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She took his gorgeous face between her hands. “He trained with real stones?Oh my God! I’m in a nuthouse, which happens to be in jolly ol’ Ireland. I can’t believe I’m hanging around with ghosts and people who throw stones at each other for fun. I must be crazy.”
“So be crazy.” He cupped her face, a dimple she hadn’t noticed showing in his cheek—God, he was too cute for words! “Have fun,a stór. It’s the Irish way. Because if you don’t play Hot Potato/Shot Potato, you’re probably going to have to dance later with my mother and the rest of her friends. They call themselves the Lucky Charms, and they like to perform in front of the whole bar. With feather boas. To Bon Jovi.”
Her delusional universe was complete. “No. Freaking. Way.”
“Would I make something like that up about my own mum?” He shuddered and then laughed. “Trust me. It’s taken me a long time to realize it was a much-needed outlet for my mum and her friends. But still, I have to do some meditative breathing when she gets a little crazy with her boa.”
That did it. “I’ll take the potato game!”
“Good choice.” He lifted her off his lap gently and then hefted both their chairs up in that manly way of his that had her knees going weak.
If he really was her soulmate, she had found herself one hot guy to be with for the rest of her life.
“Taylor!” Eoghan cried out, making space for them as the others closest to him expanded the circle. “As the newest member to join, you get to have the potato to start the next round. You know, this potato reminds me of an old Irish saying.”
Liam held her chair as she sat down and took the potato from the older gentleman.
“You must take the small potato with the big potato.” He glanced around the circle like a professor might. “Do you youngsters know what that means?”
Ellie’s hand shot up. “They both taste delicious?”
Declan barked out a laugh before Kathleen silenced him with a jab of her elbow. “Ellie loves mashed potatoes,” the Bostonian told the group, fighting a smile herself.
“I do,” Ellie replied eagerly, “and it doesn’t matter if the potatoes are small or big. They both get mashed up.”
Eoghan’s shoulders were shaking with laughter. “That’s a lovely answer, Ellie, but it’s not exactly the meaning. Liam? We can always count on you to know the wisdom of our past.”
Taylor turned her head to regard the man who could silence her crazy mind. Man, she was starting to think of him like that too. Wise with a huge side of reliable.
Liam only smiled as he said, “It means a person must accept one’s lot in life.”
“I don’t get it,” Ellie said after a moment.
“We’ll draw you a picture at home later,” Kathleen said. “Brady, hit the music.”
Another fiery reel began, and Taylor granny-threw the spud over to Kathleen, who caught it deftly. Declan cried out and glared at her as she dumped the potato she’d palmed into his lap.
“Pay attention, Ace,” she said like a siren’s call.
“So that’s the way of it,” her husband replied and made a rapid show of throwing it over to Eoghan before shifting his aim quickly to Liam, who caught it with an audible thud.
“Foul!” Bets called, pointing at them like a ruffled mom. “Boys, it’s called Hot Potato, not Misdirection Shot Put.”
“Hear, hear!” Ellie called, thumping her knee with her hand. “Let’s everyone be nice.”
Liam gently tossed the potato to his mother, who caught it and blew him a kiss. “That’s a good boy, Liam.”
Taylor nearly laughed. Until Bets tossed the potato her way with a saucy grin. She hefted it over to Angie, who boggled it, making it roll across the floor. Eoghan bent down and snatched it up just as the music cut.
He grabbed his beer and held his glass out. “To all the days here and after, may they be filled with fond memories, happiness, and laughter.Sláinte.”
Taylor’s heart filled with warmth at that toast. Man, she was a goner for good words like that. The journalist in her appreciated their directness while the artist loved their whimsy. She was going to have to learn some Irish toasts herself if this was how they partied.
She only had to drink twice, which was a victory to her mind. Liam—whose friends really did call Yoda, she discovered—didn’t have to drink at all. His sixth sense applied to games like Hot Potato, it seemed. He was always one step ahead of the music. But he hadn’t once dumped the potato in her lap, and that made him a nice guy. Gosh, she was so going to kiss him later as a reward for all his recent good behavior.
A chair scraped loudly, and Taylor looked up to see Ellie playfully dragging Sophie’s chair into the circle. From the grin on Sophie’s face, the tug-of-war was just for show. Still, when she sat down, Eoghan stopped the game.
“You’re missing your drink, dear Sophie,” he called as Ellie put the potato in her friend’s lap.
