“Sure and I don't need a murderer for this baby's father, now, do I?” she asked him.
“No, thank you. Please, do nothing. If you do something then it means it is important to me. And…he's nothing,” Aislinn said softly.
“Ash,” Keelin began, running her hand down Aislinn's arm.
“Nothing. It's nothing. I'm a big girl and I will get over this. Now, I need you ladies to work extra hard on making me look amazing tonight.” She stopped and turned as she walked towards her pile of clothes. “Oh, and don't hurt Baird. But, I don’t want him at my show. Understood?”
“We'll take care of it,” Flynn said evenly and Aislinn nodded.
“I don’t want to talk about it. I don't want to give it more power than it already has. I have to focus on tonight. Please, distract me,” Aislinn begged as she sat in a chair, and Keelin brought her bag of makeup over.
“Flynn is looking at buying another restaurant along the river here,” Keelin said and Aislinn smiled at her, grateful for the bond that she and her half-sister had built through the year, and for her tight-knit support group.
She couldn't have imagined what would have happened if they hadn't been here.
“Fantastic, I'll paint something for the walls,” Aislinn said and smiled up at Keelin. “Now, make me beautiful.”
Chapter 38
She was gone.
After Baird had sorted things out with the security guard and convinced him that he wasn't out to hurt Aislinn, he had run to the door to see that the courtyard was empty. As he'd made to leave, Matthew had stopped him.
“Baird, I'm so sorry, I thought that was why you had brought her with you. It was an honest mistake,” Matthew had panted at his side, his cheeks pink with embarrassment.
And, it had been. An honest mistake.
Because at the beginning, before he really knew where things were going with Aislinn, he had emailed Matthew with questions. It was part of his nature to question things that he didn't understand and to seek answers. When Matthew had invited Baird to bring Aislinn up to see if she would like to try to learn more about how her ability worked, Baird had left it open-ended.
We'll see, he'd written. Baird shook his head as he thought about those words.
He'd fallen for Aislinn soon after that email.
When Baird had known that he was coming to Dublin with her, he had emailed Matthew and explained that their relationship had changed and that he didn’t want or need answers about Aislinn anymore. And, that he suspected that she wouldn’t take kindly to Matthew's inquiries about it. It appeared that Matthew had never gotten his email.
Baird crumpled her note between his hand, fury and sadness raging through him at her words. Stay away from her. Like he was some kind of hooligan that would hurt her.
Except he had hurt her.
His own disbelief and refusal to accept what she was had done this to her. Baird never should have tried to research it, not after they'd slept together. He'd violated her trust – right from the start. He laughed derisively at himself. God, even when he'd told her that he loved her he had condescended to her about her gift. When had he turned into such a high-minded jerk? He'd held a beautiful, astonishingly creative, and exceptionally sensitive woman in his arms and through his own blindness, he'd let her slip away.
He didn't even know if he could fight for her.
“You could go to the show, you know.” A voice, rich like a warm brandy, paralyzed him for a moment. Goosebumps stood out on his arms and the room felt like it had been plunged into an ice locker. Slowly, he turned.
A woman sat in the chair by the window, resplendent in a red velvet dress, her hair pulled back in intricate knots with a silver chain woven through it. Her eyes dominated in a face that was both beautiful and intimidating. Strength radiated from her, as did an otherworldly aura. Baird's mouth went dry.
“I'm sorry, but have we met? Did Aislinn tell you to come here?” Baird tilted his head at the strange woman, confused by her presence, not sure why she made him want to reach for a weapon. Something was off about her.
A smile flitted across the woman's beautiful face. “No, Aislinn did no such thing. I presume then that you don't know who I am?” She tilted her head and waited for Baird to speak.
Baird could feel his heart beating, as though someone was playing a drum against his chest, and his fingers tightened involuntarily until he dug his nails into his palms.
“No,” Baird whispered.
She stood and Baird stumbled back, his legs hitting the bed, his butt following shortly thereafter. When she'd stood and moved away from the chair…he could see the chair through her. Baird gulped and shot his eyes towards the door. Could he run for it?
“Oh stop it. I mean you no harm. I'm Grace O'Malley, and Aislinn is descended of my blood. You should consider yourself honored that I've chosen to show myself to you. Rarely do I make my presence known except for those lucky enough to share my blood.” Grace raised her chin and looked down at him, every inch the pirate queen that great lore made her out to be.
Baird tried to regulate his breathing. Was he dreaming? Hallucinating?
“Stop questioning how this is. I've little time here, now pay attention,” Grace barked at him and Baird jerked to attention, nodding at her as she began to pace. His stomach swam a bit as he could see the pictures on the wall through her shadowy form.
“You've insulted Aislinn, and everyone of my blood for that matter,” Grace began. Baird opened up his mouth to speak but Grace held up her hand to stop his words.
“That being said, I understand that men can be foolish and should be given second chances.”
Baird wanted to speak but wisely kept his mouth shut. There was little sense in arguing with a ghost.
“You must go to her. She doesn't trust you right now. Go to her, find the revelation. You'll know what to do then,” Grace said.
“The revelation?” Baird asked in confusion.
“Go to her. You've hurt her. Prove your love,” Grace ordered and as Baird opened his mouth to speak, she faded from the room. Baird jumped up and ran to where she had stood. Putting his hands on his hips, he scanned the room, looking for any video cameras or projection monitors that would have been able to fake this apparition.
And, God help him, he let out a shriek when he was shoved by something that he couldn't see.
“Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Yes, I see that you are real,” Baird shouted into the empty room. Message received, he thought. Stop questioning what you don't know. Sinking down onto the bed, Baird ran Aislinn's note through his hands again. He glanced at his watch to see that the show would be starting in an hour. Baird suspected that Aislinn was still in the hotel, probably getting ready in one of the girls' rooms. And, in all likelihood, the men would be out to harm him.
As though on cue, there was a knock at the door. Baird sighed, anticipating what was coming. Peeking through the peephole in the door, he quickly debated not answering.
“We can see you,” Flynn called through the door.
Baird sighed and opened the door, holding his palms up immediately.
“I'm in love with her,” he said and closed his eyes as Shane's fist stopped mere inches from his face.
“Great control, lad,” Flynn said and patted Shane on the shoulder. Baird stepped back and motioned for the men to come in. Shane and Flynn sat on the bed while Patrick paced, an unhappy look on his face.
“You've gone and made a mess of things,” Flynn began.
“Aye, I know. I truly didn't mean to hurt her, but she gave me little time to explain before she ran off,” Baird said.
“Explain now,” Patrick demanded and Baird turned, raising an eyebrow at the young man.
“Aye, he's a feisty one. I can attest to that,” Shane said.
Baird ran through a brief explanation and then said, “Listen, it's in my nature to question things. It isn't even out of judgment. I just like to seek answers. I'm trained in trying to figure things out. It never came f
rom a place of wanting to hurt her.”
Flynn chuckled and Shane shot him a nasty look.
“Well, I'm just laughing at the fact that he tried to figure out a woman. One of ours, at that. I mean, hasn't he learned that one can never really understand women?”
Baird cracked a smile at that, though his heart still raced in his chest from his encounter with Grace.
“How do you, uh, deal with that? With your women having power?” Baird asked and then cast his eyes to Flynn. “Wait, does Keelin have power?”
“Aye, she can heal with her hands,” Flynn said matter of factly and then chuckled when Baird's mouth dropped open in shock. “Suspend disbelief, my dear boy. Sometimes there are no explanations.”
Baird shook his head, reeling at the idea that pretty Keelin was able to heal someone with her hands. He turned and raised an eyebrow at Shane.
“Yes, Cait can read minds. She turns it off for the most part or is really good at hiding it. It's a gift as much as a curse to her. It isn't easy always being able to hear people's thoughts shooting through your head,” Shane said. Baird hadn't thought about it like that. He supposed that it had to be hard for Aislinn to always be exposed to people's feelings, never having a filter of sorts.
Which made him feel even worse as he began to realize that her ability was both a gift and a curse.
“I'm an idiot,” Baird finally sighed and threw up his hands.
“Fix it,” Flynn ordered and turned a steely look on Baird. “And, if you don't, I'll see you run out of Grace's Cove. I don't need violence like this one.” Flynn gestured to where Shane sat, a wicked grin on his face.
“She doesn't want me to go to the show tonight.”
“Aye, we've been instructed to keep you away,” Flynn said.
The men sat in silence as they surveyed each other for a moment.
“We could agree to not see him?” Patrick spoke up.
“I'm okay with that on one condition,” Flynn said, raising his hand. “If, even for a moment, she looks unhappy, you're out. Got it? This is her night and nothing, I mean nothing at all, is to stop her from having a good night. So figure out a way to make it happen or don’t come at all.”
Baird nodded at him. “I have no idea how to do that, but I will think of something.”
The men nodded, casting pitying looks on Baird as they filed from his room. Baird stayed where he was, his hand closed around her note, as his mind whirled.
Fiona.
Chapter 39
“Open up, I can see you.” Baird echoed the words that Flynn had just said at his door mere moments ago.
Fiona cracked the door and sniffed at him. “And, why should I let you in?”
“I just saw Grace O'Malley.”
Fiona's eyes widened and without a word, she opened the door and motioned for Baird to enter her room.
“Whiskey?” Fiona asked, and Baird looked at her in surprise. A bottle of Redbreast 12 sat on the sideboard in her room.
“Please.”
Resplendent in a woolen navy dress with silver threading, her hair tied back in an intricate knot, and sparkly drops at her ears, Fiona looked every inch the descendent of his ghostly visitor. Fiona plucked an ice cube from the ice bucket and dropped it in a glass, before pouring a generous splash of the whiskey in the glass. She moved to Baird and offered him the glass.
“Slàinte,” she said and clinked her glass to his. “Speak.”
“Have you heard what happened with Aislinn?”
“Of course,” Fiona said, not pretending to play coy. Baird appreciated her directness.
“I love her. It's a huge misunderstanding,” Baird said. Fiona only nodded, piercing him with her steely gaze as she took a sip from her glass.
“That's some misunderstanding. I suppose there is a lesson in it for you though,” Fiona murmured and Baird cracked a smile at her.
“Aye, as I'm seeing now,” he said.
“Why do you think that it was Grace O'Malley that you saw?” Fiona asked.
“Why did she appear to me? She said that she didn't show herself to those not of her blood,” Baird said.
Fiona raised an eyebrow at him. “So, it was her.”
“That I know of. But, seeing you dressed up and having just seen her, I can see the resemblance. You're both powerful beauties,” Baird said.
Fiona beamed at him and crossed the room to gather her purse and a wrap.
“Thank you, I appreciate the compliment. Especially at my age. Now, I must be leaving shortly. Tell me what Grace said.”
“She told me to go to the show. To find the revelation. That I would have my answer then.” Baird bit his lip, wondering how he would do this without upsetting Aislinn further. He looked up at Fiona. “I need your help.”
Fiona was silent for a moment as she thought about it.
“Let me call Flynn. I'm supposed to ride with them. Do they know?”
“Yes,” Baird said.
Fiona pulled a sleek cell phone from her pocket and rang Flynn. After a few murmured words, she flipped it closed and put it back in her purse.
“It looks like you're my date. Shall we?”
Baird breathed out a sigh of relief. Then he looked at Fiona, worry filling his mind.
“She never said she loved me, you know. I just realized that. Maybe I shouldn't do this. Maybe she doesn't love me.”
Fiona tilted her head, considering his words.
“What do you feel?”
“I guess I felt like she did, which is probably why I didn’t realize until now that she had never said it back to me,” Baird said, lifting his shoulders in a defeated shrug.
“So, tonight you have to fight for an unknown result then,” Fiona clarified.
“I…I guess that I do.”
Fiona chuckled and Baird narrowed his eyes at her.
“I just love how life continues to teach us lessons. Now, is that what you are wearing?”
“No, I must change quickly if you don't mind waiting.”
“Please do. I'll finish my whiskey and consider your approach.”
Chapter 40
Aislinn ran her sweaty palms over her purse, nervously chewing at her lip. Her entire body hurt and all she wanted to do was crawl into bed with a pint of ice cream and a fluffy romance novel.
Romance, she snorted to herself. Right. Like that would help her frame of mind.
“Everything will be just fine,” Cait murmured from behind her and Keelin whipped her head around.
“What? Is she thinking about Baird again?” Keelin asked.
“I'm right here,” Aislinn said, raising her hand.
They were in the car on the way to the show, sandwiched together in the rows of Flynn's sleek SUV.
“You look fantastic. Have we mentioned how great you look? All because of us, of course. I think that we should be stylists, don't you, Cait?” Keelin asked sweetly and Cait rolled her eyes at Keelin. Aislinn knew that she was trying to distract her and was grateful for it.
“The red was a good choice,” Cait agreed.
At the last moment, Aislinn had slipped from the purple beaded column dress to the red dress that made her look like she was on fire. To her, red signaled power. She didn't want to let Baird take her power from her.
“That necklace is fabulous,” Keelin said, running her hands over the linked circles that had taken Aislinn more hours than she wanted to think about to create. It was a piece of art in itself and the dress showcased it perfectly.
“It's a one and only. I don't know if I have the patience to make another.”
“If you do, let me know. I know about a million people back in Boston who would fall all over themselves for it,” Keelin said.
Aislinn smiled at her and then gasped as Flynn turned the corner to the gallery. Keelin squealed and gripped her arm tightly. Aislinn grabbed her hand and held it, clenching tightly, forcing herself to breathe shallowly through her mouth as she gaped at the long line of people that stood waiting to walk the
red carpet into the gallery.
“Is this for me?” Aislinn whispered.
“Aye, it says Red on Green Gallery outside,” Shane said.
“Shane, stop it. She knows it is for her. She's having herself a moment,” Cait said, narrowing her eyes at her fiancé.
Shane motioned zipping his mouth shut as Flynn slowed to a crawl behind a long line of cars.
“Do you want to walk the red carpet or go around back?”
Aislinn thought about it. What she really wanted to do was sneak in the back door. Which meant she needed to walk the red carpet. As an artist, she'd learned that when something made her uncomfortable, that meant that she needed to push through it. Taking the comfortable route never led to breakthroughs or personal growth. She took a deep breath.
“Red carpet,” Aislinn said.
“I'll get out and run ahead, talk to security,” Shane offered and slipped from the SUV. Aislinn watched him approach two men in suits and then gesture to the car. They nodded and waved towards the door. Aislinn saw Martin step from the front doors of the gallery and she smiled at his gray paisley suit. The man had a style all his own, she thought.
Martin waved their car forward and panic gripped Aislinn.
“What if I trip?”
“Then you get up, silly,” Cait said easily and Aislinn stopped herself.
So what if she tripped? That was what life was all about. The moods of her paintings reflected that. The ocean whispered her secrets to anyone that wanted to listen. Pain, joy, love, anger, and sadness….all were a part of the human experience. The point wasn't to avoid the emotions. It was to embrace them and live life through them, as majestically and flamboyantly as the dramatic waters of the sea did.
A chill swept over Aislinn and for a moment, she felt like something soft brushed against her cheek. Instantly, a calm settled through her and she straightened her shoulders, shifting herself to turn so that she could easily step from the car.
“Ready?”
“I'm ready,” Aislinn said and waited until the door opened before stepping into a blinding flash of light from the crowd of cameras that lined the red carpet. She'd never experienced anything like it before. Martin was immediately by her side, hooking his arm through hers, and she was grateful for his support. Cait snagged her purse from her and together, she and Martin posed for reporters and answered questions.
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