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“You want to talk?”
“Yeah, I do.” I glanced warily at the shiny piece of steel in his hand. “Preferably without the knife.”
“Right so, boyo, let’s have that talk.”
Reluctantly setting the knife down, my boss nodded stiffly and opened the back door, before stepping outside.
“Aoife, stay here,” Trish called out when Molloy attempted to follow me out.
“But—“
“No buts, young lady,” her mother replied. “Now be a good girl and mash the spuds for your poor mammy. My arthritis is flaring up.”
Worrying on her lip, Molloy offered me a helpless shrug as I walked to my fate.
If I die today, it’s on your conscience,I mentally told her, as I stepped outside and closed the back door behind me.
Turning to face her father, who was glaring at me like I had betrayed him, and let’s face it I had, I quickly held my hands up. “Before you say a word, just know that I didn’t set out to disrespect you in any way, shape, or form.”
He sighed heavily. “Joey.”
“I know that you’ve been good to me,” I hurried to add. “And this probably feels like the ultimate betrayal, considering you warned me not to go there with her, but I care about your daughter, Tony.”
He shook his head. “Joey—“
“I do, Tony,” I urged. “I really fucking care about her, okay? This isn’t a fleeting notion, either. We didn’t get together on a whim. I put a hell of a lot of thought into this,” I added, blowing out a breath. “She’s my friend, Tony. My best friend – has been for a long time now. I’m not going to lie to you and say that I didn’t see it coming, but I can truthfully say that I did everything I could to stop it from happening—“
“Joey!” Tony barked, and I quickly clamped my mouth shut. “I only have two questions for you.”
Oh Jesus.
“And take your time answering them,” he added. “Because I only want the truth, lad.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
“First.” He eyed me carefully and asked, “Do you love my daughter?”
Heart thumping violently in my chest, I felt myself nod. “Entirely.” And then I heard myself say, “For about five years now.”
Well shit…
“Second,” he said slowly. “Do you see a future with her?”
“No,” I admitted, hating my words, but needing to give him the truth, because if anyone deserved my honesty it was this man. “I don’t see a future for us, but that’s not because I don’t want one with her. It’s because I don’t see a future for myself, period.”
The hard look on his face softened. “Ah, lad.”
I shook off his sympathy.
I didn’t want it, and I didn’t need it.
“I know that I let you down,” I continued, blowing out a harsh breath. “So, there won’t be any hard feelings on my end if you need to let me go at work.”
“Let you go?” Tony frowned. “Why would I do that?”
I stared back in confusion. “Because I fell in love with your daughter when you told me not to.”
“We seem to have our wires crossed, boyo,” Tony said with a heavy sigh, as he walked towards me and clamped a hand on my shoulder. “I warned you off my daughter because I didn’t want to lose a good worker if it all went pear shaped, and for no other reason.”
