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“What?” he said dumbly.

“Oh, don’t you what me,” she said. “There’s more things cooking in this kitchen than lamb. Christ, I could cut the tension in here with a knife.” She grinned at him. “I’ll have Alison come and help you with the plates.”

Dinner turned out to be a smashing success.

But Niall barely tasted the food.

He was hyperaware of Cordelia sitting next to him, now wearing one of his mother’s old button-down shirts. Róisín kept giving him significant glances that Colin quickly picked up on. Niall had almost forgotten that the point of the evening had been to impress his father until Eoin put his knife and fork down.

“So,” Eoin said. “What’s in the rub for the lamb, then?”

“Smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, bit of thyme and oregano, salt and pepper,” Niall recited. Thank god he hadn’t forgotten his own recipe.

“And the glaze on the carrots?”

“Butter, brown sugar, honey, chili flakes, and sea salt.”

“Mm.”

“The colcannon is excellent,” Róisín added. “No fecking kale, thank Christ.”

“Mm,” Eoin said again.

Colin shot a low thumbs up over the edge of the table.

“It’ll do,” Eoin said finally. “We’ll put it on the menu.”

Alison clapped and Róisín raised her glass as Fiona cried, “Oh, lovely!”

Cordelia was a sun once again pulling him toward her. He couldn’t resist turning to meet her gaze. Her cheeks were seashell pink, her smile shy as she raised her glass of wine.

“Congratulations,” she said.

He clinked her glass with his.

“So,” Colin said as they walked home that night, Pocket at their heels. “That was interesting.”

“I know,” Niall said. “I can’t believe Dad is letting me put something on the menu. Never thought I’d live to see the day.”

“Your dad would be a fool not to serve your food,” Colin said. “That wasn’t what I was talking about.”

“What were you talking about then?”

“Cordelia.” Colin was grinning at him.

“What d’you mean?” Niall asked, trying and failing to sound casual.

“Well,” Colin said, opening the front door. “She couldn’t stop staring at you all through dinner, now could she?”

Niall felt himself pinned to the ground, his knees locking together, his heart pounding in his ears. Colin chuckled softly at his expression, letting himself inside and leaving Niall like a statue on the doorstep.

Chapter Fifteen

Cordelia woke the following morning and gazed up at the ceiling.

All she could see were Niall’s eyes.

Had she imagined that moment in the kitchen? She was probably being pretty obvious. But she couldn’t stop thinking about him. Those tousled jet-black locks, the shadow of stubble across the hard line of his jaw, the tempting curve of his mouth . . .