Irish Comfort

Evernight
Publishing

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2013 Nikki Prince

 
ISBN:
978-1-77130-358-3

Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs

Editor: Marie Medina

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution
of this copyrighted work is illegal.
 
No
part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without
written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and
places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales,
organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

I had so much fun writing
this little short.  Thank you to my fellow writers (you know who you are)
for always listening to me whine. I love you all dearly.

IRISH COMFORT

Nikki Prince

Copyright © 2013

Chapter One

Boxty on the griddle, boxty on the pan; if you can’t make boxty, you'll
never get a man’.
–Irish Folktale

“Girl, do you even know how to make Irish food?”

Imani looked over at her sister Sonia and laughed.
Sonia had the most skeptical look on her face. “Yes, Soni, I can make Irish
food. Besides before Sky’s mother passed away she’d sent me her recipes for
everything that I’ve made for him tonight.”

Sonia crossed her brown eyes and made a silly face at
her, and Imani could not stop the laugh that escaped.

“Do you think I’d try to pretend I knew how to cook
it? If I did that this whole plan could backfire.”

“What are you planning on making him?” Sonia took a
deep breath. “Least it smells good in here, so I guess you do get what you’re
doing.” She chuckled.

“I’m making bangers and mash, along with corn beef and
cabbage and boxties.”

“Okay, I’ve heard of the first two, but what the heck
are boxties?”

“Basically an Irish potato pancake.” She couldn’t stop
the smile that spread over her face as she perused her sister.

“So tell me your plan again?” Sonia questioned.

“Basically, Soni, Skylar has been feeling homesick. I
plan to show him some Southern California comfort via the Irish way.”

“Ah, so the whole ‘the way to a man’s heart is through
his stomach’ deal?”

“In a nutshell, yes, that’s exactly my plan. Sky
hasn’t been himself lately and the closer we got to today, which is Saint
Patrick’s Day, it’s gotten even worse. I want to show him that home is wherever
he lays his head and that I can take care of him and give him what he needs. I
want him to smile again.”

“Is he always like that? I mean I don’t remember him
always being so sad when we all used to hang around together.” They’d all grown
up together so Sonia was just as familiar with Skylar as she was, though Sonia
had been a few grades ahead of them.

“No, he isn’t always like this. I mean I recognize it
has a lot to do with his mother having died last year and very close to Saint
Patrick’s Day. It made him homesick and understandably so. He was able to go
home before she passed, but it was hard on him. I just want to give him a taste
of what he was used to having when she was alive. I can’t bring her back, but I
can give him a bit of comfort that he was used to.”

Her sister settled back on the leather couch crossing
her legs and looking as if she were in deep contemplation. “Are you prepared
for what could happen if it doesn’t work?”

Imani paused for a few minutes before she answered her
sister. Playing with one of the tiny braids in her hair she thought of Skylar
Magee, the man she was gambling everything on, and his deep green eyes, closely
cropped red hair and Irish good looks,. Her next words were easy, and she hoped
they sounded confident.

“I’m as prepared as I’m gonna get. I want him, Soni. You
of all people can see how long I’ve waited to have him.”

She thought she heard her sister mutter, ‘too long and
it’s about time.’ Sonia nodded her head and then stood. Imani got up as well
and followed Sonia to the door of her small apartment. Opening the door Sonia
looked back at her.

“Then I am one hundred percent behind you. Go get your
man.”

Moving forward Imani hugged her sister tight and gave
her a kiss before pulling back. She stayed at the door until Sonia left. If
there was one thing she appreciated about her older sister, it was that she
always had her back no matter what. She closed the door and made her way back
to the kitchen. Everything was almost ready for her dinner with Sky. She needed
this to work; if it didn’t there was the potential of losing Skylar as a
friend. She could only hope that she’d been reading the signals he’d been
giving off correctly. Otherwise, her plan was going to fail.

The food was prepared and warming. The only things
left for her to do was to ready herself and make sure that everything she’d
need to lead up to an evening she hoped would be spent in Skylar’s arms after
all was said and done. She looked towards the dining room table which was a
cozy setting of the china she’d received from her mother. That was where they’d
start first. But if things went as they should, he wouldn’t want to eat, least
not at first. How was she doing on time? A quick glance at the clock told her
there was about two hours before he’d be there. Taking a deep breath she
glanced around. Satisfied that everything was as it should be, she headed off
for her shower.

***

Skylar didn’t understand why he was nervous, but he
was. Extremely nervous if he had to be honest about what he was feeling. It
made no sense; he was just going over to Mani’s house like he’d done hundreds
of times before. She’d promised him dinner and time to take his mind off of
everything else.

What the hell was there to be anxious about?
He
tightened his grip on the steering wheel and examined his hands for a few
moments.
Why did he sense that something was going to happen tonight?
He
hadn’t allowed himself to be alone with her like this in a long time, with very
good reason.

Only because he’d wanted to make sure their friendship
stayed a friendship. She was gorgeous, funny, caring and intelligent, all the
things he loved in a woman. That meant Ms. Imani Parker was off limits to him,
so that their friendship would stay intact, because he didn’t want to hurt her.
Did he want her? Yes. That was a given. He desired her above all others, but
their friendship couldn’t be derailed because his little head was trying to
rule his big head. He loved her. He always had, but that didn’t mean he should
just take what he wanted.

He remembered the time when he was going to take
things a bit further with her she’d come to him gushing about some guy she’d
been wanting for a long time and the fact he’d asked her to marry him. Well,
that was a quick way to douse a man’s libido. The marriage hadn’t happened, but
that was the point when he’d decided to keep it simple with her. Friendship
only.

He’d almost told her he wanted to stay home at first,
but when he’d been about to refuse he looked at her expectant face and knew he
couldn’t deny her. He was stalling for time, and he knew it. Sitting up he squared
his shoulders, closed his eyes and muttered a prayer that he would be able to
behave himself where the sexy Imani Parker was concerned.

Now all he had to do was sit there a few moments
longer to get rid of the raging hard on that happened just by merely thinking
about her. He shifted in his seat and tugged at his jeans, which were becoming
more uncomfortable with every second, and sighed. It was going to be a long
night.

***

The sound of the doorbell alerted her that Skylar was
there and on time. She looked at herself in the large bedroom mirror one last
time, and satisfied with her appearance she hurried down to open the door.

“Hello, Skylar.” She grinned as his mouth sort of fell
open before he quickly shut it.

“Um, Mani, did I come at the wrong time?” He continued
to stare at her.

“No, why do you think that?” She moved to the side and
signaled for him to come in. He entered but stayed just in the hallway still
staring at her. “But you’re in a negligee.”

She nodded her head and glanced down at the silk emerald
green nightie that complimented her cocoa-colored skin so well. This was one
way to get his attention.

“Yes, I am. Come on, I’m sure you’re hungry.” Closing
the door she moved down the hallway towards the dining room. She was aware of
his eyes on her, and knowing she had his attention made her warm from the
inside out. She turned quickly only to have him bump into her with a grunt.