Chapter 22

While in the midst of conversation with his former teammates, all trying to convince him to return to the team in some capacity, Ian kept one eye on the entrance to the dining room for Jo, waiting for her return.

When she finally appeared, he relaxed. He caught her eye, and she broke into a wide smile. Heads turned as she made her way back to their table. Ian wondered if Jo had any idea how pretty she was.

Jo arrived at the table. “Did I miss anything?”

“Not a thing.”

When she was in her seat, Ian leaned toward her and whispered, “You are a very pretty woman, Johanna.”

Pink tinged her cheeks and neck, and she reached for her water glass and took a sip. It was as he thought. She had no idea. And she wasn’t used to hearing it. In the future, he planned to remedy that.

He studied her for a moment, although he didn’t have to. The way she looked tonight had been seared on his memory. The gorgeous auburn hair swept up like a crown around her head. The way the dress accentuated her curves and her shapely legs.

When she didn’t say anything, Ian said. “You know that works both ways.”

“What? You want me to tell you you’re pretty too?” Jo teased.

Ian burst out laughing. “No, what I meant to say is you don’t have to stay the whole night. We can leave whenever you want,” he said, referring to their earlier conversation, giving her a way out.

She laughed. “Okay.”

“We could go somewhere else,” he said, hopeful. He wanted to be alone with her.

“Could we?” she asked.

He smiled. “It’s early. Not even ten.”

She nodded. “If you want. I’m ready whenever you are.”

“Are you sure? Do you want to ask the kitchen for another plate of food before we take off?” he teased with a grin. “Maybe they could pack you a light lunch or something, to tide you over until we reach our next destination.”

She threw her head back and laughed. He loved when she did that. To be in her orbit when she laughed like that, it made him feel like it was just the two of them, even in a crowd of people.

***

Ian gave her directions to drive toward the city. He glanced at her in the driver’s seat. She was managing the gears all right; there’d been no grinding. It was nothing short of miraculous.

“So, Johanna, did you enjoy yourself?” Ian asked. He certainly had but was glad to be alone with Jo.

“I had a ball,” she said.

“You didn’t mind that we couldn’t dance?” he asked.

“Not at all.”

Ian shook his head. Johanna was so refreshing. She was different from any other girl he’d been with. He wondered what sky she fell from.

“Where are we going now?” she asked.

Ian chuckled. Always game for the next thing. Always a good sport. So open-minded about seeing new places. It was just her nature. He didn’t know what he was going to do when she went back to the States in January. He chose not to think about that in this moment. For tonight, he was out with a pretty girl who made him laugh, and he was going to enjoy himself.

“I know exactly where we’re going. Turn left here,” he said.

She made the left, and that brought them onto the main avenue of the city.

“Look at all the Christmas lights!” she enthused.

For as far as the eye could see, magnificent Christmas lights—some clear, others colored—crisscrossed overhead from one side of the street to the other.

“It’s not that cold. I thought we could go for a stroll and take in the lights.” He winced. The thought had sounded good but when he said it aloud, it had come out sounding corny and lame.

“I’d love that!” she gushed.

Maybe it wasn’t so corny after all.

“Let’s see if we can find a parking spot on the street.” After four blocks, he pointed to an empty space and Jo pulled in. That was the easy part. It took six or seven tries for her to straighten the car out against the curb.

“There we are,” she said, smiling.

Ian shook his head.

Once they got out of the car, Ian glanced at her footwear and her coat, which wasn’t much. His eyes lingered on her legs for a moment. They were mighty fine.

“Johanna, if you get cold or your feet start to bother you, let me know and we’ll go home,” Ian said. He himself was impervious to cold. He just had to be mindful of the crutches on the pavement.

Jo walked by his side. Silently, he cursed the crutches. He would have liked to hold her hand.

Nana used to bring him to the city as a young boy to see the lights and all the decorations. At the end of it, there’d be a stop at some restaurant for tea and a sweet. He chuckled at the memory of it.

“What’s so funny?” Jo asked.

He smiled. “Just thinking of when Nana used to bring me down here at Christmastime to look at all the lights and decorations.”

“My Gram and I used to do a lot of baking at Christmas. She used to let me help,” Jo said thoughtfully. “Though I suspect I was more of a hindrance than a help.” Jo crossed her arms against her chest.

“Are you getting cold?” Ian asked.

She shook her head. “Not at all.”

All the shops were closed, but their windows were done up in decorations and lights. They stopped at each one, looking at it in wonder.

“I hope someday to bring my children down here at Christmastime,” Ian said out loud. He wished he hadn’t said that.

“Would you like to have children someday?” Jo asked softly. She stood next to him, but they both focused their attention on the window display of life-size carolers, fake snow, and a Victorian lamp post.

“Sure, it’s what life is all about,” he said quietly. “What about you?”

“I would. Someday.”

He could picture her as a mother. She was so kind and sweet; her kids would be lucky to have her. An image flashed in his mind of the two of them together in the future with little children around them. His eyes widened at the thought of it.

After a few moments of silence where the future seemed to hang in front of them, Ian suggested they move on.

There were some restaurants and pubs along the way. From some of the rowdier establishments, the noise spilled outside onto the pavement, but Jo and Ian kept moving.

Ian slowed to a halt and leaned on his crutches in front of one particular basement pub. Jo stood next to him. He stood at the railing and stared down the stairs. They could hear the music from the interior. Not Christmas music, but traditional Irish music with fiddles and accordions. From inside came the sound of boisterous music and patrons clapping.

“I used to come here all the time.” Ian looked at the stairs again and sighed. He remembered them as being steep and treacherous even when he wasn’t on crutches. Had he two good legs, he would have taken Johanna by the hand and led her down to the pub.

“Do you want to go in?” Jo asked.

“Sure, I want to go in, but I can’t get down the stairs.” He tried to keep the frustration out of his voice. He didn’t want to ruin what so far had been a perfect night.

“Maybe—”

Ian was already shaking his head. Whatever her idea was on how to get him down the stairs, it wouldn’t be one he would approve of. Of that much, he was sure.

Before he could reply, three couples approached, each linking arms. They began to amble down the staircase. But the first guy stopped, noticed Ian, and said, “Hey, aren’t you Ian Twomey from the Irish Rovers? Are you going in, mate?”

Realizing that all eyes were on him, Ian’s skin prickled. “Nah, another time.”

But the guy in the leather jacket was heading back up the stairs to Ian. “Come on, Tom, we got this. Bobby, grab his crutches.”

Ian was about to protest when Jo laid her hand on his arm and gave him a beseeching look.

The two men got on either side of him, and he wrapped his arms around their shoulders and used them as support to get down the staircase. At least they hadn’t offered to carry him. Even he still had a little bit of pride left. The staircase was a bit narrow, so it was tight on the way down.

The guy named Tom quipped, “One of us is going to have to go on a diet.”

Even Ian had to laugh.

At the bottom, they set him down, and the one named Bobby handed him his crutches.

“Thanks,” Ian said.

“Don’t mention it. It’s the least we can do after all the entertainment you gave us on the field,” the first guy said. “I’m Rory, by the way. We’re here for the night most likely, but when you’re ready to leave just let us know.”

“Thanks again,” Ian said.

Ian followed Jo up to the bar and got the barman’s attention. He ordered a pint for himself and a Coke for Jo. He also asked the barman to send a round of drinks over to the three couples.

From the bar, they looked around for a seat. A couple stood up from a table at the wall, and the man waved them over. Jo carried the drinks and followed Ian.

“We’re just leaving,” the man said.

“Thanks.” Ian let Jo slide into the booth first, and he set his crutches against the wall before sliding in next to her. When they were situated, he glanced up to see the other couples lifting their drinks up to him and nodding in acknowledgment. He returned the gesture.

The pub was dark and small and narrow. But it was packed. An old-timer hunched over his ale at the bar, an untouched pack of cigarettes next to his pint glass. Two older men tended the bar, and Ian had been coming in here long enough to know that they were brothers and had owned the place for decades. The rumor was that the two brothers hadn’t been on speaking terms for over twenty years and every once in a while, they’d take their fight outside, settle it with some swinging fists, and return to their pub to pull pints.

A group of musicians were seated on stools on the other side of the room: two fiddle players, someone playing the concertina, and a man who played spoons on his thigh.

Ian leaned back and draped his arm along the length of the booth behind Jo’s head. The night had turned out better than he had expected.

***

It was after one in the morning by the time they left, and another half hour before they were home, chatting and laughing all the way. As they pulled up in front of the house, Ian said, “You know, Johanna, I had a great time tonight. Thank you so much for going with me.”

“I had a wonderful time. And the food!” she enthused.

Ian let out a bark of laughter. It always came back to the food with her. They sat in the car in front of the house for a few minutes, and finally, aware of her hitched breath and her chest rising and falling, and emboldened by the success of the night, he turned to her and leaned in to kiss her good-night. She met him halfway. He closed his eyes and his lips found hers. She tasted good, like mints and something sweet. He kissed her gently, then more insistently. She curled her fingers around the lapels of his jacket and pulled him closer to her. He reached his arm around her back.

When they pulled apart, each leaned back in their seats. Jo had a dreamy expression on her face.

“Thank you, Johanna,” he said.

“No, thank you!”

He laughed and he continued, “No, but seriously, thank you for helping me to feel normal again.”

“You are normal,” she protested.

He smiled. She was so good.

“Anyway, your family is coming in on Tuesday, so don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. Spend time with them. You can even use my car if needed.”

“Thanks. Dad has rented a car, so we’re all set.”

As they got out and parted ways on the footpath, Ian said to her, “I’ll see you in a few days.”

Surely, he could wait, couldn’t he?