Chapter 16
“It was the perfect end to a perfect holiday,” Kiera said, eyes closed, her head resting against the passenger seat as Bryan made his way through the remnants of the Fourth of July traffic, which had been slowed to a crawl by an unexpected storm that hit with driving rain and a fierce wind just after the fireworks ended.
“I think the fireworks this year were the best yet,” Bryan said. “And it helped that God added a few bits of lightning in the night sky to put the man-made stuff to shame.”
“But the actual storm held off, thank goodness,” Kiera said. “I imagine most people got back to their cars without getting soaked.”
“If only we could say the same,” he responded. “I’m glad I keep a change of clothes at the pub, but you must be freezing with the air-conditioning blowing on your damp clothes. Want me to turn it off?”
“Absolutely not. I’ll be fine as soon as I change and get out of these wet shoes,” Kiera said. “They got the worst of it. I think we ran through every puddle downtown.” She grinned at him. “I think you chose that route deliberately. Were you the kind of boy who never avoided jumping in a puddle?”
He laughed. “I was, as a matter of fact. It drove my mother crazy.”
“Moira and her brothers were no better,” Kiera assured him. “I grumbled about it, but I couldn’t really blame them, especially on a hot summer evening when the splashing helped them to cool off.”
“It sounds to me as if their childhood wasn’t so rough.”
Kiera sighed. “I didn’t want it to be, so I encouraged some of the simple little pleasures that other mothers frowned on. Maybe that’s how my sons got the idea that it was okay to break all the rules.”
Bryan glanced over at her. “Will you ever tell me more about them?”
“One of these days,” she promised. “Not tonight. I just want to have a glass of wine and crash. As much fun as today was, I’m exhausted.”
“I should probably let you do just that, but I was thinking you might like to have that wine on my deck. The storm has moved on now and it’s cooler.” He held her gaze for a beat before adding, “I’ve missed our late-night chats.”
The admission made her smile and caused her pulse to leap. She glanced over at him, but his eyes were back on the road. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea. We’re still trying to sort things out between us.”
“A glass of wine and a little conversation, Kiera. It’s a good way to wind down after a long day,” he said persuasively. “Doctor-recommended, in fact.”
Kiera lifted a brow. “Really? What doctor is that?”
Bryan glanced over, a mischievous spark in his eyes. “I believe I found him on the internet.”
“An honest-to-goodness authority, then,” she said, laughing. “How convenient that you discovered him.”
“I think so.”
As torn as she was between what she wanted and what was wise, she said, “Honestly, Bryan, I’m not sure I’m up for changing, then changing again for bed.”
“Just put on a robe,” he said as if it were no big deal to arrive half-dressed at a man’s house. “No one’s going to see you or judge you. It’ll certainly be no more revealing than that blouse that’s plastered to you right now.”
Kiera glanced down and gasped. Her prim white top had become a revealing, see-through blouse. “Oh dear, I never thought to check to see if I looked a mess after the rain.”
“You don’t look a mess at all,” he said, a sudden spark in his eyes. “You look like exactly what you are, a very attractive woman.” He deliberately turned his attention away from her and took studious care with parking, then got out of the car and walked around to open her door. “Get dry and come over,” he said as if the matter had been decided. “I’ll have the wine ready.”
Kiera knew she should say no. She really should, but somehow when her mouth opened, the proper response simply wouldn’t come.
“Give me ten minutes,” she said, a breathless note in her voice that didn’t belong there. If she was making a reckless mistake, well, so be it. She’d made her fair share and lived to tell the stories.
* * *
Oh, he was tempting fate, alright, Bryan thought as he opened a bottle of Pinot Grigio and poured two glasses, then took them out onto the deck along with a plate of cheese and some crackers. Wine and a late-night snack outside under a starry sky spelled seduction, pure and simple. He knew it, and Kiera clearly did, as well.
He thought of Luke’s perfectly reasonable word of caution earlier and winced. He needed to remember exactly who Kiera was. Not that she was his boss’s mother-in-law, but a woman who’d been deeply hurt by the two significant men in her life, albeit in entirely different ways. He couldn’t allow himself to be the third.
He thought he was a better man than Sean Malone and healthier, perhaps, than Peter McDonough, but what did that matter when he had no idea what his intentions were? An honorable man would tread carefully under the circumstances.
He took a long swallow of the crisp wine and reminded himself that there was something none of them knew, something he usually kept pushed so far to the back of his mind that it didn’t even register. He could very well still be considered legally married. While it might be an easy thing for him to forget after all these years, he doubted Kiera would consider it a small omission. Of all the women in the world who might overlook such an uncertain history, Kiera was definitely not one likely to do so. Caution would have her running in the opposite direction and, perhaps, rightly so.
Which meant he had to tell her before things went any further between them...if only he could find the words.
Though it was a clear night, the stars provided little light, and the slip of a moon added almost none. Still he saw Kiera’s shadow crossing the lawn between their houses. He smiled at the sight of her bare feet and the oversize robe she’d belted tightly around her waist. He immediately found himself wondering what she wore beneath the thick white terry cloth that covered her from neck to midcalf. His fingers suddenly itched to tug the belt free and find out.
“Warmer now?” he asked softly as she joined him on the deck.
“Warmer and dry,” she said, accepting the glass of wine he held out. She took a sip and sighed. “This is definitely just what the doctor ordered. You’ll have to tell me where to find him on the internet. He seems a reliable sort, after all.”
“I thought you might come to appreciate him,” Bryan said. “Try some of the cheese.”
“Not just yet,” she said, sighing and closing her eyes. “I think I could fall asleep right here.”
“It was a long day,” Bryan agreed. “But a good one, too.”
“It was. Luke must be pleased. The pub was busy from the moment we opened until we closed for the fireworks. And I heard compliments for the food throughout the day from those who were visiting Chesapeake Shores for the first time. I suspect they’ll be back again soon. I must have handed out a hundred copies of the flier for our upcoming music schedule.” She shook her head ruefully. “And I caught Nell handing out a flier about the cooking competition.”
Bryan chuckled. “She’s not one to miss an opportunity to spread the word. Did you get a look at her flier?”
“Not even a glimpse,” Kiera admitted. “She claimed not to have enough to go around and to wait until she’d made another batch.”
“That’s worrisome,” Bryan said. “That tells me she was fairly certain you and I wouldn’t like whatever it said.”
Kiera sighed. “That was my reaction, too.” Suddenly she sat up straight. “Do you have a pen and paper handy? I should probably jot a note to myself to remind Luke to have more copies of the pub’s music schedule made.”
“Stay still. I’ll help you remember.”
She glanced his way. “It must be gratifying to you to hear such universal praise for your food.”
He smiled. “And it must stick in your craw,” he said.
“Why would you say such a thing?”
“Aren’t you always telling me that your ways are better?” he reminded her. “And aren’t we destined to put the claim to the test just a few months from now?”
Kiera sighed. “And we were having such a pleasant time,” she grumbled. “Why would you bring that up now?”
“To be clear, you brought it up when you mentioned Nell handing out notices of the fall event, but I’ll let it drop. I wouldn’t want to ruin one of these treasured moments of peace between us.” He hesitated for a long time, then said, “Luke said something today that we should probably talk about.”
“About what?” she asked warily, visibly stiffening.
“He warned me not to hurt you.”
Kiera turned a dismayed look on him. “He didn’t! Why would he do such a thing?”
“Because he saw that kiss this morning and he’s concerned about you. And I imagine Moira added her two cents as well and demanded he deal with me.”
“Am I not a grown woman capable of looking out for myself?” Kiera demanded indignantly.
“Of course you are, but the people who love you will always be concerned. They want to know I’m not going to take advantage of you.”
At last she seemed to relax, and her lips twitched ever so slightly. “And were you considering taking advantage of me?”
He kept his gaze on her steady. “I’ve been seriously considering seducing you,” he admitted candidly.
Her eyes went wide. “And if I were to allow it,” she said with an endearing hitch to her voice, “I would consider that to be a mutual decision, not a man taking advantage of a woman.”
“It might not be as simple as that,” he told her. “There are things you should know before we ever get to such a point, things it’s only fair that I tell you so that you can consider all the facts.”
She frowned at him. “I don’t like the sound of that. Are you an alcoholic, like my Sean?”
He lifted his glass of wine. “I like to think I would not be drinking this if I were.”
“And you run miles every day, so it can’t be that your health is in jeopardy like Peter, who had no notion at all of how to take proper care of himself.”
“My health is good.”
“Then what else could put such a dire note in your voice? Do you have some sort of criminal past?”
He could tell that she was deliberately reaching for explanations, each one a bit wilder than the one before. He doubted she would ever land on the truth, though.
“Kiera, you could ask a hundred questions and probably not stumble on the truth. Just let me say this before I lose my courage. I told you about my daughter, about my wife taking off with her years ago.”
“Yes. And you told me that she didn’t run because you’d ever done either of them any harm.”
“That’s true.” He took a deep breath, then added, “But she left without divorcing me.”
Kiera didn’t look dismayed. She looked confused. “But it’s been years and years. Surely in all that time, one of you...”
Bryan shook his head before she could finish. “I never filed. I wouldn’t have known where to have the papers served. As far as I know she never filed, either. Nor was there any attempt at an annulment that I’m aware of.”
He fell silent to allow his news to sink in.
“So you could still be married?” she said eventually.
“In all likelihood, I’m still married,” he confirmed. “Obviously it would be in name only after all this time, but it would be legally binding. It’s never really mattered to me.” He held her gaze. “Until now. I wish the situation had been clarified long ago, but it wasn’t, so here we are with me in some sort of marital limbo. What might have been simple between any other people, seeing where an attraction might take them, is complicated for the two of us.”
“I see.” She stared out toward the bay, though it was invisible in the darkness. Still, the gentle waves could be heard lapping against the shore. “That’s definitely something to consider, then.”
“No one else knows about this. Luke and Moira never asked when they hired me. They know I rarely date, but not the real reason why. I assume they think I’m pretty much a loner, which I have been for years. I’ve dated off and on, but it’s never reached a point where I felt I had to share this information. I’m content with the life I lead. I never minded being alone until you came along. Now, to my surprise, I find I like the companionship and the sparks that fly between us from time to time.”
“Sparks can be dangerous,” she said with weary understanding. “They can set off a fire that burns out of control. Reason doesn’t enter into it. I’ve spent years trying to avoid just such a thing.”
“Which is why it’s only fair that you know I may be the worst possible man to ask you to change that.” Even as he spoke so candidly, he feared that his words would end whatever had been beginning between them. Still, it had to be said.
To his regret, but not his surprise, she stood up. “I need time to think about this.”
“I understand. Take as long as you need,” he told her.
She made it all the way to the top step before turning back. She closed the distance between them, leaned down and brushed a shy, hesitant kiss across his lips.
“Good night, Bryan.”
“Good night, Kiera,” he whispered, smiling as he watched her walk away. He waited until she was safely inside her own cottage before releasing his breath.
Maybe this wasn’t quite the end between them, after all.
* * *
With her thoughts in turmoil, Kiera left her cottage early in the morning, escaping while she knew Bryan was on his run. She wasn’t quite ready to deal with everything he’d told her the night before. To her way of thinking, a married man was a married man and, therefore, off-limits.
But in God’s eyes were there ever extenuating circumstances? she wondered. If so, this would seem to be such a time, but she doubted a priest or a lawyer would see it quite that way. In good conscience, could she? Or would she simply be making excuses for doing what she knew was wrong?
To her added frustration, this was hardly a topic she could discuss with anyone. This was Bryan’s secret, not hers, to share.
At Sally’s she found only Megan seated at the back table.
“You’re out early,” Megan said when she spotted Kiera. “As busy as everyone was yesterday, I wasn’t sure anyone would get here this morning before I have to go to the gallery. I debated spending another hour in bed myself, but Mick is always up with the birds, so sleeping in is impossible.”
“I had a restless night,” Kiera admitted. “I figured I might as well come here and have some strong coffee and a raspberry croissant. That usually helps.”
“I know what you mean,” Megan agreed, gesturing to the same order already in front of her. “What kept you up? Or is it something you’d rather not talk about?”
“Something I can’t talk about, unfortunately. It’s an unexpected situation, and I could use some advice but can’t seek it.”
“That is a quandary,” Megan said. “You could speak to me in confidence. I’d never break it.”
“I know you can be trusted, as could Nell or my father, but it’s not something I’m at liberty to discuss.”
“Which means you’re left to wrestle with it entirely on your own. That hardly seems fair.” Megan, usually quick to offer an opinion, hesitated. After apparently weighing whatever she wanted to say, she met Kiera’s gaze. “I know this may not be right for you, but my daughter Jess is married to a psychologist, if you think he could help. That’s entirely different from spreading gossip. Will’s a professional and he’s very wise. I think all of us have bent his ear from time to time. Even if we catch him on the street, rather than in his office, he keeps what’s said to himself.”
Kiera thought of the tall, serious young man she’d met at Nell’s. His adoring gaze had never strayed from Jess. That must have been Will. “I believe I met him at Nell’s on the day I arrived,” Kiera said. “I suppose if I can’t figure this out, he would be a good person for me to seek out. Thank you.”
“Now, since I can’t offer any support or comfort about whatever’s bothering you, tell me about yesterday. Was the pub as crazy busy as my gallery was?”
“I don’t think I sat down or took a breath from the moment the doors opened,” Kiera told her. “Everyone was so patient and understanding and they were all talking about coming back again.”
“I had lines at the register all day, too,” Megan said with satisfaction. “Moira’s going to be very happy with the check I have for her. Her photographs were among the day’s top sellers. It’s a good thing we’d already shipped the photographs for the show in San Francisco or I’d have been tempted to bring those out yesterday to take advantage of the eager crowds with their open wallets. I am going to contact the gallery in San Francisco and suggest he bump up the prices because her works are in such high demand. I think mentioning that her last show was a sellout could spur buyers out there to act quickly.”
“I still find it so remarkable that my daughter had this talent all along and only discovered it by accident,” Kiera said. “You’ve been such a blessing to her, Megan.”
“That works both ways. It makes me proud to see her doing so well. And I hear you’re going to San Francisco for the show.”
“I am and I can hardly wait,” Kiera said. “It’s only for a weekend, but it will be my first real sightseeing in America.”
And, she thought, it couldn’t be coming at a more perfect time, just when her life in Chesapeake Shores had taken such a complicated turn.
* * *
Bryan had seen very little of Kiera since he’d told her about his questionable marital status. He couldn’t blame her for avoiding him, but he was a little surprised by it. He’d thought her more likely to confront the situation head-on, reach a decision and perhaps tell him they no longer had a chance with each other. Perhaps, he thought wryly, the silence was an improvement over that outcome.
He glanced up and saw the very woman plaguing his thoughts standing in the doorway to the kitchen. She was dressed for travel in a neat skirt and a blouse he remembered all too well from the Fourth of July when it had been plastered to her skin. Even in the prim-and-proper outfit, she managed to exude an appeal he was having trouble resisting. How many times in recent days had he wanted to reach for her, to muss her hair, to steal a kiss that would put a lovely pink in her pale cheeks?
“You’re getting ready to leave, I imagine,” he said, stating the obvious. “You’re going to love San Francisco. It’s a beautiful city. And be sure you get across the bridge to Sausalito.”
“I can’t wait to see it all,” she admitted, though her excitement seemed oddly tempered.
“But?” he said. “I sense there’s something bothering you about the trip.”
“Not about the trip. I just can’t help thinking that it’s the worst time to be going,” she said. “We’re at the height of the summer tourist season. Luke or I should be staying. Since he belongs there with Moira, I think it should fall to me to be here.”
“Nonsense. The kitchen is in my hands,” Bryan said. “It’s safe enough.” He waited, daring her to say otherwise, but she simply nodded. “Okay, then. We have plenty of trained staff to handle the bar and the tables. Nell and Dillon will be in and out, as will Luke’s uncle Mick. In fact, I think Mick is looking forward to donning an apron and serving a few pints of Guinness.”
“I imagine he is,” she conceded. “He seems to fancy his Irish genes have given him a hidden talent for running a pub.”
“He certainly has a gift for talking to the customers,” Bryan said. “There’s a crowd at the bar every night just to listen to him spin a tale. Just go and have a wonderful time, Kiera. You deserve to see someplace new and to bask in your daughter’s great success.”
She lifted troubled eyes to meet his. “And when I come back, we’ll talk,” she promised.
“I told you to take as long as you need. I know I presented you with a complicated situation. There’s no rush for you to make a decision.”
“It’s certainly a situation I never envisioned finding myself in, and that’s the truth,” she said. “If I’d been asked about something like this, I would have considered the answer to be obvious, but it’s you and me, Bryan. There’s nothing simple about it.”
“We can go on as we have been,” he told her. “We can remain friends and forget the rest.”
She looked startled. “You could do that?”
“I wouldn’t want to, but if that was the only choice you gave me, I could manage it.” He held her gaze. “Or I could sit with Connor, tell him the story and have him do whatever it takes to clarify the situation legally. That would probably be the sensible thing to do.”
“You’d be willing to do that? To tell him so much of your personal story?”
“Perhaps it’s time. Past time, more likely. It’s something I should have resolved years ago, but I clung to hope for a long time, then just pushed the whole marriage issue aside and tried to forget about it altogether. The only thing I pursued was finding my daughter, and you already know how that turned out. Dead end after dead end. I couldn’t bring myself to give up, even though the very detectives I went to kept telling me it was a waste of my money. I thought each new one I hired would see something that the others had missed.”
“It seems you have some thinking to do while I’m gone as well, then,” Kiera said. “Perhaps it is a good thing that I’ll be away for a few days.”
“Don’t waste a minute of your trip on any of this, Kiera. Just enjoy yourself. Come back with a hundred photographs on your cell phone and as many stories to tell. I’ll be eager to hear them all.”
She laughed, the sound far more lighthearted than their conversation up till now. “With my daughter a famous photographer, you think there will only be a hundred photos? I’m counting on her filling albums with pictures from this trip. I’ll be wanting to show all my friends back in Dublin.”
At the careless mention of Dublin, Bryan felt his heart still. Perhaps all the talk and worry about what the future might hold for the two of them was to be wasted time. It was entirely possible that her mind was set on returning to Ireland and that would end the matter.
Now was not the time for that discussion, though. There would be time to explore all of the difficult questions hanging in the air between them when she returned from San Francisco. And that uncertainty gave him just the excuse he needed to postpone that long-overdue conversation with Connor just a little longer.