Total pages in book: 176
Estimated words: 164533 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 823(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164533 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 823(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
My words seemed to penetrate because his frown softened a little. “I still don’t think he’s right for you,” he grumped, and a faint shiver tip toed down my spine.
“Why not?”
Rhys’ eyes met mine, gentling. “You need someone who’s kind.”
“You don’t think Jonathan is kind?”
Rhys scoffed. “I heard he once fired a brand new employee on day one because they put the wrong date on a client statement.”
“Well, dates are important, especially when it comes to financial transactions, but I understand what you mean. It’s expected you’ll make a few mistakes when you’re starting a new job.” I paused to glance across the street then back to him. “How do you know so much about Jonathan anyway?”
Rhys shrugged. “Dublin is like a village when you’ve lived here long enough. You end up meeting everyone, hearing gossip.”
“Gossip is rarely the full truth, though,” I said, and Rhys made a non-committal grunt just as we arrived back at the hotel.
He excused himself when we reached the lobby, quickly tearing off to deal with some security issue. For the rest of the day, I couldn’t stop thinking about his reaction to the possibility of me dating Maggie’s half brother. I wavered back and forth between imagining he was jealous then writing off the notion and deciding he was simply looking out for me. Rhys was that type. Protective. Besides, this Jonathan character could turn out to be awful, and I certainly didn’t need any more awful people in my life.
I didn’t see much of Rhys for the remainder of the week, just a few quick glimpses in the hotel corridors where his eyes would soften, and he’d give me a nod and a smile hello. I also received a handful of text messages from him that I’d started really looking forward to. Every time my phone buzzed, I felt a little thrill in my stomach that it might be him.
Rhys: (Picture attached) This is Shabby. He’s the resident Tomcat. We’re all pretty sure he lives in the bushes out in the courtyard, but we rarely have rodent problems, so we leave him be.
Me: Wow, what a handsome boy. I’ll make sure to leave him some treats if I spot him about.
And the following day.
Rhys: Good morning. Forecast says it’ll be raining this afternoon. If you’re going out for lunch, bring an umbrella.
Me: Thx for the heads up, weatherman :-)
And the day after that.
Rhys: Just got a new coffee machine for my office. Feel free to stop by for an espresso. I just had three. Someone needs to stop me.
Me: Lol! Step away from the machine, Rhys.
Rhys: Can’t. It came with so many flavours to try. Big coffee has created a monster.
I thought about going across the hall and taking him up on his offer, but Maeve was always around, and I worried she’d spot me slipping into Rhys’ office. I didn’t need her getting the wrong idea.
Speaking of Maeve, she seemed a little peeved that I hadn’t come to lunch with her and Stephanie again, but I decided it was better not to get too friendly with those two. On Friday morning, she casually asked if I’d spoken to Nuala yet, and I replied that I hadn’t. Her eyes had narrowed in barely concealed annoyance, and I remembered Rhys’ words from the previous week, how I needed to set boundaries with people.
So, with a rush of courage, I quickly added that I’d prefer not to get involved and that Stephanie should call Nuala herself if she wants to talk to her.
“My cousin is super nice. Stephanie shouldn’t be nervous to call her, and I’m sure Nuala would be happy to hear from her,” I said, forcing a smile.
Maeve’s eyes flared, her lips settling into a flat, unhappy line before she said, “Sure, that’d probably be better.”
I knew she was going to be a little frosty with me for a while, but it was worth it to have spoken up that I wasn’t comfortable with the request.
Later that evening, I walked to Rhys’ car with a swing in my step. As always, he got out to open the passenger side door for me. There was something about the gesture that gave me a rush of pleasure, butterflies in my stomach that I had to tamp down. This was one of the main reasons why I’d decided not to become friends with Stephanie. It felt wrong, given how my body tended to react in Rhys’ presence, how excited I got when he texted me.
Not that I had any intention of doing anything about it, but still, it wouldn’t be right to befriend his ex.
“You’re going to be proud of me,” I said with a smile as he climbed back into the driver’s seat and started the engine.
“Oh, yeah?” His eyebrows quirked as he smiled back at me.