3 Seconds (Time for Love Book 6) (16 page)

Brock looked to
Brady, who nodded his consent, then turned to Brendan and said,
“Okay, I’ll set it up.”

“Fucking
awesome!” Brendan said, slapping the table in his excitement.

Deciding that
maybe now was not the right time to add more to Brendan’s already
full plate … with finals next week, and a possibility at a record
deal, our relationship already seemed to be on the back burner of
Brendan’s mind. I moved through the crowd and exited as quietly as
I’d entered.

As I got in my
car and headed home, I tried to be happy at the opportunity that
Carson Brandt was providing for Brendan and his brothers, but all I
could focus on was the fact that this was just another path leading
him away from me.

Chapter
Twenty-Seven ~ Brendan

I breathed a
sigh of relief as I walked out of my classroom. The final was over,
and I was officially done with culinary school. Even though I’d
taken a break, and the course had taken longer to complete than it
should have, I’d never had any doubt that I would graduate and be
ready to take my place in the culinary world.

Now I just had
to figure out what that looked like.

Until now, I’d
been so sure that after graduation I would go to France and work
under Chef Agard, but Bronagh changed all that. And sure, after
she’d kicked me to the curb, I’d been hell bent on getting out of
the country, but after a lot of soul searching, and advice from my
friends and family, I knew now that I wasn’t giving up that easily.
And not only that, but Brock and Victoria were having another baby,
which I didn’t want to miss out on, and Brady was going to the
police academy. No way was I going to be on another continent when
that happened.

Add to all that
the possibility of Whiskey Heat recording a record, and there
really was no choice. Staying home won, hands down.

Now I just
needed to convince Bronagh to take me back…

“Brendan
O’Malley,” a familiar voice with a French accent said from behind
me, and my heart clenched painfully when I turned to see the man
who was once my mentor smiling broadly at me as he walked my
way.

“Chef,” I said,
careful to keep my tone respectful.

He held out his
hand to me as he neared, and I shook it half-heartedly, my face
void of expression.

“It’s good to
see you again,” he said, seemingly unaware of my
less-than-enthusiastic greeting. “I’ve been hoping to run into you.
I wanted to give you the good news, man to man, before the big
reveal at the ceremony tomorrow.”

I remained
quiet, although I knew what he was referring to.

Chef Agard
looked at me curiously, then pushed on. “I’d like to officially
offer you the position. You can take some time to get your affairs
in order here, then come to us in France.”

“No thanks,” I
said simply, containing the laughter that wanted to spill over at
the look of total shock on his face. I’m sure no one ever turned
down a chance to work with him.

His face got
red after a moment and he sputtered, “I don’t understand.”

I took a step
closer and stared the older man in the eye.

“I have family
and friends here that I don’t want to leave right now, but even if
that weren’t the case,” I took a step closer and lowered my voice,
“I’d never work for a man who has no
loyalty
, no
values
… Someone who was lucky enough to marry a beautiful,
talented,
amazing
woman, and then proceed to break her trust
by cheating on her throughout their marriage.”

I watched his
back stiffen as I spoke, but didn’t give a fuck if he was insulted;
everything I said was the truth.

“Be careful,
boy,” Chef Agard said, his tone as hard as the look on his face.
“Don’t speak of things that don’t concern you.”

I decided to
let the “boy” comment go, and walk away.

“You’re making
a mistake,” he called out as I reached the exit, but I continued
walking without giving him a response.

A million
things were running through my mind as I reached the parking lot,
so I didn’t notice Calla waiting for me until I practically ran
into her.

“You’ve got to
be kidding me,” I muttered under my breath, before glaring at her
and practically growling, “
What
?”

“Let me lay it
out straight,” Calla began, looking pissed. I don’t know if she was
angry because she knew I’d finished at the top of the class, she
was worried about the job with Agard, or if it was because men
steered clear of the hot, but obviously fucking crazed woman, and
she hadn’t had a dick in her for years. She practically seethed
when she continued, “I will not hesitate to go to the board of
directors and tell them
all about
your love affair with
Chef
Callaghan…”

I put my hand
up to stop her as I pinned her with an angry gaze. I was not in the
mood for this shit right now.

“Unless
what
, Calla?” I asked sharply. “What exactly are you
threatening me with here?”

She looked
taken aback by my heated response. Calla swallowed nervously, then
took a deep breath and said with less confidence, “Turn down the
job with Chef Agard, and I won’t tell…”

Moving forward
so that I was so far in her space, she was breathing my air, I
lowered my head to look her dead in the eye and told her, “You say
shit about
anything
to
anyone
, you’ll answer to me …
You’re threat is empty, and you know it. Chef Callaghan and I
aren’t seeing each other. We aren’t dating. We aren’t anything …
I’ve already turned down the position with Agard for my own
reasons, but I promise you this, Calla, you spread your venom to
anyone in this school, or anyone at all for that matter, I’ll make
sure you don’t have a chance in hell of getting that job. You’re
the one who told me, aren’t you, that Callaghan and Agard were
married? Well, rumor has it, that he isn’t over her, so how do you
think he’d react if I told him you were blackmailing her?”

Calla
swallowed, and I could almost see her brain trying to catch up as
she figured out what her next play would be.

“I don’t have
time for this,” I said before she could make a decision and spew
more acid at me. “You do what you have to do, and I’ll do what I
have to do. And I have to say, Calla, I wouldn’t be upset if I
never had to see your brand of crazy again.”

Without giving
her time to respond, I turned and made the short distance to my
bike and got the hell out of there. That relief I’d felt was
short-lived, now I was just pissed.

As I rode home
I pushed my thoughts to tomorrow’s meeting with Carson Brandt, and
eased my tension by going over what songs I wanted to show him in
my head. I felt my anger lift as I thought of the opportunities
that Brandt could offer us, which would lead to me being a more
plausible catch for Bronagh.

If I was going
to convince her that taking a chance on me wouldn’t be a bad bet, I
needed to show that I would be a good husband. Someone she could
trust, who would be successful in my own right, just like she
is.

It was time for
me to grow up and act like an adult. To be the man that Bronagh
needs to make her happy … And I was ready to be that man.

Chapter
Twenty-Eight ~ Bronagh

I was sitting
on my front porch, in the wicker furniture I’d lovingly picked out
last summer. I kept potted flowers on the porch, and had a
neighborhood boy come and mow my grass once a week. It was a
calming spot, and I loved having my coffee out here on mornings
where I had the time to sit back and enjoy my little oasis.

Still in my
pajamas, I was enjoying the fact that school was finished for this
class, and that I had a little extra time to myself. Chef Gordon,
the instructor I’d been filling in for at the school, was feeling
better and ready to resume his position at the school. The board
had said they’d be willing to hire me on full time, if I wanted to
stay, but I’d actually been relieved to step down. Not that I
hadn’t loved teaching and sharing my experiences, but I was ready
to be back at the pub full time and give it one-hundred percent of
my attention. Plus, with all of the talks Brendan I had about
traveling, made me realize how much I’d missed it … Maybe I’d take
a break once my da came home from Ireland in a couple days.

I’d missed him
so much and couldn’t wait to see him again. I’d be happy to have
him close by, so I could see him whenever I wanted. It was crazy to
realize that he didn’t know Brendan; it almost made it as if that
chapter of my life was a fantasy.

I was holding
the warm cup in my hands, about to bring the ceramic mug to my
lips, when a movement caught my eye and I watched as that
fantasy
came right toward me.

“Hey,” Brendan
said as he walked up the steps and sat in the wicker chair next to
mine. I took the opportunity to soak him in. He’d shaved, and it
looked like he had his hair trimmed, although most of the length
was still there. He was casual, in jeans and a
KROQ Weenie
Roast
T-shirt, with Birkenstocks on his feet. He looked good.
Amazing actually. Totally lickable.

I controlled
the urge to lick and simply said, “Hey,” back.

“I hope it’s
okay I stopped by,” he said, the only hint that he gave of his
nerves was when he rubbed the palms of his hands on his jeans. “I
wanted to talk to you in person.”

“Sure,” I
replied, wondering how this was all going to play out. I’d come to
a decision about our relationship, and I really needed to stick to
my guns this time.

“I would have
come by sooner, but I wanted to get some stuff settled first.”

I gave him a
small smile and revealed, “I heard about the job offer from Maxime.
He said you handed it back to him, along with his ass…” I laughed
at that, thinking of how pissed off Maxime must have been when
Brendan not only denied the offer, but reamed him about his
character. He was livid when he’d relayed the conversation, and
asked me if there was something going on between Brendan and me.
He’d seemed to believe me when I assured him there wasn’t.

“Yeah,” Brendan
replied with a sheepish grin. “He was pretty surprised when I said
no … But I think Calla will be a better fit than me anyhow.” He
fiddled with the hem of his shirt, then stated, “I heard you aren’t
going back to instruct.”

I shook my head
and said, “No, Gordon’s better now, and I’m happy to finally be
strictly a pub owner again.”

Brendan nodded.
“That’s great…”

“What about
you? If you aren’t taking the job in France, what’s next up for
you?”

“Well, that
depends,” he said, looking so intently at me that I momentarily got
lose in the beauty of his eyes. “That’s actually why I’m here.”

I didn’t say
anything, just waited for him to go on as I tried to remain strong
and sure of my pre-made decision.

“We actually
had a meeting yesterday, my brothers and I, with a music producer.
He’s starting a new label and is interested in recording us … He
and another producer are working hand in hand, and they also asked
about buying some of my songs … for other artists to record.”

I let pride and
pleasure bloom on my face, not wanting to hold back the fact that I
really was happy for him, even though my heart felt like it slowly
cracking inside.

“That’s
wonderful, I’m so happy for you guys.”

“It’s crazy,”
Brendan said with a shake of his head, his smile huge. “The
timing’s a little off, what with the stuff my brothers have going
on now, but it’s an amazing opportunity, so we’re going to do
it.”

Not wanting to
be rude, but needing him to get to the point so I could go inside
and figure out how to forget him, I asked, “You said you were here
because?”

Brendan blinked
at my question, his smile dimming a bit, then he replied, “Um,
well, I wanted to talk about us. About the things that we said, and
what we need to do to move forward.”

I ignored the
fact that my stupid heart leapt at his words and asked, “So the
music stuff, that would all be local?”

Brendan tilted
his head, watching me cautiously.

“Well, Brandt,
the producer I mentioned, wanted me to go to New York for a while.
The producer he’s working with has a studio there … but I told him
I wasn’t interested in that. I want to work locally.”

“That’s crazy,
Brendan,” I said, trying to keep the emotion out of my voice. “New
York would be perfect for you. It’s a chef’s dream, and I’m sure
there’d be plenty of restaurants that would hire you in a
heartbeat. I can put in a good word.”

“Stop,” he
replied, holding his hand up. “What about what I said … About us. I
want another shot, Bronagh. I’ve been going crazy these last few
weeks without you.”

I swallowed
painfully, and steeled myself against the hopeful look on his
face.

“We’ve gone
over this, and I’m sorry that I confused things by practically
attacking you in the closet. That was a shitty thing to do…”

“It happened
because we aren’t done, Freckles,” Brendan cut in, reaching out and
placing his hand on my leg.

It felt as if
his imprint was burning through my pajama pants.

“We
are
done, Brendan, I’m sorry. I hate that I keep hurting you, but we
want different things. We just have to let this go,” I pleaded,
hoping that he would leave before I broke down in front of him.

“That’s what I
want to talk about, Bronagh. I want what you want … I want you,” he
insisted, before going in for the kill. “I’m in love with you.”

I stood
abruptly and watched as his hand fell to his side.

“No, Brendan,
please
… stop. You were pretty clear about what you want and
don’t want in your life. You can’t just change your mind in order
to get me back. That isn’t fair to either of us, and would kill me
later when you realized you regretted your decision now. Just let
me go … please.”