“No!” She yanked off her apron furiously. “There’s no way I’m staying in the same room with her. You can stick your goddamn job!” She threw her apron in his face and spun around, storming back through the door she’d come through.
Shelley appeared next to Jackson, squeezing his arm, and sent a sympathetic look toward Olivia. “I’ll talk to her.”
Jackson turned to look at Olivia, watching the color drain from her face. Her shoulders were rigid, and her spine looked as if it had been set in steel. Theo gazed down at her, his face a mask of concern.
“Jackson,” she murmured. “Thanks for the invitation, but I think I’ll just head home.”
“You’ll do nothing of the sort.” He scowled. The silence in the pub was almost deafening as Jackson turned to the rest of the patrons, making sure all eyes were on him. “Right, now that I seem to have everyone’s attention, let me make one thing clear. I believe that Olivia had nothing to do with what happened to Adam or Brody, nor was she involved in Lucas Campbell’s disappearance. There is no evidence against her, and frankly the way she has been treated by the police is nothing short of disgusting. So, let me be blunt so there can be no mistake. Like any of you, Olivia West is more than welcome here, and if you have a problem with it, you can leave.”
When no one moved, and a few even had the good grace to look slightly guilty, Jackson nodded and turned back to Theo and Olivia. “Come on, let’s get you settled at a table.”
Closely followed by Theo, Olivia hobbled after Jackson as he led them to a cozy little booth next to the fire.
“Just the thing for a cold November eve.” Jackson stated. “Now, what can I get you to drink?”
“A beer, please.” Olivia gave a weak smile.
“The same,” Theo confirmed as Jackson’s gaze fell on him.
“And to eat? Would you like to see the menu or hear the specials?”
“Actually,” Theo replied, “the steak and Guinness pie sounded good.”
“Excellent choice.” Jackson beamed. “That’ll be served with colcannon, and I must say, Owen has a fair hand with it. It’s the best I’ve ever had. And for you, Olivia, darlin’?”
“I’m not in the mood for pie. What’s the special for tonight?” she asked.
“That’ll be Dublin coddle.”
She wrinkled her nose.
“What’s a coddle?”
“Dublin coddle,” Jackson laughed easily, “is basically a bacon, sausage, potato, and onion hotpot.”
“That sounds good.”
“Lovely. I’ll be back with your drinks in a moment.”
“Are you alright?” Theo asked once they were alone.
“Yeah, I guess.” Olivia exhaled as she shrugged out of her jacket. “It was nice of Jackson to stand up for me, but I really wish it wasn’t necessary.”
“Yes, it was,” Theo muttered.
“What?” Olivia’s eyes narrowed. “What’s that look for?”
“Nothing.” He shrugged as Jackson dropped their drinks onto the table and disappeared again.
Olivia took a sip of her beer and lifted her foot under the table to rest it on the seat next to Theo. She sighed in relief as the pressure eased.
“How is your ankle feeling?” Theo asked.
“It’s not too bad now.” She leaned back into her seat. “I just need to rest it a bit.”
Theo eased up the hem of her jeans and frowned. “It’s swelling again.”
“I thought it was,” she groaned. “My sneaker’s starting to feel a bit tight. I probably shouldn’t have walked on it so much today.”
