by Kathryn Shay
“That’s the point, after all.” This from Liam.
They were quiet, the reality of what had happened to Kinley sinking in.
When they finally entered the bar, which was a little seedy but they liked it, they found Kinley sitting on a stool, waiting for them. He wore runner’s pants and a T-shirt. Different sneakers. Pat felt the itch from the mud sinking into places of his body that didn’t see daylight. Maybe Kinley wasn’t such a baby.
At the bar, Kinley bought a pitcher of beer that the O’Neils liked, and motioned to a table. Dylan brought glasses over and poured the brew and they all sat.
Aidan said, “What shall we toast to?”
Pat scanned them all. They were waiting for him. He lifted his glass. “To the O’Neil brothers.” He focused on Kinley. “All of us.”
“Sláinte,” Dylan said.
Dylan, Aidan and Liam repeated the toast.
“What does that mean?” Kinley asked.
“Man, you got a lot to learn,” Pat said, but instead of being an insult, his words were an affectionate invitation.
Chapter 10
* * *
Jamie let the warm middle-of-the-month April breeze soothe her while she sat on the bench at the park at ten in the morning, keeping an eye on Ben in the sandbox.
Next to her, Kinley asked, “He’s off school for a whole week?”
“Uh-huh. It’s called vacation, something I’m not sure you know anything about.”
“Very funny. I’ve been on vacations.”
“The Caribbean doesn’t count in my neck of the woods.”
“Honey, the Caribbean always counts. I’ll take you and Ben there some day.”
She smiled at the talk of a future she wasn’t sure they had. She was taking one day at a time.
Suddenly, Ben bolted up and raced toward them. “Come play with me in the sandbox.”
“That’s why I wore…”
“Not you, Mom,” Ben said cutting Jamie off. “Him.”
Without hesitation, Kinley stood. “I’m game.” He kicked off expensive-looking loafers. Ben took his hand and they proceeded to the sandbox. Kinley plopped down on his butt, unfazed by his designer jeans getting dirtied with sand. They began to build a castle.
A woman nearby came closer. “You’re so lucky your husband takes time off to be with his boy on their school vacation.”
“Um…”
“Mine said he can’t miss work to go the park.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, me too.” She caught sight of something over Jamie’s shoulder. “Uh-oh, Petey’s on the slide and he’s scared. Gotta go.”
The woman headed to the slide. And Jamie took a minute to daydream that Kinley was her husband and they were living happily with Ben—and maybe a baby on the way.
She was drawn out of the fantasy when Ben rushed to her. “Kinley’s gonna push me on the swings. You come, too.”
Standing, she walked to the swings with them. Kinley pushed Ben gently enough, but not too easy that Ben wouldn’t enjoy the ride. “So, having an okay day?” she asked.
“The best. I can’t remember the last time I went to a public park.”
Next up was the slide, after which, Ben said, “I’m hungry.”
“Okay.” Kinley grinned. “Where to?”
“McDonald’s!” Ben exclaimed.
Jamie put in, “There’s one close to here. About five blocks. We usually take the bus.”
“I can call Michael.”
“Don’t you dare. What, are you afraid of the bus?”
“Moira and I took them all the time when we were young.”
“Do you miss her?” she asked as they walked to the curb to wait for public transportation.
“Every day of my life.”
She squeezed his hand.
When the bus showed up, he climbed up the three steps, looking pained. Ben said, “I wanna sit with Kinley.”
“Okay by me.” They took seats on the somewhat rickety vehicle and Jamie wondered what he was thinking.
Kinley was thinking that…hell, he winced as they hit a bump and landed hard. He had to catch Ben when they turned a corner too fast. And by the time the bus stopped in front of MacDonald’s, he felt a bit sick to his stomach. Jamie laughed at him when they stood to get off. “You’re a little green.”
“As I said, I’m unaccustomed to riding a public transportation.”
They ate hamburgers, French fries and milkshakes. Kinley couldn’t remember the last time he had fast food. Then they took the bus to her house. This time, with a full stomach, he didn’t react as badly.
“Okay, buddy,” Jamie said once they got inside her home. “You need to go to your room for quiet time.”
“Can Kinley come?”
“Nope. It’s Mommy’s turn to see Kinley.”
“Will you be here when I come out?”
“I plan to be. Do as your mom says, buddy.”
The boy obeyed. When he was out of sight, Kinley drew Jamie into his arms. “So how about some attention for your older boy.”
“If you’re suggesting what I think you are, no way. Ben could come out of his room at any time.”
“Aw, shit. I’ll settle for a kiss, then.”
She looped her arms around his neck. “I can do that.”
The kiss was deep and sexy. He responded as he always did to her touch. It went on a while, then she stepped back. “You okay?”
“Hardly,” he said with a growl. “But I’ll survive.”
They went out to the patio and he stretched out on a chaise. She sat in one next to him. He said, “It’s beautiful this time of day. I’m rarely outside in mid-afternoon.”
“You poor thing.”
He felt the warm sun on his face, the soothing sound of birds chirping taking up space around him. He closed his eyes—just for a little while.
He awoke with a start.
“His eyes are open, Mommy.”
“Okay, you can go over.”
The boy approached him. “Kinley, you took a nap!”
He yawned, then stretched his arms. “I guess I did. What time is it?”
Jamie appeared in his vision. “Four.”
“In the afternoon? I was supposed to go back to work.”
“I didn’t want to wake you up. You obviously needed the sleep.”
Ben tugged on his arm. “Want to play Clue?”
“Why not? But after I have to go check in at the office.”
“Aw.”
Kinley slid off the chaise and picked Ben up. “Come on kid, let’s go see Colonel Mustard and his friends.”
Liam stood near the door of the pub, trying to see all this through Kinley’s eyes: Pa’s birthday, happy kids running around, joking among the brothers and Bailey and their father.
“Where’d you go?” Sophie asked.
“Wondering what Kinley thought of all this.”
“Right now, he’s sitting next to Jamie at the bar. She can make him smile. I used to be able to make you smile like that.”
“You still do, babe.”
“With three kids, it’s hard to find time for us.”
“I know. But check out the kids. The older ones are taking care of even the babies.”
“Yeah, we’re lucky.”
Right then, Jamie got up and lightly punched Kinley in the arm. Reluctantly, it seemed, he stood, too. And they both headed to Liam.
“Hey, guys, enjoying yourselves?”
“Yeah,” Jamie said.
“Some,” Kinley put in.
Sophie reached out and squeezed his arm. “This must be hard on you.”
Kinley angled his head to Pa. “I haven’t talked to him much.”
“Tonight might be the time.” Sophie again. “It’s his birthday.”
Pat’s oldest, Sinead, approached them, holding Liam’s son, Donny. “He needs to be changed. And the other kids are teasing him about pooping his pants.”
Liam said, “I’ll do it.”
“An of
fer I can’t refuse.” Sophie turned around and picked up the diaper bag. “There’s a changing table in the bathroom. I’m going to talk to the teasers among us.”
“Ben’s with them,” Jamie put in. “So I’ll go over, too.”
Liam socked Kinley’s arm. “You come with me, bro.”
“Why would I do that?”
“If you’re going to be in this family, you have to learn to change a diaper.”
Kinley stared at Liam as if he grew another head. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Nobody jokes about diaper changes.”
For some reason, Kinley followed them. The bathroom was more of a lounge, with chairs and a large children’s section holding diapers, toys and books. Kinley had thought this was wasted space and planned to take it out to add more tables. Liam laid Donny on the table. “I do a bad thing?” the child asked.
“No, pooping isn’t bad, though it is stinky. Pew-yew.”
“Pew-yew,” Donny responded, laughing.
Liam pulled down the boy’s pants. Then he lifted his legs. “Okay champ, we’ll clean this up first.”
He took out wet cloths from a container and cleaned the boy’s bottom. It took many wipes. Kinley stepped back trying not to gag. Liam put the diaper in a dog-like poop bag, and tied it up.
“All clean, buddy.” He grabbed a diaper from below and said, “Come back here, Kinley, listen and learn. You start by sliding this under him, with the larger Velcro tabs in the back, the smaller ones in front. Now, bring back to front. Fasten. Voila!”
Kinley couldn’t help but grin at the baby’s laughter when Liam gave him raspberries on the feet, tickled the boy under his arms and planted big smackers on his face. He helped Donny to his feet. Standing on the table, the boy hugged him.
And Kinley swallowed hard.
It must have shown because Liam said, “This is your Uncle Kinley. Say hi to him.”
Donny held out his arms. Instinct made Kinley take him. And Donny cuddled right in saying, “Unca Kinny. Unca Kinny.”
Liam’s gaze met Kinley’s. “Nothing like it is there?”
Kinley was too choked up to do any more than shake his head.
The night was cool halfway through April, but Paddy needed a break so he went outside. He liked the party, of course, and the kids all came, which warmed his heart, but Kinley’s presence was murder on his stomach. Paddy would probably burn in hell for what he’d done to the boy. The door to the pub eased open, and Paddy turned to see who had come out. Shock kept him quiet.
“Is it okay if I join you?” Kinley asked.
“Yeah, of course.” Paddy ducked his head. “I’m a tad surprised you’d want to, is all.”
“About that.” He watched the night. Stars twinkled above and the street was quieting. “I, um, the guys, Jamie, well, me too, some.”
Paddy concealed a smile. The boy was nervous. He hadn’t known that. “Just say it out, son.”
A gasp. What had he said?
“All right. Now that the four boys and I have been trying to bridge the gap between us…” He cleared his throat. “Maybe you and I should, too.”
Paddy swallowed hard. “I’d like that.” He moved a little closer. “I’ve kicked myself in the butt, and more, every day because of what I did to you.”
“I wish I’d gone with you, hadn’t resisted.”
Breathing in a heavy sigh, Paddy let it out slowly. “I’m glad.”
“I don’t know how this is going to shake out, but I’m willing to try to have a relationship with you.”
Paddy shivered at this lost child of his making peace. Then he felt something go around his shoulders. “I don’t need your coat.”
“You shivered. It’s cold out here.”
“I don’t mind the cold.”
“Huh. Me either. I’ve been that way all my life.”
A kind of joy shot through Paddy. His son was like him, in some ways at least. He knew he didn’t deserve it, but he treasured the notion.
The door opened. “Pa? You out—” Bailey’s words cut off. “Kinley. Sorry to disturb you. But Mama wants to cut your cake.”
“Be right in.”
Bailey smiled at Kinley. Kinley smiled back. And Paddy said, “This is the best birthday I ever had.”
The following week, Jamie hefted the tray up to her shoulder and said “Liam, this smells great.”
“Have some before you go.”
“I will.”
She walked out into the pub, which was crowded with lunch customers. After delivering the food, she went back for more orders and repeated the process until the customers finally thinned out. She decided to take a break and walked by Pat’s office. The door was ajar. She heard, “God damn it.”
She pushed the door opened. “Everything okay?”
He looked up. He seemed torn. “The bills are comin’ in for the windows, tables, flooring and every change your friend Kinley made here.”
She took a seat. “He’s your friend, too.”
Pat sat back and closed his eyes. “I know. But it’s hard trustin’ him.”
“Did you call him about the invoices?”
“Yeah, some guy named Nigel said he’d tell him I needed to talk to him.”
“I hope he let him know.”
“Why wouldn’t he?”
Uh-oh. The O’Neils still didn’t know she was working at Moran Associates.
“I think Kinley would have called you right back.”
“I heard my name mentioned.” Pat looked over her shoulder and Jamie turned around. “Did you call me, Pat?” Kinley asked civilly.
“Yeah. I left a message with Nigel.”
“I never got a message from you. I’ll be sure to investigate why I didn’t.”
“Then why are you here?” Pat asked.
He glanced at Jamie. “I came for lunch.”
“You’re going to have to straighten out some finances because this is a bit out of my league.”
A vee formed on Kinley’s brow. “What do you mean?”
“I got all the bills for the improvements you made. Which, even though we’re tryin’ to get along better, I still don’t think were necessary.”
“The bills were supposed to be paid by automatic transfer from a fund I set up.”
“I don’t know anything about that.”
“I sent you more than one report on that account.”
Pat sighed. “I give all those things to the accountant.”
“Without reading them?”
“I guess.”
“I’ll call the bank.” He turned and left.
Jamie gave Pat a disapproving look. “He didn’t do anything wrong, Pat.”
“Maybe.”
Jamie walked out of the office, spied Kinley at a table in the back, and crossed to the kitchen. “Your brother’s here, Liam. He wants lunch.”
“Tell him to come get it himself.”
“It’s Kinley.”
“Oh, okay. What does he want?”
He ordered the stew and bread. “Can you give me a smaller bowl? I’ll eat with him.”
By the time she got to the table, he was done with the call. “There was a glitch at the bank. The bills will be paid today.”
“I’m glad.” She put the two bowls plus bread on the table and sat down. “Okay if I join you? It’s my lunch break.”
“Yes, of course. After all,” he winked at her “you’re why I came.”
She grinned. “How are you?”
“I had a lot of energy this morning.”
“Me, too. We had a nice night.”
“Wow, things must be getting boring if you call it nice.”
“How about hot? Thrilling.”
“What’s hot and thrilling?” Pat had come to the table unnoticed.
Kinley’s face closed down.
Jamie said, “None of your business, Pat.”
“I came over to apologize for going off on this bank thing. They called me and explained the situation. It was
n’t your fault and I should have read the memos.”
“Apology accepted. I, um, hope this doesn’t affect our…” he hesitated “outing on Saturday.”
“Not for me.”
“Me, either.”
“See you then.” He walked away.
“Outing?” Jamie asked.
“I suppose you have to find out sometime.”
“Geez. Now what?”
“Clay is pissed about this.”
“No surprise there,” Dylan said from where all six of them sat in the backseat of the limo. “He tries to keep you in a bubble.”
Bailey snorted. “Tell me Rachel approved.”
He shrugged.
She socked her brother in the arm. “You didn’t tell her, did you?”
“I said we were going to the racetrack.”
“Coward.”
He grinned at his brothers, three of whom sat across from them. “I’d rather beg for forgiveness than ask for permission.”
Aidan felt he had to help Bailey. “C.J. was mad, too. She said we were acting like little boys.”
Liam sighed. “Sophie’s not talking to me.” He frowned. “She’s right. We’re parents. We shouldn’t take the risk.”
Dylan noticed Kinley looking out the window. “Nobody on your back about this, Kinley?”
“Yeah, somebody. She didn’t like it, either.”
“Who are you dating?” Liam wanted to know. “The internet showed you with Blandine. Is it her?”
“Nope. That’s been over a while.”
When Kinley continued to be evasive, they dropped the subject. When they reached the Poconos and exited the limo, a two-hour drive from New York, Dylan noticed Kinley addressed Liam. “Liam, you don’t have to do this. You can watch from the stands.”
“Yeah,” Pat said, serious now. “I was jerkin’ your chain.”
“No, I want to participate. For God’s sake Sophie walks into burning buildings. I guess I just worry for my family.”
“That’s okay,” Bailey put in. “You’re a sensitive guy.”
“What are we?” Pat asked.
“Neanderthals.”
“Hey, B, I’m you’re buddy.”
“Except Aidan.” She took a bead on Kinley, “You, I don’t know well enough yet to decide.”
