Tangled Up In You (Rogue #1)

Chapter 36

36

SOPHIE

T he women’s restroom was crowded and Sophie had to squeeze her way into a place at the mirror so she could check her hair and makeup. Gavin and a dozen others had taken over a large part of this pub’s beer garden, and it looked to be another long night.

This was only her fourth day in Dublin and each evening had been spent at a pub, club, or someone’s house party. The pattern of drinking into the early morning hours with large groups of friends, followed by sleeping late, meant she hadn’t really absorbed the fact that she had moved to another country and was living with her fiancé.

Nor had she truly absorbed what the Trinity College registrar told her today—that there was no getting around the fact that she had missed the deadline to request a transfer. She would need to wait until the following year to apply. This not only changed the timeline of her studies but also endangered the student visa she had planned to use to stay in the country.

As she looked into the mirror and reapplied lipstick, disappointment filled her again. She hadn’t yet told Gavin about the problem with school, partly out of denial and partly because she knew he wouldn’t exactly champion her education. He would rather have her all to himself.

Adjusting the deep cowl neckline of her gray Helmut Lang pullover, she saw out of the corner of her eye other girls watching her. Maybe they had seen her with Gavin, the local celebrity, and were curious about her. Or maybe they just didn’t like the look of her. Her blonde hair was slicked back at the sides with the top pulled up high in a style emulating what she had seen in photos from Paris fashion runway shows. It was becoming clear after these nights out that she tended to overdress in comparison to other girls. It was one of the many things she would have to adjust to now that this was her new home.

The route back to the outdoor area was a maze, requiring a trek through the dark, wood-paneled old-fashioned pub and out to the alleyway. Gavin wasn’t where she’d left him. His chair was empty, and in the crush of people it took a minute to spot him. She found him in the far corner, where the overhead hanging string of lights faded. But the glow of the ample heaters lit him, along with the woman he was speaking with. They were deep in conversation. She seemed … upset.

A sudden warm, intimate pressure at the small of her back startled her. It was Conor. His touches were never casual, always lingering a bit too long.

“Sorry, just passing by,” he said and started to move on.

“Wait. Who’s that?” she asked.

He stopped and followed her stare. “Em, maybe you should ask Gavin that one,” he said.

That response wasn’t exactly comforting. Sophie lingered by herself as Conor quickly joined their group at the center of the garden. She watched Gavin and the woman from her distance. They were standing too closely together for this to be a casual encounter. She was pretty, with shiny raven-colored hair that fell short and wavy around her face. When Sophie realized that the girl’s blue eyes were watery, she started toward them.

“Hi,” Sophie said, touching Gavin’s elbow as she joined him.

“Oh, hey.” He replied a bit too quickly at the sound of her voice.

Sophie watched the woman expectantly and the three of them stood there silently for too long. “I’m Sophie Kavanaugh,” she finally said, offering her hand.

“Sorry,” Gavin said. “Sophie, this is Jules—Julia O’Flaherty.”

“Nice to meet you,” Sophie said.

“And you,” Julia replied and shook Sophie’s hand. “Ciggies always make me tear up,” she explained, waving away imaginary smoke.

Sophie nodded slowly. The number of cigarette smokers in the garden had been mercifully few that evening.

“Well, I better get going. We’ll talk later, Gav?”

“Sure. I’ll ring you, Jules.”

Julia nodded and quickly walked away.

“Who was that, Gavin?” Sophie asked.

“Just a friend.”

“Why was she crying?”

He was lost in watching Julia walk away.

“Gavin?”

“Hmm?” He blinked and shook his head. “The smoke, she said, yeah?”

With an arm around her shoulders, he steered them back to their tables, and Sophie opted not to further question him. A nagging feeling that Julia represented something destructive kept her from pushing the issue and risking finding out something she didn’t really want to know.