fall flat on his face. In the middle of McP’s. In front of countless friends, strangers and fellow SEALs.
Liam let out a laugh. “No. Actually, I love it. And everybody at McP’s is going to love it too.”
Brian perked up a bit, encouraged. “Really? You think so?”
“Yup. Hell. That might be the one thing that’s missing at McP’s. A good old Irish singalong. So what’s the plan?”
He had been keeping the discussion strictly between him and Liam until he’d gotten feedback on the crazy idea, but now, he glanced around at the team that filled the room. “I think we have to see who’s available and willing to be there with us. Maybe have a rehearsal before. I can print out the lyrics for anyone who doesn’t know it, since you might be the only one who does. Then I have to get Alicia down there.”
“You have a plan for that?” Liam asked. “Getting her there?”
“I do.” With a little help from Alicia’s friend Shelly, he might actually be able to pull this off.
“All right. When are you planning on doing this?”
He had thought about that too. “I hope tomorrow night. I don’t want to wait. In case, you know . . .”
“In case we get spun up again and yanked out of the country. Gotcha. Okay, you want me to start asking the guys and see who’s in?” Liam asked.
“That would help. Thanks. That way I can get started on the plan to get her there.”
“You got it. Anything for you, Heartbreaker.” Liam grinned.
For once, that name didn’t grate on his nerves. He was too busy pulling Shelly’s business card out of the wallet he’d had stashed in his locker in the cage.
He desperately needed to shower after that run, but this phone call couldn’t wait.
After three eternal rings that had his heart pounding, and not from the run, Shelly answered with a cautious, professional tone, saying, “This is Shelly.”
“Hi, it’s Brian. Alicia’s . . .” He couldn’t bring himself to say fake boyfriend, but he wasn’t her real one either. “. . . friend. We met at McP’s?”
“Hi, Brian. I remember. What’s up?”
“I had a crazy idea and I need your help.”
“Crazy is my middle name. What do you need from me?”
“Do you think you can get Alicia to McP’s tomorrow at like about five?” he asked.
She let out a short burst of air. “Is that all? Sure. That’s easy. Whatcha gonna do when she gets there?”
Getting Alicia to talk to him would be a nice start. He kept that to himself and said, “Don’t laugh, but I’ve worked it out so me and a couple of the guys are going to sing to her.”
“Oh my God,” she squealed. “That’s absolutely perfect. One of her favorite movies is Top Gun. We just watched it together the other night. You know that scene where Tom Cruise sings to Kelly McGillis in the bar?”
He’d seen the movie. He hadn’t known it was one of her favorites. But now that he did, it almost seemed like fate. And for the first time, he wasn’t afraid to feel the hope that started to grow inside him.
This crazy idea just might work.
TWENTY-SEVEN
It had been a shit day.
Back to back appointments all day long, punctuated in the middle by a half hour for lunch where the deli got her delivered order completely wrong.
Alicia didn’t usually let work get to her but today it had. Then again nothing had felt right lately.
She refused to think she’d felt off since she’d cut things off with Brian.
Of course, it could also be Greg’s sudden reappearance in her life that had destroyed her ch’i.
She was just considering bailing on her plans with Shelly to go home and put on PJs and wallow when her phone’s display lit and her friend’s name and face appeared.
“Hey, Shell.”
“Hey, yourself. I’m on my way to McP’s. Did you leave yet?”
“About that . . .” she began.
“Oh my God. You are not backing out on me.”
She sighed. “Can’t we do it another night?”
“No. We can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m out of work on time for once and you never know when that will happen again.”
“I’m just tired—”
“Please, Alicia. You have to meet me at McP’s,” Shelly begged.
She let out a short laugh at the desperation in her friend’s voice. “Why? Why do I have to meet you at McP’s?”
“Because, I, uh . . . I . . . I met a guy. Yup. I did. And I want you to meet him.”
“You met someone? When?”