“Saved me?” Brendan’s glare was grim. The words had taken an absurd quality the moment he had heard them escape Deirdre’s lips. “You saved me? When, might I ask?”

Deirdre pressed her lips shut in despair.

He snickered. “You can’t even save yourself!” he sneered. “For the love of God, don’t ever say something that cringeworthy again. People around you are gonna feel embarrassed on your behalf!”

He let Deirdre go. Now that his booze-addled frustration had found an outlet, there was no reason f