For fuck’s sake, this was a bad idea.

Of course, my heart kicks into speed, my dick gets harder than a slab of marble, and I feel breathless. When she turns, a smile is on her face to greet me, but then surprise floods her face as her eyes meet mine. Slowly, the smile falls and she quickly gets off the ladder she is on to come towards the bar as I do the same.

“Hey.”

I sit on the stool and say, “Howya,” before reaching for the menu that sits before me. The tension is thick. I can feel her within reach and I want to touch her, but I know I can’t. Through my lashes, I watch as she tucks her hands into her pockets before rocking back on her heels.

“Didn’t think you’d be in today.”

I glance up and when I do, I wish I hadn’t. Her face is flushed, her eyes shining, and Christ, her breasts are practically falling out of her shirt. She’s stunning. It hurts, but even more so when my eye is caught by the vase of daisies that sits behind her. I assume they are from that fucking gobshite and quickly look away as I say, “I have to eat.”

I know that comes out a little harsher than I intended it to, so I look up, meeting her sad gaze, and add, “And it doesn’t hurt that I like spending time with you.”

A smile pulls at her lips, making me notice there are marks on her cheeks. Cuts, maybe. “What happened to your face?”

She looks away as she reaches for her pad of paper. Without looking at me, which isn’t like her, she says, “Oh nothing, I’m glad you came in. We have cottage pie today—your favorite. Would you like some? With a beer, maybe?”

“Sure, that’s fine,” I answer. She works quickly to fill my order, never meeting my gaze or even talking to me. I glance back at the daisies and roll my eyes at the mere sight of them. I want to ask how her date went, hoping she’d say they didn’t go because a car hit Casey on the way to get her, but I don’t want to know the answer if it isn’t that one. Instead, I say, “Nice flowers.”

She looks back at them and nods. “Yeah.”

Yeah? That’s all I’m going to get from her? I’m not sure what is going on, but I don’t like it one bit. “Amberlyn.”

“Yeah?” she says as she washes the bar, still not looking at me.

“Can ya look at me real fast?”

Her hand stops on the bar before looking up at me. “What’s up?”

I hold her gaze, and I know something is wrong. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” she says before going back to wiping the bar.

“Are you sure? You’re actin’ weird.”

She nods her head. “Yeah, just trying to get some work done. Sorry, I’m tired.”

Yeah, from having a blast with that sheep-shaggin’ fucker. My blood starts to boil as I stab at my pie, throwing it in my mouth, not really tasting it as I eat. Nothing is said as I finish and she meticulously cleans the bar, making sure not to miss a single germ. It’s annoying, and I want to scream out from the mere stupidity of it all. So she is dating someone else when I had my heart set on dating her… does it mean we can’t be fucking friends? Laying my fork down, I sit up straight and set her with a look, intending to say just that, but before I can, Fiona flutters in.

“Howya, Declan!”

I nod before picking my fork back up. “Howya.”

I look down to start eating but before I can get a bit of pie to my mouth, Fiona exclaims, “Ugh! Amberlyn, why haven’t you thrown these away yet?”

I glance up just in time to see Amberlyn shaking her head. What the hell is that about? Fiona glances at me and then slowly looks back at Amberlyn, her eyes wide.

“Okay,” she draws out as she bends down, I guess to pick up something, but then I notice that Amberlyn bends down at the same time. This is just fucking gas! Standing up, I look over the bar to find them whispering like little schoolgirls.

“Secrets don’t make friends, ladies.”

They both look up at me, surprised, before scrambling to their feet. Amberlyn looks over at me as Fiona rambles, “She was helping me tie my shoes.”

I glance down to see her bright pink toes. “You’re wearing flip-flops.”

Amberlyn bites down on her lip, as Fiona lets out a loud laugh. “Aye, you got us. You just look so hot today, Declan. You have us blushing!”

While it would do nothing but please me immensely to think Amberlyn thinks that, I know Fiona is lying. “Come off it, Fiona. I don’t care. I can leave so ye can have your private talk.”

“No, finish your lunch. I’m gonna go lie down. I’m super tired.”

“Okay, I got this,” Fiona says as she refills my pint. I watch as Amberlyn throws the rag in the sink before turning to look back at me. “Will you be in tomorrow?”

“Sure.”

She gives me a small smile before saying, “Okay, see you tomorrow.”

“Have a nice nap.”

Her smile grows as her cheeks dust with color. “Thanks.”

I grin as she turns around, watching as she walks away, but then she stops, grabbing the vase and tossing it in the can. She doesn’t look back, leaving me to try and figure out why she did that.

“What’s the matter with her?”

Fiona shrugs as she moves to the fridge before she starts to restock it with the beer Amberlyn carried in. “Tired, I guess. We worked late last night.”

Huh? “I thought she went out with Casey.”

Fiona pauses, only for a second, but I caught it. I know she is lying when she says, “Yeah.”

I wait for her to say more, but it is obvious she isn’t going to. “So she worked and went out?”

She nodded without looking at me. “Sure.”

“Are you lyin’ to me?”

She looks up guiltily. “Yup, are ya done with this?”

She reaches for my plate, disappearing to the back before I can say anything. I don’t know what her game is, but I don’t like it. Doesn’t she realize that I care for Amberlyn? That I would love to be able to take her out, get to know her outside of this fuckin’ pub? When she comes back out, I’m still waiting and I think she thought I wouldn’t be.

“Yeah, I’m still here.”

She smiles, shaking her head. “I don’t know what you want, Declan. I can’t say anything.”