Beers, Lies and Alibis (Warblers Point Series Book 2) (3 page)

Word spread around town about what happened and now, whenever she went out and about, she received looks of pity and disdain. The O’Learys were gold in Warblers Point; they knew everyone and were friends with every single person in town, so when the news hit the grapevine about her front yard fiasco, she was turned into the Wicked Witch of Warblers Point. Everyone assumed she was trying to get with both O’Leary men, but that was not the truth…only one.
 

That was old news now, though, and she was in the midst of trying to come up with a plan to seek revenge on the embarrassment and harassment she’d received from the O’Leary men. It was about time someone put the O’Learys in their place and Murphy and Sophie were up for the challenge.
 

The bell over her door rang as Murphy Ryan stepped into her little bakery. The man was an Adonis with his broad shoulders, bulky biceps, and dark and dangerous look. Sophie had to admit, he was hot and Fiona was an idiot for giving the man up, but that was going to change because they had plans…serious plans.
 

“Hey lassie. How are ya tis fine evening?”
 

Ah, that Irish accent. There were only three people in town who had genuine Irish accents and they were Murphy, Mary Margaret, and Carlin. The last two grated Sophie’s nerves, but Murphy, he was different. His accent was smooth, like Bailey’s being poured over a glass of ice.
 

“Doing alright. Please tell me your cousin is in.”

Murphy pulled up a barstool and sat next to her. They hadn’t been able to move forward with their plan of attack until Murphy’s cousin was in on everything. Sophie didn’t want to know how he got her involved, as long as she was involved, that was all that mattered. She was a key person in the whole plan.
 

“Well, it took some finessin’ but the little lass is in.”

Sophie squealed in excitement. “Thank God. I shouldn’t be this excited, but I feel like we’ve been waiting forever for things to start moving forward and now it’s finally happening. It’s been a couple of months since we started planning. Just this morning, I received a couple of unsolicited glares from Marge and Maggie in the grocery store, so I’m ready to finally seek some revenge.”

“Ah, don’t worry about those old coots. They have nothing better to do than wait around the general store and gossip like hens.”

“Well those hens are giving me a bad reputation. I have a business to run here.”

Murphy looked around at her bakery with concern lacing his face. “Have you been dropping in sales?”

Sophie wrung her hands together as she recalled the difference in sales she’d noticed since the embarrassing public display that took place in her front yard. The difference in sales wasn’t that much, but it was still worrisome, especially since the holidays had come and gone and that should have been her busiest time.
 

“Not much,” she lied, “but I just want to make sure the town isn’t judging me for what happened. If I get kicked out of here, I have nowhere else to go.”

“Not to worry lass, everything will work out.” Murphy rubbed his hands together as he eyed the pastries in her display case. “How about ya get us some treats and somethin’ to wet our whistles. We have a lot to discuss and put in place.”

The gleam in Murphy’s eyes gave her hope. She was never a mean or deceitful person; she had always been sweet and helpful, but where had that gotten her? At the bottom of the Warblers Point gutter, that’s where. She needed to resurrect herself and show the O’Learys and her godforsaken small town that she was a force to be reckoned with.
 

Revenge was going to be sweet.
 

***

The house was empty and Fiona was nowhere to be found. Once Booker had finally gotten Fiona in the car and away from the media and starlets, she’d passed out in the car. Booker ended up carrying her into their beach house, undressing her, which he didn’t mind, and putting her to bed.
 

When he woke up this morning and reached for her warm body, all he found was the coldness of her side of the bed. She never got out of bed before him; he was the morning person and she was Sir-Grumps-A-Lot when it came to waking up. To not find his little auburn-haired beauty next to him after a rough night was a little disconcerting.
 

Putting on a pair of low-riding sweats, he opened the French doors attached to their bedroom that led out to the beach. Black and white striped patio furniture decorated the patio, along with a fire pit, which he and Fiona spent many nights cuddling next to.
 

Booker rubbed his bare chest as he looked out toward the water. He loved Warblers Point for many reasons, but no matter what, he would always have an attachment to the Pacific Ocean. This was where he grew up, this was what he was familiar with, and this was where all the memories he had with his now-deceased parents existed.
 

A flash of green glimmered in the water out in front of him. He would know that bathing suit anywhere. Fiona was out in the ocean…swimming.
 

What the hell was she doing swimming so early in the morning and in that bathing suit? It was a one piece, but barely. It had cutouts everywhere, so basically it showed off her entire midsection with a strip of fabric that connected the top with the bottom. It was sexy as hell and was meant for lounging, not swimming laps in the ocean. Had she lost her ever loving mind?

Booker grabbed a plush towel from the bench seat that was next to the fire pit and walked out towards the ocean. As he neared the crashing waves, Fiona spotted him. She stilled in the water as a wave crashed upon her. She looked sad, almost as if she was trying to possibly drown herself. Booker quickly shook off the morbid thought; he’d been too engrossed in his movie lately, which is what led to haunting images like that running through his mind.
 

“Baby, get out of there. It’s too cold.”

The water had yet to be warmed up by the bright California sun and Booker could tell she was freezing by the way her nipples poked through her bathing suit. It was a great view for him, but he knew she was cold.
 

Slowly, she walked out of the ocean as Booker took in the sight in front of him. The bathing suit clung to her wet body as water dripped from her skin. Her hair was slicked back and draped around her shoulders, giving her a completely erotic look. Damn, thank God for a private beach or else he would be severely embarrassed by his excitement.
 

Booker held open the towel as Fiona walked into it. He quickly wrapped both ends around her little body and rubbed her up and down, trying to get some warmth into her shivering bones.
 

“What the hell were you thinking? You could catch a cold.”

Now that he was up close to her, his erotic visions completely vanished once he saw the goose bumps all over her skin and the slight bluish tint to her lips.
 

Quickly ushering her into the house, he went to the fireplace, flipped the switch on and let the flames warm his girl. Thank God for California fireplaces; if they were in Warblers Point, right now he would find himself knee deep in wood, kindling and matches.
 

Fiona’s teeth chattered together as Booker rubbed her arms up and down. The look in her eyes sent a shot of fear through Booker’s heart. He didn’t like what he was seeing at all.
 

Once her chattering calmed and she seemed like she had warmed up a bit, Booker asked, “Babe, what’s going on? Why were you out in the water this morning? You could have gotten yourself sick.”

She just shrugged her shoulders as she avoided eye contact with him. Worry started to take place in the pit of his stomach. The last time she acted like this, she had sex with him and then left him the next morning saying they would never work out. It was gut-wrenching, he didn’t think he could go through something like that again. Losing Fiona was, by far, the biggest pain he had ever experienced. He needed her in his life.
 

“Please, talk to me,” Booker said, while turning her head so she was forced to look him in the eyes.
 

“I just, I don’t know. I had to clear my mind; it felt like the walls were closing in on me, so I had to get out of there.”

“Why did you need to clear your mind?”

Fiona blew out a long breath. The fear that was gathering at the pit of his stomach started to rise. He did not like the way this conversation was heading. She was very closed-off towards him and her body language spoke, “touch me and die.”
 

“I don’t know if I can be the person you need me to be.”

“What do you mean?” Booker asked, almost in a panic. He was not going to lose Fiona, no way in hell.
 

“Come on, Booker,” Fiona said, as she got up and dropped the towel. She started pacing the room and Booker had to remind himself to concentrate on her face and not her fantastic body that was so blatantly on display. “You saw me last night. I was a total misfit. I don’t belong in your crowd. I wasn’t able to carry on a conversation with anyone besides the empty glass in my hand. I was a little turd compared to those gorgeous women strutting their long legs down the red carpet. I looked like a fool and you know what? Everyone looked at me last night with the question in their eyes of what the hell you were doing with a little country bumpkin like me. Let’s face it, you can take the girl out of Warblers Point, but you can’t take the Warblers Point out of the girl.”

Frustrated with the number of times Fiona had insulted herself, Booker got up and pulled Fiona close to his bare chest. She stood stiffly in his arms, so he forced her to sit down with him on the couch. He pulled her on his lap and stroked her wet hair.
 

“I don’t want to hear you talk like that anymore. I love you, so that is all that matters…the love we have for each other. You love me, right Fiona?”

“Of course I love you, Book.” Fiona cupped his face with her dainty hand. “I just don’t fit in your world.”

“You’re my world, Fiona. What I do for a job is nothing compared to what I have with you. These events and promotions are few and far between. It just seems crazy right now because my latest movie was just released, but it will die down, you’ll see. Then we can go back to Warblers Point, buy a house and have sex in every room,” Booker said with a smile, hopefully lightening the mood.
 

A faint smile crossed Fiona’s face as she contemplated what he said to her. He didn’t like the worry and doubt he saw in her beautiful eyes. When they first started to get to know each other, he saw the same look cross her features and it was hell that whole time trying to convince her they were perfect for each other. Was she really considering not being with him? The thought of Fiona not being with him was almost paralyzing.
 

“Baby?” Fiona lifted her gaze and made eye contact with him.
 
“You’re making me nervous. Is everything going to be okay?”

She nodded her head as she pulled him in for a hug. He yearned for her warm embrace.
 

Fiona was the first woman, besides Mary Margaret, that Booker met in Warblers Point and he knew the moment she took his order of fish and chips that he was sunk. She was the first real woman who had ever captured his heart and there was no way in hell he was going to lose her.
 

***

“Hey, baby girl,” Finn said into the phone, as he sat on his couch to drink a beer before he had to go into work. Fiona was still trying to figure out the time difference, but she caught him on a good night. She usually called him while he was down bartending in the pub.
 

“Hey, Finn.” Her somber voice rang through the phone, putting Finn on high alert.
 

“Everything alright? You sound like something is bothering you.” Silence came from the other end of the line. “Fiona, you there?”

“Yeah.” Damn, Finn could tell she was crying from the tightness in her voice.
 

“Fiona, talk to me. Is Booker there?”

“No, he’s out doing some work crap.” She hiccupped and then continued. “I don’t know if I can do this Finn. I looked like such a fool next to Booker last night. He lives such a fancy life, one that I don’t belong in.”

“Listen to me right now. Booker is one lucky piece of shit, you hear me? He doesn’t deserve you, you are by far superior to him in so many ways and if anyone doesn’t belong in someone’s life, it’s Booker in yours.”

“You have to say that because you’re my brother.”

“I actually don’t. There have been many times when I’ve told you that you look like a slapper or that your breath could rip the cement from the sidewalk or when your hair looks like there’s a family of rats…”

“Alright. Jesus.” Finn chuckled to himself as he heard a little bit of life come back to his sister’s voice. “I miss you guys. It’s so stupid because I wanted nothing more than to leave that godforsaken town, but now that I’m gone, it’s the one thing I crave. I want to be with my family. I want to watch Liam run about the pub kitchen with his panties in a twist. I want to see Bradon get slapped around by the local females for sticking his dick in places it’s not wanted and I want to see you, I want to help you with Blaire.”