She smirked. “What did you think I was going to do? Throw a fit? You think I’m going to let some stupid tabloid photo get to me?”
I let out a shaky laugh, relief washing over me. “You never stop surprising me, you know that?”
“I hope you’re going to say that when my tits are hanging to my knees.”
I pulled her close to me and dropped my mouth over hers.
“No, no, no,” Saoirse cried out. “All this kissing and making out in the pub needs to stop.”
Dee pulled away and looked at her employee. “And why is that?”
“Because….”
Dee cocked an eyebrow. “I don’t think that’s a good reason, so if you don’t mind, I’m going to go back to kissing my boyfriend.”
I laughed, my chest tightening with affection.
Godhelp me, I loved this woman.
By the next day, the word had spread:Dee’s ladJax Caldwell had a plan to save Ballybeg, and he was calling a meeting at The Banshee’s Rest.
I stood in the corner of the pub, watching as people trickled in—farmers, shopkeepers, pensioners, even Mrs. O’Leary, who rarely left her house unless there was a rumor worth spreading. Dee stood behind the bar, pretending to clean glasses but stealing glances at me now and then.
When the room was packed, Dee tapped a knife on a pint glass to silence everyone.
“Thank you all for coming,” she began. “As you know, the council has told us that they’ll be voting yet to permit Shamrock Global Ventures to build a resort here.”
“Feckin’ gobshites, all of them.” Liam raised his pint.
Everyone agreed with him that theywerefeckin’ gobshites.
“We hear that your lad has a plan,” Mrs. O’Leary said sternly. “Now, I don’t know you”—she pointed a finger at me—“but I hear from Eileen Nolan that you’re alright for a Yank.”
“That’s high praise coming from you.” I bowed to Mrs. Nolan, who flushed.
Fiadh came running to me. “Do you have a biscuit?”
“Why don’t you go to Dee? She’ll take care of you?”
“She will?” Fiadh’s eyes went wide.
The girl had stolen my heart when she stole my cookie. “Absolutely! We always keep biscuits at the bar for you.”
The toddler gave me a toothy grin and gestured for me to lower my head with her finger. When I did, she kissed my cheek and ran as fast as her little legs could take her to Dee.
“Now, he has Fiadh’s stamp of approval, which means he’s a feckin’ saint,” Eamon claimed as he held Fiadh’s brother against his shoulder.
“Jax, I’m sending you the bill when she has her first cavity,” Fiadh’s mother warned.
“Yes, ma’am.”
I grinned. Then I cleared my throat, “As Dee said, thank you all for coming. I know y’all are busy, so I’ll get straight to the point.”
“I’m not busy,” Liam Murphy remarked.
“Well, most of you are busy…except Liam,” I corrected myself. I glanced at Dee, who gave me a small nod, her green eyes bright with excitement.
“We all know what’s at stake here,” I continued. “The developers want to turn Ballybeg into a resort, and if we don’t stop them, this village—everything that makes it special—will be gone. But I’ve got aplan to fight back, and I need your help to make it work.”
