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“You want some red lemonade?” Elise asked me.
“Um, sure. Sounds great.”
Adam shook his head and grinned at the waitress. “Funny, Elise. It’s a bit early to be pumping whiskey in her, don’t you think? Besides, I want her to like this place.”
“If you say so.” Elise nodded.
“The usual is fine instead,” Adam noted before Elise left our table.
“Whiskey?” I blurted, trying not to laugh at the absurdity of having spiked lemonade for breakfast. Although, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to have something to help me loosen up.
He angled his head and placed his hands palms up, his eyes beholding mine like he had just staked his claim. “A bunch of drunks,” he said, and chuckled.
Was it hot in here? I started fidgeting with the cotton material of my sweater, pulling it farther from my belly button.
“You okay?”
“Yeah.” I swallowed. “Just nervous about my first day of work tomorrow. I wish I had a little more time to get to know Ireland before I start.”
I hadn’t expected to even get the job—or any of the ones I applied to, for that matter. It had been weeks since I’d applied to several positions, and I hadn’t heard a peep from any of them. Then, just over a week ago, I got the call. I wasn’t sure if I was a last-minute add, or if some other candidate had fallen through, but I’d take it.
Adam looked so casual sitting across from me, his hands tucked in his lap and his back relaxed against the broad oak chair. “And what is it that you’ll be doing?” His attention shifted momentarily to Elise and the waiter at her side. Elise positioned two plates on the table, while the other waiter placed OJ and tea in front of us, as well.
“That was fast.” My eyes bulged in shock at the amount of food before me. Fried eggs, sausage, bacon, vegetables, some white pudding thing, and thick slices of brown bread dripped in creamy deliciousness. Holy hell! I wouldn’t be able to walk once I was done eating.
Elise laughed. “You know the saying, right? ‘Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.’ Well, I’m pretty good at the breakfast part. Still working on the whole wee bit of dinner, though.”
“I’ll be working on that forever. I like all of my meals like this.”
Was he joking? There was no way he ate like this all of the time. He was fit enough to have trained for the Olympics or something. I hadn’t noticed an ounce of body fat on him. And I had studied his damn back, chest, and arms more than I had any right to.
“Enjoy.” Elise patted Adam on the back and walked off to another table.
“Shall we dig in?” He perked a brow and lifted his fork and knife, his blue eyes on me.
“Yes, please.”
The greasy, fried food made me feel like I was in my mother’s kitchen, although the majority of the time she was a complete health nut. She only cooked like this on Sundays, but she never did anything halfway.
He chomped on a piece of bacon that he held between his fingers. Somehow, he made even eating bacon look sexy. How was that possible? “So, you never got a chance to answer my question.” He finished his bacon and took a sip of OJ.
I wiped my greasy hands on my linen napkin and focused my attention on him and away from the food I wanted to continue to devour. But I was never one to talk with food in my mouth. “I graduated recently with a degree in marketing and a minor in finance. I’m thinking about getting my MBA, eventually, but I want to make sure the business world is really what I want. Plus, I’m loaded down with student loan debt.” I shrugged. “So, for now, I’m going to be interning at a company here.”
“Why Ireland?”
“I, um, applied to companies all over the world—I needed—wanted . . . to get away. I’ve never even been outside of Kentucky before.”
He smiled at me. “Well, Ireland is a grand choice. Where will you be working?”
“MAC—and not as in Apple. Although I heard a lot of the big companies have locations here now. Even Facebook.” I waved my hand. “Anyway, I’m not sure if you’ve heard of it. McGregor Advanced Communications. It’s a division of the McGregor Enterprises.”
Adam started to cough, and he brought his fist in front of his mouth.
“You okay?” I started to rise, wondering if I’d need to employ the Heimlich maneuver.
He motioned with his other hand for me to stay seated. “I’m fine,” he said, his voice cracking slightly as he spoke.
I toyed with the napkin on my lap as he took a sip of his drink. When he looked up at me, his eyes were a little watery.
