Cait rolled her eyes. If Shane believed Ellen's act then she would really need to reconsider if she was in love with this man.
Shane's eyes tracked the room before meeting Cait's. Cait held his gaze steadily.
"Is that so? Cait, is the pub not prospering? Resorting to breaking and entering these days?" Shane asked. Cait blew out a breath that she hadn't realized that she had been holding and smiled lightly at him.
"Well, you know, I like to live on the edge," Cait said.
"You are just going to stand here and allow this?" Ellen demanded and Cait whirled around to face her.
"Oh give it up. He came here with the guards. You're busted!"
The Guardai moved past Shane and towards Ellen. Ellen backed up into Jason.
"It was all Jason, I swear," Ellen said, throwing Jason directly in the line of fire. Jason backed up and scoffed down at her, his mouth hanging open.
"It wasn't," Cait offered and smiled at the glare that Ellen sliced her way.
"Aye, so I heard," Shane said and Cait felt her stomach plummet. So, he had been listening. She gulped as a lump filled her throat and tears pricked her eyes. This was to be it, then. There was no way he'd be interested in her now.
"Ellen, you're being charged with embezzlement." One of the guards began to read Ellen her rights as he clasped the handcuffs around her wrists.
Ellen whirled around and stared at Cait.
"Thanks a lot, you stupid freak. Go back to your little town and do your magick or whatever the shit it is you can do. Stay away from me," Ellen hissed at her. Cait could only look at the floor as Ellen was dragged from the room, professing her innocence the entire time.
"Jason, did you have a part in this?" Shane asked.
"I, yes, I did. But not in the way you think. I told her that it was wrong and that I wanted no part of it. Listen, I've got another girl. A good girl with a good heart. I never should have been caught up in this. I'm sorry. I wish you no harm, truly. Sorry, Seamus," Jason said and gestured to the old man.
"What did you do to Seamus?" Shane asked, surprise evident in his voice.
"Um, Ellen raised his rent," Jason said.
"Is that true, Seamus? Why didn't you tell me?" Shane demanded, looking hurt.
"Aye, I thought it was on your orders." Seamus shrugged. "I was moving me stuff out today."
"Well, move it back in. You aren't going anywhere," Shane said.
"You're a good man, Shane." Seamus smiled.
Shane turned to Jason and studied him carefully.
"If I don't press charges against you, do I have your word that you will settle down and lead a normal life?" Shane asked.
"You have my word. I only want things to be easy," Jason said gratefully.
"Then go." Shane gestured to the door and Jason lost no time in seeing himself out.
"Well, now that that is taken care of, I'm going to take Seamus home," Cait said quickly and moved past the counter, her feet hitting stacks of cash. "Oh, and, uh, here is a bunch of money. There is more in the black duffel bag in the bedroom."
"Cait, wait." Shane moved to stand in front of her.
Cait's stomach twisted and she straightened her shoulders. Unable to meet his eyes, she looked over his shoulder.
"We need to talk about this. I'm grateful for your help, though I don’t know how you ended up here," Shane said.
"How did you figure it out?" Cait demanded.
"I found enough discrepancies in the books that I figured out where it was coming from. But, I came today because I heard that you’d had a fight on the street. You never fight with anyone so I figured you found out. Not sure how, though." Shane tilted his head at her.
"Ah, well, all is well then. I've got to get going," Cait said nervously and turned to gesture to Seamus.
"Come on, Seamus, let's get you home," Cait said quickly.
Once again, she turned her back on Shane.
"One of these days you'll quit walking away from me, Cait Gallagher," Shane called after her. Cait shivered at the promise his words held.
Chapter 22
"When are you going to tell him that you can read minds?" Seamus asked easily once they were back in the car. Cait's foot slipped off the pedal and she glanced quickly at Seamus.
"So, figured that one out, did you?"
"It was fairly obvious," Seamus said.
"I can't tell him. What man wants to live with that?" Cait asked.
"I think he'd be right lucky to have you, Cait," Seamus said.
Cait just shrugged her shoulders and kept her eyes on the road. Spotting a parking space in front of the Baron, she eased the car in.
"Come in for a quick pint?"
"Sure, I'll help you take a few boxes in as well," Cait said.
Seamus stopped before getting out of the car.
"Cait, you need to talk to Shane. Look at what you did for him. You could have been hurt! You have to know that he would love anyone who would put themselves on the line for him like that," Seamus said.
"Yeah, well, you know…just trying to do a good deed," Cait said.
"He loves you. It was all over his face. Trust this old man," Seamus said wisely. Cait gaped after him as he stepped from the car.
"Well, he loves the me that he thinks he knows," Cait said stubbornly from across the top of the car.
"So? Give the man a chance to love all of you," Seamus said and gestured up the stairs to his apartment. A heaviness hit her chest and her mother's words filled her head. Cait didn't think that she would ever be able to truly show herself to Shane. She looked at the old man's bright eyes and a wave of courage hit her. Why couldn't she tell him? Maybe it was far past the time to show the world who she was, Cait thought. With a wide smile she looped her arm through Seamus' arm.
"Let's have that pint, shall we?"
Chapter 23
Cait walked down the steps from Seamus' apartment with a lighter heart. She'd spent an enjoyable hour with the old man while he had teased her about her ability and asked her if she could give him the winning lottery numbers. It was nice to be treated normally and even to poke some fun at her gift. Fun, Cait thought. She needed more fun in her life. Lately it had been all intensity and angst.
She let herself out the front door of the Baron and stopped short to see Shane leaning on her car.
"Shane."
"Cait, I just stopped by to have a word with Seamus and saw your car here. I figured that I would wait," Shane said.
"You could have come up. We were just having a pint." Cait shrugged a shoulder awkwardly.
"Walk with me?" Shane gestured to the square.
Helpless not to go with him, Cait nodded and walked by his side silently.
Shane didn't touch her. Together, they crossed the street in silence. Cait stared at the gray cobblestones of the square and felt a sense of dread fill her. They walked quietly for a few moments.
"I just came from talking to Ellen," Shane began.
Cait felt her heartbeat pick up and a thin layer of sweat kissed her forehead.
"She had some interesting things to say about you."
"Is that so?" Cait asked.
"Is it true?"
"Is what true, Shane?" Cait asked stubbornly, forcing Shane to say it.
"Can you read minds?"
Cait let out a small breath. The time had finally come. She could no longer hide behind her own expectations or boundaries.
"Yes."
One word, said so simply, and yet it had the power to change everything, Cait thought. She couldn't bring herself to look at Shane. A sheen of tears coated her eyes and she blinked furiously against them, refusing to cry in front of Shane. Instead, Cait watched a young couple laugh and dance through the square together. She wanted to be that couple…light and carefree.
"When were you going to tell me?" Shane's words carried a hint of anger and Cait turned to face him.
"Was I supposed to tell you?" Cait asked, tilting her head to look into his gorgeous face. By
God, he was angry, Cait thought in surprise.
"You didn't think that that was a valuable piece of information for me to have?"
"I didn't think that it was any of your business," Cait said and jutted her chin out.
Shane's face darkened and he struggled to breathe. Cait watched in fascination as he quelled his anger.
"That's a fairly important thing to tell the person who wants to be with you," Shane finally said.
A fissure of anger worked its way through Cait. She took a deep breath and thought…nice voice, use your nice voice.
"Oh? You want to be with me? In what way? As your sidepiece? As a fun-when-you-want-it kind of girl?
"What? No, I never said that," Shane said and grabbed her arm. Cait wrenched it away.
"Yeah, well you didn't say a lot, did you?"
"Well, apparently I didn't have to as you can just read my mind!" Shane shouted at her.
Cait stopped and stared at him and a cold rage filled her.
"I have never read your mind. Ever. I have morals, you know," Cait whispered furiously, offended to her very core.
"Oh, so you can just turn it off and on? How was I supposed to know as YOU NEVER TOLD ME!" Shane shouted, betrayal lacing his face.
"Why? So you could add it to the list of things that make me unsuitable for you?" Cait demanded, her hands at her hips. Her whole body trembled with anger. She couldn’t believe that they were doing this, in public at the square. She could see people steering clear of them and Cait could only imagine the picture they made. She was surprised to find that she was beyond caring.
"What are you talking about? Why wouldn't you suit me?" Shane said as he squinted at her in confusion.
Cait felt it build in her, all her insecurities, her mother's words, her sadness, and unable to stop herself she shrieked at Shane:
"Because I'm not good enough! You made that clear when you laughed at my dream of buying the pub. You only date people who are rich and from out of town. You buy the nicest things, have the best house in town, and only drive the fanciest cars. I'm not rich. I don't come from a stable upbringing. I'll never be on your level, Shane, so just leave me alone. Stop toying with my heart when you never meant to be with me anyway," Cait said, the steam going out of her words and trickling down into a whisper.
Shane gaped at her, his mouth struggling furiously to form words.
Cait held up her hand. "Just don't."
"You lied to me!" Shane said. "Don't try to change the subject to some stuff that isn't true and doesn't matter. Let's not forget the fact that you lied to me. You betrayed me, Cait," Shane said.
Cait's body trembled and she stared at Shane's furious face. He had completely dismissed her claims that she wasn't good enough as if they didn't matter. She didn't know if that meant that he didn't believe them or if he felt like her feelings weren't important. Confused, and not sure what to say next, Cait just stared at him helplessly.
Shane's phone rang and he raised his finger to her. Glancing at the phone, Cait could see his debate about answering. Reaching out, she scanned his mind.
"Go on, answer it, it's the Guardai."
Shane shot a shocked look at her.
"See? That's me, Shane. You'll never be able to change that," Cait said bitterly.
Shane just looked at her and shaking his head, he answered the phone. With one last look over his shoulder, he walked away from Cait, breaking her heart with every footstep.
Cait turned blindly and ran for her car, narrowly missing getting hit by cars as she raced across the street.
She'd been right all along, Cait thought, and hopping in her car, she raced from Galway, leaving her heart behind.
On the road, Cait picked up her phone and dialed Patrick.
"Hiya, Cait," Patrick answered cheerfully.
"Close the pub," Cait whispered.
"What's that?"
"I said, close the pub. Until further notice. I'll give you two weeks' pay," Cait said.
"Cait, what's wrong? You can't just close the pub!" Patrick's voice was filled with worry.
"I am. I'm sorry, Patrick. I'll let you know if anything changes," Cait said and hung up.
Chapter 24
Shane turned from his phone call to find Cait gone. He raced across the square to see that her car no longer sat in its spot.
"Damn it," Shane said.
Frustrated, he stood on the sidewalk, unsure what to do next. Fear and misery raced through him. He couldn’t believe it when Ellen had insisted that Cait could read minds. But, it made sense especially as he had overheard the last part of what Cait had said to Ellen in the penthouse. He felt like he'd been hit with a frying pan in the face. Everything that he thought he knew about Cait had shifted. A bitter taste of betrayal filled his mouth.
How could she think that she wasn't good enough? Shane had always been kind to her and everyone else in the village. Just because he liked nice things didn't mean that he felt he was better than anyone. Shane enjoyed spending the money he made from his hard work. Was that a bad thing?
Shane sighed as he eyed the door to the Baron. He needed to talk to Seamus and had to go back and finish pressing charges against Ellen. His heart heavy, he walked up the steps and knocked on the old man's door.
"Aye, Shane, good to see you," Seamus said as he opened the door and smiled widely at Shane. Shane felt a twinge of remorse at knowing what the old man had gone through.
"I wanted to stop by and tell you that you are welcome to stay here and that I'd like to offer you the rest of the year for free," Shane said quietly.
Seamus' eyes lit up, but then he examined Shane's face more closely.
"Why don't you come in for a moment?"
Shane nodded and stepped into the apartment, noting the piles of boxes that ranged the long wall of windows that looked out over the square. Regret filled him.
"I'm so sorry about this. I wish that you had contacted me," Shane said bitterly.
Seamus gestured him to a loveseat and offered him a bottle of Harp. Shane took it gratefully and Seamus pulled up a chair across from him.
"Ah, well, no harm done. If anything, it got me to do a nice deep clean," Seamus said cheerfully.
Shane winced at the ease with which the old man forgave him.
"Just like that? You aren't mad at me?" Shane asked.
"Now why would I be mad at you? It's that Ellen that's a witch after all," Seamus said, taking a long pull from his bottle of beer.
"Thank you," Shane said softly, staring at the floor.
"Ah, if you don't mind me saying, you look pretty upset," Seamus said. "Did Ellen do more harm than you realized?"
"I'm still finding out just how much she took. I need to get back to the guards and see what else she has confessed to. I have my assistant calling every tenant we've had in order to make sure that everyone gets their money back," Shane said wearily.
"You'll figure it out," Seamus said.
"Yeah," Shane said quietly.
Seamus cleared his throat and allowed Shane to sit in silence for a moment. Finally, the old man gestured with his bottle.
"That Cait, she's a fine woman, isn't she?"
Shane nodded.
"Risked a lot for her to come up here like she did," Seamus continued.
Shane nodded again.
"She must really care about you," Seamus said.
Shane glared at the old man and Seamus laughed.
"Got it bad, do you?"
"She lied to me!" Shane burst out.
Seamus raised an eyebrow at Shane and gestured with his beer bottle for him to go on.
"I feel like I don't even know her. What else is she lying about?" Shane said.
"Well, now, it seems to me like a woman honorable enough to come up to Galway and try to save your business probably isn't hiding much."
"Yeah, that you know of," Shane said bitterly.
"Have you thought about it from her perspective? It isn't the easiest thing to reveal to someone," Seamus sai
d.
"She should have told me," Shane insisted.
"Maybe. Maybe not. It's not something she can change. And, she would have been shunned by many if she had opened up about it," Seamus said.
Shane stopped and thought about it for a moment. He supposed that having to tell the world that you are different was probably pretty scary.
"Still…I'm not everyone. Things are different with me," Shane insisted.
"How so?"
"Well, I want more from her. I want to be with her! You are supposed to tell that to the person who wants to be with you," Shane said.
"Be with her? In what way?"
"Well…I," Shane said and stopped.
"Ah. I see. Have you told her that you love her?" Seamus said and took another sip of his beer.
"I haven't, actually," Shane whispered.
"So, you expect her to lay it all on the line for you but you haven't done the same for her?"
Annoyance sprang through Shane at the old man's words. It wasn't like that…was it?
"It's not like that," Shane said.
"Seems to me that you expect a lot of her but aren't doing the same yourself," Seamus said snippily.
"She said that she isn't good enough for my rich lifestyle," Shane said. "How does that even make sense?'
Seamus smiled and gestured to his apartment. "Well, there will always be class differences. Owners and employees, landlords and tenants. It's a power struggle. The one with less power will always feel more insecure."
Shane felt like someone had pulled the curtains back in his mind and sunshine flooded in.
"So, it's my job to make her feel secure," Shane said.
"Bravo, my boy. You haven't even told her you love her. How is she supposed to believe in you?"
"God, you're right. A hundred times, right. I've been so stupid."
"So? Fix it." Seamus smiled at him.
"I will. Hey, want a job? I'm looking for a new apartment manager," Shane said and Seamus' eyes lit up.
"Looks to me like this is the beginning of a new partnership, my friend," Seamus said and leaned over to tap his bottle against Shane's.
Chapter 25
The Mystic Cove Series Boxed Set (Wild Irish Books 1-4) Page 29
