Page 12 of Rush
"In anything beyond classmates."
His smile falters. "Oh, okay, yeah. No problem."
He walks away and I head into the building. I feel a little bad for being blunt, but it's better than leading him on.
The rest of the week passes in a blur of failed experiments and too much caffeine. By Friday I'm ready for a break.
The old ladies dinner is at Caoimhe's flat and it's exactly what I need—just the four of us eating and drinking wine and talking about everything and nothing.
Somewhere around dessert, the conversation turns to Rush.
"He asked about you," Chloe says.
"What about me?"
"How you're settling in, if you need anything."
"That's nice of him."
"He takes his job seriously."
"I've noticed." I take a sip of wine. "Does he ever relax?"
"Not really," Gráinne says. "He's always been like that—very controlled."
"Why?"
The old ladies exchange a look and I know there's a story there.
"He's had a rough go of it," Ailbhe says carefully. "But it's his story to tell, not ours."
I want to push but I know better. If Rush wants me to know he'll tell me himself.
We move on to other topics, and I file that information away for later.
Sunday afternoon, I'm back at the clubhouse. It's becoming a habit and I'm not sure how I feel about that.
I walk in and immediately notice Rush at the bar. He's not alone.
There's a woman sitting next to him—blonde, pretty, laughing at something he said. She's comfortable in his space, her body language open and familiar.
Friends—definitely friends.
I walk over to the old ladies and Chloe sees where I'm looking.
"That's Ciara," she says. "She works at O'Hara's with Enya."
"She seems nice."
"She is. She and Rush have been friends for a while now."
I watch them interact. Rush is more relaxed than I've ever seen him; his posture is easier, his expression less guarded.
It's nice seeing him like that.
Ciara says something that makes him almost smile, and then she glances around the room. Her eyes land on me and the old ladies.
She smiles and waves. It's friendly enough, but there's something in her eyes I can't quite read.
