The Summer Garden (14 page)

“I’ll give her the option, then,” Dillon said.

Nell watched her son walk away and shook her head. “For a few minutes there, I felt like a teenager again.”

“He sounded a lot like your very protective grandfather, didn’t he?” Dillon agreed. He looked into her eyes. “Now, where were we?”

Nell stepped back into his arms. “About here, as I recall.”

“Ah, yes,” he said, then once more touched his lips to hers.

Moira stood at the rail of the boat Kevin had commandeered for the day from Thomas’s foundation. Originally having intended it as a charter fishing boat, Kevin had instead given it to the foundation and joined his uncle in the work there. Moira gathered that his decision had caused some friction with Mick, who’d felt his son was going over to the enemy—his brother Thomas.

Now, though, here was Mick, right alongside his son, so apparently this particular O’Brien rift had healed. It was yet another example of the family dynamics for her to ponder.

As she watched the passing scenery, her grandfather joined her at the rail.

“You’ve some color in your cheeks this morning and a sparkle in your eye. May I assume things are going well with you and Luke?”

She smiled at the diplomatic phrasing. “Quite well, as a matter of fact.” She grinned at him. “I’m assuming you’d rather not have details.”

He laughed at that. “No, the details are definitely none of my business.”

She turned to study him. “You seem especially cheerful and content this morning as well. May I assume that you and Nell are having a wonderful time?”

“We are,” he said. “In fact, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.”

Moira stilled. Was he about to announce that they were marrying? She wouldn’t be that surprised to hear it, but what would it mean in terms of him staying on?

“About what?” she asked hesitantly.

“Nell’s asked me to stay on longer and I’ve agreed. I’ve left my businesses in capable hands, so there’s no need for me to rush back to Ireland. I can arrange for the extension, so I’ve decided to do it.”

“I see,” she said softly, not sure how she felt about the news. It meant she would be returning to Dublin alone.

He tucked a finger under her chin. “Don’t look so gloomy. You’ll be able to continue to live at my house in Dublin, if you like. That won’t change.” He held her gaze. “Or you could consider staying on here as well.”

As tempted as she was by the suggestion, Moira shook her head. “Not unless Luke were to suggest it,” she said insistently. “I came for a visit. That was the understanding.”

“I don’t think he’d object to your visit being longer.”

“Perhaps not, but he hasn’t asked me, as Nell asked you. Besides, there’s my work to think of. Peter has a few photography assignments lined up for me. I can hardly turn my back on those commitments. It wouldn’t be the best way to start a business, would it?”

“I suppose not,” he conceded.

In a way his agreement was a disappointment. A part of her wanted to stay—no question about it. Her real hesitation had far less to do with any work commitments than it did with worry about what Luke’s reaction might be. Ironically, she could justify staying here for work just as easily as she could going home, thanks to Megan’s interest in her photographs. No, the real issue was Luke.

Thankfully, though, her grandfather backed off. “The offer is on the table, if you change your mind,” he said. “Nell’s more than willing to have you as a houseguest for as long as you like. We’ve already discussed it.”

She smiled. “Do I sense a bit of matchmaking at work in that?” she asked. She wouldn’t put it past either of them.

“Nothing more than a gracious invitation,” her grandfather insisted, his expression all innocence.

Moira laughed. “You’re not fooling me!”

“I just want to see you happy, darling girl. That’s all.”

He headed off to find Nell, and Moira once more turned her attention to the beautiful scenery. She could fall in love with this place, she realized. It was a good thing, since she was already madly in love with one of its residents.

Luke stood off by himself at Henry’s birthday party, smiling at his young cousin’s delight at all the attention. A year ago, Henry would definitely have been too shy to enjoy it, but now he was as much an instigator of trouble and noise as anyone else.

Luke’s real focus, though, was Moira. Watching her work was a revelation. She insinuated herself right into the middle of all the kids, teasing them, her demeanor as carefree as theirs. It was extraordinary to see, as he’d not yet forgotten their uneasy introduction when she’d barely spoken a word to anyone. No wonder she excelled at taking photos of people. She transformed herself, especially around children. He realized for the first time what a wonderful mother she’d be.

To be honest, he’d had his doubts about that. Her moodiness, which was merely challenging to him, would be daunting for a child. Just thinking about it had given him pause every time he’d had a fleeting thought about taking another step in their relationship. Seeing her like this, though, reassured him.

Not that he was ready to take another step, not toward marriage, much less toward parenthood. As the pub’s opening crept closer and closer, his nerves were increasingly frayed. Every day was a battle between him and his endless lists of details. Truthfully, he had no idea if he even had all the necessary details on his lists. He just added things as he thought of them, crossed them off when they were done.

He should probably be at the pub right now, attacking a few more chores, but he hadn’t been able to pass up the chance to stop by Henry’s party. Like Connor, he was a sucker for cake. And, to be honest, he hadn’t wanted to miss the chance to glimpse Moira in her element.

She broke free, laughing, and headed his way. Sunlight caught in her hair, and her face was alight in a way he’d too rarely seen it.

“Having fun?” he asked as she neared.

“The best time ever,” she admitted. “I’ve never been around a more rambunctious group of kids. The best part is seeing Henry at the heart of it. He was already coming out of his shell when I met him at Christmas, but clearly he’s taken even more strides since then.”

Luke chuckled. “You should have been here when he first came to live with Shanna, before she and Kevin married. He practically faded into the woodwork because of the circumstances at home.”

“I heard his father—Shanna’s ex-husband—is an alcoholic. Is that right?”

“And has several serious related health issues. Henry was left to tiptoe around trying not to disturb his father. He had only a nanny to look out for him once Shanna divorced his father. It was his father’s parents who realized he’d be far better off with Shanna and negotiated the arrangements so she and Kevin could adopt him. Shanna sees that he still has frequent visits with his father and his grandparents, but they’re carefully controlled so that his dad is having his best possible days while Henry’s there. It’s worked out well all around.”

He smiled. “When he first arrived here, they actually thought quiet, studious Henry would be a good influence on Davy, but it’s turned out to work the other way. Davy’s given Henry back his childhood. And with a new baby in the house, I imagine there will be even more changes ahead.”

Moira glanced back toward the impromptu soccer game going on across the lawn. “It’s wonderful to see, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Luke said, but his gaze was fixed on her. “Are you happy with the pictures you’ve been taking?”

“I won’t know till I’ve a chance to look at them later,” she said with a shrug. “But there are bound to be one or two special ones.”

He regarded her with surprise. “But you must have taken hundreds.”

“At least,” she agreed, then grinned. “Special’s rare.”

“You’re already thinking like a professional,” he said. “Megan would be impressed.”

She drew in a deep breath, as if she were contemplating returning to a battle of some sort. “I suppose I should get back out there,” she said.

“Don’t you want time out for cake, at least?” he asked. “I could grab a slice for you. It came from Jess’s chef and it’s excellent, even if Gram has been muttering all afternoon about being relieved of cake duty.”

“Grab me a piece and save it for later,” she said. “I don’t want to miss any potentially great shots. Will you be around till the end?”

He shook his head. “I’m about to go back to work.” He looked into her eyes. “Meet me there when you’re finished?”

“It’s a plan,” she said at once, then pressed a quick, unsatisfying kiss to his cheek.

She was about to dart away when Luke snagged her hand. “Not so fast,” he said.

“What?”

He lowered his head and settled his mouth over hers, then lingered there until he heard her breath hitch and felt his own pulse scramble. When he stepped away, he smiled. “There now,” he said with satisfaction. “That’s a proper goodbye.”

“It is, indeed,” she agreed, her eyes sparkling. “Now I can hardly wait for hello.”

Neither could Luke.

12

M
oira picked up pizza on her way to Luke’s pub. It was the quickest, easiest meal she could think of, one he’d surely have enough time to eat. Truthfully, she was eager for a chance to put her memory card into his computer and see the results of her work at Henry’s party. She was almost as excited about that as she was about the prospect of spending time with Luke. And since he was increasingly distracted by his to-do list, she assumed she’d have plenty of time tonight for her own work.

As she’d anticipated, she found him in the office grumbling to himself about something. She set the pizza on the lone table in the main room, then headed off to get Luke.

Rather than talking to himself, though, he was on the phone complaining to a supplier.

“The linens were to be here yesterday,” he said. “I don’t care what the shipping report shows, they’re not here. And no, I don’t want to be on hold while you investigate. Don’t put me on hold.” A shocked expression crossed his face just before he glanced up and noticed her presence.

“She put me on hold,” he said, looking dumbstruck.

Moira bit back a chuckle. “I’m not surprised. I doubt I’d want to deal with you right now, either.” She gestured toward the phone. “When she comes back, no matter what she says, thank her politely and hang up. Monday’s soon enough to resolve this. Nothing’s going to be shipped today, anyway. And the opening isn’t tonight or even tomorrow. Your precious timetable’s just fine.”

“But it was already supposed to be en route,” he grumbled. “I wanted to check it off my list.”

“And you will get to do that on Monday. If they say it’s on a truck, it probably is. I’m sure there’s a tracking number somewhere that will tell them exactly where your tablecloths and napkins are hiding out.”

He frowned at her reasonable tone. She knew the role reversal must be astounding to him. He was supposed to be the calm, unflappable one, she the shrew.

“Yes, hello,” he said into the phone. “The package is at the substation in Baltimore? You’re absolutely sure? And it will be here Monday morning? Okay, then. Thank you. Sorry for biting your head off before.”

He put down the phone and heaved a sigh of relief. “Another crisis averted.”

She smiled. “It wouldn’t have been a true crisis unless it were the night before the opening,” she suggested. “Now, come into the other room. I’ve brought pizza.”

“But I was going to take you out,” he protested.

“Do you honestly want to be away from your lists for an evening? Not that I don’t think it would be good for you to have a break, but you seem to be increasingly obsessed with them.”

He laughed, his expression sheepish. “I am, aren’t I?” He studied her. “You honestly don’t mind spending the evening here?”

She gestured toward the window, still covered with brown paper. “I’d be happier with a view, but otherwise, as long as I can be here with you, I’m exactly where I want to be.” She grinned and admitted, “Besides, I’m itching to get on that computer of yours to look at the pictures I took this afternoon.”

“So this wasn’t an entirely noble sacrifice?” he teased.

“Not entirely,” she admitted.

“Did you get pepperoni?”

“Of course.”

“And sausage?”

“Yes, my dear meat-lover, your side is covered with all those artery-clogging things you love.”

“And yours?”

“Green peppers, onions and mushrooms.”

He made a face. “Too healthy.”

“It just means I’ll outlive you,” she teased. “Something you might want to consider.”

He opened the box, drew in a deep breath and sighed happily. “Nope. I’m good.”

He snagged a couple of beers from the refrigerator in the kitchen, then sat down across from her. Once he’d grabbed his first slice of pizza, Moira dared to bring up something that had been on her mind all day.

“Grandfather mentioned something to me this morning while we were out on Kevin’s boat,” she began.

Luke nodded. “How was that, by the way? Did you have fun?”

“It was great. I loved seeing all the little towns along the water, though, if you ask me, some of the homes are way too big.”

“The McMansions,” Luke said. “I hate them, too, and you should hear Uncle Mick and Uncle Thomas get going on them. It’s a rare moment of unity between them, especially with those owners who let their contractors clear-cut all the trees before building. They paid huge fines for doing it if they got caught, and I think Thomas made it his business to catch as many of them as possible.”

“As well he should,” Moira said. “What a terrible destruction of natural beauty.” She hesitated, then said, “My grandfather mentioned to me that he’s planning to stay on here for a while. Did you know about that?”

Luke nodded. “Gram told me right after you all arrived.”

Moira frowned. “So the decision was made that quickly?”

“Sure. I know Gram wanted it resolved as soon as possible and intended to ask Dillon the minute you got settled. She said he agreed immediately.”

“I see,” Moira said. “Then she’d talked to you about it ahead of time?”

“She mentioned it.” He studied her curiously. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy that he’s staying?”

“That’s fine, I suppose. It’s up to him, really.”

Luke watched her with a frown knitting his brow. “You’re saying all the right words, but you’re still not sounding happy. Is it the thought of flying home alone? Being in his house in Dublin on your own? What?”

“Both of those, I guess,” she said, because she wasn’t about to admit that she was perhaps irrationally hurt because it hadn’t once crossed Luke’s mind to suggest that she stay on longer. She told herself that wouldn’t have mattered had everyone stuck to the original plan. Nell’s invitation to her grandfather had changed things, though, and Luke had known about it. Yet he’d not felt at all compelled to suggest that she do the same thing. She knew she was being unreasonable, but her feelings were her feelings. She couldn’t always control them, and sometimes acting rationally was beyond her.

She put aside her pizza and stood up. “I think I’ll look at those pictures now, if you’re not planning to be on the computer.”

“That’s fine,” he said, though he continued to regard her with confusion. “Moira, what am I missing?”

“Nothing,” she said softly. “Not a bloody thing!”

Even as the words left her mouth, she knew only someone very dense would believe them. Luke wasn’t dense. Distracted, maybe, but never obtuse. Feeling foolish for giving away her distress, she left the room before he could ask whatever questions might occur to him and start a conversation it was probably far better for them to avoid. Letting him see that she was hurt was embarrassing enough. Letting him dig any deeper would be humiliating.

Luke stared after Moira as she hurried into the office. He’d obviously screwed up in some way, but it was beyond him how. They’d been talking about her grandfather and Gram. That’s when the temperature had cooled below freezing, but what did that have to do with the two of them?

It had been his experience that it was always best to resolve a situation like this immediately, but he’d had to learn with Moira to bide his time. Her temper needed to settle a bit before she’d open up with the truth. Otherwise, they’d wind up yelling to no avail.

Fortunately, he was able to give her plenty of space. Earlier he’d downloaded and printed a couple of dozen applications from potential employees. He’d scheduled the interviews for Monday, and now was the perfect opportunity to sort through the résumés and make a few notes for himself so he’d be able to see if experience on paper matched up with initial impressions in person.

He’d even found three people with a decent amount of kitchen experience who might be able to take over the cooking. All three had agreed to do a test run with a few of Gram’s recipes, so Luke wanted to narrow down those options to see which would provide the greatest challenge. This afternoon Gram had agreed to come in to taste the results and help him make his final choice. If Dillon and Moira joined them, they could make a party of it, he thought, turning the project into something he could actually look forward to.

He was completely absorbed in his work when he sensed that Moira was standing next to him. He hadn’t even heard her leave his office.

“Hey!” he said, blinking up at her. “What time is it?”

“Getting on toward eleven,” she said. “I think I’ll head back to your grandmother’s.”

He frowned at that. Obviously, the thaw hadn’t set in yet. “Is that what you want to do?”

She sighed and shook her head. “I just think it’s best.”

“Mind telling me why? Is this about whatever upset you earlier?”

She sighed and sat down beside him, then leaned forward, her expression earnest. “Luke, I’m trying really, really hard to understand your need to compartmentalize your life and proceed along at an orderly pace, but it’s hard. These circumstances make it hard.”

Though he didn’t yet understand, he nodded. “I’m listening,” he said, hoping to encourage her to go on.

Instead, she gave him an impatient look. “You should be able to figure it out. I’ve given you enough hints.”

He laughed, though he saw at once that that only irritated her more. “Sorry, but I’ve never professed to be a mind reader, Moira. And, to be honest, I’ve never been so involved with anyone that I’ve needed to practice being one.”

“And is that the case with me? That we’re not so involved that you have to waste any energy trying to figure out what’s upsetting me?”

He knew it was a trick question, one likely to land him in even hotter water, but he opted for honesty. “Frankly, one of the things I’ve liked the best about you is that from the beginning you’ve always spoken your mind. I always knew exactly where I stood. Even now, I know you’re thoroughly annoyed with me. I just keep waiting for you to tell me why.”

“I shouldn’t have to,” she said in frustration.

“But isn’t it easier to just say it than to try to prod me into guessing?” he replied, equally frustrated.

He held her gaze as he asked it, and eventually he saw the faint tug of a smile at the corners of her mouth.

“So I’ve reverted to being impossible Moira?” she suggested.

“Maybe just a little,” he said. “Don’t you know you can be straightforward with me by now? I’m trainable, Moira. I swear it.”

Now she did laugh and the tension broke.

“I think people have had it all wrong,” she told him. “
You’re
the impossible one. How am I supposed to stay mad at you?”

“Honestly, I wish you wouldn’t,” he replied. He reached for her hands. “Talk to me.”

“Okay, here it is. When grandfather told me he was staying on and then you said you’d known about it, it hurt my feelings that you hadn’t thought to ask the same of me.”

Luke regarded her with astonishment. “The one thing has nothing to do with the other,” he said. “We’re talking about your grandfather and Gram. They’re at an entirely different stage of their lives. They have the leisure to do whatever they like. You have this wonderful opportunity waiting for you in Dublin. I thought you were excited to be testing your wings at that. And I have this place to launch and manage and figure out how to make a success of it. I assumed you wanted to go home and that it would be selfish of me to suggest that you change your plans.”

“Which leaves us precisely where?” she asked. “Is there some sort of timetable in that logical, orderly head of yours?”

“Not really,” he admitted.

“So, what? If I happen to cross your mind, you’ll give me a call or send an email? If you’ve a free moment, you might fly over for a visit someday? Or if I have a sudden urge, I can do the same thing? Is it all that casual to you, then?”

“Yes,” he said, then immediately saw the mistake of his quick response in the darkening of her eyes. “I mean, no, not the way you’re taking it.”

“I don’t think there are that many different interpretations,” she said. She stood up. “I need to get to Nell’s.”

“No,” he argued. “You need to stay here so we can finish this conversation.”

She gave him a sad look. “I think we just did.”

And then, before he could react, she’d grabbed her jacket and purse and was gone.

The man was an idiot, pure and simple, Moira thought as she plodded her way back toward Nell’s cottage. There wasn’t a question in her mind that she’d be safe enough walking home at this late hour, but she did shiver as a breeze blew in off the bay. There was a storm brewing. She could feel it in the air. Anyone from Ireland would have recognized the signs.

The chilly rain started to fall just as she started up the road to Nell’s. She still had at least a half-mile walk ahead of her. She heard the car before the headlights appeared as it came around a bend in the road. It pulled to a stop beside her.

“Get in,” Luke said.

“I’m almost there. I can walk,” she said, still moving forward.

“Do not make me stop this car to drag you in here,” he said, clearly beyond annoyed.

“Go home, Luke. I’ll be fine.”

“And I thought my family was stubborn,” he groused, cutting the engine and climbing out of the car.