the corner.
“That’s a yes,” the woman clarified.
“Oh man, your old boyfriend is married, and he didn’t tell you,” Jason said in my ear. Then he sang, “Awkward.”
“Shut up,” I said. Colin’s eyes went wide, and I shook my head. “Not you. Him.” I gestured to the phone.
“Him?” Colin asked. “Who’s him?”
“A coworker,” I said.
“Hey, I’m more than that—I’m your wingman,” Jason protested. I ignored him.
“And he’s calling you all the way in Ireland at night?” Colin sounded outraged.
“Seriously?” I asked. “You’re offended when you neglected to mention that you have a wife . . . and kids? They are yours, I presume.”
“I was just about to tell you about them,” he said. He glanced at his wife. “I swear.”
“Uh-huh.” The woman and I spoke together.
“Ooh, man, I’m glad I’m not him,” Jason said. “One angry woman is bad enough, but two? He’s a dead man walking.”
“Good night, Jason,” I said.
“What? No!” he cried. “It’s just getting good. Switch to video so I can watch.”
“Not likely.”
“Pretty please?”
“No, and if word leaks out about this at the office, I will cut you,” I said.
“You sound fierce,” he said. “That’s hot.”
Ugh. I ended the call. I was not going to let Jason listen to any more of my complete and utter humiliation at finding out my old boyfriend was married by having his wife and kids crash our “date.”
“I was about to tell Chelsea about the lot of you,” Colin insisted. The baby started to fuss, and he reached out and plucked it from its mother’s arms. “Give him here. Chelsea, you remember Aoife O’Hare from our summer work program?”
“Aoife Donovan, thank you very much.” The woman frowned at Colin as he hugged the baby to his shoulder and patted the little one’s back in a well-practiced gesture that showed his parental skill as the baby immediately snuggled into his dad’s warmth.
I studied the woman’s face. Aoife. My jaw dropped. Aoife was a few years younger than we were. Pleasantly rounded with thick, long, wavy black hair, creamy skin, and eyes as blue as Lough Caragh. She’d been a lovely girl but painfully shy. This woman standing in front of me now looked neither plump nor shy. Aoife, pronounced E-fah, had matured into a real beauty.
“I remember you,” I said. It felt like an achievement to bring her back to mind. I smiled and held out a hand. “You were a lovely girl, but you are a stunning woman.”
Aoife squinted at me as if trying to decide if I was full of bullshit or not. I wasn’t. That wasn’t my way—lying was just too exhausting, plus she really was a knockout. Aoife must have come to that very conclusion, because she shook my hand and nodded once.
“I’m not surprised you didn’t recognize me. I’ve dropped two stone and finally grew some baps.” She gestured to her breasts, and I snorted.
“Really, Aoife,” Colin said. “Is that appropriate talk in a pub?”
“Says the man who is known for lightin’ his farts on fire after a few too many pints.” Aoife rolled her eyes as she absently put her arms around the two children, one on each side of her, and pulled them in close like a mother hen spreading her wings over her chicks.
“I was with me lads, and it only happened the one time,” he said.
“Aye, the one time you lit your backside on fire,” Aoife said. She laughed, and her eyes twinkled with mirth.
“Woman, you’re going to be the death of me,” he said. He looked disgruntled, but it soon gave way to a smile.
“So you keep saying, and yet here you sit,” she retorted.
I felt a laugh well up at their good-natured teasing. It was clear there was a lot of love between Aoife and Colin, and I was surprised to find it made me joyous rather than envious. Okay, maybe there was a pinch of envy when I saw the love so evident between them, but mostly they made me happy and . . . hopeful.
“I’ll have you know,” Colin said, “that I was about to tell my friend Chelsea about the beautiful girl I married, who is the love of my life, who has given me my three greatest blessings,” he said. His eyes shone when he looked at his wife and children.
“Oh, were you now?” Aoife asked. A pretty pink blush stained her cheeks.
“I was,” he said. “I sent you a message to meet me at the pub after you were done at your mother’s. Didn’t you get it?”
“Of