Katelyn stormed out of the pub into the night, dashing tears away from her cheeks with the back of her hand. Fury, mixed with frustration, poured through her veins as she stalked down the street. She only lived five blocks from Main Street and while the night air was cool, it felt good against her overheated skin.

As she turned the corner of her street, she noticed headlights behind her. Going slowly. Her fury forgotten momentarily as uneasiness slithered through her, she hastened her steps.

The vehicle increased its speed and pulled to a stop next to her. She jumped back defensively just as the driver called out, “Katelyn, it’s me!”

“Gareth? Oh, Jesus, you scared me. What are you doing?” she asked, her heart pounding an erratic rhythm in her chest.

He jumped from his SUV and jogged over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “I’m so sorry. I was worried about you walking home by yourself so I was waiting outside the pub. I was going to offer you a ride home, but you came out so fast and seemed...uh…”

Her eyes cut to the side in embarrassment at being caught crying. “Upset? Pissed? Mad as hell? Are those the words you’re looking for?”

“Yeah…and then I wasn’t sure I should interrupt your thoughts. I just thought I’d follow you to make sure you got home safely.”

The pair stood silently on the sidewalk for a moment, each filled with uncertainty. Suddenly, Katelyn burst out in laughter, her hand covering her mouth as she giggled.

“What?” he asked.

“I’m sorry,” she gasped, “but for a private eye, you weren’t very invisible following me.”

“Oh, thanks, smart-ass,” he chuckled. “I wasn’t on a case. I assure you that if I was on a mission, you would have never noticed me.”

Their mirth slowly ebbed as they stood in the moonlight, staring at each other. He reached up and cupped her cheek with his hand, his thumb wiping at the tear trail. “You okay?” he asked, his voice whisper soft. He felt responsible, knowing her brothers were pissed at him.

She nodded wordlessly, leaning slightly into his warm touch. After a moment, she straightened and said, “It’s late and I should be getting home. I don’t want to be late for work tomorrow. My boss might not like it.”

Grinning, he said, “I’ll walk you the rest of the way, if that’s okay. And I think your boss would be fine whenever you came in. You’ve already done a lot for him so he’d be real forgiving.”

Nodding, she smiled her agreement. Half a block later they walked up to the front door of her little bungalow. Hesitating on the porch, she turned to him, her eyes piercing his. “Do you want to come in?”

“Yes,” he replied, “but I’m not going to.” Seeing her brow wrinkle in confusion, he hastily explained, “I really want to, Katelyn, but I don’t want to make things complicated for you at work…or in your life.”

Cocking her head to the side, she said, “I’m a firm believer in plain speaking, Gareth. So, I really need you to accommodate me and do that, please.”

“I’ve always respected that about you—your honesty.” His lips quirked up as he added, “But, I gotta admit, it was your drop-dead, gorgeous beauty that first caught my eyes.”

At that, her eyes widened slightly as she waited for him to continue.

“Katelyn, I noticed you when I first moved to town over a year ago. I thought you were beautiful. Then, I as was around you more, I thought you were incredibly smart, funny, well…special. But, it’s no secret that here in town, you’re known as the one who still mourns your…uh…well, Philip. So, I backed off and admired you from afar, which I know sounds hokey, but it’s true.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but he shushed her with his fingers over her lips. “Hang on, there’s more.” Seeing her tilt her head, waiting for him, he said, “I always thought you’d be perfect for my office and when you walked in the door, I knew I’d hit the jackpot. But then it dawned on me that, with you working for me, it changed everything.”

“Workplace harassment?” she queried.

Nodding sadly, he said, “Yeah. I would never want to do anything to jeopardize our friendship or have you feel awkward around me.”

“So, let me get this straight…you’d like to go out with me, but never asked because of my reputation as the long-suffering mourner and now feel like you can’t because we work together.”

“You really do believe in plain speak, don’t you?” he smiled ruefully.

Unable to hold back a grin, she nodded. “Hey, I’m Irish—I don’t have much of a filter. To me, it’s the only way to keep from having misunderstandings. Too many people get upset over too many things because they just don’t say exactly what’s on their mind.”

Silence curved around the couple under the porch light, a calm warmth seeped throughout her. “I need to be just as honest, Gareth. I’ve noticed you as well. I’ve watched you in town and admired how you fought to get your business started. God knows, the town manager didn’t make it easy on you. You’re strong, determined—”

“Is that all you noticed?”

Blushing, she sucked in her lips, attempting to keep a grin from spreading across her face. “No,” she admitted, shaking her head slowly. “I’ve watched you on the ball field with the kids…you’re really good with them. And you never seem to lose your cool.” Laughing, she added, “Growing up with Aiden and Brogan as my older brothers, believe me…I’m used to men saying whatever pops into their heads, and usually at a loud volume.” Tucking a flyaway strand of hair behind her ear, she said, “You’re the first man I’ve wanted to get close to in a long time…really get to know. I’m not any good at flirting or playing coy or even letting a guy know I’m interested. I don’t know if those genes passed me by or if years of being with Philip, and then mourning him, knocked those abilities right out of me.” Shrugging, she heaved a sigh. “But I do like you, too.”

Smiling, he pulled her in for a hug, tucking her head underneath his chin. “So…what do we do now?”

“I don’t want to quit my job with you, Gareth. But I don’t want that to stand in our way either.”

“Well, can we agree to spend some time together outside of work and go slow, to see how things work out?” he asked, hope spearing through his words.

Grinning into his shirt, she tilted her head back and pierced his gaze with her own. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

“And since you’re such a fan of plain speak, then I can trust that you’ll let me know if things are going well or if it’s affecting work.”

“Absolutely!” she agreed, a full-fledged smile on her face.

Bending to kiss her forehead, he said, “Then I’ll say goodbye for tonight.”

Feeling the touch of his lips on her skin, she closed her eyes momentarily, allowing the warmth to rush over her. Swallowing deeply, she whispered, “Goodnight.” With that, she slipped through her front door.

Throwing his hands into the air in a celebratory motion, he jumped down her front steps and jogged back to his vehicle.

Thirty minutes later, lying in bed, Katelyn smiled as her eyes closed, still feeling the heat of Gareth’s lips on her forehead. A strange sense flowed through her, unfamiliar in recent years but not unwelcome. A feeling of joy. New territory to explore. Life.

Rolling over, she saw the silver frame by her bed, Philip’s picture the last thing she always looked at before going to sleep. Afraid guilt would assault her, she breathed easier when all she felt was peace.

* * *

The early morning sun rose over the horizon, painting the sky brilliant colors as the wind blew off the Chesapeake Bay. Katelyn walked along the shore, her gaze downward, searching for sea glass. Bending occasionally to snatch the colored slivers from the sand, she sought the calming effect of the surf.

Standing, she stared at her handful of worn-smooth glass, the colors catching the reflection of the rising sun. Her mind, filled with tangled thoughts, interrupted the peaceful morning. Closing her eyes for a moment, she lifted her face to the sun, basking in the warmth. Memories of she and Philip running on this beach, as well as the whole Baytown gang from childhood, played across her consciousness. The peace from the night before, along with the memory of the light kiss, seemed to slide away in the bright light of day as thoughts of her argument with her brothers came back to mind.

Hearing a shout, she turned and looked behind her, seeing Jillian and Tori jogging toward her.

Catching her breath as she came to a stop, Jillian said, “We thought we’d find you here.” Still panting, she said, “So, what’s up with you and Gareth? You seemed chummy last night.”

Her lips thinning, Katelyn said sharply, “He’s my boss. He’s my friend. Have you got something against that?”

Blinking in surprise, Jillian threw her hands up. “Whoa, girl. This is me.”

Hanging her head, Katelyn apologized, throwing her arms around her oldest friend. “Oh, God, I’m sorry. I had a fight with Brogan last night after you all left the pub. He was being an ass and I’m still defensive, I guess.”

Tori joined the group hug as the three friends held on tightly for a moment. “Honey, we want you to be happy. And you know to just ignore Brogan—he’s a grumpy ass all the time, but he loves you.”

Chuckling, Katelyn nodded as she let go of her friends. “I know. I’ll make up with him later. It’s just that…that…” sighing heavily, her words died out.

Jillian peered deeply into Katelyn’s eyes and said, “You know, sweetie, for the first time I see conflict in your face instead of just grief. You’ve grieved Philip for so long that I figured you would never be able to move on—”

“Would that be such a bad thing?” Katelyn said, wincing at the sharp tone of her voice. What is wrong with me? I can’t even be civil to my friends. Closing her eyes, she battled the desire to cry. “I just mean that I assumed Philip was my one love…my one chance at marriage and babies and forever.” She opened her eyes and saw the understanding faces looking at her. “I know I was young, but I figured that, for some people, love only comes once in a lifetime.”

Katelyn noted Jillian and Tori clasp hands as they listened and she felt their love for her. “What I said about Gareth is true. He’s my boss and my friend.”

“And if more grows from that?” Jillian prompted, her eyes pinned on Katelyn.

Shrugging her shoulders, Katelyn added, “Then I’d be agreeable to that.” A blush rose over her cheeks as she amended, “Oh, hell, who am I kidding. I’d love that.” Her gaze searched Jillian’s, as she laughed, “God, it’s like a burden is lifting to be able to finally say, I want Gareth Harrison!”

Lifting her face to the heavens, Jillian shouted, “Thank you, Jesus!” Tori and Katelyn both laughed at Jillian’s expression of glee. Jillian’s gaze dropped to Katelyn’s tightly clenched fist. “You findin’ anything good?”

Smiling at the deft change of subject, Katelyn opened her hand, showing the colorful sea glass resting in her palm.

Tori touched one of the slivers and said, “It’s the rough seas of life that allow us to shine.”

With smiles, the trio turned in unison and continued their search along the surf-washed sand.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Katelyn walked along the sidewalk approaching her house. Lost in thought, she did not notice Brogan sitting on her top porch step until she was almost upon him. One look and she could tell he had spent a restless night. Tired eyes, mussed hair, stubbled jaw. She had seen him this way many times since returning from Afghanistan but this was the first time he had visited her this early.

Cocking her head to the side, she said nothing, waiting to see what he had come for. I love him, but if he’s here to rag on Gareth again, he can just leave. Brogan said nothing, so after a minute Katelyn sat down on the step next to him, her gaze on the sleepy street she lived on.

The long silence moved around and between them, but she waited patiently. If there was one thing she knew about her brother, it was that he only spoke when he was ready.

Finally, his voice like gravel, he said, “I was an ass.”

Katelyn continued to be silent for another moment, not knowing if Brogan expected her to refute his statement. Holding back a grin, she realized he knew her well enough to know she would never refute his admission of being an ass.

“You were always a happy kid.”

Tears immediately stung Katelyn’s eyes at his words, but she stayed statue still, allowing Brogan to talk.

“Of all of us, you were the one everyone wanted on their team ‘cause you were the fastest runner. You were the one the girls all wanted to hang out with. Hell, I know once you hit puberty, all my friends did nothing but stare at you.” Rubbing his hand over his face, he sighed. “Did you know I had a talk with Philip before he asked you out the first time?”

Stunned, Katelyn broke her silence as her head jerked toward him. “You did?”

Nodding, a faraway smile curved his lips as he said, “Philip came to me first. He asked if I would have a problem if he asked you for a date. Of everyone, he was probably the best of us.” Sighing, he added, “I knew he really liked you. He was trustworthy…at least I knew he didn't just want to get in your pants.” Hearing Katelyn’s indignant snort, he continued, “I agreed, but told him that if he ever broke your heart, I’d break his face. I never got the chance to make good on that promise.”

Still in shock from his admission, she shook her head and said, “He never gave you a reason.”

“Oh, yes he did,” Brogan said, drawing her attention. He turned and pierced her with his red-rimmed eyes and continued, “When he died, he broke your heart.”

Unable to hold back the gasp, Katelyn’s sob caught in her throat. Brogan wrapped his beefy arm around her shoulders and pulled her in, his big body offering comfort.

“I watched you…we all watched…you break.” Swallowing audibly, he continued, “You were only twenty-two years old and I watched you change right before my eyes. And for the past six years, you’ve gone on working, sharing, caring, but you haven’t really been living. I knew that…I saw that. But I buried myself in my own world and just figured you were okay.”

Grunting again, he added, “We all miss Philip…Jesus, he truly was the best of us back then. But baby-sis, this may sound fucked up, but if I could have jerked him from the grave to shout at him for hurting you, I would have. But I couldn’t. All I could do was just watch you suffer.”

After another moment of silence, he said, “I watched you last night with Gareth and there was a light in your eyes that I haven’t seen in a long time. And I watched him and realized he had the same light when he looked at you.”

Katelyn was not sure what shocked her more—Brogan speaking so much at one time, considering he was usually a man of few words, observing Gareth’s interest when she had not noticed it at first, or that his assessment of her over the years was true. Not trusting her voice, she simply nodded.

“Anyway, I wanted to say I was sorry for last night.” Kissing the top of her head, he added, “You deserve to be happy again.” With that, he stood and walked toward the street.

“Brogan!”

Turning, he barely had time to throw out his arms to catch her body as she slammed into him, her tears streaming as she jumped into his arms. He held her easily, the silence was now comforting. After a moment, she squeezed his neck and he placed her steadily on the sidewalk. Kissing the top of her head, he mumbled, “We good?”

Smiling through her tears, she nodded. “Yeah, big bro. We’re good.” She watched as he lifted his chin in acknowledgment before walking away.