Barefoot on a Starlit Night by Jo McNally

Author:Jo McNally [McNally, Jo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781488055942
Publisher: HQN Books
Published: 2020-06-09T17:20:30+00:00

* * *

BRIDGET FINISHED SWEEPING the floor and straightened with a groan. The bar looked like a leprechaun festival was about to begin. That wasn’t far from the truth—the annual Purple Shamrock St. Patrick’s Party was coming up the following day. Everything in the place was covered in green, orange and white bunting. There were sparkly green shamrocks hanging from the ceiling in the dining area, and by the time the party started, the dance floor ceiling would be wall-to-wall green balloons.

Per tradition, she and her cousins had worked that morning to pack away anything breakable or of sentimental or monetary value to the family or to the pub. The St. Patrick’s party crowds could get rowdy. Nana always called it “amateur night” because people—most of whom didn’t have a lick of Irish in them—used the day as an excuse to drink until they were falling-down drunk. Things got broken. Or stolen. The night was a moneymaker for the bar, but it was also a night where they had to stay vigilant. The whole family would be on hand to keep an eye on things tomorrow night.

But tonight it was just her, working in blissful silence. The Purple Shamrock was always closed the Friday before the party to give the family a chance to prepare. They’d all headed home for dinner an hour ago, leaving Bridget to do the last-minute details. She looked around the place and sighed.

Yes, the parties were a huge hassle, but they were also more fun than she wanted to admit. They brought the McKinnons together. They brought the community together. The Purple Shamrock would always be an Irish pub. Maybe Finn was right—instead of fighting the tradition, maybe she needed to embrace it and build on it. Figure out a menu that honored their Irish roots. Have a few genuine Irish entertainers once in a while. Maybe even have a traditional Irish music session a few weekends every month. In an artsy town like Rendezvous Falls, there were probably fiddlers and other musicians who’d love to get together.

If they could open the patio by summer, they could have live music out there. She grabbed the dustpan and bent over to scoop up her sweepings. She could see it in her mind—strings of lights over the decking, with an entertainer set up in the far corner and people dancing under the lights. Under the stars. The moon would be rising over the hills on the far side of Seneca Lake. A guitar strumming, and an Irish ballad being sung. Finn’s arms around her...

Whoa!

Where did that very specific image come from? Their fake engagement would definitely be over by summer, so there’d be no reason for them to be dancing. Not on the patio. Not anywhere. Ever.

The front door clicked shut behind her, and she straightened and spun so fast that the dust from the dustpan flew up in a cloud, covering her black shirt and making her cough and sputter. Finn stood there, his hand on the door handle, with a wide grin on his face.

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