Flirt With Me by Kristen Proby

Chapter 4

~Hunter~

I’ve spent the better part of the last two days with her. She’s shown me six more homes, including the one we’re in now, and last night, I spent several hours at the pub where I nursed one beer, ate my weight in that amazing stew, and took it all in.

Took her in. I can’t get enough of the way Maeve laughs, of the way she moves. Hell, I was only away from her for a couple of days and I missed her.

Not to mention, I like what I’ve seen of Maeve’s family business.

I’m close to my parents and am grateful to have them close by. But I’m an only child, so watching the O’Callaghans and the way they interact, how they work together, has been an education.

“I didn’t realize until he came into the pub last night that Kane O’Callaghan is your brother,” I say as I glance at another kitchen. “I have a few pieces of his glass in my home. Bought them at a charity thing a few years ago.”

She grins in that proud way she does when she thinks of her family. Her smile lights up any room. Yeah, it’s cliché, and no, I don’t give a rat’s ass.

“That’s awesome,” she says. “Yeah, Kane’s the only one of us who doesn’t put some time in at the pub. But he’s always in his glass barn, making something new, or traveling, or just enjoying his wife and their son. The pub was never for him, and that’s okay. He comes in from time to time to look in on us all.”

“And your parents?”

“They’re in Ireland right now,” she says. “But are headed this way in a few days because Izzy’s about to have that baby any moment, and they wouldn’t miss that for the world.”

“You’re a tight family.”

She nods slowly. “When we came here from Ireland, we were all each other had. It was us against the rest of the world, so to speak. It helped that we all speak English. But, of course, with thick accents, we were still outsiders.”

“You don’t have much of an accent,” I point out, itching to touch her. To pull her to me. To kiss the hell out of her.

I simply brush her thick, soft hair behind her shoulder.

“No, I was pretty young when we moved here. Kane and Keegan have the strongest accents. Mine comes and goes—if I’m angry, especially. Sometimes, I turn it up at the pub just for fun.”

I smile and watch her walk to the windows that look out at the ocean. She does that in every house we see. Stands by the windows or on a balcony, staring out at the water like she’s drawn to it.

“Do you live on the waterfront?” I ask, wanting to know more about her.

“No.” That’s it. No explanation. And before I can ask, she turns to me and props her hands on her hips. “Okay, Hunter, this is it. The very last house for sale on this island that has a water view, is move-in ready, and fits most of what you asked for.”

“We’ve seen a lot this past week,” I agree with a nod. But it’s not enough, because this means that I can’t use it as an excuse to see her anymore.

“I’m going to be blunt.”

“By all means.”

“Are you actually going to buy something? Or are you a lookie-loo just wasting my time?”

“A lookie-loo?”

“You know…” She sighs and rubs her fingers on her forehead in either frustration or fatigue. Either way, I don’t like it. And the thought of her stress being because of me makes me even less happy about it. “Someone who wants to see everything but has no interest in actually buying. Because that’s just a waste of my time—and yours. Both of our time is valuable.”

“I’m not a lookie-loo.” I shove my hands into my pockets so I don’t reach out for her, hug her to me, and try to calm the nerves I see humming just beneath the surface. I keep my distance. Because although she’s been nothing but nice since I got here, we haven’t been flirting the way we were a couple of days ago.

And it’s damn frustrating.

“I knew the second we walked into that house on Sunday, the one I showed you on my phone the day before, that it was the one I want.”

“Then, why—?”

“I wanted to keep seeing you,” I continue, interrupting her. “You won’t let me take you out for dinner, so I kept looking at houses with you. I just wanted to be with you.”

Her mouth opens as if she wants to say something, but she closes it again.

“I’m not in the habit of being interested enough in someone to make this kind of effort, if we’re being completely honest. Not in a very long time, anyway.”

She frowns. “You’ve been looking at houses just to hang out with me?”

“Yeah.” I swallow. “When you put it like that, it sounds a little desperate. Don’t call the press with that info, okay?”

She takes a deep breath, lets it out, and then chuckles. “Well, I guess I’ll get the paperwork started on the other place. Do you know how much you want to offer?”

“What’s the price of it again?”

She tells me, and I nod, thinking it over. “Let’s add fifty thousand to the asking price and seal the deal. If I can take ownership in the next couple of weeks, that would be even better.”

She blinks, pulls her phone out of her purse, and makes some notes. “I’ll see what I can do, Mr. Meyers.”

I tip my head to the side, watching her. “Hunter. My name is Hunter.”

“Of course. Shall we go, then? I’ll get the papers ready for you to sign this afternoon, and I’ll start making some calls.”

I don’t know where the sudden cold shoulder is coming from, but I don’t like it. “What’s wrong?”

“What? Oh, nothing. I just want to get this all wrapped up for you.”

“No, something’s wrong. You just went cold on me.”

She shakes her head and tries to look innocent.

It doesn’t work.

“Maeve.”

“You should have just told me on Sunday that you wanted m—the house. Your offer likely would have been accepted by now.”

“I told you, I wanted to see you.”

“You’re playing a game.” Her voice is harder now. Jesus, are those tears in her eyes? “I don’t have time for games. I’m a busy woman with responsibilities, and while it’s flattering that you wanted to see me, it’s just…not fair.”

“Not fair?”

“No. Not fair. Anyway, I’ll get paperwork drawn up for your signature and put the offer in. I’ll have it ready for you in a couple of hours.”

“Maeve,” I say after she starts stalking to the front door, her heels clicking on the hardwood. “Wait.”

“Like I said, I’m busy.”

“Damn it, Maeve O’Callaghan, wait just a goddamn minute.” I catch up to her and tug on her arm, mortified that there are tears in her eyes. “Honey, what’s wrong?”

“Don’t call me honey.” She swipes angrily at the tears and shakes her head. “Nothing. I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine.”

“I’m fine. I just need to be alone, that’s all. I have to go.”

“Maeve.” I can’t stand it. I turn her to me, pull her against me, and bury my lips in her hair, holding her gently. “Talk to me. If you don’t tell me what I did wrong, I can’t fix it.”

She clings to me for a moment, her hands fisting in my shirt near my waist. Her forehead rests on my chest.

But rather than lean into me, she pulls back.

“There’s nothing to fix. I’m being stupid, and I apologize for being emotional.”

“Do you really hate the house that much? I know you tried to talk me out of it when we were there, but—”

“It’s the most beautiful house I’ve ever seen in my life,” she interrupts, and her bottom lip wobbles. “I don’t hate it at all. I must just have something in my eye. It’s ridiculous.”

“Stop.” My voice is firm because this is one area I won’t ever budge on. “No lying, Maeve. It’s my number-one rule.”

“I really don’t hate it.”

“And you really don’t have anything in your eye.”

“I was going to buy it, okay?” she whispers, shocking the hell out of me. “The house. I’ve been saving up for it. But I’m still too far away from the down payment. It’s just not meant to be, and I know you and your daughter will be happy there.”

“Well, hell.” I shove my hands through my hair and feel like the biggest prick on earth. “Jesus, Maeve, I’ll give you the money to buy it.”

She stares at me, shocked. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“You’re miserable. I feel like I just kicked a puppy.”

Her spine straightens, all evidence of tears dries from her eyes, and she firms that gorgeous little chin.

“I’m no puppy. I’m perfectly fine, and it’s a beautiful home for you and your daughter. I’ll have the papers for you later today.”

She turns to leave, and before I can reach out to take her hand and keep her with me just a moment longer, she turns back to me.

“Are you still interested in dinner?”

My eyebrows climb in surprise. “Hell, yes. Don’t play with my emotions here, Maeve.”

A smile touches the edges of her lips. “I don’t have to work at the pub tonight.”

“Well, then, I’ll pick you up at six.”

She nods. “Okay. I’ll be ready. I’ll text you my address.”

“I can’t believeyou brought me all the way over to Seattle just for dinner,” she says and takes a bite of her steak.

“There’s a method to my madness,” I admit as I watch her chew.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, she has the sexiest fucking lips I’ve ever seen. And she tastes like heaven.

“And what is that?” she asks.

“I get to be with you during the travel time, as well as dinner.”

She laughs and lifts her martini, those green eyes shining at me over the rim as she takes a sip.

“We talked about my family earlier today,” she says. “Tell me about your family.”

“There’s not much to tell. My parents live here in the Seattle area, and I see them often. And I have Rachel.”

“How long have you been divorced?”

“I was never married.” I narrow my eyes on her. “Don’t you already know all of this?”

“How would I?”

“I don’t know, Google?”

She shakes her head. “No. I avoid Google. I have several members of the family who are famous, and I know that the truth isn’t always portrayed online. I’d much rather get to know you from you directly. If you want to tell me about yourself, you will.”

“Besides Kane, who else is famous in your family?”

She grins. “Well, because Kane married Anastasia, we have Luke Williams, Leo Nash, and Will Montgomery. Not to mention Starla, the pop star, and Amelia Montgomery, the YouTube sensation who has a makeup line. It’s awesome, by the way. There may be more, but those are off the top of my head. Also, if I didn’t again mention Shawn and his wife, my brother would kill me.”

“Wait, you know Jules McKenna’s family?”

She tilts her head to the side. “Yes, they’re extended family now. Do you know them?”

“Hell, I practically grew up with Nate. He’s a bit older than me, but I pretty much lived in his dad’s gym as a teenager. Yeah, I know them well.”

“What a small world,” she says with a smile.

“That’s a lot of famous people,” I reply, thinking it over. “Holy shit, Maeve.”

“I know.” She finishes her steak and reaches for her martini glass again. “Trust me, it gets intimidating. And, sometimes, we need graphs and charts. Oh! And Izzy, Keegan’s wife, is a local celebrity. She reports the weather here in Seattle.”

“That’s where I know her from,” I say, thumping my fist on the table. “It’s been driving me nuts.”

Maeve laughs and nods. “Yep. She doesn’t have to work at the pub, but she enjoys it, so she helps out a couple of days a week. But now we’re just talking about my family again.”

“Right.” I smile and take a sip of my water. “I was a young fighter and met this woman, Carla. She was nineteen and what we call a ring bunny.”

Maeve laughs. “Of course, you do. That’s not sexist at all.”

“Oh, it totally is. I was twenty. What the fuck did I know? Anyway, Carla was cute and paid me a lot of attention. We hooked up a few times, and the next thing I knew, she was pregnant. By that time, she’d moved on to a different fighter, a guy named Danny Ost. He’s still in the business. Anyway, she made it clear that she had no interest in a kid.”

Maeve’s eyes widen.

“At first, she talked about aborting it. And it’s not that I don’t believe in a woman’s right to choose, but I sat her down and told her that if she’d carry it, I would be responsible for it. Carla didn’t come from a stable home. She would have had zero help. And, yeah, I could have taken the easy way out, but something in my gut said: Do this.

“So, what felt like the blink of an eye later, I had this tiny pink thing to take care of. I wasn’t willing to stop fighting—and thank God for my parents. Seriously, they’re saints. I bought them a house and retired them both early. If I could do more, I would. Because they brought Rachel into their lives, and they love her as much as I do.”

“Of course. My family would do the same.”

“I can see that,” I agree.

“Does Rachel ever see her mother?”

“Carla comes and goes. She’s a free spirit, but she checks in with Rach now and then. Rachel just can’t depend on Carla to show up when she says she will. And last year, she embarrassed Rachel at school. She showed up out of the blue and sat down at the lunch table with her. So, Rachel’s figuring out what kind of person her mom is.”

“You’re a good dad,” Maeve says. “A lot of people would talk a lot of crap about a parent like that.”

“Hey, she did what I asked. She had the baby. That’s all I ever wanted from her.” I scribble my name on the credit card receipt. “So, that’s about it for my family.”

My phone rings, and I glance down to see Rachel’s name.

“This is Rachel. I have to take it. Hello?”

“Dad, I need you to come get me.”

I narrow my eyes. “From Gram and Gramps’?”

“No.” Her voice is thin. “I snuck out. But I—”

“I’m tracing your phone right now. I’ll be there in just a few minutes. Are you safe?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Don’t move. I’m on my way.”

I click off and swear under my breath.

“Is she okay?”

“I don’t know what the hell is going on, but I have to go get her. I’m sorry.”

“What for? She’s your daughter. Let’s go.”

We hurry through the restaurant and out to my car so I can check my phone to see where my daughter is.

“She’s on my last damn nerve.”

“You said that before. Has she been in trouble?”

“Yeah. That’s why we’re moving to the island. She’s always in trouble lately. Her friends are awful. She’s defiant. And she’s started to give my parents a hard time. She just admitted to me that she snuck out of their house tonight.”

I feel my jaw clench in anger.

“Speaking of, I’d better call them.”

I make the call on Bluetooth in the car, and my dad answers.

“How are things going on the island?” he asks in greeting.

“They’ve gone well, but I’m in Seattle. I came into the city to have dinner with Maeve.”

“Oh, the woman you told me about?”

I feel Maeve whip her head to stare at me. “Yes, that’s the one. Listen, I just got a call from Rachel. She snuck out and needs me to come get her. I’m on my way.”

“Damn it,” Dad mutters. “Hunter, I swear to you, we’ve been on that girl like white on rice all damn day.”

“She’s sneaky. And I’m over it. When I’m done with her, she’ll think being a nun is liberating. I’ll keep you posted.”

“Please do.”

I click off as we approach a gas station, the exact location of the red dot on my phone.

“What’s she doing here?” I mutter as I pull in and see my daughter standing by the front doors, waiting.

“Uh, should I get in the back?” Maeve asks, dubiously eyeing the minuscule backseat. The Rolls is a little sportster, not really meant for hauling around more than two people.

“No.” I pull to a stop and climb out of the car to address my daughter. “You’ll have to climb into the backseat.”

“Who’s that?” Rachel demands.

“My friend.” Jesus, I’ve never introduced my daughter to a woman I’ve dated before. As far as she knows, I’m an eternal bachelor. “Backseat.”

I hold my seat forward for her to slip behind. Once she’s squeezed into the back, I reenter the car and pull out of the gas station parking lot.

“Who are you?” Rachel asks.

“I’m Maeve,” the woman next to me says. “Nice to meet you.”

Before Rachel can say anything else, I give her a hard look in the rearview mirror. “Talk to me.”

“I just decided I didn’t want to go do what my friends wanted to do.”

“Why in the ever-loving hell were you out in the first place? You know you’re supposed to be at Gram and Gramps’ while I’m out of town.”

“Well, apparently, you aren’t out of town. You’re just having a sex weekend with this…person.”

“Watch it,” I warn her. “Why did you leave the house?”

“Because I wanted to go hang with my friends.”

“That’s not a good reason.”

I pull through the gate to my house and drive up the steep driveway toward the garage.

“Why are we at home?” Rachel asks. “Aren’t we going to Grams’?”

“No.” I pull up to the house and get out of the car, holding the seat for Rachel. As soon as she’s standing next to me, I smell her breath. “You’ve been drinking.”

“I had one beer.”

“You’re fifteen fucking years old,” I remind her, my voice like steel. “You’re not an adult.”

“You treat me like a baby,” she counters. “I called you because they were snorting coke, and I didn’t want to do that stuff.”

“Coke?” I stare at her in disbelief. “Jesus Christ, Rachel. You’re done with them. You’ve just lost your phone and every other privilege you enjoy.”

“Dad—”

“Wait.” We both turn at the sound of Maeve’s voice. My chest is heaving, my blood rushing through my ears. “She just told you what happened. She called you for help. I know that what she did was wrong, but she also did the right thing by not doing the drugs and calling you instead. You can’t punish her for her friends’ decisions.”

I narrow my eyes, but I know she’s right.

“I like her,” Rachel decides and turns to Maeve. “Not that you’ll be around for long because no one ever is. But I like you.”

My daughter tosses her phone to me and then stomps into the house, leaving me out in the driveway with Maeve.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have interrupted,” she begins, but I shake my head.

“No, you were right. I was upset, and I can’t punish her for what her friends decided to do. I’m glad she called me, but I’m so damn pissed that she snuck out in the first place.”

“Absolutely.” Maeve checks her watch. “I’d better hunt down a hotel room. I’d call an Uber to take me back to the island, but I think I’ve missed the last ferry for the day.”

“Ah, hell. I’m so sorry. Why don’t you stay here tonight? I’ll take you home first thing in the morning.”

She calmly looks back to the front door where Rachel just slammed it and shakes her head. “I think, under the current circumstances, that’s not at all appropriate.”

She looks back at me and raises a brow.

My heart skips a beat.

“Maeve.”

“It’s okay.” She walks forward and takes my hand in hers, giving my fingers a little squeeze. “I’ll grab a room.”

“I’ll pick you up in the morning and take you home.”

“I’d like that.” She smiles and then reaches up to cup my cheek. I feel my heart, the one that just skipped a beat, shift. “She’s going to be okay. And so are you. I enjoyed tonight.”

“I wish you’d stay with me.”

Her smile is quick and full of female satisfaction. “Another night. When there isn’t so much teenage angst going on.”

“That could take five years.”

She laughs and taps on the screen of her phone, then leans in to hug me.

“My car will be here in three minutes. I have to meet them down at the gate.”

“I’ll walk you down.”

We start down the driveway. “Aren’t you afraid she’ll sneak out again?”

“Nah. This place is like Fort Knox. She’s not going anywhere else tonight. But I might sneak out later and come find your hotel.”

Maeve’s laugh fills the air. “You’d best set a good example for your daughter.”

“You’re a bossy one, you know that?”

She leans her head on my biceps. I can’t get enough of her touch. “Yeah. I am.”

Her car pulls up to the gate. I watch her get into the backseat and then stare at the red taillights as the car pulls away.

I have to go up and have a long talk with my daughter.