Chapter 18
18
RONAN
“T hat’s it. I’m officially frozen stiff.”
We spent the rest of the morning, wandering around the farmer’s market. Now it’s sometime around lunch time and Nicky has officially reached her tolerance limit for the cold.
“Too frozen to visit one more clothing shop?” I ask her, pointing to another boutique just down the road.
“Oooh! Look at the pretty dresses,” Nicky coos longingly. Then she dances in place. “But nothing could distract me from the toe-aching cold seeping into my bones right now.”
I laugh. “Come. I know the perfect place for us to warm up.”
Then I guide her around the corner and up the walkway to the very best bar in town. “The North Node Tavern?” she reads the sign hanging over the door.
“Nolan—my evil twin—owns the place,” I tell her as I hold the door open.
“He does?” She looks intrigued, stepping inside.
“Yup. This place has been in our family for decades. My grandparents opened it. And when they retired and moved to Ireland a few years ago, they passed it on to Nolan.”
“Nice.” She grins, taking a moment to admire the old photographs in vintage frames, the scuffed wooden furniture and fraying upholstered seats in the dimly-lit pub. “Gotta love a good generational business.”
“Yeah, we really do love this place.” I mirror her smile.
The tavern is busy but I manage to spot that my favorite booth is open at the back. I lead Nicky in that direction.
“Anyway, back before he owned this place, Nolan was on his way to becoming a professional hockey player.”
“Oh, yeah?” Nicky asks, surprised. “I didn’t realize he played hockey.”
“Yeah.” I lean close to her ear, my hand on the small of her back. “Don’t tell him I said this—but he was a better player than I was at the time.”
She hikes an eyebrow at me over her shoulder.
I feel a pained smile pull my lips as I continue the story. “But then his girlfriend at the time got pregnant with Stella. Nolan decided that he didn’t want to be on the road all the time. He wanted to be at home to support his woman in the way that she needed him. So he dropped hockey and Grandpa passed down the bar to him and he’s been working here ever since.”
Nicky’s eyebrows knit tight. “Wow. That’s very noble of him.”
“It is. His wife—well, ex-wife—has been in and out of the picture the past few years. But Nolan has always been consistent for his daughter.”
There’s a pinch in my chest. I feel it every time I think about how Nolan ended up in this place. Don’t get me wrong—I absolutely adore Stella. She’s the little sunshine in my life. I wouldn’t trade her for anything. But I still haven’t made peace with the way my brother had to give up on his dream.
“So he’s been raising Stella on his own?” she asks.
“Pretty much. He spends most of his days slinging drinks behind the bar. But he still finds a way to make Stella his priority. We drive each other insane most days, but no one can say that my brother doesn’t work his ass off.”
We start to sit down at our table, but when Nolan runs by with his hands full, barely enough time to shout out a hello, I see that he’s struggling with the lunch time rush.
“It’s busy in here,” Nicky comments.
“Nolan recently lost his best worker. Inez used to keep this place running like a well-oiled machine. Ever since she left, my brother’s been struggling.”
“What happened to her?”
I point up at the large television screens playing all around the bar.
“ A Chance with Vance ?” Nicky mumbles the words displayed on the bottom corner of the screen.
“Long story short—Nolan blew his shot with her, and she left Starlight Falls to go find a husband on that reality TV show.”
Nicky’s jaw drops open. “Are you for real?”
I nod. “My brother has had a thing for that girl for years. And he never made a move. Now, she’s on TV fighting a dozen other women for the attention of some corny ass Hollywood D-lister. It’s tragic.”
“Oh my god,” Nicky gasps, her eyes fixated on the hot mess television show. “It is tragic. Poor Nolan. Did you say her name is Inez? And wow—she’s really pretty, though.”
I give the screen a cursory glance before my eyes come back to Nicky’s profile view. “You think?”
As far as I’m concerned, Nicky is the prettiest. Ever since I first saw her, I can’t see anyone else. It’s like other women don’t even exist anymore. She’s the only one I think about. The only one I dream about. The only one who gets me hard with the slightest brush of our hands. With a simple smile. With—
Shit. Put your dick away, Ronan. My crush on this girl is throwing me out of balance.
Out of nowhere, a lightbulb goes off in my head. Things start to make sense. I see how all of my twin brother’s dreams were derailed the minute he fell in love. He had to give up on hockey and settle for running the family bar when he could have been one of the best players in the league if he’d followed his head instead of his heart.
Is that why I’ve never let myself have a serious relationship? All this time, have I been afraid that love would be the distraction to throw the rest of my life off track? Shit—that’s deep. Can’t think about that right now.
All I know is, Nolan may have missed out on his dream career. But it’s all good. Because every time I step out on the ice, I’m not just playing for me. I’m playing for Nolan and for Stella. I’m representing all three of us. That’s all that matters.
I glance around the bustling room to distract myself from my thoughts. “What do you say, I go give Nolan a hand, and then we grab a bite to eat after the rush?”
She’s already unzipping her coat. “Only if I get to help, too.” She grins in my face. Such a pretty grin.
“Nicky Westbrook, the barmaid?” I quirk a brow.
“I started working summers at Grammy’s bakery when I was fourteen. I can handle one shift at a bar. Put me to work, Hockey Guy.”
I touch her arm. “Let’s go.”
After a fifteen second chat with Nolan—who’s grateful for some help—Nicky and I come up with a game plan. I start grabbing plates from the kitchen and bringing customers their food, while Nicky goes behind the bar and helps the bartender with the drink orders.
For the better part of an hour, we’re circling around and bumping into each other. It’s hard to keep my eyes off her.
I’ve worked at my brother’s bar a shit ton over the years, but I can assure you I’ve never had this much fun doing it. We’re laughing, teasing one another, and if I’m not mistaken, I’m pretty sure Nicky Westbrook is even flirting with me.
Late into the rush, she’s grabbing a few cups of ice when she backs up and trips on a cord. It happens so fast, but I’m right there. Throwing out my arms, I catch her before she lands on the sticky floor. She just looks up at me, still in my arms, and laughs.
“Thanks for saving my ass. Again.”
“Well, it’s definitely an ass worth saving, Peach.” I wink at her, and help her back to her feet.
I’m waiting for her to correct me, like she always does. To remind me that she’s not my peach. Instead, she just smiles.
She’s been trying to resist my charms from day one, but I think she’s starting to see that it’s no use.There’s something between us.
“Want to order something to go and get out of here?” I ask her.
She runs a forearm across her sweaty brow. “Sure.”
Nolan thanks us for our help, and sends us home with several sacks of food. When we’re walking to the car, we keep the conversation going. “I meant to ask this morning. Do you skate?”
“Me? Oh, no.” But then she adds, “Though when I was a kid, I went through this phase where I was convinced that I’d grow up to be a figure skater someday. I never followed through though, and somewhere along the way, I forgot about that. I always meant to get back to it, but some dreams you just grow out of.”
I furrow my forehead. “Not unless you want to.” I glance at her. “We’re going to fix that.”
Nicky glances my way and laughs. “That sounds ominous. What do you even mean?”
She turns to drop her purse into the back seat. That’s when she finally notices all the bags and bags of things that I bought for her earlier at the farmer’s market.She forgets all about the conversation we’re in the middle of.
“Is that what I think it is?” She peeks into one bag and then another. She turns and eyeballs me suspiciously.
“Maybe.” I slip behind the wheel. I can’t wait to get home and chill out.
“Ronan,” she scolds.
“Nicky…” I respond, echoing her tone.
“I can’t. It’s really sweet that you bought all that stuff, but I can’t accept them. It would be unprofessional of me.”
“Says who? I’m not your boss. You’re not mine,” I say, pulling away from the curb.
“I guess…”
“And besides, most of it is food anyway,” I fib just a little. “I’m pretty sure there are no rules against you eating while you work with me. Right?”
She sighs. “You’re right.”
“Man. I love being right.”
My eyes follow her plump lips as they curve into a smile.
I smile too, glad I convinced her to accept my gifts. I can’t call them gifts, though. Or that would freak her out.
Reaching over, I squeeze her arm. “Seriously though. Just because you’re watching your budget doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to have everything you want.”
“You’re not going to become a billionaire if you keep buying me things,” she whispers.
“That’s quite alright. Being a billionaire seems to make my other brother grumpy anyway. Who wants that?” I joke. Darius would not find that funny.
“Oh my god. Cash is the same.” She laughs.
“It’s decided—I don’t want to be a billionaire. I’ll be poor and happy instead.”
She tilts her head. “Ronan, you’re a professional hockey captain with a multimillion dollar contract. You’re hardly poor.”
“But I am happy. With you.” Those last two words slip out before I can stop them. And fuck it—I don’t want to take it back. “I fucking like you, Nicky Westbrook. We should really take a shot at being friends.” Preteen Ronan is somewhere applauding me for wearing my big boy pants right now and telling the pretty girl how I feel.
Nicky is not impressed. Or at least, she pretends not to be. “What did I tell you about wearing your emotions on your sleeve?”
But despite her words, I see the deep pink flush spreading across her cheeks.
“Oh come on. Admit you want to be my friend too.”
“This is not middle school recess,” she retorts.
“It’s also not the after-school detention room. We’re allowed to be friends.”
She gives me nothing.
I’m not fazed. “Well, in any case, I had a really good time with you today.”
She hesitates. “I did, too.” She lays her skull against the headrest, mahogany curls peeking out at me from under my hat that’s on her head. “Thank you. For today, and for everything.” She turns her neck and her eyes float to the backseat where the bags are sitting. “I’m really, really looking forward to that pie.”