Page 32 of Irish Fury
He’d gotten a haircut that morning, shaving the sides tighter than normal and leaving the top long enough to slick back orleave slightly tousled to cover his forehead. He chose the latter for his night out.
Daniel stuck his head in just as he spritzed a sparse spray of Tom Ford at his neck. “Do you really think this is a good idea?”
Jonathan had told his cousin what he was planning. Daniel was his cousin and best friend. They didn’t keep much from one another. “Yes.” He took his mom’s words to heart, no matter how uncomfortable they’d been to hear.
His dad hadn’t given up on making amends with his mom, and he wouldn’t give up on him and Mags.
“The car’s here, then. Ciar and Gray are meeting us, but they said they can only stay for an hour or two. And Gray told me to tell you that she is only doing this because Bébhinn gave up and told you Mags’ secrets and then had the audacity to suffer from morning sickness and not come herself.”
Jonathan tried to smile, but just recalling the things that Mags had been going through made his whole body clench in pain. She’d been suffering while he continued to flaunt his women in front of her.
He felt his eyes burn when he thought of the last time the group had met at Murphy’s for lunch. She hadn’t eaten or ordered a cocktail because she hadn’t had any extra money for it.
And that wasn’t the worst of it. Bébhinn was in tears when she related that Mags had been forced to drop out of school because she couldn’t afford the tuition. She’d slept on the attic floor of the gallery because she didn’t want to take advantage of his family’s generosity of the townhouse since she wasn’t in school. She’d worked three, practically four jobs, with the gallery cleaning.
Her mother had cancer,for the love of God. She’d been hungry, uncomfortable, and working herself to exhaustion, and she’d done it all without complaint. She’d met her friends with smiles and love like she always had.
And what had he done? Brought a woman into her world who belittled and insulted her during one of her only moments to enjoy her friends.
Daniel touched his arm as they left the townhouse, probably noticing that he was pathetically near tears. “You didn’t know, Jon.”
“I should have.”
Mags had been ignoring him for over two hours, which was quite a feat considering he and their friends sat at the bar, and she was the bartender.
Gray and Ciar left half an hour ago, but before they left, Gray had had a private moment with Mags at the edge of the bar’s main floor. He watched as her mouth fell open in shock—Gray must have told her that he knew about some, hopefully all, of her recent troubles. Her head bowed as her fingers pressed into her eyes. It killed him not to go to her.
Gray hugged Mags tight before pulling back and exchanging more serious words. He watched as Gray wiped what must be tears from below Mags’ eyes. They silently looked at one another a minute longer before Mags nodded her head. Agreeing to something before parting ways.
Gray went to Ciar’s side, her husband frowned, and wiped tears from his wife’s cheeks. He frowned at Jonathan, clearly blaming the whole shitshow on him, which was fair, before hustling Gray from the bar.
As the couple passed Daniel and Jonathan, Gray leaned close and said only, “Be careful, Jon. Please.”
He swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded before turning back to Mags. She was smiling and laughing withcustomers, but the joy didn’t reach her eyes. Her gaze cut to him. She frowned and mouthed, “Leave.” Not a chance.
Daniel was in charge of turning any and all interested women away from them. He didn’t want even a hint of a woman near him for those moments that Mags glanced his way.
He picked up his phone and texted her.
Jonathan: I’ll drive you home when you get off.
He watched her glance at her phone on the counter where she was cutting oranges.
Mags: No thanks. I walk.
Jonathan: I will call your family if you don’t. Would your uncle Coll think it's safe for you to be walking home alone? At night.
She slammed her phone down and refused to acknowledge his raised hand, signaling that he’d like to order another drink. A club soda with lime. He wasn’t drinking alcohol before he spoke with Mags. He knew he’d need to have all his wits about him for that.
The pub was one he and his group of friends never went to, which was probably why she chose to work there. It would have made it easier to keep her financial issues secret.
Beside him, Daniel had been working away on his tablet, ignoring Jonathan’s lame attempts to catch Mags’ eye, when Daniel groaned.
“Incoming,” Daniel muttered. “Why the hell are those two here, of all places?”
Jonathan turned in time to see Denny and Josh Hertz, brothers from a well-to-do London family. He and Daniel hadmet them a few times over the years. Their parents sent them to live with their aunt in Dublin when they did something bad. Ireland was their timeout.
Those two were never apart, and rumor had it that they shared everything, especially women. Jonathan enjoyed sex, perhaps too much over the years, but the thought of him and Daniel ogling each other’s dicks in action was going just that much too far.
