24. Dee
CHAPTER 24
Dee
S ure, I missed a lot of people, including my parents and my sister. Some days, I even missed the company of a faceless man after a long day at the pub, but I never missed anyone the way I did Jax.
Time had slowed for me, and I lived to receive his text messages like I was a wee lass who’d lost her heart for the very first time. It was unbelievable and oddly endearing. He always said good morning and good night. During the day, he’d send messages and once even a photo of a Nike shoe with his signature on it; apparently , that was a thing.
What was I doing with a man who signed Nike shoes that people wanted to buy? Even more importantly, what was such a man doing with Dee Gallagher?
It had been a whole week since Jax left, and he said he’d be back soon but didn’t have a firm date because now that he was back in civilization, his manager, or was it his agent…well, that guy called Brad had set up more meetings than he was happy about. I was certain he didn’t miss me the way I did him. He had meetings and parties and all kinds of fun things happening in his life. I had the everyday pleasures of Ballybeg and The Banshee’s Rest.
So, when Cillian darkened the pub’s doorway, it was just as I’d gotten a message from Jax saying he wouldn’t be able to make it back next week as planned, so I was just not in the mood to deal with my ex.
Jax promised to try and hurry things up, and he sounded just as upset about it as I felt. At night, he’d call, and we’d talk for a while until I fell asleep, pretending he was beside me. He admitted he did the same.
“I thought I told you to take your business elsewhere, Cillian,” I told him.
Liam Murphy, who was all but asleep on the counter, raised his head. He was starting to look poorly—I knew his time was getting close. The thought made my heart heavy.
“O’Farrell, you’re not welcome here, you know that, lad, so why do you keep bringing your stinky arse over?” Liam Murphy wanted to know. He may be dying, but he still had a spark in him when it came to defending me.
Cillian ignored Liam and came up to the bar and gave me a smug smile. How on earth had I ever found this man attractive, I couldn’t recollect. It was obvious that he wasn’t here for a drink, and he wasn’t here for small talk. Cillian never showed up without a reason, and that reason was rarely good.
“Dee,” he drawled, his tone oozing fake politeness as he took a seat.
I continued to wipe the counter, ignoring the arsehole.
“Dee,” he called out again.
I sighed and threw the rag on the counter with some force. “What do you want, Cillian?”
He held up his hands, feigning innocence. “Can’t a man stop by for a chat?”
“Not if that man is you.” I nodded to Seamus, who’d just come into the pub.
“What’s this arsehole doin’ here?” Seamus growled.
“You’re not popular around Ballybeg, Cillian, so why don’t you say what you have to and get out,” I suggested.
Seamus took a seat next to Liam and glowered at Cillian, who didn’t seem to care one bit that everyone wanted to kick his arse.
He smirked. “Alright, then. Straight to the point. I thought you’d like to know who your fancy Yank has been rubbing elbows with.”
“Mind your own business,” I muttered but my heart did skip a beat.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and started swiping through it, the smirk never leaving his face. He was obviously trying to stir up trouble. “Oh, just a few photos that might interest you. Here we go.”
He turned the screen toward me, and my stomach dropped.
The photo showed Jax standing next to a tall, balding man in a suit. They were smiling, drinks in hand, and the caption read: Big things in the works! Great meeting with @jaxcaldwell and the Shamrock Global Ventures.
I swallowed. Shamrock Global Ventures was trying to buy Ballybeg.
“And?” I asked almost lazily, though it wasn’t easy to pretend not to care.
“Social media is full of what he’s been up to.” Cillian casually scrolled to another photo. “This one’s my favorite. Look at them all chummy, like they’ve been best mates for years.”
The next picture was worse. Jax was shaking hands with the same man, another caption reading: Exciting opportunities ahead! Shamrock Global Ventures project outside of Cork is coming together nicely.
I stared at the screen, my chest tightening. “Whatever.”
Liam and Seamus leaned over, and Cillian made sure they got an eyeful.
“You know how these things work, Dee. Big money doesn’t just stroll into a tiny village like Ballybeg without a little inside help. And who better to smooth things over with the locals than a charming PGA champion with a pretty smile.”
I refused to believe that Jax was in any way involved with destroying Ballybeg. I…couldn’t believe that the man I’d fallen in love with could be so callous. My hands clenched into fists at my sides, my pulse pounding in my ears. “You done here?”
Cillian raised an eyebrow. “You don’t believe me?”
“No, I don’t,” I asserted emphatically. But I did because that made more sense than Jax wanting me.
He chuckled. “Come on, Dee. Think about it. Why else would a man like Jax Caldwell stay in a place like this? He’s not exactly the mud-on-his-boots type, is he?”
I didn’t answer and looked at him with an arched eyebrow like I was bored.
Cillian raised his voice. “I hate to say it, but he used you, Dee. He played you. And now, thanks to him, the resort is practically a done deal. You should’ve taken my offer when you had the chance.”
“Sounds like you’re done here.” I kept my face emotionless. Oh, no, Cillian O’Farrell wouldn’t be getting anything from me, not after he’d taken so much and screwed me over. “So, why don’t you get the feck out of here?”
He stood and shrugged. “Don’t shoot the messenger, Dee.”
As he turned to leave, he glanced over his shoulder, his smirk cutting me to the bone. “Oh, and Dee? I wouldn’t wait too long to sell. Once this thing gets rolling, that little pub of yours will be nothing but a parking lot.”
The door slammed shut behind him, but I barely noticed. My hands shook, and my breath came in shallow bursts as I stared down at the bar.
“Dee?”
I looked up to see Ronan standing in the doorway to the kitchen, a concerned frown on his face. “What did that gobshite want?”
“He was here tellin’ that Jax is with the people who want to buy up Ballybeg,” Seamus informed him.
“We saw photos,” Liam added.
Ronan narrowed his eyes. “Jax would never do that.”
“I agree,” Liam said.
“Me too,” Seamus agreed.
I wasn’t sure how I felt. If Jax had been making a fool of me, that made sense. If he was in love with me as he tried to almost claim…that did not make any sense at all. What was that thing called—Occam’s Razor? The simplest explanation is usually the right one. And in this case, the simplest explanation was that Jax was not part of my world.
“You don’t believe that gobshite, do you, Dee?” Ronan came up to me and put a hand on my shoulder.
I forced a shaky laugh, trying to brush it off. “I’m fine. It’s fine.”
“It doesn’t look like you’re fine,” he said, stepping closer. “What exactly did he say?”
I shook my head, turning away. “Just drop it, Ronan.”
“Dee,” he said firmly, his voice gentler this time. “Talk to me.”
I bit my lip, my hands gripping the edge of the bar as I tried to keep my emotions in check. “Like Liam and Seamus said, he showed me some photos,” I whispered. “Of Jax. With the developers.”
Ronan frowned. “And you believed him? Cillian? Come on, Dee. That man couldn’t tell the truth if it bit him on the arse.”
“But the photos….” I trailed off, my voice breaking. “They were real, Ronan. And it makes sense, doesn’t it? Why else would Jax be here? Why else would someone like him care about a place like this? It’s not his world.”
“You’re letting Cillian get into your head,” Ronan said gently. “Jax isn’t like him.”
I wanted to believe him. God, I did! But the doubt had already taken root, wrapping itself around every insecurity I’d ever had.
“Why would someone like Jax want me, Ronan?” I asked, my voice trembling. “I’m not some glamorous supermodel or jet-setting celebrity. I’m just…me. A woman with a crumbling pub and a pile of debt. What could I possibly offer him?”
Ronan’s jaw clenched. “Dee, don’t do this. Don’t let Cillian win.”
But it was too late. The cracks in my heart had already started to widen, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop the flood of doubt and pain that poured through them.
“I need some air,” I muttered, grabbing my coat and heading for the door before Ronan could stop me.
As I stepped outside into the cold, I wrapped my arms around myself.
Cillian was probably lying. That’s what he did. Jax wasn’t involved with the developers. But what if he was?