Chapter 10
Because it was such a pleasant June morning, Bryan asked Kiera if she’d like to sit outside at Panini Bistro where they’d have a view of the bay across the street as well as the warmth of the sun before it got too high in the sky. June weather in Chesapeake Shores could be unpredictable, pleasant one day and unbearably hot and humid the next. Today’s sunny blue skies and seventy-degree start was one of the better ones.
“I never miss an opportunity to see the water,” Kiera responded at once. “It’s one of the reasons I found my little cottage so appealing. There’s a glimpse of the bay from the yard.”
“There’s an even better view from upstairs in my house,” Bryan said. “When I leave my bedroom windows open, I can hear the lapping of the waves on the shore.”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Bryan regretted them. He’d spoken the truth, but it had sounded far too close to an invitation. He couldn’t be certain from her expression if Kiera had heard it that way, but he knew absolutely that the provocative image of her in his room, in his bed, wouldn’t be going away anytime soon. It shocked him just how powerful that image was.
“Bryan?”
At the questioning note in Kiera’s voice, he snapped back to the moment and realized a waitress had arrived and was waiting for their orders. “An espresso for me,” he said quickly. “Kiera?”
“I’ve already ordered a cappuccino,” she said, her lips twitching as she tried to hold back a smile.
“Well, that’s all, then,” he said, then met her gaze. “Unless you’d like something to eat.”
“The coffee will do.”
“Sure thing,” the waitress said, leaving them alone.
“Was your mind wandering?” Kiera teased. “I have to wonder where it went. It must have been a pleasant place.”
“Nowhere worth following,” he assured her, then focused his attention on the boats chugging along on the bay in the morning sunlight. It was a tranquil picture, far more tranquil than his oddly chaotic thoughts.
It had suddenly occurred to him that he was actually on something that some people would consider a date. When he’d issued the impulsive invitation, he’d given it no thought beyond the momentary desire to have Kiera’s company for a little longer before their day started at the pub. They seemed to do better with each other away from that atmosphere. Now he was realizing it was a step, albeit a tiny one, toward a more complicated relationship, something he’d successfully avoided for years.
Because he and Melody had never divorced, he’d considered himself unavailable for anything more than the most casual encounters. He was always honest with the women he’d dated, making sure they understood he wasn’t looking for anything lasting. But trying to explain why he wasn’t interested in more was too personal to share, so he avoiding anything that might be leading toward that uncomfortable conversation. Was he actually willing to have that conversation with Kiera? He couldn’t quite envision it, which meant he needed to be very careful about any signals he sent to her.
“For a man who said his morning had gotten off to a good start not that long ago, you’re looking increasingly troubled,” Kiera said. “Have I said something to make you uneasy?”
“Not at all,” he said at once. “I’m just not used to doing things like this.”
She stared at him blankly. “Like what? Having coffee?”
He nodded, then chuckled. “Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?”
“We’ve had coffee before,” she reminded him. “Well, you’ve had coffee and I’ve had tea, but it’s the same sort of thing.”
“That was at the pub. This is entirely different. Can’t you see that?” Even as he spoke he knew that he was making way too much of an innocent hour at a sidewalk café.
Kiera simply looked puzzled, but before he could attempt an explanation, Mick O’Brien came striding down the street from the direction of his wife’s art gallery and spotted them. He paused at their table, then looked pointedly from Bryan to Kiera and back again. “Well, this is a surprise,” he said, grabbing a chair from a neighboring table and pulling it over without waiting for an invitation. “Imagine seeing the two of you here,” he said, then pointedly added, “together.”
Understanding of Mick’s assumption suddenly dawned on Kiera’s face, and she cast a frantic look in Bryan’s direction.
“We’re just taking a few minutes to bounce around some ideas for the pub,” Bryan told Mick quickly, hoping to take control of the situation. “Kiera has some thoughts for additions to the menu, isn’t that right, Kiera?”
She nodded. “Things that were popular in the pubs where I worked in Ireland,” she said at once. “You must have been in your share of pubs over there on your visits over the years, Mick. I imagine you have some thoughts as well about what could be added to the menu at O’Brien’s.”
“Oh, I shared a few with Luke when he first came up with his plan to open the pub,” Mick responded. “I’m surprised you didn’t ask Ma to join you,” he said, referring to Nell. “She takes a special interest in the pub’s menu. She has since Luke opened the place. Authenticity is very important to her, as you surely know, Bryan.”
Bryan laughed. “I do, indeed. It’s a word I was hearing on a daily basis for quite some time. Now Kiera has taken up the chant. She takes her title of Irish consultant quite seriously.”
“Well, certainly no offense to Nell is meant by our talking through a few things,” Kiera said hurriedly. “This is just a preliminary conversation. Of course, Nell would have the last word.”
“Of course,” Bryan said, finding himself vaguely amused by Kiera’s discomfort. It was rather nice no longer being alone with his stomach tied in knots. He doubted, though, that Kiera had any idea of where Mick’s matchmaking mind was now wandering. It had little to do with the pub’s menu or Nell’s proprietary interest in it. It was finding the two of them together at this early hour that clearly fascinated Mick. The conversation was nothing more than a diversion for him while he assessed their relationship so he could spread the word to the rest of the family. And he would spread it. Bryan had no doubt of that.
When the waitress brought their drinks, Mick ordered an American coffee for himself, obviously not planning to leave the two of them alone until he’d figured out what they were really doing. Heaven forbid, he observed any of the sparks that Bryan himself had been feeling when he least expected it.
“It wasn’t long ago that Luke was worried about the two of you coexisting at the pub,” Mick said innocently. “Obviously things have improved.”
“We’re making an effort to get along,” Kiera told him. “We’ve found a few things we can agree on.”
“And you’re neighbors, too,” Mick noted. “How’s that working out? Kiera, are you finding the little guest cottage comfortable? We did the renovations there quickly at Moira’s request, but if we missed anything, be sure to let me know. I’ll have someone take care of it.”
Bryan caught an odd expression flitting across Kiera’s face and had a hunch it had something to do with Mick’s casual mention of Moira’s role in the renovations. He was a little taken aback by that, as well. Had there been some plan afoot to push the two of them closer together? If there had been, though, it was a worry for another time. Right this minute, they had Mick and his easily stirred romantic fantasies to deal with.
Bryan looked around, hoping to spot another O’Brien or just about anyone else who might provide a distraction for Mick. For a town crawling with O’Briens, though, for once there wasn’t another one in sight.
“Kiera, are you enjoying Chesapeake Shores?” Mick asked as if he hadn’t had a chance to ask her before, when in truth they talked almost daily at the pub.
“It’s lovely,” she said, her expression brightening at the innocuous topic. “You must be so proud when you look around and realize that you created such a warm and welcoming place.”
Though Mick looked pleased by her comment, he said, “I designed and built the buildings, but it’s those who live here who’ve made it a community.”
“But I’ve a feeling you and your family set the example,” she said.
“And not just here,” Bryan added, seizing on the topic himself. Work was still Mick’s real passion. It should prove a good distraction. “How many other communities has your company built around the country, each with its own distinct way of blending into the landscape around it? I had a chance to chat with Jaime Alvarez when he was here recovering from his broken leg. He showed me pictures of the project he was working on for you in the Pacific Northwest.” He turned to Kiera. “It’s nothing like Chesapeake Shores, which suits this part of the world. That community fits perfectly with the environment out there.”
“That’s always our goal,” Mick said. “We want each community to be unique. And if you tell my brother Thomas I said this, I’ll deny it, but it’s because of him that we take such care with the natural beauty of each location and do as little damage as possible.”
“But don’t you have to be on the road a lot to oversee such work?” Kiera asked, clearly fascinated. “It must take time to get the feel of a place just right so you know how to design for it.”
Mick’s expression turned rueful. “In the beginning, when I was building the business, it took too much time, if you ask Megan about it. The only way I won her back after our divorce was to promise to let my chief executive, Jaime, and Luke’s brother, Matthew, take over most of the projects. I only travel now when there’s a problem to be resolved or a need to deal with the local authorities.”
Kiera frowned at that. “I wonder, given that experience, why Megan is less understanding of Moira’s desire to stay here with her family, rather than traveling so much.”
Mick chuckled. “My wife is a complicated woman,” he said wryly. “And she’s ambitious, not so much for herself, as for your daughter. She hates to see talent go unrecognized. Moira is wise for standing up to her. Perhaps you should remind Megan how she felt about my being on the road all the time.”
“I don’t suppose you could draw the parallel?” Kiera asked. “I’m finding that I enjoy her friendship a little too much to be expressing an opinion that goes against what she wants.”
“Probably a wise approach,” Mick agreed. “But it’s not a past I like to remind her of, either. I’ll be keeping my opinions to myself, as well.” He pushed aside his empty cup and stood up. “I need to run, but before I go, I’ll catch up with the waitress and pay our check. Good to see you both. Enjoy your morning. I imagine we’ll cross paths again at the pub later.”
When he’d gone, Kiera glanced Bryan’s way. “That was interesting.”
“That’s one word for it,” Bryan said. He met her gaze. “How well do you know Mick?”
“Hardly at all.”
“And his reputation for meddling?”
Kiera looked taken aback. “Is that what turned you into a bundle of nerves at his arrival?”
“By the end of the day, half the O’Briens will be speculating about us,” Bryan confirmed. “The other half will be actively trying to find excuses to stop by the pub to see for themselves if sparks are flying. I predict we’re going to have quite the assortment of O’Briens dropping in tonight.”
Now she looked alarmed. “Surely a man as important as Mick O’Brien has better things to do than spread tales about us, especially when we were doing no more than having coffee together.”
“You heard him, Kiera. He’s semiretired, which means he’s bored. Meddling is what he does to fill his days. With his family mostly settled, we present a golden opportunity. I’ve witnessed his interference in quite a few relationships since I’ve been in town. They’ve turned out well, but little thanks to Mick inserting himself into the middle of them. He thinks he has Nell’s knack for it, but believe me, he lacks her subtlety.”
Though she didn’t look as if she entirely believed him, Kiera lifted her chin with a touch of defiance. “Then we’ll just have to set him straight. We’ll set all of them straight, if it comes to that. I’m grieving Peter and you...” She hesitated. “Well, I don’t quite know what’s going on with you, but one thing’s for certain, we’re more than content just to be civil.” Her gaze narrowed. “Isn’t that right?”
Though he nodded in agreement, Bryan laughed at her naïveté when it came to O’Brien determination. Even though he wasn’t looking forward to what might happen next, it might be fun to watch Kiera trying to squirm out of that particular spotlight. Who knew? Maybe she was clever enough to do what few others in that family had been able to accomplish.
* * *
On her drive to Baltimore a few days after the school year ended in Charlottesville, Deanna had deliberately detoured through the little seaside town of Chesapeake Shores. She’d even dared to park across the street from O’Brien’s hoping for a glimpse of Bryan Laramie. But while plenty of people had come and gone from the Irish pub during the half hour she remained park there, none had looked like the man whose picture had been featured in that magazine article.
More than once she’d considered getting out of the car and marching inside to confront her father, but in the end, she simply hadn’t had the nerve. She had to make peace with the whole messy situation before she saw him. She had this awful feeling if she did it without careful planning, she’d take one look at him and burst into a flood of tears.
When she’d realized that people were glancing her way, as if curious about why she was simply sitting in her car for so long, she’d finally pulled out of the space and headed on to Baltimore.
In the two weeks since, she’d been so busy getting acclimated to her volunteer summer internship and meeting new people that she’d managed to push aside any thought of what her next step with her father should be. Nor had she made any progress in mending her suddenly awkward relationship with Ash.
She couldn’t blame the latter on him. Once he’d gotten over her plan to move to Baltimore, he’d done all he could to be supportive. Perhaps that stemmed from guilt over keeping silent all these years, but more likely it was simply because that was the kind of man he was. Despite their rocky relationship at the moment, she knew in her heart he wanted what was best for her. If medicine was her dream now, he’d back her 1,000 percent. He’d proved that by insisting on paying the rent on her apartment for the summer and offering whatever she needed in the way of furnishings to be comfortable.
He’d called to touch base every few days, not lingering on the phone or pressing her about anything, just letting her know he loved her no matter what. Though she understood his goal was to mend fences and reassure her, the calls always left her feeling vaguely guilty for not being quite ready to forgive and forget.
After a fascinating but exhausting week observing and being a glorified gofer in a cancer research lab, she was more than ready to order a pizza and call it a night. The weekend stretched out ahead of her, tempting her with all sorts of possibilities. She could explore Baltimore’s Inner Harbor or drive over to Ocean City, as many of her new coworkers planned to do.
Or she could drive down to Chesapeake Shores.
The tantalizing possibility was always there, taunting her for being a coward, for not being ready to take such a huge step.
When her phone rang, she assumed it was the pizza delivery and answered without even glancing at caller ID. Instead, it was Ash.
“Everything okay there?” he asked cheerfully.
“Everything’s going great,” she said automatically.
“You sure? You sound tired. They’re not overworking you, are they?”
“You are such a dad,” she said without thinking. “As if nobody but you should put in a long day.”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, sounding just like something she would have said before everything had changed, she fell silent. So did Ash.
He recovered first. “I’m just saying that it is summer. You should have some fun, too. Any big plans for the weekend?”
“Not really. First I want to sleep for about twelve hours straight. Then I’ll decide what I’m up for.”
“Is Chesapeake Shores on the list of possibilities?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted candidly.
“Sweetie, what’s holding you back? Do you not want to meet your father, after all?”
“Of course I want to meet him,” she said with a touch of impatience, then sighed. “It’s just so complicated.”
“Because of what I told you about your mom and me?”
“That certainly didn’t help. I don’t know which situation I need to figure out first. I’m trying to make sense of what you told me, but I can’t quite get past the two of you creating this whole big fake-family lie.”
“We were a family,” Ash said emphatically. “Not in the conventional way and not in the way you thought, but we were a family, Dee. Your mom was always your mom, and I was the best stepfather I knew how to be. My parents loved you as if you were my own child. Isn’t that what makes a family?”
Deanna’s eyes stung with tears. “I wish it were that simple. I know it should be. I know I should focus on the love and the stability that you brought into my mom’s life and mine. That really is what counts. I just can’t get past the fact that our family was built on a lie.”
“I am so, so sorry for that. And I’m even sorrier that it’s complicating all the emotions that come along with finding your biological father. Is there anything at all I can do to make it easier? I told you before that I’ll go with you to Chesapeake Shores if that will help. You don’t have to meet him the first time on your own. I can even stay in the background. He doesn’t even have to know I’m there or who I am. I’ll just be there if you need me.”
A part of her wanted to lean on him, but she knew this was a decision she had to make herself and something she needed to do by herself and in her own time. “I appreciate your willingness to go with me, but I need to do it on my own, when I’m ready. I’ll be able to handle it when the time is right.”
“Well, just remember that I’m here and that I love you and you will always be my daughter in every way that matters.”
She wiped away more tears at his words. That was Ash, strong and solid, even when she knew his heart must be aching. His world had changed, too. She needed to remember that.
“I love you,” she whispered.
After a startled beat, he replied, “Love you more,” just as he always had.
Their relationship might have had a huge setback, but some things would never change. She took comfort in knowing that.
* * *
The rhythm of Kiera’s days was becoming familiar and comfortable. Several mornings a week, she worked in Bryan’s garden before the sun got too hot. He usually joined her at some point, either bringing her a cup of tea or a bottle of cold water. They’d even gone back to Panini Bistro a couple of times, thankfully with no chance encounters with Mick or any other O’Brien.
While O’Briens had been in and out of the pub more frequently than usual, their gazes speculative, Kiera had done her best to ignore them and taken even greater care to stay clear of Bryan during their visits. She would give them no fodder for their wild imaginings.
Her daughter, however, had been oddly absent for a week now. Kiera couldn’t help thinking that Moira had somehow figured out that Kiera knew of her role in the cottage renovations and was giving her mother a wide berth until her temper cooled.
Since it was a matter that needed to be settled between them, Kiera decided it was time to pay a visit to Moira’s home on Beach Lane. For one thing, she missed her granddaughter.
When she knocked on the door, she noted that Moira’s car was still in the driveway, and she could hear the sound of Kate’s giggles drifting through the open windows. It was, she thought, the sweetest sound she’d ever heard.
“Come in. It’s open,” Moira called out when Kiera knocked again.
She found her daughter in the kitchen on her knees, cleaning up a splattering of oatmeal that had reached the four corners of the room.
“Did our Kate not like her breakfast?” Kiera inquired, as the little girl in question held out her arms to her. Kiera took a damp cloth to her face and hands before picking her up.
“Your granddaughter picked this morning to throw a fine tantrum,” Moira said. She gave Kate a sour look. “And now, for you of course, she’s all smiles.”
Kiera laughed. “That’s the way it sometimes works. Any idea what set her off?”
“Her beloved father left for work, abandoning her, or so she seemed to assume. Apparently I make a poor substitute.”
“Ah, I lived through that a time or two. Of course, it wasn’t that your father had left for the day, since he’d never been around, but simply that I was not enough for you.”
“Was there a logic to it?” Moira inquired plaintively. “Something that I can do to avoid such a scene?”
“Not that I was ever able to determine. It did always seem to happen when I was in a rush to be somewhere. You were particularly fond of mashing the oatmeal into your hair, then screaming like a banshee when I had to wash it out.”
Moira sighed as she wiped up the last of the oatmeal from the floor. “Then it seems this little apple didn’t fall far from the tree.” Her gaze lifted to Kiera’s. “Mum, how did you do it with three of us and no help at all?”
“There were plenty of days when I didn’t cope all that well,” Kiera confessed. “I just prayed you wouldn’t notice. With three of you, if you’d figured out my weaknesses, I wouldn’t have stood a chance.”
“But you survived,” Moira said, a note of what sounded like awe, or perhaps hope, in her voice.
“I survived. You will, too. And you do have help, more than you could possibly need, if you’d simply ask for it.”
“Pure stubbornness,” Moira admitted. “She’s a wee little girl. I should be able to manage this.”
“There’s a wide path between should and can. You need to learn when to cross to the other side and hold out a hand to your husband or me or anyone else in this town who’d be happy to have your back. Now, sit down, hold your daughter and I’ll make us both a cup of tea.”
Moira took Kate from her, then chuckled. “You’re more like Nell than you probably realize. You think a cup of tea is the solution to every problem.”
“It’s usually a good start,” Kiera told her.
“So what brings you by this morning? Did you have some instinct that I was at my wit’s end?”
“Not at all, but it’s been a few days since we’ve crossed paths. I was wondering if there was a reason for that.”
A guilty flush spread across her daughter’s pale-as-cream complexion. Kiera nodded without a word being spoken. “I thought so. You heard that Mick revealed your part in getting that cottage ready for me. And after you’d played the part of indignant daughter so well, insistent that I stay here under your roof.”
“I had to be convincing, didn’t I? Are you furious with me?”
“I’m wondering why you felt the need to pretend you didn’t want me to move there in the first place, since moving me into close proximity to Bryan Laramie was clearly part of the plan.”
Moira laughed. “Because, just like me, you always do the opposite of what’s expected, just to be contrary. If I’d told you I thought it was the right place and that I thought it might bring you and Bryan a little closer, you’d have moved to the outskirts of town just to spite me.”
“I thought you believed any friendship between Bryan and me would be disloyal to Peter’s memory.”
“Friendship wasn’t the problem,” Moira said. “It was the sparks between you that I found worrisome. So friendship is absolutely all I’m encouraging.”
“Carefully noted,” Kiera said, not even trying to hide a smile.
“And that’s all that’s going on between you, right?”
“Absolutely,” Kiera said.
“Despite what Mick thinks he saw at Panini Bistro and what Luke and I have seen with our own eyes?” Moira pressed.
Kiera laughed outright at the indignation and worry in her daughter’s voice. “You do realize that I’m your mother, and as an adult of reasonably mature years, I have a right to a personal life of my own choosing. Weren’t you the very one who reminded me of that several times since I arrived in Chesapeake Shores?”
Moira frowned at the scolding. “I suppose,” she said reluctantly.
Kiera nodded. “As long as we’ve an understanding about that, then I will tell you that Bryan and I have made peace in the name of cooperation and teamwork at the pub. Nothing more.”
“And those sparks? I know none of us have just imagined them.”
“An interesting outcome,” Kiera said.
And one she was not at all ready to examine too closely and certainly not with her daughter. It was enough that they’d kept her up late at night, her thoughts whirling in unexpected ways, ways she’d thought she was well beyond experiencing.