“Sorry to interrupt. Oh, hi, Emmy,” Joe said.
“Hey, Joey.”
Joe narrowed his eyes, giving her a teasing look while pretending to be annoyed. “You spend too much time with my sister and cousin, otherwise, you’d know that’s not my name.”
Emmy lifted her shoulders. “Oops. I forgot. Joe,” she corrected, drawing out that one syllable and dropping the y. Apparently everyone in the Moretti family refused to give up their “Joey,” even though the man had insisted since graduating from high school that he wanted to use the more adult version of his name, preferring to be called just Joe.
Joe gave her a wink that was too fucking charming for Padraig’s liking and said, “Atta girl.”
“Did you need something?” Padraig asked.
“Yeah. We’re going to have to pull more cable if we move that TV near the stage over to the left. Since it’s only the difference of a few feet, I wondered if you thought it was worth the bother. I’m cool either way.”
“It’s not worth all that. The original place was fine. I know we’d prefer to have the TVs up and ready rather than slow the process.”
“Yeah. That’s what I thought.” He turned to Emmy. “It was good to see you again, Emmy.”
“You too, Joe,” she replied with an adorable grin that was too flirty for Padraig’s liking. It wasn’t like it was the first time he’d seen a man flirt with her—or her flirt back—but this time…this time it bugged him.
Joe turned and walked away, and Padraig raised his eyebrows, giving her a knowing glance as she checked out the man’s ass.
“Enjoying the show?” he muttered, aware she wasn’t acting any differently than normal.
Nope. It was his reactions, his responses that were new.
She looked completely unremorseful. “Always.”
“So the date was a bust?”
Emmy nodded. “Yeah. He obviously saw something he didn’t care for.”
“I might have a theory.”
Padraig glanced over his shoulder when Aunt Keira spoke.
“I couldn’t help overhearing,” she said.
“Hi, Keira,” Emmy said.
“Did you say you just came from a date?” his aunt asked.
Emmy nodded. “Yeah. I did.”
“Were you wearing that?”
Padraig and Emmy both looked down at her outfit at the same time.
“Is something wrong with this?”
“Oh no, Emmy,” Keira hastened to say. “It’s just…well, you look like you’re dressed for a job interview rather than a date.”
Padraig studied what she was wearing but couldn’t see anything wrong with it. She looked just as pretty as she always did.
Emmy sighed. “The man I was meeting owns his own business. In his profile pictures, he looked very professional, suit, tie, trendy haircut. I was trying to match that.”
Keira grinned. “You look lovely but perhaps a bit too buttoned-up and stiff for a coffee date. I hope I’m not making you feel bad saying that.”
“Oh no. You aren’t at all.”
“The truth is, I did the same thing on my first date with Will,” Keira continued. “Although in my case, I borrowed a skirt and blouse from Teagan.”
“Teagan?” Emmy asked. “But don’t you two have very different tastes?”
Keira laughed. “Completely different. You should have seen Will’s face when he saw me in that long, colorful, flowing skirt and peasant blouse. I looked like a rejected flower child from the sixties.”
“I would have loved to see that,” Emmy said, giggling.
“Obviously Will was confused. Even questioned me about it. When I admitted I didn’t own a dress or skirt, he took me shopping on our second date. Helped me find something pretty that reflected who I was, not who Teagan was.”
“That’s so sweet,” Emmy gushed. “I’m putting that in a book.”
Keira was obviously amused and delighted, though not surprised. Emmy had made the “I’m putting that in a book” comment to pretty much every single person in his family at least once, and in some cases, multiple times. Because, according to his romance-writing friend, his family had the greatest love stories.
“I would love that. And if you do, I’m going to have to insist on knowing your pen name so I can buy it,” Keira said.
“Deal,” Emmy agreed.
“Are you sure it’s so you can buy the book and not collect the pool money, Aunt Keira?” Padraig teased.
“I’ll use my winnings to buy the book,” Keira joked.
Emmy laughed. “I have serious concerns about the gambling problem that seems to run rampant in the Collins family. I appreciate your comment about my outfit being inappropriate for a date. I’ll admit I was equal parts mad and hurt when I thought the guy was judging me based solely on my looks.”
Keira cupped Emmy’s cheek with one hand. “Paddy’s right. You are a lovely young woman. Inside and out. Never let any man’s opinion make you feel otherwise.”
Keira returned to Sunday’s Side, leaving them alone again.
“Unlike Keira, I don’t think I’m getting another chance to make a better second impression with that guy. Not that it matters. In addition to the fact he didn’t care for my outfit, the conversation was pretty forced as well. It didn’t help that the two of us were guzzling the steaming-hot coffee in an attempt to bring things to an end quickly. I burned the hell out of my tongue.”
Padraig grinned, feeling ridiculously happy that her date had failed. Which made him a shitty friend. Not that he was going to chastise himself for that. “If it makes you feel any better, I’d definitely hire you if you showed up for an interview dressed like that.”
Emmy playfully punched his arm. “Jerk.” Then she said, “Next time, I’ll invite Sunnie or Kelli over to help me pick an outfit.”
“Next time?”
“Yeah.” She took her phone out of her coat pocket. “Actually, I should probably text the girls now to see if they’re available to help me sometime this weekend.”
“This weekend?”
Emmy nodded. “I have a date next Wednesday—another rebellious dating day.”
Padraig put his hand over her phone when she started texting. “How many guys have you been talking to on this app?”
“A bunch,” she admitted. “But I’ve narrowed it down to three I’d like to meet. And then there’s the guy Caitlyn is setting me up with, who works with Lucas, and the fourth-grade teacher from Kelli’s school.”
“My cousin and sister-in-law are setting you up on blind dates?” Padraig asked, that knowledge feeling like a punch to the jaw for some reason.
“Yep,” Emmy said. “And Layla offered me all four of her brothers, but I’m sure she was just joking.” Emmy looked around him toward Joe and Tony, clearly taking delight in what she saw. “Well, pretty sure. More’s the pity.”
Padraig glanced in their direction, both men’s muscles bulging as they hefted a large big-screen TV into the mounting bracket.
He thought back to Christmas Eve, to Emmy asking him out for a date. He’d come home from dinner at his parents’ house and dropped down onto his couch, feeling lonely and wishing he’d invited Emmy to eat with them. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he’d picked up his phone to call her, feeling better the second he’d heard her sweet, cheerful voice.