“And Meredith’s getting way too pregnant to want to hang out in a bar on a Saturday night.”
“Yeah, it would be pretty hard to tote that watermelon she’s carrying through the crush.” Besides, she had sexy Tanner to see to her needs. Why wouldn’t she stay home? “We’ll be fine on our own.” Don’t be so nervous, she wanted to tell him.
Finding a parking spot on Main Street proved more difficult than she’d expected, and she had to settle for a spot on Aspen Street near the Justice Center. The night air was cool, and she was glad for her jeans. As soon as they showed their IDs and walked into the pub, she realized her open-toed sandals were less of a good idea.
She’d been to Hairy’s Irish Pub hundreds of times. Tonight it was packed to the gills like she’d never seen it before. It wasn’t surprising that the booths were filled with people eating dinner, but even the bar area and the aisles were jammed with guests. Someone was going to step on her toes. It was a given. She stood on her tippy toes to see what was going on, but all she could see were camera flashes.
A couple of the new Irish sayings above the bar caught her eye as more people pressed in behind her.
Kilt. It’s what happened to the last guy who called it a skirt.
I’m Irish. We Don’t Keep Calm and Carry On.
And another kilt joke. Balls like this don’t fit well in trousers.
She was laughing now despite the crush. “The Rockies aren’t playing, are they?” She couldn’t make out what was on the TVs situated around the bar.
“No.” Andy put his hand on her arm. “Ah…Blake and his friends are here. In the back room. Playing pool and darts. It’s cordoned off, but they’re visible.”
That explained the camera flashes. Great. Blake and his boys were tonight’s spectacle. She hadn’t asked him about their plans. She only knew they hadn’t needed her to cater their dinner.
“Do you want to go?” her brother asked.
The thought crossed her mind, but then she realized it was ridiculous. He and the guys were doing their own thing, and she and Andy could do theirs. If they ever managed to get to the bar.
“No,” she responded. “Let’s see if your people skills can get us some beer.”
Someone put a hand on her shoulder, and she turned her head to see an older man in his sixties grinning at her. Seriously?
“Natalie,” the man said, leaning way too close to her face to be ignored. “I’m Cormack Daly, the head of the school board for Dare Valley.”
“Oh, hi,” she said, edging her head back, waiting for the punch line. “This is my brother, Andy Hale.”
“Yes, I know. I went to school with your mother. She was kind enough to talk with your ex-husband for me about taking over as the new head football coach.”
She had? How could she have interfered like that? Feeling thrown off, she took an unintentional step back and bumped into someone. “Sorry,” she murmured. She’d wondered about Blake’s plans long-term, but so far, he hadn’t mentioned it, and she sure as heck wasn’t going to ask.
“We’re so happy he’s considering it,” Cormack said, sounding like something was stuck in his nose. “He said he needed some more time to decide, and while we understand that, we really need to line up a replacement. You understand. I was hoping you could use your influence over him to nudge him in our direction. I’d planned to talk to him tonight, but they aren’t letting anyone join his private party.”
Andy met her eyes and then looked heavenward. She wasn’t sure if he was praying or feeling as incredibly uncomfortable as she was.
“Cormack, in case you didn’t know, Blake and I are divorced. He makes his own decisions now.”
He sputtered. “But he’s living next door to you.”
“Exactly,” she said. “Excuse us.”
There really wasn’t anywhere to go in the crowd, but she pushed her way through a few feet to be away from that horrible man. Her insides were shaking. If Blake took the coaching job, that meant he’d be here for… She did the calculations. He’d never quit a team after only one season. My God, he could be living next door to her for years.
“Breathe,” Andy said, cupping her elbow. “Don’t let that man get to you.”
How could she not? She wanted Blake to do something that made him happy, but taking a permanent job here? In Dare Valley?
Suddenly, the crowd rippled, and the people in front of them pushed them backward. Andy’s hand clenched on her arm, but they both fell back a few steps, bumping into the people behind them. Sure enough, someone stepped hard on her toes.
“Hey,” she yelled at the people in front of her.
No one cared. Camera flashes blinded her.
Someone called out her name. “Natalie!”