Chapter 20
Bryan glanced across the kitchen island at O’Brien’s and allowed himself a faint smile at the sight of his daughter with her head bent over as she concentrated very hard on dicing potatoes to precisely the same size. She was wearing jeans and a T-shirt and had her hair pulled back. The tip of her tongue was caught in the corner of her mouth. She glanced up and caught him staring.
“Stop watching me. I’ll lose focus and slice off a finger,” Deanna grumbled.
“Not if you do it exactly the way I taught you to not ten minutes ago,” Bryan said. “Tuck those fingers into a fist away from the blade of the knife.”
“And what’s to keep the potato from scooting straight onto the floor, then?”
“Your knuckles pressing down to hold it in place,” he said, and demonstrated again at a speed that made her jaw drop.
She gave him a hopeless look. “Maybe I’m not meant to learn to cook.”
“Have you ever seriously tried before?”
“No.” Her expression brightened. “I can scramble an egg. I stopped burning them after a while. Ash says they’re edible now.”
“Well, then, when you’ve been dicing potatoes for a few months, if you’re no better, we can talk about the cost of eating all your meals out for the rest of your life.”
She frowned at him. “Sometimes you sound so much like Ash, it’s uncanny.”
The first few times she’d casually thrown Ashton Lane’s name in his face, it had hurt, no question about it. Now he was getting used to the easy references and more comfortable with the comparisons. They were no longer tossed out in a way that demeaned him, but only to suggest that he was proving himself just about equal to a man she considered practically a saint.
Bryan finally dared to ask a question that had been on his mind ever since she’d told him she was coming for another visit. “How does he feel about your spending time with me in Chesapeake Shores?”
“To be honest, I think the idea scared him at first, but he’s reconciled to it. In fact, he’s eager to meet you.” She regarded him with a hopeful expression. “Will you agree to it?”
Amused by the impact of that look, he laughed. “Has anybody ever denied you anything you want?”
“All the time,” she said with a shrug. “I just keep pestering, though. I’m very stubborn.”
“Your mother’s influence,” he said readily.
“I think she thought it was yours. She never acknowledged being even a tiny bit stubborn.”
“Oh, but she was,” Bryan said.
Deanna hesitated, then said softly, “Tell me about her, about the two of you. How did you meet? Was it love at first sight?”
He was vaguely startled by the question. Wasn’t it something daughters asked their mothers all the time? “She never told you any of this?”
“Not a word.”
He wondered if that was deliberate, a way to keep Deanna separated from him in yet another way. The reason, though, didn’t really matter. He had an opportunity at long last to fill in the blanks.
He thought back to the exact night he’d set eyes on Melody for the first time. It seemed like a lifetime ago, and yet it still brought a smile to his lips. “I was training in a restaurant in New York. I was on the lowliest rung of the kitchen hierarchy, which meant I mostly cleaned up and did whatever the chef yelled at me to do. It wasn’t a very fancy place, though the chef had aspirations and acted as if it were.”
“Pretentious,” Deanna guessed.
“Exactly. One night your mother came in with some friends. I think they were all a little tipsy. One of them kept sending his dinner back for one ridiculous reason after another. The chef finally tired of it and sent me out to ask whoever was complaining if they’d like to come in the kitchen and cook it themselves.”
“And it was Mom?”
“Oh, no, she looked thoroughly embarrassed. When I walked away from the table, she followed me and apologized. She said her friend fancied himself some sort of gourmet cook, even though he’d never once prepared a meal for any of them. She said they didn’t take him seriously, and we shouldn’t either. She said she’d just had the best meal she’d ever eaten.” Bryan shrugged. “What could I do? I asked her if I could cook for her sometime. I told her it would be even better.”
“And she said yes,” Deanna guessed.
“Actually, she said no.” He grinned at the memory. “But she was back again the next night and the next, by herself. On her fourth visit, she finally said yes.”
“Fascinating,” Deanna said, her expression thoughtful. “She was a challenge. Something tells me Kiera is, too.”
Startled by her insight, he felt his cheeks heating. “What made you draw that comparison?”
She gave him the sort of impatient look he knew that teenagers everywhere had perfected. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, anyone can see the attraction when the two of you are in the same room. I just hope I’m not standing in your way, since I’m staying with her.”
“Deanna, this entire town is busy sticking its collective nose into my personal life these days. I do not need you jumping onto that particular bandwagon.”
“Interesting,” she said, laughter dancing in her eyes. “That’s pretty much what Kiera said, too. Since I’m not around all the time, I think I need to go looking for an ally who’ll nudge things along.”
“No, you do not,” he said emphatically. “Kiera and I are moving at our own pace.”
“Based on my admittedly limited observation, snails move faster than the two of you.”
“You’ve been around how long? About two minutes? You know nothing about it.”
She laughed then. “I’ll bet you thought it was going to be fun to have your daughter back in your life, didn’t you? Are you having second thoughts?”
“Second and third,” he said, but he couldn’t help going around to where she was seated and planting a quick kiss on her forehead. “But having you here is still the best thing to happen to me in years.”
Afraid he’d overstepped when he’d been trying so hard not to push, he backed away, but then he saw the tears in her eyes and knew that kiss had been exactly the right thing to do. If only all of his instincts were that solid. And perhaps if this dream to have his daughter in his life again could come true, then other dreams he’d put on hold years ago might be in the cards, too. A wife, perhaps? Even a restaurant of his own? Who knew where the future might lead, but it was suddenly filled with hope.
* * *
Late that night, Deanna thought she heard a low murmur of voices coming through the guest room window at Kiera’s cottage. She’d left it open to the faint breeze that was already hinting at fall. She crept over to the window and peered through the shadows until she caught a glimpse of Kiera and her father on his deck. They were seated in chairs side by side, but far enough apart to make any contact awkward. A snail’s pace, she thought again with amusement.
Since there clearly wasn’t anything romantic to be interrupted, she pulled on a robe, grabbed a glass of water in the kitchen and crossed the lawn to join them. She’d missed these sort of late-night talks with her mom and Ash. It was nice to have a new opportunity for that sort of connection.
“I thought you were sound asleep when I came in from the pub,” Kiera said, clearly startled.
“I was, but I heard the sound of voices and decided to join you. Is it okay?”
“Of course,” her father said.
“I’m not interrupting?” she asked pointedly.
He gave her a sharp look. “Deanna!”
She laughed at the warning note in his voice and turned to Kiera. “He thinks I’m going to start meddling in your relationship,” she told her.
Kiera choked on her sip of wine. “I beg your pardon?”
Bryan frowned at her, but she could tell he wasn’t really angry. “It seems my daughter fancies herself a matchmaker, and we’re not moving at a pace that suits her.”
“Correct,” Deanna said.
“Since I told her rather firmly to stay out of it, it seems she has a rebellious streak,” Bryan said.
“I’m an independent thinker,” Deanna corrected proudly.
Kiera laughed. “Well, now that’s a trait we might not want to discourage,” she said. “The world could use a few more independent thinkers. We just have to keep her away from Nell.”
Her father groaned. “Now you’ve done it.”
“Who’s Nell?” Deanna asked eagerly.
Kiera glanced at him. “Tactical blunder?”
“I’ll say,” he confirmed.
“Who’s Nell?” Deanna repeated.
“Nell O’Brien O’Malley,” Kiera finally told her. “She’s married to my father. They met years ago in Ireland, were separated and then found each other again a few years ago. It’s a very romantic story, actually.”
“And she’s one of the O’Briens?”
“The matriarch,” Bryan said. “She taught me everything I know about Irish cooking.” He glanced at Kiera and added diplomatically, “Almost everything. Kiera’s added a few tips since she’s come.”
“But she’s not given you her Irish stew recipe, has she?” Deanna teased.
“No, she’s kept that a deep, dark secret.”
“And that’s why the two of you are competing in the cooking contest,” Deanna concluded. “And why everyone’s talking about it.”
“That’s only part of the reason,” her father said.
“Then what’s the rest?”
“It’s because Nell is a devious, clever woman,” Kiera said.
Deanna glanced at her father for clarification.
“She’s matchmaking,” Bryan conceded. “And taking full advantage of the fact that Kiera and I haven’t always gotten along. She’s decided that’s the perfect recipe for sparks to fly and people in this town to take sides. And, of course, to raise money for a good cause.”
Deanna released a happy sigh. “She’s my ally,” she said, mostly to herself.
She saw her father and Kiera exchange a resigned look.
“I warned you,” Bryan said to Kiera. “It seems my daughter and Nell were cut from the same mold. Thankfully Dee will be going back to Charlottesville any day now and we’ll have one less person trying to run our lives.”
Deanna thought of her conversation with Ash and came to a quick decision. “There’s something you should probably know about that,” she told them. “I had a talk with Ash the other night and I’ve decided to try to transfer to Johns Hopkins for my premed courses. I’m not sure if the paperwork can be completed in time for this next term, but I’m pretty sure they’ll let me continue as an intern in the lab until next term while we’re working it out.” She beamed at them. “I’ll be able to see you both all the time. Isn’t that great?”
She laughed at her father’s bewildered, torn expression. She could tell he was eager to have her close but was also discovering how big a thorn in his side a newly found daughter could be.
The last thing she’d expected when she’d come to Chesapeake Shores to meet him was to find that she’d not only be getting to know her biological father, but that meddling in his life promised to be so much fun.
* * *
Kiera waited until Deanna had left for Baltimore and the midday rush at the pub had ended before telling Luke that she and Bryan needed a break.
“We’ll be quick, but there’s something that needs to be discussed, and it can’t wait until tonight.”
“Go,” Luke said at once. “I’ve got things covered here for the next hour. Just take your cell phone along in case I’m wrong and a tour bus appears on our doorstep.”
“When has that ever happened?” she asked.
“Exactly my point. It’s rare, so go.”
Kiera went into the kitchen, grabbed a couple of bottled waters from the refrigerator, then stood in front of Bryan. “We’re going for a walk,” she announced.
She saw him struggle with a smile, even as he said, “Who made you the boss?”
“Not the boss at all, but a woman who needs to talk to a man who’s been slamming pots and pans around for the past hour.”
“I haven’t been slamming anything around.”
“I could show you a couple with the dents to prove it. Shall I?” She turned to the current batch in the sink.
“Okay, a walk it is,” he said before seeing the evidence. “I’ll tell Luke.”
“Already done,” she said, pulling him toward the door into the alley.
Outside she handed him the bottled water and turned toward the walkway along the bay. A breeze off the water made the air salty, and once again there was the faintest hint of fall in the temperature. She was looking forward to the change of season, the last she’d experience before going back to Ireland.
When she looked up, she caught Bryan studying her. “What?” she asked.
“Perhaps it’s your mood we should be discussing,” he said. “You were looking a little sad just then.”
“I was thinking about how close we are to the end of my time here. I was looking forward to experiencing my first fall in Chesapeake Shores, but then I realized it would be the last season I get to experience.”
Bryan stopped and turned her to face him. He kept his hands resting gently on her shoulders. “Kiera, tell me something. If you had your way, what would you do? Stay or go?”
“I’m not certain anymore,” she said candidly.
“I think you are.” His gaze held hers and he simply waited.
“I’ve come to like it here,” she admitted at last. “Far more than I expected to. I thought if I had a change of scenery for just a bit, it would help after Peter’s death, but being here has turned into so much more. There’s little Kate, who’s such a joy, Moira and Luke, my father.” She sighed, avoiding looking at him as she added, “The whole town.”
“And am I a part of that? Am I one of the reasons you’d like to stay?”
She took a deep breath, steadied her nerves and resolved to be honest about her emotions for once in her life, to say what was in her heart and take the risk. “You know you are.”
He nodded slowly, apparently letting her words sink in, while her nerves struck again, making her jittery as she waited for him to say something, anything.
“You know it’s a complicated time for me,” he said, making her heart sink.
“Of course I do. It’s no time for me adding to the pressure. I wouldn’t want to, which is why I’ll go home as planned.”
“You didn’t let me finish.”
“I think we’ve said quite enough about this for now,” she said tartly, her pride kicking in. “And we came out here to talk about you, not me and certainly not us.”
“Kiera—”
She cut off whatever protest he intended to utter. “What was that display of temper in the kitchen all about? I thought you’d be thrilled by Deanna’s news. You’ll have your daughter close by, and all the time you need to get to know her.”
He looked as if he wanted to drag the conversation back to her, but he must have read the determination in her eyes and simply let it go. He thought about his earlier display of temper in the kitchen and tried to explain what worried him.
“She had a plan for her life and I’m interfering in that. What if this move is all wrong for her and she comes to resent me for it?”
“Did you beg her to move closer? Did you say a single word about this transfer?”
“Of course not. I had no idea it was even an option.”
“Well, then, it seems to me to be a decision she reached all on her own, or perhaps with a little help from the man who’s been guiding her for most of her life. If they think this transfer makes sense, why would you argue?”
“I don’t want to be responsible for throwing her life off track.”
“Perhaps you’re only helping her to put it onto a newer, better track. She’d been intending to be a doctor when you first met her. She’s still intending to be one, as far as I can tell. And isn’t this Johns Hopkins one of the best places for training?”
“That’s what I hear,” he admitted.
“Then is it some other reason that has you skittish? Have you discovered that being a father holds no appeal, after all?”
He regarded her with a shocked expression. “Never!”
“Well, then, if you want my opinion, this is all good. And just for the record, Deanna seems to be a very grounded young woman who takes her goals seriously. I doubt she came to this decision without careful thought. You should be rejoicing that she wants to get to know you better, instead of keeping you on the periphery of her life like some stranger. When she first walked into O’Brien’s, that’s exactly what she intended, I think.”
“Am I overthinking it?”
She smiled. “Yes.”
“Speaking of grounded, you’re pretty amazing yourself. I hope you know exactly how much I value your opinion. One of these days I’d like to hear your thoughts about something else I’ve been considering.”
Lovely, Kiera thought. And wasn’t it every woman’s dream to have a man value her for her opinions, just when she’d started to think he might value her in so many other ways?
* * *
Moira hung up the phone after talking to her mother on Monday night and turned to Luke.
“I hope to heaven Nell knows what she’s doing with this whole cooking competition. My mother is a wreck. I’m to pick her up first thing in the morning, take her to the grocery, then on to a butcher shop if she doesn’t like the meat she finds at the grocery, then to a farmers market for vegetables and herbs. When I suggested she just pick a few things from Bryan’s garden, she practically bit my head off.”
Luke laughed. “Though he won’t let anyone see it, Bryan’s a bundle of nerves, too. He stands over his stew pot talking to himself, tasting, then muttering. I believe at least three perfectly edible pots of stew have been taken to the homeless shelter today alone to save them from being dumped into the garbage. He may not think they’re perfect, but he can’t bring himself to waste food when he knows there are so many who’d be grateful for a good meal.”
“I don’t see how this is bringing them one bit closer,” Moira said.
“While the matchmaking gene pretty much bypassed me, I think it’s only one piece of a very complicated puzzle,” Luke responded. “In an ironic way, they’ve bonded over their common misery. To be honest, it seems to me they would have found each other on their own, but this might be nudging things along a little faster.”
“I suppose,” Moira said skeptically. “And time is of the essence since my mother is supposed to leave in just over a month. She won’t even be here for Halloween or Thanksgiving or Christmas.” Feeling surprisingly weepy, she added, “She won’t even see Kate’s excitement on Christmas morning. Doesn’t every grandmother want to witness an occasion like that?”
“And I imagine Kiera is no exception,” Luke said. “We could talk to Connor about getting an extension on her visa.”
“She has to say she wants that,” Moira said in frustration. “And I think her pride will keep her from asking, especially if Bryan’s not the one pushing for her to stay.”
“You know your mother better than I do, but would it hurt to just talk to Connor and find out if an extension is even feasible? Then we’d know whether to encourage her if she even hints at wanting to stay.”
Moira’s expression brightened. “That makes sense. Can you do that tomorrow, since I’m apparently going to be running hither and yon while she freaks out over the perfect ingredients?”
“Done,” Luke assured her. “Now come here. I’ve been feeling neglected since we’ve had very little of that free time you promised when you invited your mother to come to Chesapeake Shores.”
She laughed at him but immediately settled in his arms. “Are you perhaps thinking we could give her yet another reason to want to stay on?”
“I’m not sure I’m willing to ask her to stay so we can have more sex,” Luke teased.
Moira nudged him. “That is not what I was thinking. Well, not precisely, anyway.”
“Then what?”
“Another grandbaby might be the perfect lure.”
Luke’s startled gaze met hers. His lips curved. “Seriously? You’re ready for another one?”
“Or two,” she said. “Perhaps more.”
“But only to keep your mother around?” he asked as if to clarify. His gaze narrowed. “Or is this part of a plot to keep Megan from sending you off around the country for these shows of yours? You seem less and less inclined to go just when you should be feeling ecstatic at being in demand.”
“What lovely reasons for adding to our family,” she responded tartly. “I had no idea you were quite so cynical.”
“Realistic,” Luke corrected. “There’s usually something behind any decision you reach. I’m just trying to understand this one.” He studied her intently. “I’m right, aren’t I?”
She chuckled. “Yes, my darling husband. Your intuition is rock solid.”
“Moira, be serious for at least half a second here. Don’t you want the career Megan’s offering you?”
She hesitated. “I do and I don’t.”
“Which means?”
“After a successful show like the one in San Francisco, my head spins at the joy of knowing my photographs make people happy. Plus, I have to admit, it’s pretty heady being the center of all that attention. Then as soon as I’m away from that atmosphere, I panic that it was all a fluke and the next show will be a disaster, that perhaps I should stop while I’m on top.”
Luke smiled. “You’ve barely reached the pinnacle and you’re already afraid of tumbling down?”
She nodded. “I’ve not had much experience with success.”
“Then shouldn’t you treasure every minute of it and trust that Megan will guide you not only to more success, but will tell you the truth about when it’s time to stop? Do you not trust her judgment?”
She let Luke’s words sink in, desperately wanting to see things his way, to believe in herself as he and Megan so obviously did. “You think I need to make the commitment and go for it.”
“I do. You deserve every second of that joy you experienced in San Francisco and in New York before that.”
“And we can balance it with our family? I never want that to take second place.”
“We can make it work. I promise.”
“Even with another baby. I do want that, Luke.”
“With another half-dozen babies, if you’re willing,” he vowed.
Moira grinned. “Then I suppose we should get busy with that and tomorrow I’ll tell Megan I’m ready to seize the opportunities she finds for me.”
“You could call and tell her now before you change your mind,” he suggested.
“Right now I’m thinking only about the joy of making those babies, but if that doesn’t interest you...”
“Oh, it interests me,” he said, drawing her closer still. “Let’s give it a try.” He sealed his words with a kiss that stole her breath away just as he always did.