Deacon could see that Cillian had the wrong idea about Jenna, and he hated it. “No, unfortunately she wants nothing to do with me.”
Cillian laughed thinking he was joking. When he saw Deacon wasn’t laughing, his expression changed. “Wait, are youserious?”
Deacon nodded. “Why, what? Why not? The woman sat outside in theheatwaiting for you.”
“She thinks I lied to her, she has issues with people with money, and she is a single mom who runs a business, and I don’t think she wants people in a small town talking about her.”
“Youliedto her?”
“I told her my car was a rental and that the room I was staying at was comped.”
“You didn’t tell her you were Deacon St. Claire?”
“She’d made her opinion known about rich pricks, and when I realized she didn’t know who I was, I didn’t want to be Deacon St. Claire.”
“Oh shit, D, she really isn’t eating out of the palm of your hands.”
“No.”
His brow furrowed. “But wait, I thought you said she went to go meet your mom with you?”
“Her daughter Blake was babysitting when Tabby broke her arm. Poppy told me the news when Tab was in the E.R. I asked her there to go with me as a friend.”
“Holy shit!” His entire face lit up. “You dirty dog. Didyou emotionally manipulate this woman to get her to go with you to meet your mom?”
“No,” Deacon automatically denied the accusation.
“Are you sure? How could she say no when your daughter was lying in a hospital bed and her daughter was the one watching her when she got hurt?”
Fuck… had he?
“I’m fucking with you, D.” Cillian chuckled. “But damnnnn, Deacon.” Cillian did the voice accent of a viral video of a teenager saying “Damnn, Daniel” in the early 00s.
“What?” Deacon asked defensively.
Cillian sat up straight as if he were about to embark on a religious ceremony. “I have been waiting for this day for twenty-five years.”
“For what day?”
“For my best friend to join me in the club.”
“The club?”
“You, my friend, are now a card-carrying member of the She’s-the-One club.” Cillian stared at him with a goofy grin on his face. “As America’s Sweetheart Meg Ryan said in Top Gun about Maverick, there are hearts breakin’ all over the world tonight, because Deacon St. Claire is officially off the market, you are one hundred percent prime time in love with Bar Blondie.”
He wasn’t wrong. “Her name’s Jenna. And did you not hear me? She doesn’t want anything to do with me. At least not anymore. She made that clear. We’re friends. That’s it.”
“How long has it been since she friend-zoned you?”
“A couple weeks.”
“Pfffft.” Cillian dismissed it with a burst of laughter. “A few weeks?! Child’s play. Tryeight years, watching her go to prom with the captain of the varsity football teamfreshman year when you’re a pimple-faced fourteen-year-old and he’s a seventeen-year-old senior with a car.
“Stop feeling sorry for yourself, you prick. Do you have any idea how incredible it is to find The One? How exclusive that club is? That doesn’t just happen. How didIknow that at eight and you’re still confused on the subject as a grown man? For being so smart you can be afucking idiotsometimes. Some people live their entire lives and never experience what you have with her.
“This woman doesn’t like you because of your money, oh, poor baby.” He did a baby’s voice. “How do you not see that as a good thing? I would get out the world’s tiniest violin to play for you, but that would be an insult to the violin?—”
“Okay, okay.” If Deacon didn’t interrupt him, he would go on for hours like that. It was one of the things he both loved and hated about Cillian His ability to talk, and talk, and talk.
