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Nina purses her lips. “I guess so, but we have to get some food.” Her stomach rumbles then. “I’m so hungry.”
“What are you craving?” I ask.
“How about a burger at Jamie’s?” she suggests.
I narrow my eyes. As it’s a well-known fact that Jamie’s is a popular hangout for the Irish, and since we just ran into Cathal and James, the likelihood is they’ll be there. “Nina, is that a good idea?”
She gives me an innocent look. “What? I want a burger, and apparently, they’ve got the best in the city.”
I sigh heavily, seeing through her easily. “Fine, let’s go.”
She gives me a forced smile. “One moment, I’ll just sort this mess out.” She signals to her face, which isn’t a mess. Nina is always so damn beautiful.
I watch her as she dries her face and then applies a little makeup to hide the redness around her eyes. Once she’s ready, we walk the short distance to Jamie’s. Instantly, I spot Cathal near the back with James, and wish to God Nina hadn’t been so desperate to come here. James is clearly as ghastly as Isiah made him out to be after the conversation we just had.
“Are you sure about this?” I ask, noticing that Nina’s eyes find Cathal as quickly as I did.
She nods. “I won’t shy away from him, Bella. Wouldn’t that be weak?”
I arch a brow. “Then why did you run to the bathroom in the mall?”
Her lips purse. “I was scared, but now I want to face him. I think I have to.”
I get that she wants some closure, but whether this is the right place to get it, I’m not so sure. However, I know better than to stop Nina from doing what she wants.
Nina walks right up to the bar, mere feet from Cathal. The bartender smiles at her and leans over, clearly flirting. “What can I get for you, sweetheart?”
Her cheeks flush pink, and she swallows hard. “We’d like a table and two glasses of pinot noir, please.”
Cathal hears Nina’s voice and his eyes snap toward her, and then he notices the guy behind the bar making eyes at her. That’s when I see a change in him. His whole body stiffens, and he looks like a lion ready to chase off another male invading his territory.
“Darragh, focus on the work and not the women,” he snaps, walking closer to Nina.
“Bella.” He nods at me and then turns his attention back to Nina. “Nina,” he says her name in a breathless tone. “It’s good to see you.”
Nina holds her head up high and looks him in the eye. “Can’t say the same, and if I want to flirt with the bartender, then I will.”
Although I’m proud of her for speaking to him like that, his expression turns furious. I’ve seen a similar look in Isiah’s eyes when I flirt, and I know how dangerous it can be. Nina doesn’t know the kind of man she’s messing with.
I tug at the sleeve of her shirt. “We should find a seat.”
Cathal shakes his head. “You will sit with me.”
“No thank you,” I say, glaring at him. “I don’t particularly like your man, so there’s no way I’m sitting with him.”
“James?” he confirms.
I nod in response.
“You and he were good friends. What happened?”
“Isiah told me the truth.”
Nina straightens. “What truth?”
I swallow hard as I realize that if I tell her now, she’ll know I was withholding information. “It’s not important what the truth is.”
“If I need to know something about my second in command, then I need to know.” Cathal’s dark eyes are intensely fixed on me now.
