Chapter 14
Katie didn’t usually stop in at O’Reilly’s Bar and Grille unless she was meeting up with Ava or one of her other friends.
But to just drop in to order hummus, wings, or a glass of wine?
No, that just wasn’t her thing. Now if her sister were in town, Norah would definitely hang out at O’Reilly’s, chatting with everyone, filling them in on her life and on occasion, even inquiring about theirs.
Norah was a burst of energy who knew how to draw a crowd and keep their attention.
Katie preferred one-on-one conversations and would rather listen than talk about herself.
However, over the past week, she’d found reasons to stop by O’Reilly’s.
Delilah wanted wedding soup, and two days later, she craved minestrone with extra greens.
Who could ignore a pregnant woman’s requests?
As long as she was there, why not splurge on chicken wings with a side of hummus?
But the truth behind those visits slipped into her brain and refused to leave the third time she entered the bar with a supposed “reason” in mind.
The person behind that truth glanced up from behind the bar when she entered, offered a smile, and went back to pouring a beer for a customer.
Katie ignored the triple-pulse beat when Ian Finnegan smiled, and found a booth which just so happened to give her a direct line of vision to the bar.
She’d brought a notebook to jot down thoughts regarding what Ian had called efficiencies and improvements.
Once he got her thinking of ways to make the processes better and faster, she’d come up with more ideas.
Sure, they might not all work, but they should at least be considered.
She’d gotten to number eight on her list when Ian slid into the booth across from her.
“I see you’re doing your homework.”
The teasing in his voice and twinkle in his eyes said he approved. Katie paused, pen in the air, and let out an exaggerated sigh. “I have a very demanding teacher.” She pointed to the bar. “Don’t you have work to do? You’re making poor Nick serve beer and food?”
His laugh made her insides tingle in ways she did not want to remember.
“It’s slow, so he said I should take my break now.” Ian darted a look at Nick Borado, who waved at them and went back to polishing the bar top.
“Does he know…” She bit her bottom lip, reworked the question. “Did you tell him that we were…?”
Ian’s frown said he didn’t appreciate what she’d been about to say. “You asked me not to and I haven’t.” His gaze narrowed on her. “And I won’t.”
She hadn’t meant to offend him, but it was important that people didn’t begin speculating about them.
What they might be doing together, what they might be talking about…
and that’s why he’d only come to the shop after hours and then to her house.
Never in a place where it would seem like they were together or even interested in one another.
But she should have known people wouldn’t miss the sizzle between them, no matter how much they tried to act otherwise.
Katie cleared her throat. “Thank you.”
He picked up a saltshaker, toyed with it. “Sure.” He eyed the notebook in front of her. “So, did you come here to work, or did you come here to eat? If you came to eat, then we’ve got you covered. If you came to work…”
“Maybe I came to do both. It’s crazy, but the more we talk about shop layout, processes, even material ordering, I start thinking about other options.
In the past, I had to do everything on a small scale, and I guess I didn’t consider what the big picture could really look like.
I never had the money to do that, so I always piggybacked one process on top of the other, rolled one plan into the next, without considering other possibilities.
” She’d believed with limited resources, there were no other options other than survival.
When the investor changed her situation, she wasn’t able to think big enough and adjust her mindset.
“You’re helping me see how Katie’s Soups can be so much more.
I couldn’t even consider the possibilities before, but now that I am, I’m starting to wonder if I even need more money from the investor.
Wouldn’t it be great if I could fix the company’s issues without another infusion of cash? ”
Ian leaned against the back of the booth, crossed his arms over his chest, and nodded. “We’ll keep working on the processes and the efficiency factors and once you implement those changes, then let’s see how things look.”
“You really are good at this stuff.” The man was a mystery, a curious one that she realized she wanted to solve.
“How did you get so good at this? You seem to have the ability to eye something and know what needs done to improve the situation.” She massaged her temples, blew out a sigh.
“I thought I knew, but I didn’t consider the big picture, and that got me into my current predicament. ”
The shrug said the compliment made him uncomfortable.
“I might be able to move machines and jobs around, and I can even tear one apart and fix it, but maybe it’s because those machines and those processes make sense to me.
” His gaze homed in on her, burrowed deep in her soul as he offered a truth she hadn’t considered.
“But other areas, like people and relationships? Well, I’ve had some massive fails, and I guess that’s where you could teach me how to fix those. ”
What? Was he talking about people and relationships in general, or was he talking about something else—like her and their relationship?
No way was she asking him that, so she settled on a generality.
“People can be tricky because they don’t always say what they mean or they might not know what they mean…
or they might say nothing, even if they want to, even if their hearts are breaking.
They can’t get their feelings out because the risk of getting hurt is too great.
And relationships?” She laughed when she considered that one.
“I’m not the one to ask because while I might have a strong relationship with my sister, Uncle Jack, Aunt Dolly, and my friends?
Anyone beyond that hasn’t quite worked out. ”
“Mind if I ask why?”
She didn’t miss the clenched jaw or the tightness in his voice. “Self-preservation, I guess. Or…maybe it didn’t feel right. Maybe the other person pushed too hard…or didn’t know or care to understand who I really was and what I wanted…”
“Or maybe you weren’t with the right partner.”
The words slid across the table, wrapped around her until she could barely breathe. Katie swallowed, forced out the truth. “Maybe I wasn’t, but sometimes the right partner is the one who can hurt you the most.”
His eyes grew bright, burned with intensity. “True, but maybe that partner’s the one who can bring you the greatest joy, and that’s worth the risk.”
Katie didn’t like big risks or not knowing outcomes, and Ian Finnegan was both a risk and an unpredictable outcome. It was impossible to figure him out, and once emotion—past and present—invaded her brain? That doubled the level of impossibility.
She should not have invited him to dinner. Why had she done it, and why hadn’t she prefaced the invitation with I have an inventory idea I want to discuss with you. Want to come over, and we’ll make it a working dinner?
But no, she hadn’t been clever enough to think of that line, so she’d flat-out-invited him.
Would you like to come for dinner? He hadn’t hesitated when he accepted, and she almost amended the invitation to include, You know, this is just dinner, right?
But she didn’t because that sounded silly and unnecessary.
Tonight was nothing more than sharing a meal with someone who had similar tastes in food.
So what? It wasn’t like it was a prelude to anything, like rekindling their relationship…
Katie wasn’t a complete fool. She did know how to protect herself and her heart.
Remain alert and aloof, don’t fall for the slow smile, the intense stare, or the voice that could make her forget why she should never give him another chance.
She’d gone all-in once, ignored the commonsense reasons that said they would never work, and listened to him. Believed in him.
And it had almost destroyed her.
Well, she wasn’t nineteen anymore. There’d been other relationships, and for a minute, she’d even had a fiancé. But there’d never been anyone like Ian Finnegan, and that should have made her realize age and past relationships weren’t enough to prepare her for the man who broke her heart.
After the talk at O’Reilly’s the other night, Ian hadn’t tried to contact her regarding Katie’s Soups or anything else. No follow-up questions about relationships and shop efficiency. Nothing. She’d been the one to invite him to dinner at her place.
He arrived with a potted rosemary plant and a bottle of wine.
You mentioned your rosemary didn’t look so great.
And who doesn’t love merlot? The white button-down shirt looked good against his tan, the dark-washed jeans molding his thighs.
Had he trimmed his beard? And that long hair?
Katie had never imagined Ian with a ponytail or hair that was longer than hers, but it suited him.
No sense denying it; the man could shave his head and wear a paper bag, and still be much too attractive.
There was just something about him…and that was a problem.
“How can I help?”
Polite. Casual. No heat in that gaze. Good, that’s exactly what she wanted. Wasn’t it? “You could pour us a glass of wine?” She pointed to the cabinet to the left of the sink. “You’ll find glasses in there.”
“Sure.” Ian moved toward the cabinet, his woodsy scent reaching her. Fresh, clean, not the designer cologne he’d worn ten years ago, that cost more than her cookware.