Merchants with Evil Intent (54 page)

      
He grinned against her cheek. “I could
say the same to you!”

      
He waited while she locked the door,
admiring her. The red jersey hung low on her hips, covering her backside. He
frowned. He always liked her backside.

      
She turned and caught him staring and
lifted a thin eyebrow.

      
“Ready?” he asked huskily.

      
She nodded curtly.

      
Once on the expressway to the arena they
talked about the team’s chances to win the championship and during a lull,
Dylan cleared his throat.

      
“So, how’s the Irish guy?”

      
Camryn flinched. “I wouldn’t know.”

      
“So, things are really over?”

      
She turned to face him. “Yes, but I want
to be clear. I’m not interested in anything but friendship with you.”

      
He swallowed the lump in his throat.
“Now or ever?”

      
She rolled her eyes and her shoulders
sagged. “Dylan, I just need a friend now, okay?”

      
He nodded and turned on the radio. A U2
song filled the car. She cringed and brought her hand to the radio dial. “Can
we not listen to the radio?”

      
Dylan blew out an exasperated breath. “U2
reminds you of him?”

      
She nodded sadly, “Van Morrison songs,
too.”

      
The sky cast sprinkles of stars amongst
the snow clouds. The weatherman predicted a light snowfall for the evening. She
smiled at the thought.

      
“Does he know what a stupid bastard he
is?” Dylan asked petulantly.

      
“Did you?” she countered, eyes narrowed.

      
“Touché,” he grimly replied.

      
“Cam, we were too far apart to keep our
relationship going. Is that the reason things didn’t work out for you two?”

      
“I’d rather we didn’t discuss this,” she
shifted in her seat.

      
“Don’t friends talk about things like
this?”

      
“Gah!” she yelled.

      
Dylan jumped in his seat; an amused grin
lit his face.
“Gah?”

      
“Yeah!
Gah! What
do you want me to say, Dylan? That I love him way more than I loved you? That I
made love with him?”

      
“Ouch!” Dylan winced.

      
She rolled her eyes and turned in her
seat. “God, Dyl, I’m a bitch. I’m sorry.” She rested her hand on his arm.

      
“I guess I didn’t need to hear all that.
Doesn’t bode well for my self-esteem,” he frowned. “You know, when I ended
things with you, it wasn’t easy.”

      
She glanced at him, her curiosity peeked.

      
He smiled sadly and nodded. “I was
unbearable for a few months. My roommate hated me.”

      
“Then why?”

      
He shrugged, “You were in the opposite
side of the state. Maybe if we could’ve arranged to see each other on the
weekends…”

      
“But you never said anything. As far as I
knew you were done with me. I assumed you found someone else,” she frowned.

      
“That’s what I thought about you! Your
calls tapered off and well, I assumed you met someone.”

      
She crossed her arms over herself and
sniffed. “You thought wrong. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. We turned out okay.”

      
“Yeah, we did,” he sighed.

*
     
*
     
*

      
In the last forty-five seconds of the
game, a defenseman skated up the ice skillfully passing the puck to a forward
who shot it, like a bullet, into the opposing teams net.

      
The crowd roared with excitement while
Dylan and Camryn embraced each other. Dylan tilted his head and brought his
lips to hers.

      
Her thoughts were scattered. The noise
from the arena was deafening and Dylan had his lips firmly planted on hers.

      
She eased away from him, crossing her
arms over her chest.

      
The long walk to his car couldn’t have
been more awkward with neither one talking. He opened the passenger door for
her and she slid in without a word.

      
Dylan blew out a long, hard breath once
he got into the car.
“Cam?
I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have
kissed you.”

      
She slowly nodded her head. “I’m just
still raw, ya know?”

      
He cocked his head thoughtfully, “How
long did it take for you to get over me?”

      
With a beleaguered sigh and a mournful look
she replied, “Until I met
him
.”

      
He blinked his eyes a few times.
“Oh Cam.”

      
Tears stung the back of her eyes and
sarcastically murmured, “Yeah, so at this rate I’ll be in my mid-thirties
before I get over Declan.
Pretty fucking sad.”

      
Dylan took her hand and rubbed his thumb
over the back of it. “Cam, if you want to talk about him, I’ll listen. I mean,
if it’ll help.”

      
“He hasn’t tried to call. I dunno, maybe
it’s
karma. I mean Viktor supposedly cared for me and I
didn’t reciprocate.”

      
Dylan started the car.
“Home
then?”

      
“I’d rather not, unless I’m bringin’ your
mood down.”

      
“Nah.
Where
would you like to go?” he shot her a lop-sided grin.

      
“My friends Tamara and Greg are going to
Murphy’s and I kinda thought it’d be nice to have a few drinks with them.
Besides, I need to get on with my life.”

      
He eased his car out of the slot. “I
couldn’t agree more, Cammie.”

      
Her breath hitched. He hadn’t called her
Cammie in a long time.

*
     
*
     
*

      
Declan finished taping the box he filled
with odds and ends. The basement needed to be tackled, but it would wait until
tomorrow.
He’d had eno’ for one day.

      
“Coll!” he yelled into the hallway.

      
She ran from Sean’s room, harried
looking. “What?”

      
“We need a break. Come on, ma and John
can take care of the boyo’s for a few hours. Let’s go out and have a few
drinks.”

      
“I look like shite, Dec!” she whined.

      
“Ya look fine, besides
it’s
no’ like we’re goin’ to pick up anyone, aye?” he grinned.

*
     
*
     
*

      
Declan ran down the stairs with a spring
in his step. It’d feel good to get out. He found his ma and John in the den
watching the telly with the boys.

      
“John? What’s Camryn doin’ tonight?”

      
Patting Siobhan’s leg he stood and
motioned for Declan to follow him into the kitchen.

      
A grim expression filled his face causing
Declan to cross his arms over his chest.

      
“She went to a hockey game,” he said
quietly.

      
“Aye, she told me she liked the sport,”
Declan nodded, rubbing his chin. He didna understand John’s facial expression
though.

      
“She didn’t go alone, Declan. She went
with her old boyfriend,” John murmured.

      
Declan’s jaw clenched. “I see.”

      
“She talked about meeting a few friends
afterwards at a bar,” John mentioned casually.

      
With a caustic edge to his voice Declan
asked, “Where?”

      
“A place called Murphy’s,” John offered.

      
Colleen bounded down the stairs. “Ready,
Dec?”

      
“Aye.
Are you
familiar with a place called Murphy’s?”

      
She grinned, “Of course! It’s the best
Irish pub this side of Ireland.”

      
Declan grabbed his black wool coat from
the closet and nodded to John before they left.

      
John looked around the kitchen, hoping
he’d be heard. “I think you’d better go with him, Maggie. That boy’s going to
need all the help he can get.”

      
Eoghan and Maggie smirked at each other.

      
“A pub, milady?”
Eoghan asked.

      
“Indeed,” she giggled.

*
     
*
     
*

      
Murphy’s was packed but Camryn found
Tamara and Greg nestled in a booth near the pool tables. She tugged Dylan’s
hand and pulled him along with her.

      
They slid in the booth across from Greg
and Tamara.

      
“Tam, this is Dylan. Dylan, Tam. You’ve
met Greg,” she said loudly over the noise.

      
Tamara eyed Dylan shrewdly. She
remembered the nights Cam cried herself to sleep because of him when they
roomed together at school.

      
Camryn opted for sparkling water while
the rest of them had a few rounds of Irish whiskey.

      
“Are you the designated driver tonight,
Cam?” Greg teased.

      
She swallowed the lump in her throat.
“No, I’m not in the mood to drink.”

      
Greg eyed her suspiciously. She still
wasn’t herself, but it warmed his heart, seeing Cam relaxed and giggling. It’d
been a long time he’d seen that side of her.

      
Dylan managed to coerce her onto the
little dance floor. The song had an upbeat tempo so no touching was involved,
which made Camryn glad.

      
She smiled when she realized she was
having a good time.

      
She could get through this. She would
endure.

*
     
*
     
*

      
Declan marveled at the enormity of the
pub. Big screen tellies had been secured high on the walls showing various
sports shows.

      
Posters of famous Irish musicians framed
behind glass adorned the walls along with sports memorabilia and photos of
Ireland.

      
A long, wraparound highly polished bar
sat in the middle surrounded by round tables and snugs.

      
He scanned the area for a table and for
Camryn. He spotted a small snug in the back, near the dance floor. Colleen
followed close behind him.

      
A waitress took their order. She wasna
very friendly and seemed overwhelmed by the crowd.

      
“Do you see her?” Colleen asked loudly.

      
He glanced at her.
“No,
you?”

      
She shook her head. “Maybe she’s not here
yet.”

      
The waitress returned with two pints and
a whiskey shot for Declan.

      
“Och!”
Colleen
gasped. “I think we need to switch seats.”

      
His eyebrows knitted together and she
nodded towards the dance floor. He turned in his seat and saw Camryn.

      
His jaw clenched tightly. He stood, not
taking his eyes off her and changed seats with Colleen.

      
He watched as she lifted her hands over
her head and laughed at something the boy said. Then she lifted the jersey over
her head and tied it around her waist. All she wore now was a skimpy black tank
top.

      
He took a long pull from his pint and
slammed it on the table when the boy put his hands on Camryn’s hips.

      
Standing abruptly Colleen grabbed his
arm.
“Dec!
What are ya goin’ to do?”