“She’s not really your type,” Ethan said, leaning against the bar.

Liam bristled. “You don’t know what my type is. Maybe I’ve just been killing time, waiting for a woman like Daisy who is beautiful, fiercely smart, funny, kindhearted, loving, and totally dedicated to her family. She’s organized and efficient, and she created an entire spreadsheet with a plan to make this marriage authentic. She’s got it all under control. And she’s going to kill it at quiz night tonight because she has an incredible memory for trivia. She knows how many tamales people ate in San Francisco in 1890.”

Rainey and Ethan shared a look.

“He slept with her.” Rainey poured a shot of Murphy’s into Liam’s glass.

“I didn’t say that.”

“You’re not saying a lot of things.” She smirked. “Usually you’re the most talkative customer at the bar.”

Daisy looked up just then and smiled, making him feel like he was the only person in the room. She started toward him and he tried to rearrange his face so he looked cool and casual when inside he felt anything but.

“You hungry?” Rainey offered Liam a napkin. “You’ve got a bit of drool on your chin. Or is that for the girl who’s walking this way?”

He snatched the napkin from her hand. “Don’t you have other customers to serve?”

“Are you kidding?” She grabbed a towel and wiped down the counter. “I am dying to meet this woman who has you all tied up in knots. Have you told her how you feel?”

“There’s nothing to tell.” He toyed with the knife in his pocket, running his thumb over the smooth wood surface.

“I think there is,” Rainey said. “And you’d better do it before it’s too late.”

“Do you need any help with the drinks?” Daisy joined him at the bar, leaning forward so he could see a soft portion of the curve of her breasts over the low-cut top of her dress. “We’re going to need two more martinis and another pitcher.” Her smile widened. “Hunter is here!”

Liam’s skin prickled in warning. He looked over to the Organicare crowd, where he saw a golden-haired, broad-shouldered Thor lookalike pulling up a seat at Daisy’s table. “Who’s Hunter?”

“He’s the CFO. I fixed his computer for him a few weeks ago.” Her lashes swept over her cheeks, and her voice softened. “Zoe heard he was asking around about me.”

Liam hoped Hunter had asked about her because his computer had broken down again, and not because he was looking for a different kind of fix.

Rainey hummed the theme song to Jaws while Ethan snickered beside him.

Liam made the introductions, letting Daisy know that Rainey and his cousin knew the true nature of their relationship.

“I love the bar,” Daisy said to Ethan. “It’s got a great atmosphere. So cozy and lively. It’s exactly how I imagined a pub in Ireland would be. I love that you’ve shown off your Irish heritage with cultural memorabilia, especially that Celtic cross on the wall.” Her gaze fell on Rainey and she studied the bartender’s ink. “That’s an interesting tattoo on your forearm. Timshel. It’s a quote from John Steinbeck’s novel East of Eden.”

Rainey looked momentarily taken aback. “You know it?”

“It means ‘thou mayest’—a reminder that people always have a choice.”

A curious sensation filled Liam’s chest. It took a moment for him to identify it as pride. “I told you she was smart.”

“Good thing you brought her on quiz night,” Ethan said. “Maybe you’ll win the grand prize.”

“Quiz night?” Daisy’s eyes widened. “You brought me here on a quiz night?”

Secretly pleased by her delight, Liam shrugged. “I thought you’d enjoy it.”

“Yes!” She threw her arms around him, pulling him off his stool. “I’ve never been to a pub quiz. What a great idea!” And then she was hugging him, and his arms were around her, and she smelled of wildflowers and sunshine, and she was soft against his chest, but he hoped she would stop jumping because “highly aroused” wasn’t a good look for him in a public place.

His lips found hers and he kissed her softly and thoroughly. When she trembled in his arms, returning his kiss with passion and abandon, a rush of something sweet and innocent flooded his senses. He’d kissed dozens of women and none had ever affected him this way. None had ever tasted of sunshine. None had made him question what was real.

Drawing in a ragged breath, Daisy pulled away. “That was . . .”

“A good show,” he said quickly. “People were watching.”

Her face smoothed to an expressionless mask and she patted down her dress. “Right. Yes. Good idea.”

After they had collected the drinks and returned to the tables, Daisy organized everyone into teams for the quiz. Their team included her friends Mia and Josh, as well as Hunter, a declared trivia buff who plucked the yellow feather from Daisy’s hair and tucked it into his own “for luck.”

Daisy and Hunter dominated the game from the start. After the first round, Mia and Josh gave up trying to answer and got busy drinking and flirting. Liam quickly realized that if he didn’t distract Daisy with a congratulations kiss after each right answer, she would lean across the table to high-five Hunter, whose attention was never focused on her face.

“How did you know that was a Wim Wenders film?” Hunter asked after Daisy answered yet another obscure question, and he’d beat Liam to the win with a high-five salute.

“I went to his retrospective at the Roxy last year.”

“I heard about that.” Hunter stretched in his chair, his T-shirt riding up to reveal what appeared to be a twelve-pack of toned abs. “He’s definitely earned his place among the pantheon of postwar European auteurs and reinvigorated German film in the seventies.”