“Are you kidding? No, I’m so proud of you for not reacting. It was only a push, no big deal, and I swear you didn’t do anything, okay?” she hurried to soothe. “I love you, Joe. I’m not mad at you, I promise. I’m just dealing with something and I need a night to myself.”
“I love you,” I heard myself admit, tone gruff. “Do ya hear me? I love you, Molloy.”
“I know you do, Joe,” she replied, tone thick with emotion. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow, okay?”
“Yeah.” I bowed my head. “Okay.”
“Bye, stud.”
“Bye, queen.”
“That’s the start of it,” Tony chuckled, joining me out back. “Keep pandering to that young one of mine, and you’ll be in big trouble, boyo.”
I’m already in trouble.
“Yeah, well, it’s a quiet life I’m after, Tony,” I replied with a shrug, as I took another drag of my smoke and scrolled through my phone, counting at least twenty-five call-me text messages from Shannon. “The hell is wrong now?”
“What’s that?”
“My sister,” I explained, dialing her number, feeling a different sort of panic rise up inside of me. “She’s after blowing up my phone with messages.”
“Is she alright?”
“Shannon,” I demanded when she finally answered. “What’s going on? Are you okay? Did something happen at school?”
The sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach assured me it had.
My blood pressure was rising at a rapid pace and I had to take a second before I could speak again.
“If one of those posh fuckers did something to you, I will—”
“I’m fine. I’m okay. Calm down. I missed my bus and the next one’s not until quarter to ten tonight,” she explained down the line, sounding eerily calm for someone who had blown up my phone.
Was she hurt?
She didn’t sound it.
Was she lying?
It was close to impossible to tell.
“It’s already dark and I don’t want to walk in case,” she paused, and the sound of rustling filled my ears, before she spoke again, “Are you with Aoife? Can you guys come pick me up? I’m really stuck, Joe. I wouldn’t ask you if I wasn’t desperate.”
“I’m working until nine,” I heard myself say, pressing the heel of my hand to my forehead. “And Aoife works until half ten on Tuesdays.” Not that I was about to ask the girl who asked me for space to collect my sister. “Did you try Mam?”
“She’s working the late shift, and I’m not calling Dad.”
“No, Jesus, don’t call him,” I agreed, shaking my head. “Look hang up and give me a few minutes. I’ll call around a few of the lads, and see if anyone can pick you up.” Surely Podge or Alec would drop her home for me. “I’ll call you back in a few.”
“No, don’t do that,” she was quick to say. “The school stays open late. I can wait here until my bus comes – oh no, no, no, that’s okay.”
I frowned. “Huh?”
”You don’t have to do that,” she said – obviously not speaking to me.
“Do what?” Curiosity piqued, I eyed Tony, who wasn’t even pretending to not listen to the conversation. In fact, he had stepped closer. “Shan, what’s going on? Who are you talking to?”
“Oh, ah, just this guy from school.”
“Guy?” Tony’s brows shot up at the same time as mine. “What guy?”
“Just a guy I know,” she replied, all coy and shit. “Honestly, it’s fine. You don’t have to drive me home.”
‘Drive her home?’ Tony mouthed, pointing at the phone. ‘She’s a baby.’
‘I know,’ I mouthed, before turning my attention back to my sister. “Hold up, who’s driving you home, Shannon? Why are you talking to guys old enough to drive you home?”
‘Tell her she’s fifteen,’ Tony mouthed with a thumb’s up.
“You’re fifteen,” I heard myself say, feeling like a fucking hypocrite. If he knew the half of what I wanted to do to his daughter when she was fifteen, he would be shitting rocks.
“I know what age I am, Joey,” Shannon snapped and I cocked a brow, hearing the rare spark of fire in her voice. “Look, relax. I’ll wait here until my bus comes.”
Like fuck she would.
I wasn’t born yesterday.
And if she’s anything like you, it won’t be the front seat she’ll be climbing into.
Jesus.
“Put him on the phone,” I ordered, shuddering.
“What?” Shannon asked. “Who?”
“The lad who’s just a guy you know with a car.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to talk to him.”
“Why do you want to talk to him?”
I gave Tony a knowing look and said, “Because I want to talk to the fucker offering to take my baby sister home in his car, that’s why.”
He nodded his approval.
“Hey, this is Johnny,” a male voice with a thick Dublin accent, came down the line a moment later.
‘That’s no boy,’ Tony mouthed accusingly, gaping at the phone, ‘That’s a fucking man’s voice.’
‘I know,’ I mouthed back, ‘shut up and let me think.’
Tony held his hands up in submission.
“Johnny,” I said coolly, making an effort to use my most threatening tone of voice. “I hear you know Shannon.”
“Yeah, I know your sister,” he replied, tone impeccably polite.
“So, is it just Johnny from Tommen, or do ya have a last name?”
“Kavanagh.”
“The rugby player?” Tony and I both asked in unison.
“Yeah, that’s me.”
‘Well shit,’ my boss mouthed, eyes wide with excitement, ‘the lad from The Academy?’
If this hotshot fucker had taken time out of his rigid schedule to drive her home, then my baby sister had made more than just waves at Tommen.
She’d summoned a goddamn tsunami.
“I saw your last game with the U18s,” I heard myself say. “You were class.”
“Thanks, it was a strong performance all round,” he replied – again, with the polite bullshit.
“You’re heading for the u20’s tour with the Irish squad in May, aren’t ya?”
“Probably.”
‘Ask him for a few tickets,’ Tony mouthed, nudging my arm.
‘I can’t do that,’ I mouthed back, glaring at him.
‘Do it.’
‘No.’
‘Ask him.’
‘No.’
‘Do it for your boss.’
‘No.’
‘Fine. Do it for your future father-in-law.’
I gaped at him.
He grinned back.
“Ah… is there any chance of a few tickets?” I closed my eyes when the words came out of my mouth, feeling like an asshole for asking. “My girlfriend’s father is a big fan.”
“Yeah, I’ll see what I can do,” he replied, like it was something he was asked on the daily. “Home games only, though, and the tickets don’t go on sale to the public until May. Shouldn’t be a problem, though.”