Page 8 of Tangled Up In You

“Very nice to meet you, Shay. Thanks so much,” she said. And because she wanted to prove to Shay and his friends that he was worthy of extra attention, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

“Yeah, Shay!” Felicity shouted and was joined by the other kids in clapping and whistling.

When she turned back, there was nothing Mary could do to keep Gavin from meeting her gaze. It looked like he wanted to say something. There was longing in his eyes and she suddenly desperate to know what he was thinking. But the bell rang and she was quickly caught up in the crowd heading to class.

“Hey,”Gavin said, catching Sophie by surprise as she was leaving school. “I’ll walk with you.”

She glanced at him, trying not to reveal how thrilled she was by the prospect of spending time with him. She knew she shouldn’t want his attention this way. He had a girlfriend. But there was just something … irresistible about him.

“Oh, sure,” she said.

“You’re not far past where I live, I think. On Alma, right?”

“Yep,” she said, surprised that he knew where she lived. “I guess everyone knows everything about me?”

“People do talk. But no, you’re still a mystery to most.” He paused. “Though, what you did today with Seamus tells me a lot about who you are.”

She shot him a look and held it, but there was no taunt in his blue eyes. Instead, she saw admiration.

“You can’t possibly know how much that meant to him, Sophie. He’s incredibly shy, but he still wants to be included. You somehow saw that right away.”

She shrugged. “I’ve always rooted for the underdog.”

He laughed. “Are you calling my friend a dog?”

She blushed. “No, that’s not what I meant.”

“I know. I’m only messing.” He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze and her skin instantly warmed with his brief touch. “I suppose us giving Seamus hassle looks harsh to you, but it’s all in fun.”

“Maybe,” she said, trying to focus on their conversation rather than the physical effect he had on her, “But I know that ‘fun’ can sometimes cross a line. And today, I just thought he looked like he needed someone. And I … like to be needed. To help, if I can.”

He watched her for so long that she finally turned away and focused on the sidewalk. There was more concrete than greenery in this neighborhood, but the narrow, mostly attached houses were well-tended. It wasn’t like affluent, oversized, Menlo Park where she grew up, but she found it charming.

“How come you’re the only one who calls him Seamus?” she asked, mostly to keep conversation going. “Everyone else calls him Shay.”

“I sort of re-christened him.”

“You what?”

“His parents are pretty much useless. He and his brother raised themselves because they’re so incompetent. They couldn’t even be bothered to put his full name on his birth cert. So, I’ve given it to him. It’s just a little thing.”

She smiled. “I think that’s wonderfully sweet.”

“Well—” he started.

“Gav, where do you think you’re going?”

Sophie followed the indignant voice calling after Gavin and saw a man across the street gesturing at them. His brown hair was slicked back with some kind of product that left it looking greasy rather than styled. He’d missed a button so that his shirt was done up crookedly. Though he appeared to be only a few years older than Gavin, his sloppiness and hectoring tone made him seem practically middle-aged.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Gavin replied dismissively.

“In my hole, you will! You know you’re meant to be coming straight home. I’ll tell Da, so I will.”

“Fuck’s sake,” Gavin muttered.

“That’s your brother? Do you need to go?” she asked.

“It’s grand. Let’s just keep on.”

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