The Summer Garden
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“You shouldn’t be wandering around in here without a hard hat,” he told her, not entirely glad to see her. She’d made her opinion of “this little project of yours” well-known. She hadn’t been delighted about it. She thought running a bar was beneath him. It was one of the few heated arguments they’d ever had. Usually they discussed nothing else worth fighting about. In Luke’s opinion, the handwriting was on the wall about their future…or lack thereof. Hadn’t he made that clear the last time they’d spoken?
“Since you’re spending all your time here these days, I thought you could show me around,” she said, then took in the room, her expression dubious. “There’s not much to see, is there?”
“It’s coming along,” he said defensively. “I can show you the plans if you’d like to take a look.”
“I’d rather you take me to Brady’s for dinner,” she said.
He shook his head before the words were out of her mouth. “I can’t. Sorry. I have to go to Gram’s tonight. Dillon’s arriving from Ireland, and she expects the family to drop by.”
Kristen looked skeptical. “Will all of you even fit in that little cottage of hers?”
“We’ll fit well enough,” Luke told her.
She watched him intently, obviously waiting for an invitation he had no intention of extending. Eventually, she sighed.
“Still not welcome on O’Brien turf,” she said wryly. “Is that ever likely to change?”
“I don’t know,” he told her candidly. “You did try to break up my sister’s marriage. Susie can hold a grudge with the best of them, and I can promise you there’s no one in the family who’s unlikely to take her side.”
She frowned at his observation. “Then what are we doing, Luke?”
“What we’ve always been doing,” he replied candidly. “Enjoying each other’s company when it suits both of us.”
“What if that’s not enough anymore?”
He’d been wondering the same thing, though for slightly different reasons, he suspected. “We talked about this the other night. It’s time for you to move on. You don’t want more from me, Kristen. You know you don’t.”
She held his gaze, then sighed. “I thought I might.”
“Only because you knew it wasn’t in the cards,” he said with certainty. “Find someone you can fall in love with, someone who won’t have all these obstacles to overcome.”
“You’re the only interesting game in town,” she said, her expression surprisingly sad.
He laughed at that. “You know that’s not true. It was just easier not to look because I was right there. And I think you thought it might make my brother-in-law a little crazy to know we were hooking up. It’s always had more to do with your feelings for Mack than it has with me.”
“You’re wrong about that! It had nothing to do with Mack,” she said, bristling even though they both knew the truth. She stood a little straighter, her pride obviously kicking in. “Okay, then. It’s time to move on.” She gave him a wickedly bold look. “Let me know if you change your mind. I’ll see if I can still fit you into my schedule.”
“I don’t think I’ll count on that,” he said with total sincerity. “I imagine someone will snap you up the second they know you’re available. You just have to get out there and mingle. I could—”
“If you offer to fix me up with someone, I’ll have to kill you now,” she said.
Luke laughed. “Okay, then, no matchmaking. I’m probably no good at it, anyway.”
She stepped closer, leaned in and kissed his cheek. Then she shifted to capture his mouth in a move that normally aroused a sizzle in his bloodstream. Today, though, he seemed to be immune, and she obviously felt it. She sighed as she stepped away.
“Take care, Luke. It’s been fun.”
“It has been,” he agreed, relieved to have it officially over, relieved they were parting with no scenes or recriminations. To his mind, that meant it had never amounted to much to either of them in the first place. This was good.
What he couldn’t explain—or didn’t want to—was why he seemed to have this great big empty hole in his heart. He had a hunch it had more to do with the woman across the ocean than it did with the one who’d just left his arms.
Moira was so excited about being in a country far, far away from her familiar little corner of Ireland that she couldn’t quite decide where to look first. Baltimore’s traffic was no more chaotic than Dublin’s, though it seemed so as they raced along on what seemed to her to be the wrong side of the road. She’d been delighted to know that Mick O’Brien would be escorting Nell to the airport to pick them up. She was sure all the commotion wouldn’t faze such a man in the least. She found Mick and his larger-than-life personality fascinating, albeit slightly intimidating.
Riding in the front with Mick while her grandfather rode in back with Nell, Moira had a million questions, but found she didn’t need to utter a one of them. Mick provided a running commentary as they drove south, eventually making their way onto narrower roads and then to the community of Chesapeake Shores itself. Her first view of the bay, seen at the end of Main Street in a charming downtown, immediately captured her fancy and reminded her of villages back home.
“It’s like home,” she exclaimed with delight. “Yet it has a unique look of its own, brighter and a bit more modern and up-to-date.” She turned to him with amazement. “And you created this, the whole town, from nothing?”
“I did,” Mick confirmed.
“And is it Matthew that I remember is following in your footsteps?”
“One of these days he’ll be even better than I am,” Mick confided, “but don’t tell him I said that.”
She took in everything—Bree O’Brien’s Flowers on Main with its buckets of brilliant bouquets on the sidewalk, the quaint bookstore she learned belonged to Shanna O’Brien, Mick’s daughter-in-law, a boutique called Seaside Gifts and, at the end of the block, a store with a hodgepodge of things for every vacationer called Ethel’s Emporium. They all faced a town green brightened with beds of red tulips and a few stray leftover daffodils from earlier in the spring.
“Where are Megan’s art gallery and Heather’s quilt shop?” she asked Mick as she gazed eagerly out the window.
“Just around the corner on Shore Road,” he told her. “You can come into town tomorrow for the complete tour. For now, though, I’m sure your grandfather would like to get to Ma’s so he can rest a bit before everyone descends for drinks and dinner a bit later. If you’re not in need of rest, I’ll take you for a walk along the bay, if you’d like. You’ll begin to get your bearings.”
“That would be perfect,” she said with delight. “I’m far too excited to sleep.”
Though she wanted desperately to ask if Luke would be at tonight’s gathering, she held back. She’d heard tales about Mick’s meddling. It was probably best if he remained in the dark about her real reasons for making this trip. Not that there was much question that he’d already have his suspicions.
As he turned off the road into a narrow driveway, she couldn’t seem to suppress her delighted gasp of pleasure. It was like coming upon a doll’s cottage by the edge of the sea. The yard was filled with flowers just beginning to bud. A white picket fence with climbing roses tumbling over it surrounded the yard and created a colorful backdrop against the bay just beyond. She had to admit, it looked exactly like something Nell would have created—warm, cozy and inviting. She turned to tell her that and caught her grandfather holding Nell’s hand. He winked at her.
“So, what do you think, Moira? Is Chesapeake Shores the way we described it for you?” Nell asked.
“It’s wonderful,” she admitted. “And your house is like something from a storybook. I think I’ve fallen in love with it straight off. You’ve a great talent for gardening as well.”
Nell regarded her with real pleasure. “Thank you. I hope you’ll see it in summer when everything’s in full bloom. And I truly hope you and your grandfather will be comfortable here.”
“Of course we will,” her grandfather said at once. “And we thank you for having us.”
“It was very generous of you to include me,” Moira told her.
Mick made quick work of getting their things inside. Though Nell offered her tea, Moira declined. “Mick said he’d show me the way to the beach, if that’s all right.”
“Of course it is,” Nell said. “While you’re here, you’re to go and come as you like. I have a feeling I’ll be seeing little enough of you after tonight’s party.”
Moira gave her a quizzical look, but didn’t respond. Had her grandfather told Nell that she was here because of Luke? She sighed. Of course he had. Or Nell had put two and two together for herself. With them there was little point in denying her reasons for making this trip.
What remained in question was how Luke would react when he discovered that she’d invaded his turf. For one fleeting second, panic made her wish she was back in Dublin, serving pints of ale at McDonough’s or launching that photography career at full throttle.
But then she thought of Luke, of the way he’d looked at her, the way he’d touched her and held her, and her heart raced with anticipation. Tonight’s party couldn’t begin soon enough.
5
Luke was late. He’d gotten totally absorbed in completing the painting of the wall that would be behind the bar, twice changing his mind about the color. The foreman Uncle Mick had put on the job had finally lost patience with it and told him to work it out in his head, then do it himself or leave it till morning. He could hardly blame the man. He suspected that Mick himself would have said far worse.
In the end, he’d raced home, showered and changed and was now walking up the driveway at Gram’s over an hour after most of the others had arrived. In fact, several of his cousins who had small children were already leaving.
“Someone’s in trouble!” Connor called out in a singsong taunt as he and Luke crossed paths.
“Stop it!” Heather told her husband. “Don’t be spoiling the surprise.”
“Heather’s right,” Shanna said just as Kevin looked as if he was going to add his own comment. “Quiet, both of you!”
Luke looked from one man to the other. Weren’t cousins, especially guys, supposed to stick together? “What am I missing?” he asked them.
“The party,” Shanna said firmly, scowling first at Kevin, then at Connor, apparently to ensure their silence. “But you already know that, so you’d better hurry.”
Connor grinned at the direct order, but Kevin merely shrugged as if he had zero control over his wife.
“Sorry, man,” he muttered as he passed Luke.
As Luke got closer to the house, he heard noise coming from the backyard, so rather than going inside, he walked around the side of the house.
“There you are!” Mick boomed in a way that was far more welcoming than usual. “It’s about time.”
Luke frowned. “Why is everyone making such a fuss because I’m a little late?” he asked just as the crowd seemed to magically part, leaving him with a clear view of his grandmother, Dillon and, at Dillon’s side, Moira. Luke’s heart seemed to come to a complete stop in his chest as she met his gaze, her expression a familiar mix of defiance and fear. He knew that look all too well. She was scared to death about his reaction, but trying hard to pretend otherwise.
Luke crossed the lawn, unable to take his eyes off her. “You,” he said softly. “You’re here!”
“So I am,” she said, her gaze searching his face. “Are you pleased?”
“Stunned, as a matter of fact.” Her eyes clouded at his words, so he quickly added, “In a good way, Moira. In a very good way.”
In fact, it was just about the best surprise he could ever recall…and that flat-out terrified him.
Her lips slowly curved into a smile at his words. “Well, I suppose that’s a warmer welcome than I gave you on the night we met in Dublin.”
Luke laughed. “There was no welcome,” he reminded her. “You’d have been pleased if I’d turned right around and left for the hotel. In fact, you did your best to see that not only I, but all of us, did just that.”
“My manners and my disposition have improved since then,” she told him. “Though I have a few things to say to you about yours.”
Luke winced. “I know I’ve been neglecting you.”
“And me,” Dillon said, interceding. “It’s good to see you again, Luke.”
Luke shook the older man’s hand. “I’m glad you’re here, sir. Gram’s been looking forward to the visit ever since we got back.” He turned to his grandmother. “And you,” he chided. “I assume you knew about the surprise.”
“Of course I did. Dillon and I worked it all out and kept it to ourselves. I must admit I could hardly wait to see your reaction.” She smiled at him. “It told me quite a lot.”
“Gram,” he warned, only to have her wave him off.
“Moira, why don’t you go with Luke to fill a plate? I’m sure he’s starving.” She gave him a chiding look. “Though there’s little guarantee that there will be much left to choose from at this hour.”
“I’m sorry I was late,” he apologized.
“And even sorrier now that you know who awaited you, I imagine,” she teased. “Go on now and enjoy yourself.”
Food was the last thing on his mind, but he took the time to choose a few things from the buffet, poured himself a glass of iced tea, refilled Moira’s glass, then led the way to a pair of weathered Adirondack chairs facing the bay. At twilight the view was amazing with shades of purple descending to meet the last shimmering reflections of gold on the water as the sun set behind them to the west.
He set his plate on the arm of the chair, then took a step forward and reached for Moira, studying her face, remembering the way she felt, the way she tasted.
“I’ve missed you like crazy,” he said right before he sealed his mouth over hers. “And this,” he murmured eventually. “I’ve missed this.”
She held his gaze as he slowly released her. “I was so afraid you hadn’t,” she admitted in a rare display of vulnerability.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
“It was only a couple of weeks ago when grandfather suggested it. You’d been saying less and less in your emails, and while I understood it was because you were busy, a part of me worried it was more than that. I even wondered if you’d tell me not to come.”
“Why would I do such a thing?” he asked, genuinely shocked that she could even imagine it. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Even now, when you’ve so much on your mind?” she asked, searching his expression for the truth.
“Especially now,” he admitted, realizing it was true. Gram had tried to tell him that Moira belonged here, that she was a part of this pub dream of his, but he hadn’t accepted it until he’d set eyes on her tonight. She’d been by his side as he’d worked out his ideas, listening to him, encouraging him, challenging him when she thought he’d got it wrong. “You’ll be here for the opening, right? You’re staying the whole time your grandfather’s here?”
“Unless you try to chase me away,” she said, then grinned. “And then I’ll only go far enough to annoy you, but not so far that you can forget me.”
Though he wasn’t quite ready to let her go, he was aware that they had an audience of interested O’Brien onlookers not that far away. He nudged her toward a chair. “Sit before I’m tempted to do something that will shock my family.”
She looked intrigued by that. “Really? Such as?”
“I want nothing more than to drag you down onto the ground and have my way with you,” he said candidly, enjoying the quick rise of heat in her eyes.
Still, she only laughed. “You’ve some more apologizing to do before that’s in the cards, Luke. Women don’t appreciate being ignored, no matter what the circumstances. At least, I don’t.”
“You know it was only because of how busy I’ve been, right? It had nothing at all to do with my feelings for you. Nothing’s changed about those. I swear it.”
“Pretty words,” she commented. “You’ve a way with them. We’ll see if you can back them up with actions.”
He smiled. “Is that a challenge?”
“Of course it is. Isn’t that one of the things you said you liked best about me? I didn’t fall easily into your bed in Ireland. I see no reason for that to change here.”
Luke laughed. “I look forward to persuading you, then.”
There was pure mischief in her eyes then. “And I look forward to being persuaded.”
“I think it’s going well,” Dillon observed, casting yet another glance toward his granddaughter and Luke, who’d been keeping to themselves since the moment Luke had made his belated entrance at the party.
Nell gave him a wry look. “I suspect it would be going better if there weren’t an audience over here who can’t seem to keep their gazes to themselves.”
Dillon chuckled. “Point taken. And the truth is, now that the rest of your family has left, I wouldn’t mind having you to myself away from prying eyes as well. Since the seats by the water are occupied, would you like to go inside and snuggle with me on your sofa?”
“And risk scandalizing the young people when they come inside?”
“I don’t think there’s any danger of that,” Dillon said. “Those two could easily be out here till sunup. They’ve a lot of catching up to do.”
“Aren’t you tired from your trip?” Nell asked, studying him with concern.
“I was, but that nap earlier refreshed me. I don’t want to waste another minute of my first day here with you. It’s been a very long time coming.” He studied her and wondered if maybe the problem was with her, not him. “What about you, though, Nell? Have you worn yourself out getting ready for company? Would you rather call it a night?”
“I am a bit tired,” she admitted with obvious reluctance. “All the excitement has taken more of a toll than I realized. Maybe we should call it an early night, so we’ll be fresh for all the things I want to do with you tomorrow.” She smiled at him. “There are so many places I want to take you, Dillon, so much I want to share with you. A month will never be long enough.”
Now it was his turn to worry. She’d never expressed any interest in being the first to bed over the holidays in Dublin. She’d had more energy than some of the women half her age.
He tucked a finger under her chin and studied her intently. “What’s going on, Nell?”
“Just too much excitement,” she insisted, her expression stubbornly defiant. “I’ll be fit as a fiddle in the morning. I can’t wait to show you the town.”
He had no choice but to take her at her word, but he didn’t like what he was seeing or hearing. It wasn’t his usual nature to ask questions behind her back, but if he didn’t find that this had passed with a good night’s rest, he’d speak to Mick. He had no intention of losing Nell after having just gotten her back into his life.
“I’ve never seen anything more beautiful,” Moira said, gazing at the moon rising over the Chesapeake Bay.
“Neither have I,” Luke said, though his gaze was on her, not the water.
She smiled at him. “There’s that pretty way with words again.”
“Come over here and sit with me,” he encouraged. “Everyone’s gone inside now. We’re out here on our own. I just want to hold you.”
Moira hesitated, but the temptation was too much to resist. And why should she? Wasn’t this what she’d come for, to discover if being with Luke was the same now as it had been a few months ago?
She crossed the few steps to his chair, then settled in his lap, her head resting on his shoulder. She sighed softly at how right it felt to be there. Even here, in a new land, it felt like coming home.
“You smell lovely,” she commented, drawing a chuckle.
“Then it’s a good thing I took the time to shower before coming over here tonight,” he said. “After a long day at work, especially covered with paint as I was a few hours ago, you might not have felt the same way.”
“Tell me about the progress on the pub,” she said eagerly. “Will I be able to see it tomorrow?”
“You’ll be almost the first I’ve let through the doors,” he admitted. “I’ve been keeping most of the family at bay. I want them to see it first when I hold the grand opening. Matthew, my father and my uncle have seen it, of course, since they’re doing the work, but no one else has stepped inside.”
“Would you rather I stayed away, too?”
His silence sent a strange chill through her. Finally, he said, “No.”
“There wasn’t much sincerity behind that,” she said accusingly. “If you don’t want me there, just say so.”
“Don’t go getting prickly on me now,” Luke chided. “I was just debating the value of having your opinion now versus seeing the look on your face when it’s all completed.”
She relaxed then. “And the verdict, then?”
“I want you to see it now. You more than anyone deserve to get an early glimpse. You were there while I was working it all out in my head. You know the effect I was hoping to achieve. You may be able to spot whether I’ve gone off course.”
“And you’d want me to tell you that?” she asked.
He gave her a wry look. “Could I keep you from it? One of the many traits I love about you is your commitment to saying what’s on your mind and never holding back.”
“I may not have much practice, but I could be sensitive and subtle if I put my mind to it,” she offered.
“Absolutely not. I don’t want censored remarks. I want the truth.”
She heard the faint hint of vulnerability in his voice and knew she’d find the right words. She had to. She touched his cheek. “It’s going to be wonderful, Luke. I know it is. Have you found music for the opening?”
“I have a stack of demo CDs in my office and no time to listen to them. I have to do that soon, or I’ll be doing Irish karaoke on opening night.”
“I could give a listen, if you like, and recommend a few. Then you could make the final choice from those.”
“That would be a godsend,” he told her.
“It would make me feel a part of it,” she said.
They sat there in companionable silence for a while as the moon turned the bay to silver.
“Tell me about you,” Luke said eventually. “You mentioned taking photographs that Peter framed and hung on the walls at McDonough’s. How did that come about?”
Moira sat up straighter in his lap and filled him in. “Never in a million years did I expect such a reaction when he glimpsed the picture I’d taken of you. I thought he was just being kind, but people have been asking about me, wondering if I’d be available to shoot photos of their weddings or of their babies. Can you imagine?” she asked, unable to keep the excitement from her voice. “I have actual jobs lined up for my return. Isn’t that incredible? In fact, I did a photo shoot of a baby before leaving, and the mum and dad were absolutely gaga over the photos, or so they said. They ordered a lot, so it must have been true.”
Luke seemed to go very still as she talked. Though he said all the right words, he didn’t seem to share her excitement. She frowned.
“I thought you’d be happier,” she admitted. “I’ve finally found my niche, just as you have.”
“But it means you’ll be going back to Dublin,” he said, sounding vaguely disgruntled by that.
“It’s where I live,” she said. “I’ll be going back. Did you think I came all this way intending to take up residency? I would never be so presumptuous, Luke. This is a surprise visit—nothing more.”
“Of course it is,” he said. “And it’s a wonderful surprise. Don’t mind me. I don’t know why I reacted like that.”
Ironically, Moira thought she knew. And for the first time since Luke had set eyes on her earlier in the evening, she felt a real glimmer of hope that this visit and what it might suggest about their future mattered to him as much as it did to her.
Though it had been well after midnight when Luke had finally managed to tear himself away from Moira after the party, he was back by seven in the morning to share breakfast with her. But when he arrived at the cottage, it was only his grandmother he found awake and stirring. She was making oatmeal and checking on the cranberry-orange scones she had in the oven. He leaned down to kiss her cheek.