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Authors: Micqui Miller
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"You're living with Mick. He must have told you what he thinks about Ian ... or Striker as he calls him. He's told everyone else." Caroline laughed, and this time she wasn't acting. "Sorry. I'm not living with Mick. I live across from him. He helped move my stuff into my apartment and I haven't seen him 70
Sweet Caroline
by Micqui Miller
since." A white lie, but what sense was there in sharing the story of his nightmare?
"God, then he must be tired after this trip. I figured he was pounding on your door every night. All the gals think so, too. They're dying over it."
"The gals at ZyQyx? Why? I'm sure he'd have rented my apartment to anyone who wanted it."
"Don't kid yourself about that." Ramona slurred her words as she neared the end of the second can of Bud. "The apartment's been empty for a year. He allowed ZyQyx to lease it but only on a temporary basis."
"How odd. I don't understand why."
"There's a lot I don't understand about Brian's big brother, either. Except that he's irresistible. Every woman he meets falls in love with him—even I was for a while. I think Mick lets the place stand empty because he doesn't want the hassle of evicting some gal after the bloom falls off the rose, so to speak."
Caroline smiled, remembering the candlelight and sensual music. "He's got a bloom very much on the rose tonight." After another swig, Ramona asked, "What does that mean?"
"Well..." Oh shoot, why not let her think I'm one of the girls? "He's entertaining this evening—you know, soft music, candles."
"Mick?" Ramona sounded surprised. "In his own apartment?"
"Yeah." Did Ramona think he was making out in his Jeep?
71
Sweet Caroline
by Micqui Miller
"Can't be. Mick never brings anyone home. It violates his number one rule."
Caroline raised a brow. "Which is?"
"'Can't make a graceful exit if you're in your own nest,'" Ramona answered with a giggle and the slightest trace of a brogue—Mick all over again.
"Meaning?"
"Whattaya think? Love 'em and leave 'em."
"Maybe this one's different. Maybe Mick's in love." At that Ramona laughed. "Mick loves every woman he meets, but he doesn't fall in love with any of them. He can't. Goes against the curse."
"Oh, for heaven's sake," Caroline burst out. "What is this curse I keep hearing about? Curses went out with witch hunts about two centuries ago."
"Maybe for other people," Ramona said her voice sounding sad. "Not if you're Mick Mahoney."
"Why don't I get us some snacks?" Caroline offered. She was there to gather information, and the conversation was getting juicy. She had to stop Ramona before she drank herself into gibberish. "I'll bring you a soda." Caroline hurried inside the party room where she grabbed two bowls, one full of pretzels, the other, peanuts, and the large bag of chips she'd brought, and a couple of chilled sodas. If there'd been anything more substantial, she would have grabbed that, too.
"Hey, where are you going with those?" someone called after her. She didn't stop or look back.
72
Sweet Caroline
by Micqui Miller
"Here we are." She handed the two bowls to Ramona, who pounced on them, and popped the tab on one of the drinks.
"Okay, so tell me, why does everyone call Ian, Striker?" Ramona leaned her head back and closed her eyes, obviously savoring the flavor of the salty junk food. "Not everyone," she said while she chomped happily on a handful of nuts. "Mostly it's the Mahoneys, but a few others. Sometimes I think Ian likes the name—makes him feel like he's popular and one of the crowd. And sometimes I think it really ticks him off. Especially if Mick calls him that."
"How do they know each other? Mick never worked at ZyQyx, did he?"
Ramona shook her head. "They go way back, much farther than ZyQyx. In fact, Ian, growing up, used to spend his summers at the ranch. Brian says Mick's the one who gave him the name in the first place. Something he learned while he lived in Ireland—after his dad died."
"Whose dad?"
"Mick and
Sweet Caroline
by Micqui Miller
since." A white lie, but what sense was there in sharing the story of his nightmare?
"God, then he must be tired after this trip. I figured he was pounding on your door every night. All the gals think so, too. They're dying over it."
"The gals at ZyQyx? Why? I'm sure he'd have rented my apartment to anyone who wanted it."
"Don't kid yourself about that." Ramona slurred her words as she neared the end of the second can of Bud. "The apartment's been empty for a year. He allowed ZyQyx to lease it but only on a temporary basis."
"How odd. I don't understand why."
"There's a lot I don't understand about Brian's big brother, either. Except that he's irresistible. Every woman he meets falls in love with him—even I was for a while. I think Mick lets the place stand empty because he doesn't want the hassle of evicting some gal after the bloom falls off the rose, so to speak."
Caroline smiled, remembering the candlelight and sensual music. "He's got a bloom very much on the rose tonight." After another swig, Ramona asked, "What does that mean?"
"Well..." Oh shoot, why not let her think I'm one of the girls? "He's entertaining this evening—you know, soft music, candles."
"Mick?" Ramona sounded surprised. "In his own apartment?"
"Yeah." Did Ramona think he was making out in his Jeep?
71
Sweet Caroline
by Micqui Miller
"Can't be. Mick never brings anyone home. It violates his number one rule."
Caroline raised a brow. "Which is?"
"'Can't make a graceful exit if you're in your own nest,'" Ramona answered with a giggle and the slightest trace of a brogue—Mick all over again.
"Meaning?"
"Whattaya think? Love 'em and leave 'em."
"Maybe this one's different. Maybe Mick's in love." At that Ramona laughed. "Mick loves every woman he meets, but he doesn't fall in love with any of them. He can't. Goes against the curse."
"Oh, for heaven's sake," Caroline burst out. "What is this curse I keep hearing about? Curses went out with witch hunts about two centuries ago."
"Maybe for other people," Ramona said her voice sounding sad. "Not if you're Mick Mahoney."
"Why don't I get us some snacks?" Caroline offered. She was there to gather information, and the conversation was getting juicy. She had to stop Ramona before she drank herself into gibberish. "I'll bring you a soda." Caroline hurried inside the party room where she grabbed two bowls, one full of pretzels, the other, peanuts, and the large bag of chips she'd brought, and a couple of chilled sodas. If there'd been anything more substantial, she would have grabbed that, too.
"Hey, where are you going with those?" someone called after her. She didn't stop or look back.
72
Sweet Caroline
by Micqui Miller
"Here we are." She handed the two bowls to Ramona, who pounced on them, and popped the tab on one of the drinks.
"Okay, so tell me, why does everyone call Ian, Striker?" Ramona leaned her head back and closed her eyes, obviously savoring the flavor of the salty junk food. "Not everyone," she said while she chomped happily on a handful of nuts. "Mostly it's the Mahoneys, but a few others. Sometimes I think Ian likes the name—makes him feel like he's popular and one of the crowd. And sometimes I think it really ticks him off. Especially if Mick calls him that."
"How do they know each other? Mick never worked at ZyQyx, did he?"
Ramona shook her head. "They go way back, much farther than ZyQyx. In fact, Ian, growing up, used to spend his summers at the ranch. Brian says Mick's the one who gave him the name in the first place. Something he learned while he lived in Ireland—after his dad died."
"Whose dad?"
"Mick and
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