Page 25 of Wild Rush Of Love
“Sure. I’ll put your name on the list then bring you a drink. On the house, in honor of your special guest.”
Reena groaned when Caitlyn added an exaggerated wink to her offer.
Rush remained silent until Caitlyn walked away.
“She’s exactly how you described her.”
“Really?”
“Oh yeah, to a T.” He grinned. “I’m expecting some lawyerly type cross examination to go with the drink.”
“Oh god.” Reena closed her eyes. “This was a bad idea.”
“No, it wasn’t. It’s perfect. I get to meet the people you’re close to and experience the best pub in Baltimore.”
“Good to hear you say that, son.” Mr. Collins clapped a hand on Rush’s shoulder. “Who’s your friend, Sabreena?”
“Mr. Collins.” Reena lifted out of her seat and reached for the older man’s elbow.
“Stay where you are, missy, I don’t need help to stand on my own two feet.” Mr. Collins pulled out the seat on the other side of Rush and sat down while muttering about young whippersnappers and not being dead.
“Now, Pop Pop, don’t go making a fuss because people care about you.” Caitlyn appeared with four pints of Guinness expertly balanced on a tray.
“Caitie-bug, caring ain’t the same as mollycoddling.” Mr. Collins folded his arms and aimed a penetrating stare at Rush. “We’ve not seen you around here before,” he said, the words holding a challenge.
“No. I’m not from around here.” Rush’s smile showed amusement, which eased Reena’s anxiety. “I live in New York.”
“The city?” The Collins patriarch reached for one of the pints Caitlyn set on the table.
“No, upstate. A small lakeside town in the Adirondack Mountains to be exact.”
“Ah. Isn’t that where you went on holiday, Sabreena?” Mr. Collins’s gaze moved to Reena. “You bring a stray home with you?”
“Pop Pop, that’s not polite,” Caitlyn said.
If Reena weren’t so freaked out by Mr. Collins’s interest, she’d find him referring to Rush as a stray funny. “He didn’t come home with me.”
“I drove down today. Reena piqued my interest so much with all she’d told me about Baltimore, this place in particular, that I had to come see it for myself.”
“I bet Baltimore isn’t the only thing you’re interested in seeing,” Caitlyn mumbled beside her.
“What was that, Caitie-bug?”
“Nothing, Pop Pop.” Caitlyn hid her smile behind her pint glass.
“The name’s Rush Whelan.” Rush offered a hand. “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Collins. I’ve heard a lot about you and your pub. All good things, I assure you. I’m even more impressed, now I’ve seen the place.”
“Well now, that’s mighty kind of you to say.” Mr. Collins’s chest puffed out. “I pride myself on having the best Irish Pub outside of Ireland.”
“In my experience, you definitely do.” Rush picked up his Guinness. “Here’s to the luck of the Irish.”
Mr. Collins grinned and tapped his glass to Rush’s. “We’ll be seeing if you’ve got the luck soon enough.”
Reena’s gaze darted to Caitlyn’s. Silently she pleaded for help, although it quickly became obvious she wouldn’t be getting any from her friend. Caitlyn appeared as interested in Rush as Mr. Collins.
She hadn’t had a father to interrogate her boyfriends when she’d started dating, not that Reena had done all that much, but if he had been alive, Reena guessed it would have gone something like this.
One of the reasons she felt so attached to the Collins family patriarch was he reminded her of her father. Or how she thought she remembered her father.
