Saturday Snippets
Today’s theme is Talk Talk. I must admit writing dialogue is one of my favorite things, especially when humor is involved. I love writing the Wild Irish series because of the family interactions.
Snippet:
“You look great. Stop fidgeting.”
“I look like you,” Keira said, tugging on the collar of the gypsy-style shirt she’d borrowed from Teagan. Her shift had run longer than she’d hoped—damn tourist season—and she hadn’t had time to go shopping for anything new to wear. Her entire wardrobe consisted of practical pants, jeans and basic tops, so she’d been forced to borrow a skirt and blouse from Teagan. Problem was, her taste and her sister’s were as dissimilar as salt and sugar.
“You look great,” Teagan reassured again.
Keira glanced down at the wildly colored broomstick skirt and bright purple blouse and considered calling Will to cancel.
“Come on,” Teagan said, dragging her away from the mirror. “Let’s go wait downstairs in the pub. I can’t wait to meet this guy.”
“You act like no one ever asks me out.”
“Oh, I know guys ask you out, but you never say yes. I’ve gotta see the one who snagged you,” Teagan teased.
She let her younger sister pull her down the stairs and over to the bar. She sighed when she discovered Ewan and Pop helping Tristan mix drinks and Sean bussing the tables at the pub. Teagan was right. She needed to start dating more. Her family was acting like this was frigging prom night.
“I thought you were waiting tables on Sunday’s Side,” she said to her father and Ewan.
“And miss meeting this guy? Not likely. Joyce and Regina have things under control for now,” Ewan replied.
Keira bit back a growl of frustration. “You can’t all be standing here like the Spanish Inquisition when he shows up. Just once, do you think you guys could try not to embarrass me?”
Tristan wiped up the counter with an evil grin and she knew he was loving that everyone had gathered round. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with your family meeting the guy who’s taking you out. Isn’t that how it was done in the old days, Pop?”
Keira narrowed her eyes, furious with Tris for pulling Pop into this humiliating scene as well. Pop loved to harp on the old ways of doing things and Tristan’s pointed question would just get her father fired up.
“It was customary for a man to meet the father. This young man of yours should want to meet me, Keira. It’s only polite, after all. Doesn’t he have any manners?”
“He’s a perfect gentleman, Pop, but I’m twenty-seven. Doesn’t that seem a little old for…” She gestured to all of her siblings gathered around.
“Did I miss him yet?” Riley asked, rushing out of the kitchen. “Freaking tourists and their special orders. Is he here?”
Keira sighed and looked at Tristan. “Couldn’t get Killian home from Iraq?”
“Not on such short notice,” her brother joked, enjoying her discomfiture.
“This is gonna suck,” she murmured. “Maybe I’ll just wait outside for him.”
“We won’t embarrass you, Keira. Promise.” Sean walked over and grabbed her hand. “We just want to get a look at the guy who was smart enough to ask you out.”
Keira grinned and pressed a quick kiss on her baby brother’s forehead. “Thanks, squirt.”
“Keira?”
She took a deep breath and turned. Will was standing behind her and she tried to ignore that the room had gone suspiciously quiet. There were a lot of regulars drinking at the bar and no doubt Tris had spread the word about his sister having a date. More than a few interested faces turned in their direction.
“Hi, Will.”
She saw him glance at her outfit and for a moment, she sensed his surprise. Luckily he recovered quickly. “You look beautiful.”
He took her hand as she turned back toward the bar. “Um, I’d like you to meet my family.” During his arrival, the men had joined together to form a united front behind the counter. “This is my father, Patrick. Pop, this is William Wallace.”
Pop came around the bar and took Will’s hand in a firm, quick handshake. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Collins,” Will said genially.
“And you. Scottish?”
Will shook his head. “Actually no. My father’s side was originally Polish, until Ellis Island Americanized them.”
“Polish, eh?” Pop asked.
“Of course, when you throw in my mother’s German ancestry, I think it’s safe to say I’m a mutt.”
Pop laughed and slapped Will on the shoulder. “Well, better a mutt than a Scotsman.”
“Pop,” Keira warned, trying to steer the conversation back to safer waters.
“These are my brothers,” she said, hoping to get this nightmare beginning of a date over with. “You know Tristan. Standing next to him is Ewan and that handsome one on the end is my baby brother Sean.”
Will shook all three men’s hands.
“And these are my sisters, Teagan and Riley.”
“I see beauty runs in the family,” he said as he smiled at her sisters. Both of them nodded appreciatively and Riley gave her a thumbs-up and mouthed he’s hot when Will turned back toward her father.
“I see you’re a Ravens fan,” Will said, pointing to the endless array of football knickknacks gathered behind the bar.
“Is there any other team worth rooting for?” Pop asked.
Will smiled devilishly and Keira rolled her eyes. “Oh crap, you like football?” she muttered, suspecting Will’s next words could easily be his last.
“Didn’t I mention I’m originally from Pittsburgh? My parents still live there. Kind of hard to grow up in that city and not be bitten by the bug.”
Pop’s eyes narrowed. “I should warn you now, William. We don’t speak the name of that other team in here.”
“Well now, that seems mighty unsporting of you, Mr. Collins. I mean, after all, Super Bowl champions deserve some respect. You gotta admit that record—”
“Luck. It was all dumb luck,” Pop insisted.
“Four Super Bowl wins in the last decade is luck?” Will asked.
“Do you hear this?” Pop asked, gesturing at the men seated at the bar, ready to jump into his favorite pastime—arguing about sports.
“Uh, Pop,” Keira said quickly. “Will and I really need to get going. I’ll let you two bash heads about football another time.”
Will smiled and placed an arm around her shoulder. She tried not to show how much his simple, proprietary touch affected her.
“I’ll take good care of her, Mr. Collins.”
“Ach, what’s with this ‘Mr. Collins’ stuff? We’re in the pub. In the pub, I’m Pat.”
“It was nice to meet you, Pat, in spite of your misguided loyalty to the Ravens.”
Come Monday is available at Ellora’s Cave, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, All Romance Ebooks, and Sony.
Want more snippets?
Rhian Cahill
Shelli Stevens
Anne Rainey
Jody Wallace
McKenna Jeffries
Myla Jackson
Taige Crenshaw
Delilah Devlin
HelenKay Dimon
Lauren Dane
Shiloh Walker
TJ Michaels
Leah Braemel
