I swallowed. Shamrock Global Ventures was the resort company trying to buy Ballybeg.
“And?” I asked almost lazily, though it wasn’t easy to pretend not to care.
“Social media is full of what he’s been up to.” Cillian casually scrolled to another photo. “This one’s my favorite. Look at them all chummy, like they’ve been best mates for years.”
The next picture was worse. Jax was shaking hands with the same man, another caption reading:Exciting opportunities ahead! Shamrock Global Ventures project outside of Cork is coming together nicely.
I stared at the screen, my chest tightening. “Whatever.”
Liam and Seamus leaned over, and Cillian made sure they got an eyeful.
“You know how these things work, Dee. Big money doesn’t just stroll into a tiny village like Ballybeg without a little inside help. And who better to smooth things over with the locals than a charming PGL champion with a pretty smile.”
I refused to believe that Jax was in any way involved with destroying Ballybeg. I couldn’t believe that the man I’d fallen in love with could be so callous. My hands clenched into fists at my sides, my pulse pounding in my ears. “You done here?”
Cillian raised an eyebrow. “You don’t believe me?”
“No, I don’t,” I asserted emphatically.
But I did because that made more sense than Jax wanting me.
He chuckled. “Come on, Dee. Think about it. Why else would a man like Jax Caldwell stay in a place like this? He’s not exactly the mud-on-his-boots type, is he?”
I didn’t answer and looked at him with an arched eyebrow like I was bored.
Cillian raised his voice. “I hate to say it, but he used you, Dee. He played you. And now, thanks to him, the resort is practically a done deal. You should’ve taken my offer when you had the chance.”
“If you’re finished, why don’t you get the feck out of here?” I kept my face emotionless.
Oh, no, Cillian O’Farrell wouldn’t be getting anything from me, not after he’d taken so much and screwed me over.
He stood and shrugged. “Don’t shoot the messenger, Dee.”
As he turned to leave, he glanced over his shoulder, his smirk cutting me to the bone. “Oh, and Dee? I wouldn’t wait too long to sell. Once this thing gets rolling, that little pub of yours will be nothing but a parking lot.”
The door slammed shut behind him, but I barely noticed.
My hands shook, and my breath came in shallow bursts as I stared down at the bar.
“Dee?”
I looked up to see Ronan standing in the doorway to the kitchen, a concerned frown on his face. “What did that gobshite want?”
“He was here tellin’ that Jax is with the people who want to buy up Ballybeg,” Seamus informed him.
“We saw photos,” Liam added.
Ronan narrowed his eyes. “Jax would never do that.”
“I agree,” Liam said.
“Me, too,” Seamus agreed.
I wasn’t sure how I felt.
If Jax had been making a fool of me, that made sense.
If he was in love with me as he tried to almost claim—that did not make any sense at all.
