“Oh, uh, nothing, thanks,” Faith stammered. There were no prices listed, and she heard her mother’s voice echoing in her mind: If you have to ask how much it is, you can’t afford it.
Working for the Goddess as she did, Faith knew that even the smallest item was out of her price range; she could only imagine how expensive some of those exotic (but delicious) sounding smoothies were, let alone the healthy cuisine that smelled so heavenly. There was a reason the Celtic Goddess was as wildly successful as it was. As well as being out-of-this-world good, it was well-known for being completely organic. Whoever ran this place was smart to incorporate it into the overall package.
“Are you sure?” Paul asked, his smile slipping a bit. “It’s on the house.”
Matt looked hopefully at Faith, but she shook her head slightly. She had no intention of abusing Kieran’s generosity any more than they already had. “Thank you, but we’re sure.”
Paul frowned, looking uncomfortable. Faith didn’t understand why until Kieran appeared a few moments later. She caught her breath. He looked amazing in his BodyWorks outfit, the form-fitting black showcasing his magnificent physique and making his incredible blue eyes stand out even more than usual.
Kieran was all smiles as he greeted them, but less so when he turned to Paul. “You didn’t get them something?”
Color rose upward from Paul’s collar as he shook his head. “He offered, several times,” Faith said quickly, not wanting to get Paul into trouble. “But we had something just before we came.” Paul shot her a grateful glance.
“Wow, Kieran. This place is awesome,” Matt said.
Kieran’s easy grin returned. “Glad you like it.”
“Are you like a manager or something?” Matt asked, his voice full of hero worship.
“Or something,” Kieran chuckled. Faith didn’t fail to notice the hint of a smirk on Paul’s face. She thought back to the woman at the reception desk, at the way everyone referred to him as “Mr. Callaghan” and the obvious air of respect they had for him. Her knees nearly buckled at the obvious answer. He didn’t just work here. He owned the place.
“Come on, I’ll give you a tour before the demo starts.”
When Faith hung back, assuming he was talking to Matt, Kieran reached out for her hand with a half-grin. It did nothing for her sudden lack of muscle control from the waist down. “You, too, Faith.”
Kieran’s much larger hand swallowed hers. The immediate jolt that raced through her system left her heart thudding in her chest. She glanced up at Kieran. His eyes widened as if he had felt it too, and then met hers. For a brief moment she saw his surprise. Faith tugged her hand back quickly, offering a quick apology.
“I’m so sorry,” she said awkwardly, rubbing the palm of her still-tingling hand on her soft cotton capris. “I didn’t realize I’d built up a static charge.” It didn’t help that instead of abating, the feeling only seem to intensify as he regarded her. The wonder remained in his eyes, but it was joined by a grin that slowly crept over his features and made him ... utterly devastating. Faith caught her breath – again – and averted her eyes.
*
Kieran had heard his brothers describe the phenomena several times over, but nothing could have prepared him for it. That moment when everything changed. An epiphany.
Kieran Callaghan, the last remaining eligible male of the clan, had just recognized his croie.
Unfortunately, Faith didn’t seem to be as familiar with the phenomena. She thought the lingering tingle she must also be feeling was the result of a “shock” brought about by the build-up of static electricity. His grin widened further when Maggie’s words came back to him in a rush: You’ve just got to have Faith.
Kieran chuckled inwardly. Maggie’s eyes had twinkled devilishly then. He should have known.
*
Faith hadn’t planned to stay for the demo. It wasn’t that she didn’t like martial arts, but as a woman with limited time and limited means it had been a good opportunity to kill two birds with one stone: Matt could spend a few hours enjoying something he loved, and she could return to the farmer’s market for some hopefully low-cost decorating supplies and maybe some bargains on fresh fruits and veggies. Most vendors tended to slash their prices toward the end of the day to avoid having to cart things back to wherever they’d come from.