CHAPTER9
Liam
Downing my second stout, I waved to O’Malley for a third. There were plenty of things I could be doing right now other than sitting in a local bar, but I had only one thing on my mind: Kyleigh.
O’Malley handed me the frosty mug and said, “Just so you know, more beer doesn’t fix the problem.”
“What makes you think I have a problem?” I asked.
He chuckled. “Two reasons. You and your brother have been coming here since you were legal to drink. The only time you have more than two, is when you have a problem.”
“That’s only one reason,” I corrected him.
“Fine. The second is the fact that I own this bar. I know damn well when I see a man who has woman trouble. Did you want to talk about it?” he offered.
“O’Malley, when have you ever seen me with woman trouble?” I asked.
“Once. Now.”
Damn it. I should’ve gone to a bar where no one knows me.
“I hardly even know her,” I admitted.
“Ah, there lies the problem. You want to know her,” he ventured.
Desperately.
“But she doesn’t seem to want to know me,” I replied.
O’Malley cocked a brow and shook his head. “Doesn’t sound like the Liam O’Connor I know. You’ve had all the ladies chasing after you since you could walk. What’s different about this one?”
Everything.
“Guess my Irish charm doesn’t work on her.” At least, not anymore.
“Then quit trying to charm her. That’s not what she wants,” he said.
“And you know this how?” I asked.
“I’ve been married almost fifty years. And all women want the same thing.”
“Really? What is that?” I couldn’t believe I was wasting my time sitting here, swallowing advice I had hardly asked for. But O’Malley’s had the best stout in town.
“All women want to be heard.”
“I listen to her,” I said.
He shook his head. “There is a difference between listening and hearing. Women want to be heard and seen. When you can do that, then your troubles are over,” he said.
I laughed. “I think you better stick to brewing and selling beer.”
“Your loss is my gain,” he said.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I asked.
“The more distraught you get, the more beer you drink,” he said, heading off to wait on another patron.
I walked right into that one.Maybe I should ease up on the beer - O’Malley never got the last word with me before.