Harbor Lights (8 page)

He was slower to respond this time, though he once again insisted, “Of course.”

“Sweetheart, that tiny hesitation speaks volumes,” she said.

“What?” he demanded. “What did it say?” He honestly wanted to know, because for the life of him he couldn’t figure out all of the conflicting emotions rampaging through him on a daily basis.

“Think about it,” she said. “When you’ve figured out the answer, I think you’ll finally be ready to move on with your life.”

“If you know so much, you tell me,” he said. He barely kept himself from begging. He had a feeling she was right, that if he knew the answer, he could get beyond these endless days of living in a fog.

“It’s not up to me to put words in your mouth,” she said, then shrugged. “Could be I’ve got it wrong, anyway. But if you ever want to talk it through, I’m here to listen.”

Impatient, he snapped, “No, you’ll be back in New York. As usual.”

This time when he strode away, she didn’t even try to keep up with him. She let him go. Astonishingly, that hurt almost as badly as when she’d walked out on them.

Laurie arrived in town on Thursday to see Shanna’s shop and pronounced it amazing.

“I love the pale green color of the walls and all the white trim,” she said, as she stood in the doorway. “And the bright seaside pattern in the upholstery on the chairs looks fabulous. The whole store is warm and cozy and inviting. Not only is the mix of books and games perfect, but it smells like coffee and the tables and chairs in that area are charming. Who could resist coming here for a chat with a friend or a book club meeting? You are planning to start a book club, aren’t you?”

“Absolutely,” Shanna said. “I’m going to have a sign-up sheet at the opening. I love the idea of women getting together right here to talk about books.”

Laurie continued to walk slowly around the shop, surveying the room more closely. “There’s not another single thing you could do to make it better,” she said, then added with a grin, “So, let’s go book the inn for my wedding.”

Shanna regarded her friend with amusement. “What happened to coming to town to help me get ready for my grand opening?”

“You don’t need my help,” Laurie said blithely. “Frankly, I’m a little miffed about that, but since you don’t, we can focus on me. That’s always my favorite thing.”

“If I didn’t know you so well, I’d think you were a totally self-absorbed human being,” Shanna told her, even as she grabbed her purse and prepared to take Laurie to the inn for an inspection to see if it would meet her needs.

Fortunately, she’d anticipated exactly this scenario and had worked doubly hard to get ahead for the opening, so she could spend a few hours focused on the wedding.

“I’ve made an appointment with the owner,” Shanna told her. “We’ll walk around, look things over and have lunch, then meet with Jess.”

“You’re an angel,” Laurie said, giving her a hug. “I knew I could count on you. And once we’ve done this, you can count on me a hundred percent to do whatever you need me to do. I’ll even bake cookies, if that’s what you want.”

“Given your cooking skills, I think it’s probably a good thing that I’m having the food for the opening catered, by the inn, as a matter of fact. I’ll go over those details while we’re with Jess, too.”

“Then it won’t be all about me,” Laurie said with an exaggerated pout.

Shanna laughed. “Sorry, sweetie, you are not the center of the universe, at least not this week. When the time comes for your wedding, I promise you’ll get all of my attention.”

Laurie put on her seat belt, then managed to turn sideways and tuck a leg under her. “So, tell me about the men in this town.”

“Haven’t we had this conversation? Besides, you’re engaged. Other men should be the last thing on your mind.”

“Not for
me.
For
you.
And we haven’t discussed this since you’ve met someone,” Laurie said confidently.

Shanna regarded her with shock. “What makes you say that?”

“There’s a glow in your cheeks and a sparkle in your eyes. It wasn’t there when you left Philadelphia.”

“Maybe it’s there because I’ve been walking on the beach every morning. Or because I’m excited about opening the store day after tomorrow.”

“I like my reason better,” Laurie said, undaunted. “Who is he? What’s his name? How’d you meet?”

“Not talking about this,” Shanna said. “And here we are at the inn. Isn’t that fortunate timing?”

Laurie tried to stare her down, then relented. “These questions aren’t going away,” she warned. “I’m just hitting the pause button.”

“That’ll do for now,” Shanna said, relieved.

Of course, an hour later when Jess joined them in the dining room, it didn’t help that the first words out of her mouth were, “So, what’s going on with you and my brother?”

Laurie’s eyes lit up at once, even as Shanna groaned. Laurie turned to Jess.

“Shanna’s been seeing your brother?”

“No!” Shanna said emphatically. “Kevin has helped me out at the shop a couple of times. No big deal.”

Jess shook her head. “It’s a big deal to all of us. Kevin’s wife died in Iraq a little over a year ago,” she explained to Laurie. “Other than taking care of his son and dealing with family when he has to, he’s been pretty much isolating himself since then. Not that half the women in town haven’t tried to get his attention, but he’s been oblivious, at least until Shanna arrived on the scene.”

Shanna saw the precise moment when the full import of Jess’s words registered with Laurie. The excitement in her eyes dimmed. It was immediately replaced by concern.

“I see,” she murmured, turning to Shanna with a worried frown. It was evident that Jess’s words had doused her enthusiasm for this new relationship.

“Let’s talk about available dates for the wedding,” Shanna said pointedly. “I have a million last details to take care of at the store, so we don’t have much time.”

“Of course,” Jess said at once, opening her event planner.

As she and Laurie discussed the details of the wedding, Shanna sat back and tried to figure out how on earth to explain to her best friend that she really wasn’t about to leap from the frying pan of one lousy relationship into the fire of another.

The ride back to the shop was made in uncomfortable silence. Shanna made it clear at the outset that any discussion of Kevin O’Brien was off-limits. Since he was the only subject on Laurie’s mind, she apparently could think of nothing to say. That suited Shanna just fine.

After parking in the alley behind the shop, Shanna said, “Why don’t you go on upstairs and settle in? Take a nap while I finish sorting through the last boxes of inventory.”

“I can help with that,” Laurie said.

“Not really. I’m the only one who can figure out which things should go on display and which should be held back. I want to keep some things till after the opening, just in case it goes really well and the customers buy everything that isn’t nailed down.” She grinned as she said, “I should be so lucky, right?”

“You’re going to be a huge success,” Laurie said with unfeigned enthusiasm. “I can already tell. You have a knack for this. All those years of working as an accountant apparently stifled this creative side of you.”

Shanna could hardly deny that. Being a CPA had been a safe, but boring career. It was ironic that she’d met Greg while working for his family’s corporation. He’d encouraged her to quit right after the wedding, and she’d been only too eager to get away from the tedium. She hadn’t gone back to accounting until after the divorce, and she hadn’t been any happier the second time around, though her work environment had been a new one with coworkers she’d really liked.

“At least I know exactly how to set up a bookkeeping system and work with spreadsheets,” she said finally. “My education and experience weren’t a total waste of time.”

She unlocked the back door to the shop, and Laurie followed her inside. Shanna removed her spare apartment key from the small safe she’d had installed and handed it to her, but Laurie didn’t budge. Instead, she poured herself a cup of leftover coffee and nuked it in the microwave.

“We need to talk,” she announced, peering at Shanna over the rim of the mug.

“Not if it’s about Kevin O’Brien,” Shanna said firmly. “There’s nothing to discuss.”

“Lost soul. Little boy. I’d say there are at least two things we need to address.”

Even though she’d drawn the comparisons herself, Shanna remained insistent. “It’s not Greg all over again. You’ve heard the expression once burned, twice shy. Well, I’m at least three or four times shy. No way am I walking into the middle of this situation. Not that Kevin is actually like Greg. For one thing, he’s not drinking.”

“You have proof of that?”

“Proof, no, but he’s been around the store enough that I would surely have seen some evidence of it.”

“You missed it when you were dating Greg, even though the signs were there all along.”

Shanna sighed. She couldn’t deny that. “True, but now, believe me, I’d notice.”

“I wish I could believe that,” Laurie said. “But I know you, Shanna. You have the biggest, most generous heart in the world.”

“You make it sound as if I’m a sucker for a sob story.”

“Hardly, but I know one thing about you that very few people know.”

“Oh?”

“You want to be part of a family in the worst way. I know part of Greg’s attraction was, well, Greg. Add in his son and that whole impressive, if seriously dysfunctional, family of his, and you never stood a chance. I sense the same thing happening now.”

“You’re wrong.”

“How many people are there in this O’Brien clan? I’m guessing there are quite a few of them. I’ve met Jess. You’ve mentioned the woman with the flower shop next door. She’s an O’Brien, too, as I recall. Any more?”

“There’s another sister, but I haven’t met her,” she admitted. “And another brother.”

“Parents?”

“His father was the architect who designed the town. I’m not really clear on where his mother is. And there’s his grandmother.”

“Any more?” Laurie pressed.

“Isn’t that enough for you to make this point you’re so anxious to make?”

“There are more,” Laurie concluded.

“Okay, yes, his cousin is the rental agent who leased me the property, and his uncle manages all the properties.” She
shrugged. “There are others, I think. Someone at Sally’s mentioned they refer to Chesapeake Shores as “O’Brien’s town”—because there’s such a slew of them or because Mick designed it. I’m not sure which.”

Laurie nodded triumphantly. “Either way, I rest my case. Big family, wounded man, little boy in need of a mom and you. It has destiny written all over it.” She gave her a knowing look. “Or disaster.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Shanna snapped impatiently. “Which is exactly why I keep telling you there is nothing going on between Kevin and me. And there’s not going to be.”

Laurie started to speak, then sighed. “I suppose I’ll see for myself soon enough.”

“Meaning?”

“The second he walks into the shop on Saturday, I’ll know.”

Shanna turned away to hide the look of dismay she knew must be on her face. It was true. When it came to men, women and chemistry, Laurie would be able to read the situation in a heartbeat. And the only way to avoid it would be to call Kevin and warn him to stay far, far away.

The instant Laurie left and went upstairs to settle in, that’s exactly what she did. Unfortunately, she got his voice mail. Though she tried to explain in a message that it would be a bad idea for him to show up on Saturday, she suspected she wasn’t making much sense.

“Call me,” she said at the end. “It’s important.” Not sure if she’d even identified herself at the beginning of the call, she added, “This is Shanna, by the way. Call, okay?”

She hung up then, almost regretting the fact that she’d called in the first place. She was probably making too much of the entire situation. Then again, after the way his
father had been checking out their relationship the other night, Kevin would surely understand about one well-meaning, meddling friend. He’d also likely want to avoid her like the plague.

“W
hy aren’t you dressed?” Gram demanded on Saturday morning, regarding Kevin with disapproval.

He glanced down at his perfectly respectable shorts and T-shirt. The shirt wasn’t even wrinkled. “I am dressed.”

“Not to go into town for the opening of the new bookstore,” she said. “This is a special occasion. I’d think you’d want to look nice.”

He’d worked really hard trying to block this particular special occasion from his mind. Unfortunately Bree hadn’t been able to resist dropping frequent hints and a few blatant reminders. Shanna had even called his cell phone while he’d been out fishing—or more specifically drifting around in his old boat. She’d left some cryptic message about the opening that hadn’t made a whole lot of sense. It had almost sounded as if she were warning him to stay away, which, frankly, he was more than happy to do. It was everyone else in his family who seemed to have other ideas.

“You’re going, right?” he asked his grandmother. “You can take Davy.”

She scowled at him. “Yes, I could do that,” she agreed. “But I’m not going to.”

He stared at her in surprise. Nell had never once backed down from an opportunity to have any of her grandchildren all to herself. “Why not?”

“Because he needs to pick out books with his father,” she said. “Reading is something the two of you do together. And you mentioned yourself that the shop owner promised you a free picture book for Davy for helping her with the coffee machine and her shelves.”

“I’m not taking a free book from Shanna,” Kevin said. “Starting a new business is tough. She doesn’t need to be giving away freebies to anyone who helps her out.”

Gram’s jaw set stubbornly. “Well, whether you take the book or not is up to you, but you are going. Davy’s already dressed and he’s looking forward to it. Abby’s taking Carrie and Caitlyn. They’ll meet us there.”

He was about to seize that opening and suggest sending Davy with Abby, but a hard look from his grandmother kept him silent. It was plain she would disapprove of that plan, too.

As if on cue, his son toddled in, dragging his tattered Winnie the Pooh bear. “Story, Daddy? Want new one.”

Kevin sighed. “Okay, buddy. We’ll find you some new stories. Give me a minute.”

Gram gave him a triumphant look. “I knew you’d listen to reason.”

Reason had nothing to do with it, he thought sourly. It was looking into his son’s eyes and knowing the disappointment he’d see there if he refused to go. For a kid barely past his second birthday, Davy had an amazing capacity to induce guilt. Apparently that was something he’d inherited from his great-grandmother.

“I’ll meet you at the car,” he told Gram tersely.

He waited until she and Davy were gone before rum
maging in his closet for something to wear. He had more than enough choices since he rarely wore his so-called good clothes. His shirts were ironed and his slacks were all hanging in bags straight from the dry cleaners. He grabbed two hangers at random.

It seemed ridiculous to him to be changing clothes just to go to a store opening in a beach town like Chesapeake Shores, but he dutifully pulled on a pair of pressed chinos and a long-sleeved shirt. Though he dispensed with socks, he even shoved his feet into almost-new boat shoes, instead of run-down sneakers.

Grumbling under his breath, he was almost out the bedroom door, when he stopped and splashed on a couple of drops of aftershave. It was probably a mistake. One whiff of that and Bree, Abby and Gram were going to start making wedding plans. It wouldn’t take much to send those three into a hopeful frenzy.

Gram would be delighted because she was worried sick about him. Bree would leap to conclusions because she was still in a romantic haze from her own marriage. Abby was simply a mother hen. Besides that, her own wedding to Trace was coming up in a few months, if she ever got around to planning it. Neither she nor Trace seemed to be in a rush, much to Gram’s dismay and Mick’s annoyance.

The last time Kevin had been by Abby’s house, she’d had a huge stack of bridal magazines on the kitchen table, dropped off by various family members as less-than-subtle reminders that she needed to get started. He could envision those suddenly appearing in his room. He shuddered at the thought.

Then there was Jess. How had he forgotten about her? She was catering today’s event. She would be underfoot, too, watching him like a hawk to see if any sparks were
flying between him and Shanna. If she spotted any, she’d be doing her part to fan them into flames. She’d felt totally left out when he’d basically eloped with Georgia with only Mick present. She’d do everything in her power to make up for that by meddling in his relationship with Shanna.

Well, they could observe, exult, plot and scheme all they wanted. There’d be nothing to see. He’d make sure of that.

This day was about buying his son a couple of new picture books, nothing more. The fact that the owner of the store’s image had popped into his head more than once when he’d been drifting along in his old boat had nothing to do with anything. Really.

Kevin had to park all the way around the corner on Shore Road. Every single space on Main Street had been taken and, to his shock, there was a line outside the bookstore waiting for it to open. Were people in Chesapeake Shores this starved for excitement? It wasn’t as if Shanna had James Patterson or that wildly popular Maryland writer—what was her name? Oh, yes, Nora Roberts—there for a signing.

“Just look at that,” Gram said, beaming with pleasure. “She’s going to be mobbed today. What a wonderful welcome for a newcomer to town!”

All Kevin could think about was how inept Shanna was with that coffee machine of hers. “Gram, could you please take Davy to the store?” he implored.

“You are not turning right around and going back home,” she said heatedly. “I won’t allow it.”

“Yeah, I get that,” he acknowledged ruefully. “It’s just that Shanna has this new cappuccino machine she doesn’t totally know how to work. Remember, I told you about
that? She’s obviously going to be way too busy to be worrying about that with this crowd. I told her I’d help out if I was around.”

Gram’s expression brightened at once. “Oh, well, by all means. We’ll see you inside. I see Abby and the girls just up ahead. We’ll join them in line.”

The gleam in her eyes gave Kevin pause, but he consoled himself with the reminder that a promise was a promise and letting Shanna down when she was in for this kind of impending chaos was out of the question.

Avoiding curious gazes from those already in line, he went around to the back and rapped on the door. A woman he didn’t recognize opened it, then surveyed him thoroughly with undisguised interest.

“You’re Kevin O’Brien,” she concluded.

He blinked at her certainty. “How would you know that?”

“Lucky guess,” she said, beaming at him in a disconcerting way. “Your sister Jess and Shanna are in the front. They told me I was in the way. You probably will be, too, so why don’t you sit down right here and you and I can get to know each other.” She patted a stool, then took a seat on the one right next to it. “I’m Laurie, Shanna’s best friend. I came down from Pennsylvania to help her with the opening.”

Kevin cast a longing look toward the front of the store, but he sat as requested. He scrambled to come up with the small talk the situation required. “Shanna mentioned you were coming.” he said at last.

“Really? Do the two of you share a lot of things with each other?”

Something in her tone made him instantly wary. “Such as?”

“Intimate little secrets?”

He grinned at the deliberate innuendo behind her
words. “I don’t know. Does something like, ‘Hand me the Phillips screwdriver’ count?”

She looked disappointed. “Absolutely not.”

“Then sorry, no intimate little secrets.” Okay, that was a blatant lie, but he had the distinct impression that discretion was called for. Laurie sounded as if her meddling genes rivaled those of the O’Briens.

“Too bad,” she said with unmistakable regret, “because I’ll bet you have some fascinating ones.”

“Well, you’d be wrong. My life’s an open book and a pretty boring one at that.”

“I’ll be the judge of that after I get to know you a little better,” she said.

Kevin frowned at her determined tone. “Just how long are you planning to stick around town?”

“Just through tomorrow,” she conceded. “But I’ll be back, Kevin O’Brien. You can count on that.”

“That sounds like a warning.”

“You’re very intuitive,” she said. “I like that.”

He frowned at her. “Maybe you ought to spell out this warning of yours, just the same, because I’m not all that clear on why you feel the need to issue one.”

She was apparently only too eager to fill him in, but Shanna rushed into the back room, took one look at the two of them and blanched.

“Kevin, I…I didn’t think you were coming today.”

Laurie’s brow rose. “You called him and told him to stay away, didn’t you?”

Shanna winced at the accusation, then her chin jutted up. “As a matter of fact, I did,” she said, then turned to him. “Why didn’t you listen to me?”

He finally realized the missing piece of that cryptic message. “That phone call was about her?” he said.

Shanna nodded. “If I were you, I’d run for your life.”

“And hide where?” he asked. “My grandmother’s outside with Davy and she’s expecting to find me manning the cappuccino machine. My sister Abby and her daughters are with them. And I gather Jess is already here. Sticking around and dealing with your friend here might be awkward, but bolting is no longer an option.”

Laurie looked from one of them to the other. “Now isn’t that interesting,” she said. “A knight in shining armor, willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good.”

Kevin was about to reply that his armor was seriously tarnished, when Shanna stepped in.

“The only knights around here are in the children’s storybooks,” she snapped. “Leave the man alone.”

Despite himself, Kevin chuckled. “I’ll go check on that coffee now, okay?”

“Please do,” Shanna said.

As he left the room, he could hear her whispering something to Laurie in an urgent undertone. He had a hunch she wasn’t asking her to help him with the coffee. If anything, she might be sending her all the way to Baltimore to get some hard-to-find-but-vital something or other for today’s event. That was probably the only way she’d keep her friend from asking him all the questions that were so clearly on her mind. From Kevin’s perspective, Siberia would be the better destination.

He turned to find Jess standing in his path, beaming at him. “Well, don’t you look handsome! Did you get all dressed up to impress Shanna?”

“I got all dressed up because Gram made me,” he said, then chuckled at how ridiculous that sounded. He really was pitiful if he was letting a bunch of women run his life.

This, more than anything else that had happened lately,
suggested it was past time for him to get his act together. Otherwise he’d lose all respect for himself as the testosterone-driven man he’d once been. He’d served in the army, for heaven’s sake. He’d been in a war. He was tough, dammit! It might be smart to keep reminding himself of that.

He glanced past Jess and saw that several tables had been set up along the wall in the café area. They were laden with tempting hors d’oeuvres and cookies.

“Nice spread,” he commented.

“And you’re not to touch it till after the customers have seen how beautiful it looks,” she warned him. “This kind of event is great advertising for the inn’s catering services. I bet I’ll pick up half a dozen parties because of this.”

“Good for you.” He hesitated, then asked, “Jess, how did you know the inn was the perfect career for you?”

“You mean after all the other jobs I held for a nanosecond and quit?”

He nodded.

“When I saw the For Sale sign on that property, I remembered how much I’d loved it and thought about owning it, even when I was a kid. I just knew it was what I’d been waiting for.” She studied him thoughtfully. “Is this about the charter fishing boat idea I mentioned to you?”

“Yeah, at least I think that’s why I’m asking.”

“You’re still not sure it’s the right fit?”

“I’m not sure
anything’s
the right fit,” he admitted. “But I have to do something, and I want to be as excited about it as you are about the inn. Bree has the flower shop and her writing. Abby’s passionate about all that Wall Street financial stuff. Connor loves practicing law. I don’t have anything I feel that way about, not since…”

“Not since you ruled out being a paramedic again,” she said. “Have you even been down to Harbor Lights? Maybe
if you spent some time looking at the boats the marina has for sale, the pieces would start to fall into place.”

“Good idea,” he said. It was another of those steps that Gram had been encouraging him to take. Just one step forward. He didn’t have to buy a boat. He just had to look at them. Maybe take a couple out to sea to get the feel of them, then sign up for the training to become certified as a charter boat captain. Even after taking the course and becoming licensed, he never had to actually start a fishing charter.