hard to give her the feigned much-aggrieved tone that was part of this friendly song and dance between them.
“Damn. I’m so tempted. Tony and his brothers have inspired at least a few dozen romance heroes for me.” She sighed dramatically, but he was too hung up on her words to tease her for her crush like he normally would.
She didn’t intend to accept his invitation.
“Tempted? So you’re not coming?”
“I’m afraid I can’t make it today. I’ve got plans.”
“Oh yeah? What’s going on? Got a hot date?”
“Well… Yeah. I do.”
“On a Thursday afternoon?”
She laughed. “Yep. I’m a rebel that way. I’d just left my place when you called. I’m walking to meet the guy now.”
Padraig wasn’t sure how to respond. In all the time he’d known Emmy, she’d never gone out on a date.
“That’s great,” he said lamely, when it was obvious she was waiting for him to say something.
“It’s a first date. We’re just meeting for coffee at Layla’s shop.”
“How did you meet him? Do I know him?”
“I doubt it. We met online.”
“Online?”
“I signed up for one of those online dating apps.”
Padraig really didn’t know how to react to that. “Oh. Okay.”
“I hate to cut this short, but I’m running a little late. I’ll call you tomorrow and maybe we can do the pub tour then? I’m dying to see it, especially my spot.”
“Sure. We’ll do it tomorrow.”
They said their goodbyes and hung up.
“Who was that?”
Padraig turned at the sound of Uncle Ewan’s voice. “Emmy.”
“How’s she doing?”
“Good. She’s doing good.”
Ewan sighed. “I’ll be damn glad when we get this place up and running again. It’s hard not seeing everyone on a regular basis.”
Padraig had heard that same complaint from pretty much every single member of his family since the fire. The Collins clan was a tight-knit group, most members always managing to stop by the pub two or three times a week to catch up on all the gossip. Without the pub, they’d been separated, sequestered in their own homes, something none of his nosy relatives were happy about.
“Why don’t you invite her over?” Ewan gestured toward the bar. “Her seat is ready for her.”
“I did,” Padraig said. “She’s got plans today. A date.”
Ewan’s eyebrows rose, mirroring the same astonishment Padraig felt when she’d announced that to him. “A date? With who? Do we know the guy?”
“She met him online. One of those dating apps,” Padraig said, aware of the distinct grumble in his voice.
“Online dating?” Ewan said, not bothering to hide his disgust either. “Where’s she meeting this guy? Somewhere public, I hope.”
If there was one thing all the men in the Collins family had in common, it was their overprotectiveness when it came to the women in their lives.
“They’re meeting for coffee at Layla’s shop,” Padraig replied.
“Well, that’s good, I guess. Layla will keep an eye on her, and Finn and Fergus work right across the street. We can get them there quick if need be.” Leave it to Ewan to pre-plan in case of attack.
Padraig felt his uncle studying his face when he didn’t reply. If he hadn’t been so blindsided by Emmy announcing she had a date, he might have managed to school his features.
As it was…
“You okay with her dating?” Ewan asked.
Padraig nodded, but it took him a few seconds to get his head bobbing. Those seconds were not missed by Ewan.
“You sure?” he stressed.
“I’m sure,” Padraig said, hoping if he said the words out loud, he’d convince himself.
Ewan stared at him hard for a few moments more, then nodded. “Okay. Your dad just texted. He’s on his way here now. When he arrives, how about we all sit down and start mapping out our next steps? I’d love to do a soft opening for family and friends next Friday.”
“Sounds good.”
An hour later, Padraig leaned against the counter, still waiting for the family powwow. His dad had arrived the same time as Joe Moretti, who’d warned them the big-screen TVs were on their way. The three of them had spent the past hour discussing whether or not to hang them in the same places as before or take advantage of this opportunity to put them in better locations. Now that the Morettis were in the physical process of putting them up, he, Dad, Keira, and Ewan could sit down to plan the reopening.
Aunt Keira walked up to him. “Ewan just got a call from the vendor who’s printing the menus. He said once he’s done, we can finally have our meeting. It feels like every