Page 74 of An Irish Hope

Andy swivelled in his seat and eyed her, his eyes wide as he listened to the phone pressed against his ear.

She inched a smile in his direction then returned to Miles. “I don’t see you as much as I do Maisie. And I had a few moments spare, and…” She shrugged. Yeah, that sounded lame.

He frowned. “Well, it’s all good here. Classes are great, kids are cool. I’m definitely in the right job.”

Behind him, one of the female staff members rolled her eyes. Okay, so apparently not everyone agreed.

“Well, uh, that’s good. I, um, I’d better get going.” Especially since it seemed Andy was never getting off this phone call. “I guess I’ll see you around.” She hoped Andy got that message. That she wanted to see him, wanted to talk. Properly, this time.

She lifted a hand. “Have a good day.”

The female staff member nodded, and as she shut the door she heard Miles say, “That was weird.”

Her cheeks flamed as she hurried back to her staffroom. That was weird. She was weird. She should never—

“Hey, Aisling, wait.”

Her footsteps halted, like Andy had this magic power to speak and she’d obey. She turned, met his gaze.

“Did… did you want to speak to me?”

She nodded. Oh, why when he looked at her like that did all her words tumble away? “I, um, yes.”

He half-smiled, then curved an arm to scratch the back of his head. Did he do that deliberately, so she’d notice his bicep? Oh, she was turning into one of those girls who shallowly fixated on a man’s body as part of his appeal. She should poke her eyes out.

“It’s a bit awkward here, but are you free later?”

“I, yes, sure.”

“Where we met last week?”

She shook her head. “Anywhere but that.”

He nodded, then told her about a nearby cafe, and they set a time.

“Thanks.”

“It’ll be good to talk,” he said softly.

“Yes.” She hoped so anyway. She took a step back.

“Have a good rest of your day.”

“You too,” she murmured. She gave a small smile, and turned on her booted heel. Then noticed Miles was watching them. Her stomach tensed some more.

The tension riding in her veins was nothing compared to the dinosaurs stomping on her stomach by the time she turned up at the café Andy had suggested. She’d dressed nicely this morning, wanting to make a good impression, and knew she looked good. This green velvet jacket paired well with the long plum skirt and might be a little more formal than some of her other ensembles. But she felt strong and looked good in it.

She sucked in air, then released it on a prayer. Lord, let this go well.

She entered, and saw Andy at a booth in the back. He was early. Which meant he must be keen. Or maybe just keen to get this over with. But there had been that soft look in his eye before that suggested he really did want to make things right. Faith said she should go with that, anyway.

He rose as she approached, then smiled awkwardly. “I know you don’t want to hear me say this anymore but—”

“I’m sorry,” she said at the same time as him.

He chuckled. “You’re sorry?”

She nodded. “I was rude last week, and I haven’t managed any of this well. And I thought we were friends and I wanted more, and anyway, I’m sorry I haven’t treated you the way I should, and—”