Page 24 of Her Michigan Mob Boss

“What can I get for you, sir?”

Her eager tone pissed me off. I knew it was her job to schmooze with the customers, but she looked as if she wanted to lick whipped cream off Ciaran’s bare chest. I supposed I couldn’t blame her. Now that the thought had occurred to me I wanted to do the same.

“Another French martini for the lady and I’ll take a Balvenie Portwood.”

“Ha, I knew it.” I jabbed a finger at Ciaran as the server hurried off to fill out the order. “I knew you were a whiskey drinker.”

“Yeah, I know I should honor my heritage and go for Jamesons, or something, but I’ve always liked Scotch.”

“Don’t worry.” I leaned across the table to whisper conspiratorially. “I won’t alert the Irish embassy.”

“I’m in your debt.” Ciaran laughed. “So, how was the spa?”

“It was amazing, thank you. I feel so revitalized.”

“I’m glad to hear it. Did Jace behave?”

“He was a perfect gentleman.”

“Hmm.” The face Ciaran made suggested he hadn’t expected his cousin to be on his best behavior. Jace had the air of someone who could be a bit of a rogue. “Then what were you arguing about when I came in?”

“Oh, it was nothing.” It hardly seemed worthwhile to get into it, but Ciaran raised his eyebrows, waiting for an explanation. “A man approached me. Said he was Danny Mulhearn’s driver. He gave me a business card and said Danny was waiting for my call. Jace ripped it to pieces.”

Ciaran hummed approvingly. “How did Mulhearn’s driver know you were here?”

“I think Lisa must have told him. We talked a fair bit when I was at the spa. I must have told her where I was staying and that I was meeting you in the bar.”

“Hmm,” Ciaran mused, annoyance flickering across his otherwise perfect face. “I’ll have to have a word with her.”

I didn’t like the thought of the woman getting a dressing-down from someone who could be as stern as Ciaran. At the same time, I wasn’t happy with her for sharing information about me. Surely, clients at a spa could expect some level of confidentiality. If she knew Danny, she could have told me how to get in touch with him rather than going to him behind my back. That seemed odd.

“Is it really such a big deal if I speak to the man?” I asked.

“I’m afraid it is.” Ciaran nodded his thanks to the server as she set our drinks down on the table. “Now, can we drop the subject and just enjoy our evening?”

“Of course.” Chastened by the scolding tone of Ciaran’s voice, my mood darkened. I smiled to cover my hurt. “So, what do you have in mind?”

“Well, I was hoping you’d agree to join me for a family dinner.”

“Family dinner? You’re not about to spring your wife and three kids on me, are you?”

“Fuck, no!” Ciaran snorted dismissively. “I mean with my brothers and my sister, Emily. It’s her birthday and I….”

“Say no more,” I cut in. “I’d love to have dinner with them.”

“You’re sure?”

“Of course.” I wanted to spend the evening with Ciaran, but I didn’t like the thought of him missing his sister’s birthday. “Where is this family dinner?”

“At our house up on Orchard Lake.”

I gnawed my bottom lip. “Is it far? I have to be at the airport by eight a.m.”

I could stretch it to nine o’clock, but I liked to be checked in as early as possible. The thought of missing a flight and then having to rebook it made me anxious. I didn’t have savings left to play with.

“I wouldn’t worry about that.” Something in Ciaran’s expression gave me pause. A look I couldn’t decipher flickered in his eye and then disappeared. “The house is only a thirty-minute drive from here, forty if traffic’s heavy.”

That didn’t sound too bad. “Okay, but I haven’t packed yet. Perhaps I should do that before we leave.”

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