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“Patrick.”
“You look good, Pa,” I decided to tell him, waggling my brows with mischief. “Super handsome.”
“Jesus.” Lizzie rolled her eyes. “Again with the word ‘super,’ Claire?”
“What?” I held my hands up. “He does.”
I wasn’t the only one to notice, either. Several girls at other tables littered around the café had all turned their heads in his direction. Heck, even Lizzie was looking.
“Thanks.” He chuckled with a shy smile, reaching into his back pocket to retrieve his wallet. “Want anything from the counter, girls?”
“Nah, we’re good,” I answered for all of us, and then watched in amusement as Lizzie’s eyes tracked him all the way to the counter.
Oh, yeah, she was definitely looking at Patrick.
The only one immune to his sexy stable boy attire was Shannon, who was too busy blushing at the screen of her phone to give him a second glance.
“He does look good,” Lizzie surmised, finally turning her attention back to us. “He’ll do Gomez Addams justice next Saturday night.”
“Oh my god, Liz!” I squealed, unable to stop myself from bouncing in my seat. “You like Patrick.” Clapping my hands in pure unadulterated joy, I twisted around in my seat to get a better look at how good his ass looked in those jeans. “Yes, girl, yes! I approve of the upgrade.”
Lizzie gaped at me. “What are you talking about?”
“And did you notice that he didn’t even smell bad?” I hurried to add, truly gleeful now. “He’s been working on the farm all day, and there’s not a whiff of cow poo off his wellies. Just freshly cut silage and a little petrol.” Grinning, I added, “He’s a keeper, Liz. Pa’s amazing. Much better than Pierce, if you ask me.” I scrunched my nose up in disgust when I added, “And I bet he doesn’t take girls’ v-cards in the back seat of his car at the GAA grounds, either.”
“You like Feely, Liz?” Shannon asked, with a wide-eyed expression, when she finally decided to put her phone away and give us her attention. “How did I not know this?”
“Ah, maybe because it’s not true,” Lizzie deadpanned. “He looks good, I noticed, and now Claire’s planning the bridal party.”
“So, you don’t like him?” Shannon asked, sounding confused.
“No, I do like him,” she began to say but I cut her off with an enthusiastic “Yay. This is the best news ever!” before she could continue.
“As a friend,” Lizzie clarified slowly. She turned to Shannon and repeated the words, “As a friend.”
“Oh.” To give her credit, Shan looked almost as disappointed as I did about it. “Well, he’s a really nice person,” she offered, tone hopeful. “And gentle, and kind…”
“And perfect for you!” I threw my two cents into the mix and added—again, maybe a little overly enthusiastically.
“Jesus, say it louder, Claire,” Liz growled. “I don’t think the old biddies at the table in the corner heard you.”
“Sorry,” I replied with a sheepish wince. “But all I’m trying to say is that I think you two would be perfect together.”
“Oh my god.” Lizzie turned to Shannon. “Can’t you do something with her?”
“Like what?” Shannon laughed.
“I’m serious.” I continued to plead my case. “You and Patrick make so much sense.” I was almost disappointed in myself for not thinking about the two of them sooner, but now that I had, I couldn’t get the idea out of my mind. “He’s the perfect amount of calm to your storm!”
“Put a muzzle on her or something,” Lizzie said, ignoring me entirely.
“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes. “You two are perfect for each other, but don’t take my word for it.”
“Who’s perfect for each other?” Patrick asked, sliding onto the bench seat next to Shannon. “Or am I safer not knowing?”
“Uh…this is definitely one of those better-off-not-knowing scenarios,” Shan replied as she scooted over on the bench and gulped down another mouthful of hot chocolate.
“Hey…Patrick?” Smiling, I leaned across the table, giving him my full attention.
