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Isaac and Darren had taken the piss out of Cathal, telling him he was fast becoming celebrity tattoo artist and soon enough, some TV producer would come knocking about a reality show because his of his girlfriend and new best friend, Oli Scott.
The very idea had made Cathal turn a very ghostly pale ass white which made the boys laugh even harder.
So that was why Shay was here, talking Cathal off the ledge while Luna was spending the day with Luke and the boys were told to stay away, for Cathal’s sanity, and Darren and Isaac’s protection. Considering they had decided to gut the entire ground floor, including the old shop and the new shop, it was a big project but would be so freakin cool once it was all done.
And while Cathal was looking at paint samples and going over the final plans for the millionth time, Shay sat on one of the storage boxes, staring out the window as he thoughts drifted back to Rhys.
Two days had passed since he walked her home and two days Shay had been running back over their conversation in her head. Shay had always been a fan of Heartache Melody’s music, way back when they played gigs to like fifty people. Even in her teens, the amber eyed Rhys had drawn her attention, but never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined that she would be walking and talking with him.
She also spent a lot of time over the last forty-eight hours chastising herself for being all dreamy-eyed where Rhys was concerned. She was a strong independent woman who did not fawn over ridiculously pretty rockstars with sinful lips and heavenly eyes. And Rhys wasn’t even her type! She tended to stay away from pretty boys, and when she did date tended to go for rough and ready looking guys.
But there was something about Rhys that Shay couldn’t stop thinking about.
“Hello, Shay? You awake?”
Shay blinked her eyes and looked up to see her best friend, Sinéad Kelleher looking at her with an amused expression, carrying a tray of coffee in her hands. Sinéad had recently moved back to Ireland, having moved to Spain to get away from her obsessive step-brother who had kidnapped her and killed a young girl with his car. The girl, Layla, had been dating Jameson Kent at the time and Sinéad and Jameson had fallen for each other, though getting them to a good place where they were happy hadn’t been easy.
“She’s been like that all day,” griped Cathal as he took the coffee Sinéad held out for him. “I dunno what’s gotten into her.”
Sinéad slid her gaze to Shay, who took her own coffee and turned away, rolling her eyes as she did. “I’ve been zoning out because you’ve been bitching and moaning all afternoon. My brain hurts listening to you question all the decisions you’ve already made!”
Cathal gave her a one finger salute and Sinéad burst out laughing, shaking her head as she asked. “What are you trying to decide on?”
“Paint colour.” Both Shay and Cathal replied in unison, making Sinéad roll her eyes. “You’re both artists. This should be an easy thing to sort out.”
Cathal shrugged, leaning against one of the walls. “I decided to go for black and grey with the furniture and the workstations. But I can’t stand the thought of boring white walls...or fucking beige.”
Shay joined Sinéad in her laughter as Cathal shuddered at the thought of it. They sipped their coffee and chatted for a bit before Cathal’s phone rang and he got this stupid ass grin on his face. He glanced over at her and Sinéad.
“Go and sweet talk your girlfriend,” Shay ordered him, waving him out. “Maybe she can talk some sense into you.”
Sinéad pulled over another storage box and plonked down beside Shay, taking a drink of coffee before Shay asked her where Jameson was.
“Oh he’s working a shift for Niamh across the road,” Sinéad said with a smile that was full of love and contentment. “I said I’d pop over with coffees and see how you were after bumping into your dad.”
Sinéad knew all about Shay’s strained relationship with her parents, and Shay had texted Sinéad when she had gotten home. But for some reason, Shay hadn’t shared with her oldest friend that Rhys had walked her home. To be honest, Shay wasn’t sure why she had kept that part to herself, but she had.
“Earth to Shay. I’ve lost you again. What are you thinking about that keeps making you day dream?”
Shay tried to school her features, but Sinéad knew all her tells.
“Or is it a who...oh my god, Shay your face...you have to spill now!”
Shay sent down her coffee and rested her chin in her hands. “You’re not gonna stop until I tell you, are you?”
“Would you prefer if I ask Cathal if anyone has been hanging around the shop lately that might be sexy enough to snare your attention?”
“For fuck sake, Sinéad...don’t bloody do that. It’s nothing really and if I tell you, you can’t think it means anything or make a big deal about it. Promise me or I’m not gonna tell ya.”
Sinéad held out her pinky finger, forcing Shay to loop her own against it, just like when they were kids. Then Shay told Sinéad about after the cold interaction with her dad, bumping into Rhys, and then how he walked her home. She didn’t tell her what was shared between them, because that conversation had been private and Shay wasn’t gonna betray a confidence.
Her friend listened intently and studied Shay like she was trying to get inside her head, which considering that was part of Sinéad's actual qualification, it was quite easy.
“Don’t you dare judge me, Sinéad Kelleher.”
Sinéad cast her an evil glare. “Would I ever or have I ever done that?”
Shay offered a smile in way of an apology, then sighed. “It’s just Rhys being a nice guy and making sure I got home after he witnessed the thing with my dad. But...”
