My Spy 6: Private Eye

Bougie

"Sometimes you say things that floor me," Ryan says with a laugh and the hostess finally comes to help us. She shows us over to our white antique table that sits in the center of the bougie restaurant. As I am settling into my seat, I look up when I hear a loud laugh coming from the bar area. Right past Ryan's head is a giggling woman swatting at the man next to her. She leans back laughing and he must feel my gaze as he suddenly turns toward me, revealing a wide charming smile. My face flushes when he catches my eye and the quick squint of his blue eyes has me wondering if he recognized me. I knew who he was immediately, even before I heard the faint Irish accent.

Ryan catches my sickened expression but the waitress beats him to me. She quickly takes our drink order, but I now no longer want to celebrate. I don't want to be near anyone associated with Rory. As soon as she saunters away Ryan asks, "What Sawyer? What just happened?" I open my mouth to respond but I'm cut off by the familiar man stopping next to our table.

"Sawyer Sweeney, I thought that was you," Kit Cunningham says sweetly but I know the bite is there. "You're a hard face to forget love." Ryan looks from him to me as I reply, "It's Hart now. This is my husband Ryan." I look to Ryan and add, "Ryan, this is my old friend Kit Cunningham." I don't have to tell him it's Rory's older brother. He already knows and by Kit's response, I didn't need to tell him who Ryan was.

"Oh yes, Ryan Hart. F.B.I" Kit says, puncturing each letter in F.B.I. "Heard a thing or two about ya."

"Flew in to see Rory did you? Is that Dot over there?" I ask while nodding over to where Kit and Rory's sister is oogling from afar, a scowl plastered across her pretty porcelain face.

"Aye that's Dottie over there. The whole fam has come over to see what all the fuss is about," Kit replies while looking to Ryan. None of us breaks the awkward silence that looms over his words until the waitress bearing the champagne bucket comes to the other side of the table, holding onto two glasses with a big cheery smile.

"Celebratin'?" Kit asks while glancing to the ice bucket. The waitress does a whole show of popping the cork and Kit remains interested. She fills up the flutes and then glances to Kit. She doesn't acknowledge the loiterer and as soon as she slips away I look back to Kit, "We are actually, and I think we'd like to get back to it."

"Okay okay, I get the hint," Kit says while throwing his hands up. He takes a step away from the table and runs a hand through his dark hair while saying, "Be seeing you enough here shortly."

"You sure will," I reply with a threatening smile. He gives me an equally icy one in return before heading back to his enthralled sister. She stares well after he returns to his seat and I finally flick my eyes back to Ryan, "I can't believe we drove all the way to a French restaurant in Oxford and still run into people."

"Never thought we'd just casually bump into the other Cunningham's though," Ryan says, still apparently surprised at meeting his nemesis's siblings. "Just the two of them right?"

I nod, "Yeah Kit is a couple years older than Rory and Dot is a couple years younger. All three of them are bad news though. Charming as hell but bad eggs all around."

"So Kit and Dot? I remember their full names, Christopher and Dorothy but I didn't know he went by Kit nor her Dot. Took me a second to place it when you said Kit, but when he first walked over I thought for sure that was Rory fuckin' Cunningham on bail."

"All three of them could be triplets. Dark hair, blue eyes, light complexion-"

"Confusing nicknames," Ryan adds. "I like that you're Sawyer and Austin and both of you go by Sawyer and Austin." His hand gesturing to the neat compartments our names fall into.

"We should go by Kitty and Auggie," I reply and Ryan eyes me like he can't tell if I'm joking. I wink to him and reply, "My mother goes by Dolly and my grandmother went by Tilly. It's actually surprising I didn't get stuck with some old, deep southern name."

"The Cunninghams are Irish and they still got nicknames. And accents?" Ryan asks suspiciously and I nod, "I told you I don't know how they manage to keep the accent alive. They only ever visited Ireland up until Dot graduated. Then they all bought property over there while his mother's family is still here in Oxford."

"I'm guessing they like to stick out more than they already do," Ryan mutters before wincing at his champagne. I know he's going to order a beer as soon as the waitress comes back over and I won't complain about having the bottle to myself.

"Oh, I'm sure Rory's arrest will bring plenty of attention to the Cunninghams. They'll find a way to enjoy it." I say with an eye roll. "You warned me that Hollis could start to feel very small. I guess I should just hope that Maybridge doesn't start to crowd us as well." And as if on cue, I watch Sebastian Crawford stride over to the bar and drape his arm over Dot Cunningham.