away and leaning back in his chair. “So when did you two start sleeping together?”
Connor choked and spat water onto the table.
