The Parting Glass (40 page)

“Thank you.” Megan fished around for something else to say. “It will be great to see Peggy.” Her eyes filled with tears.

“Of course it will.”

“And I can check on this Finn O’Malley.”

“Don’t do too much checking. She won’t like it. Be her friend, not her big sister.”

“I hate all this, Casey.”

Casey put her arm around Megan’s shoulder and squeezed. “I know you do.”

“Leave me alone, okay?”

“I’m on my way out the door.” Casey stood and left.

Megan changed into a long T-shirt, her eyes brimming. She made it into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. But back in the guest room, when she was staring at the ceiling, the tears arrived, as she’d known they would.

“Damn you, Niccolo Andreani,” she whispered fiercely. “Why did you want to get married in the first place?”

chapter 26

P
eggy wasn’t sure how to feel about Megan’s surprise arrival. She was thrilled to see her, and thrilled that her sister had the chance to get to know Irene, but obviously the decision to come had been a sudden one. She was alone, and Niccolo was in Cleveland. That did not bode well for the honeymooners.

Between the long flight and hours of driving on the left side of the road in an unfamiliar country, Megan was exhausted but still too wound up to rest. Irene had greeted her warmly, then gone in for her own nap to leave the sisters to catch up on their lives. Peggy had made them a pot of tea and set out a plate of Nora’s scones. Kieran was conveniently asleep, as well.

“This is just too picturesque.” Megan was wandering nervously, examining every nook and cranny of the cottage. “I know people who search their whole lives to find their Irish roots, and here ours are presented to us on a silver platter. Not some pile of moss-covered rocks in an empty field, but this.” She swept her hand through the air in emphasis.

“You must be starving. Settle down and have some tea.”

“I’m afraid if I sit I’ll fall asleep and miss the rest of the trip.”

“How long can you stay?”

“I haven’t decided. I have an open ticket.”

“Megan, that must have cost the moon.”

“I don’t care. I’ve always wanted to see Ireland. Now I will.”

“I know you wanted to come for your honeymoon—”

“But we’re much too practical, Nick and I. We carved out a few days together in Michigan and thought it would be enough.”

Peggy waited, hoping that was the beginning of something, but Megan just wandered silently, lifting each knick-knack and examining it.

“How is Nick?” Peggy asked when Megan came to the end of the line, a ceramic Eiffel Tower that Irene had bought as a girl on a trip to Paris. “You haven’t said much.”

“Busy. You should see the saloon. Of course you will when you come back home. He and the Brick kids have done a fantastic job. The kitchen’s all done, and there’s actually enough room to put all the pots and pans. And the new oven heats up so fast I’m afraid I’ll burn everything until I get used to it.”

There was a frantic quality to Megan’s story, as if she was afraid if she stopped talking about how wonderful things were, she might lapse into the truth. Peggy understood part of her sister’s operating code. Peggy was the “little” sister, the one who was to be protected and coddled. Never mind that Peggy had maturely faced her own problems and was coping with them. Never mind that at a mature twenty-three she was well able to lend support herself. To Megan, she was still little Peggy, as close to a child of her own as Megan had yet to come.

“And how is Brick?” Peggy probed.

“Nick’s working hard to get more funding. He’s going to Indianapolis this weekend to meet with an organization who might provide it.”

“So you thought you’d come to Ireland while he was away? A good excuse?”

“I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it once the saloon opens again. The timing seemed right.”

“I can’t help but think there’s more—”

“Did I tell you about Rooney? He just seems to get better and better. The other night he told me a story about Granddad, and he claims he’s the only one who knows it all. He didn’t finish, but he got a good start. He’s on new medication, and it’s helping him focus. He seems happy, too, and even less prone to wander.”

Peggy was delighted her father was happy. She was afraid he might be the only one in the house on Hunter Street who was. “You’ll tell me the story?”

“What I know so far. And Casey’s doing well. She’s not showing yet. She has that long, thin body, and I’ll bet she won’t show for a long time. If I ever got pregnant, the baby would probably be visible the second day.”

Peggy heard the “if” louder than the rest of the sentence. “When are you going to stop chattering?”

Megan turned, inspired, most likely, by the edge in Peggy’s voice. “Chattering? I was just telling you about the family.”

“And not a thing about yourself.”

“There’s nothing to tell.”

“Not to me, I guess.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that we’ve reached a crossroads, Megan. I can go through the rest of my life as a little girl for you to protect and take care of, or I can finally be an equal partner in this relationship. You tell me your problems, I tell you mine. You offer comfort, I accept it. I offer comfort—”

“I accept it.” Megan took her chair and looked down at the teacup steaming in front of her.

“That’s right,” Peggy said. “You know I love you, and I’d do anything for you. But the one thing I won’t do is play this game anymore. I’m a grown-up, you’re a grown-up. I was never your daughter. I’m your sister. Treat me like one.”

Megan’s hand trembled slightly when she reached for the tea. Peggy knew that exhaustion could do that to a person. So could sorrow.

“I don’t know what to say.” Megan lifted the cup to her lips, then set it down. “We’re not happy. I’m not sure why. Nick works too hard, and I think it’s because he doesn’t want to spend time with me. I think he’s sorry we ever got married.”

Peggy knew better than to tell her sister that was ridiculous. She knew how much Niccolo loved Megan, but clearly Megan was no longer sure.

Megan looked up. “The moment I can talk about it, I’ll talk to you. Is that a deal? Right now, I just don’t know what to say. That’s why I’m here.”

“It’s a deal.” Peggy held up the plate of scones. “Eat something, then I’m putting you down for a nap with Kieran.”

“I can use both.” Megan managed a smile. “Peggy, old habits die hard. If I try to grab your hand when we cross the road, just slap it, okay?”

“I’ll be grabbing your hand while you’re in Ireland. You’ll look in the wrong direction for the first week and be liable to get run over.”

Irene was as friendly and natural as Peggy had reported, and Megan liked her immediately. The cottage was charming, the landscape breathtaking.

And she was deeply depressed to be there.

“You got a little sleep, then?” Irene asked when Megan came out of the bedroom.

“Enough to make me realize how much I missed.” Megan stretched. “But I do feel better. How about you?”

“I spend far too much time in bed as it is. Sleep is not the way to spend whatever time is left to me.”

Peggy came in from the kitchen. “It’s the best way to make sure you
have
time left to you.”

Megan had tiptoed out of the bedroom, careful not to wake her sleeping nephew. But despite her best effort, something had done the deed. The new sounds coming from behind the closed door were unmistakable. “Shall I get him? Will he remember me?”

Peggy looked troubled. “I’m not always sure he remembers
me,
Megan.”

Megan forgot her own problems for the moment. “Things aren’t going as well as you hoped?”

“Maybe you’ll be able to tell me. You might notice some changes that we’re too close to see. Go get him if you like.”

Megan did like. She went back into the bedroom, and this time Kieran was standing in his crib rattling the bars.

“Hey, buddy, it’s Aunt Megan.” She moved slowly, since she knew he needed time to adjust. “Still sleepy?”

Kieran’s little mouth puckered, as if he was going to cry.

“Shhh…” She picked up the stuffed Pro Bear she’d bought on her way out of town, a Cleveland Browns collectible in an orange-and-black jersey. She wiggled it in front of him. “Look what I brought you, Kieran. Just for you.”

He stared at her as if she’d arrived from another galaxy. Then he began to wail.

She threw Pro Bear on the bed and crossed to the crib, lifting him into her arms. “It’s okay, sweetie, I know just how you feel.”

She was unsuccessfully rocking him in her arms when Peggy came in and relieved her. Kieran continued to scream as Peggy changed his diaper.

He calmed a little when Peggy took him into the kitchen and poured him some juice. But he refused to look at either of them, and stared at the sunlight flickering through the window even when she added a cookie and a bunch of grapes.

“I know you’ll want to work with him this afternoon,” Megan said. “I won’t get in your way.”

Peggy was trying not to look discouraged, but Megan knew her too well to believe it. “I think we’ll take the day off. Bridie’s coming for a cooking lesson. And Finn’s coming for dinner, though he doesn’t know it yet. Nora taught Bridie a few things, and I’ve taught her what little I know, but she seems to have a natural talent. And she wants to impress her father. We’re having fresh trout a friend brought Irene and garlic mashed potatoes.”

“Maybe I can pick up a few tricks from Nora while I’m here and write off the airfare. New authentic specialties for the saloon.”

“She’s great, but you could teach her a thing or two, I suspect. Don’t worry about Kieran. He can use a break, and so can I.”

“So I’ll get to meet Finn?”

“Uh-huh.”

“And you two are still seeing each other?”

“I wouldn’t put it quite that way.” Peggy joined her sister at the window but moved to the right when Kieran began to fuss. She had disturbed the light on the wall.

“How
would
you put it?”

“We’re friends. Close friends. We’re taking it slowly. He’s just beginning to come back after a very difficult time.”

Megan thought Peggy had already experienced enough difficult men. Megan had never liked Phil, and despite the excuses Peggy made for him and the modest support he provided, Megan thought he was irresponsible and selfish. Her sister had always been too understanding and too patient, and now Megan was afraid she’d adopted another deadbeat, only this time a deadbeat with a brogue.

“You’ve had a difficult time, too,” Megan pointed out. “Is anyone taking care of you?”

“It’s not like that, I promise. You’ll see when you meet him. And this wasn’t exactly an existential crisis he went through. He’s not trying to figure out the meaning of life. He lost his family.”

“Tell me about Bridie.”

“I adore her.” Peggy’s eyes brightened. “She’s wonderful, and so good with Kieran.”

“Are you falling in love with the father because you’ve already fallen in love with the daughter?”

Peggy’s cheeks bloomed with color. “What makes you think I’ve fallen in love with him?”

“I don’t know for sure. But I will by the time I get ready to go home.”

“You can’t know what I don’t know myself.”

They heard the front door slam, then a child’s voice. Irene and one of the prettiest girls Megan had ever seen came into the room. “Look who’s come to cook for us,” Irene said.

“I brought a cookbook from home, Granny ’rene.” A beaming Bridie held high a thick volume that looked as if it had seen many a meal. “You must be Megan. Peggy talks about you all the time. I never thought I’d get to meet you. Hi, Kieran.” Without waiting for an answer, Bridie went to stand right in front of the little boy, disturbing his concentration. “Look at me, not at the wall, boyo.”

Kieran looked up at her, his brow furrowed. Then he pitched forward and began to pummel her. As if this was the most common of greetings Bridie set him on her hip and, blocking his punches with one hand, mopped his face with a paper napkin with the other.

Megan looked at Peggy and found her sister was watching her. Megan shrugged. “Sometimes love’s like a smart bomb, isn’t it? Aims right for you, and there’s not a blessed thing you can do about it.”

Finn hadn’t had a good day. Twice now he had refused a supervisory position with the construction company for which he worked, but lately he’d begun to suspect they had awarded him the job anyway, without the raise in pay.

He liked physical labor and found it was a good way to put everything else out of his mind. He did not like telling other men what to do or how to do it, and he did not like making decisions about what they should do next. Today he had been forced to do all three.

He had never intended to keep the job, not for any length of time. He’d needed time to reconsider his life and his options. A year had slipped by, then two, and he was still installing pipe and water lines and ducking responsibility whenever he could.

The job was only part of today’s discontent. He had worked hard, doing his job and the foreman’s, but he hadn’t been able to put Peggy out of his mind. He had not intended to become involved with her. He had fallen into the relationship despite every struggle not to. Perhaps if they hadn’t been thrown together each time he checked on Irene…Perhaps if his own daughter hadn’t preferred Peggy’s company to any of her friends…

Perhaps if he hadn’t found Peggy so overwhelmingly alive and appealing…

Finn was aware of the slippery ground under his feet. Until the death of his wife and sons, he had been strong and confident, the student most likely to make a success of himself, the graduate courted by hospitals as far away as Edinburgh and London. As a young father he had effortlessly solved problems and doled out rewards, and as a husband he had supported and encouraged Sheila to find her own place in the world.

That self-assured young man had died off the coast of Ireland, and the hollow shell who remained broke into a cold sweat each morning when contemplating which shoelace to tie. That young man, who only shared the occasional leisurely drink at the pub with friends, had been replaced by a desperate, broken alcoholic, striving each day to remain sober.