Connor smirked. “Of course.”
Thomas heard the suggestive note in Connor’s voice, latched on to his nephew’s arm and dragged him away from the table where Connie was still making book sales.
“Is there something on your mind?” he demanded irritably. “If there is, out with it.”
“Not a thing,” Connor swore, but there was still a glint of amusement in his eyes. “Anything you want to tell me?”
Thomas studied him with a narrowed gaze, wondering just what Connor was not saying. He certainly wasn’t going to be the one to bring Connie’s name into the conversation.
“Nothing,” he said stiffly. Although he was surprisingly disappointed not to have the opportunity to share so much as a cup of coffee with Connie, he could see that today wasn’t the day. “I need to be getting back to Annapolis.”
“Since you’re this close to Chesapeake Shores, why not come on over for the rest of the weekend?” Connor suggested. “There’s plenty of room at the house. I don’t think Dad would throw you out. Or perhaps there’s someplace else in town you could stay,” he added suggestively.
“You know, if you were my son, I’d have plenty to say about all these looks and innuendoes of yours,” Thomas told him.
Connor actually had the audacity to laugh. “But then Dad doesn’t know what’s going on, does he? I’m sure if he did, he’d have a few things to say to you himself.”
“There is nothing going on,” Thomas said in a fierce undertone, glancing over to make sure that Connie couldn’t overhear. “And if you suggest otherwise, I’ll call you a liar. Don’t be stirring up trouble, young man.”
Connor’s expression sobered. “Hey, I’m just giving you a rough time. If you’ve got a thing for Connie and she’s reciprocating, I think it’s great.”
There it was, spelled out in plain English, Thomas thought with a sigh. “She’s a lovely woman,” he conceded cautiously. “I’ve noticed that. It’s gone no further. I doubt it will.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m not about to make a fool of myself at this stage of my life,” Thomas said. “Now, can we let this go before she wonders what the two of us are whispering about?”
“I think it would be a crying shame for you not to at least spend a little time getting to know each other,” Connor argued. “Why don’t we all go for something to drink? Little Mick could use a snack before we head back anyway.”
It was an invitation Thomas couldn’t bring himself to turn down. “A half hour, just so we can tally the results of the day,” he said finally.
Connor grinned. “Whatever you need to tell yourself.”
Sadly, right at this moment, that excuse was the only thing that kept Thomas from feeling like an old fool.
Connie was quiet as she and Connor drove back to Chesapeake Shores. Little Mick had fallen asleep in his car seat the minute they’d hit the road. Connie had agreed to let Connor drive. She’d spent most of the ride staring out the window, her expression pensive.
“Something on your mind?” Connor asked eventually.
“No, just a little tired,” she said. “It was an exhausting day.”
“But an incredibly productive one,” Connor observed. “At least that’s what Uncle Thomas said. He’s very grateful for everything you and Shanna are doing.”
Her expression brightened. “Working with him…” She actually blushed, then amended, “I mean for the cause, well it’s incredibly rewarding. For the first time in ages, I feel as if I’m doing something that really matters. I wish my daughter would help out. I tried to get Jenny to come today, but she’d rather work more hours at Bree’s flower shop than volunteer for anything.”
“She’s saving for college, right?” Connor said. “That’s a responsible thing to do as well.”
“I suppose.”
“Did you want her to get to know my uncle better?” he asked, staring straight ahead at the road when he said it.
Connie seemed to choke. “Excuse me?”
He glanced over at her. “I was just wondering if you thought maybe he’d be a good influence on her.”
“Well, of course he would be, but that’s not why,” she said hurriedly. “It’s about making her think about something besides clothes and boys.”
“Sure.”
“Connor, is there something on your mind?”
“Not a thing,” he swore. “It’s just that I think Uncle Thomas is great, and of course Kevin thinks the world of him. We’d all like to see him happy.”
Her gaze narrowed. “You don’t think he’s happy now?”
“Generally speaking, yes, but unlike me, he’s one of those men who actually is happiest when he’s married. He just hasn’t had much luck staying married, because he cares too much about his work.”
“I don’t understand how any woman couldn’t appreciate the passion he has for such a wonderful cause,” Connie said, jumping to Thomas’s defense in a way that Connor found telling. “What he does is admirable.”
“I didn’t know his first wife very well,” Connor admitted. “I was just a kid when they got married and divorced. The second one had some issues of her own that made them a very bad match.”
She nodded. “He mentioned something about that,” she told him.
“Really? Then you’ve talked about personal issues?”
She peered at him with undisguised amusement. “Yes, Connor,” she said with exaggerated patience. “We’ve talked about more than bacteria in the water.”
“Good to know,” he said.
“Connor, you’re not going to make too much of this, are you?” she pleaded, a frantic note in her voice. “Not that there’s anything to say, of course, but I wouldn’t want anyone in your family—or mine—to get the wrong idea. Or Thomas, either, for that matter.”
“And what would be the wrong idea?”
“That there’s anything …” She blushed furiously. “You know, anything personal going on between your uncle and me. We’ve spent very little time together, and the focus has been almost exclusively on this project.”
“Too bad,” he said, then glanced over and held her gaze for just an instant. “If you ask me, there should be something personal going on. You’re both great people.”
And that was the last thing he would say on the subject. Anything else was up to the two of them.
With her son spending the weekend with Connor, Heather was at loose ends Saturday night and all day Sunday. She found she wasn’t very good at it. By Sunday evening, she was going a little stir-crazy. She decided to have dinner at Sally’s just to get out of her small apartment. She considered calling Laila or Connie for company, but instead opted for walking around to the café on her own. It was ironic in a way how few times in her life she’d actually eaten alone in public. She probably ought to get used to it.
She took a book along to read while she ate, but once seated at a table she couldn’t seem to focus on it. She kept staring out the window, watching the people walking by. It seemed they were almost all in pairs. She sighed as she acknowledged that was the way she’d always imagined her life, as part of a couple.
She’d been seated for fifteen minutes or less and had just started on her hamburger when Connor walked in with little Mick.
“Mama!” little Mick called out, then released his father’s hand and toddled unsteadily straight toward her.
Heather stared at him with a mix of wonder and tears. “You’re walking,” she whispered, then gathered him close. “Good for you, my big boy!”
She turned to Connor. “When?” she asked, unable to stop the jealousy that streaked through her as she acknowledged that she’d missed this big milestone. Oh, little Mick had come close before, but mostly he’d clung to surfaces as he teetered around their apartment. These had been real steps, taken all on his own.
“This morning,” Connor said, clearly reading the disappointment in her expression. “I’m sorry you missed it. He spotted something he wanted across the kitch
en and just went after it.”
“I wish I’d been there,” she admitted.
“You’ve been there for all of his other firsts,” Connor reminded her. “I’ve missed more than my share.”
“I know. It’s silly of me, but this was such a big one.”
“It could have happened with a babysitter or Mom and Dad instead of either one of us,” he consoled her, then reached in his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. “I took pictures, though.”
She scanned through the pictures, smiling at the one in which little Mick seemed to realize he was standing on his own in the middle of the room and, in the next, plunked down on the floor, the toy he’d gone after clutched in his hand.
“I’ll have prints made for you,” Connor promised. “Do you mind if we join you?”
It was a moot point, since Mick had already scrambled into the booth beside her. “Of course not.”
Connor slid in opposite her, then fell silent.
Eventually, when she couldn’t bear the quiet for another second, she met his gaze and asked the question that had been troubling her all weekend. “Is it true what I heard? Are you seriously thinking of moving back here?”
He nodded. “How would you feel about that?”
“I’m not entirely sure,” she said candidly. “I think it would be wonderful for you to have a fresh start practicing a different kind of law, and it would be fantastic for little Mick.”
“But not so much for you,” he guessed, showing surprising perceptiveness.
“I just don’t know how I feel about it,” she admitted. “I’m barely getting used to being on my own. In fact, right before you got here, I was thinking about how few times I’ve ever eaten alone in public. It felt a little awkward when I first sat down, but then I realized no one was paying a bit of attention to me. Do you know, until now I’ve never lived independently? I went from home to my college dorm to your apartment.”
“How do you like it?” he asked.
“I’m not really sure. It’s lonely sometimes, and overwhelming, but I am discovering things about myself. I’m stronger than I ever thought I was.” She said it with pride.
“You’ve always been stronger than you realized,” Connor said. “And you’d still be on your own, if that’s the way you want it. I’d just be close by if you need something.”
“I think I’d feel odd about going on a date knowing I might bump into you,” she blurted before she could stop herself. “I mean, in Baltimore, I suppose it could have happened, but the odds would have been against it. Around here, it’s almost a certainty.”
Connor frowned. “Have you started dating then? Last time I was here, you acted as if that was the last thing on your mind.”
“It is. I’m just saying it could happen down the road and I’d feel weird about it.”
The waitress came over with a booster seat for little Mick, then took his order and Connor’s, giving Heather time to summon her composure. When the teenager had left, Heather said, “Look, how I feel—or might feel at some point in the future—really isn’t the issue. You need to do what’s right for you.”
He studied her face. “I hope you mean that, because I think this is the right thing. The idea’s been growing on me all weekend—I can see the real advantages of practicing law here. I’m planning to tell Joshua Porter yes when I see him in the morning.”
Heather swallowed hard against the tide of hope and dread that warred inside her. “Then you have decided,” she said flatly.
“Unless you tell me right now, straight out, that you don’t want me around, yes.”
She tried desperately to form the words that would keep him away, but the part of her that longed for him to be involved in some small way in her life again—hers and their son’s—couldn’t do it.
Somehow she’d just have to find a way to cope, and to lock away the old dream that still had absolutely no chance of coming true.
15
Connor’s decision to leave the Baltimore law firm shocked the partners. It was gratifying to have them try to persuade him to stay.
“You’ll be a junior partner here by the end of the year,” Grayson reminded him. “How can going into practice for yourself in a town the size of Chesapeake Shores come close to matching that, either in income or prestige? You’re an ambitious young man, Connor. We’ve all seen that. It’s one of your most admirable traits. Leave now and you won’t have an opportunity like this again. You’ll have thrown away the past few years of hard work.”
Connor didn’t see how all the experience he’d gained working for a major law firm could ever be considered a waste.
“This is what I have to do,” he said. “I want to be near my son. He’s my priority.”
“And Heather?” the older man asked perceptively. “You’ve been restless ever since she left. We’ve all noticed that. I’ve never understood why you won’t just give her what she wants. Marry her. I’m sure she’d be willing to move back to Baltimore if you do. She’s a lovely young woman. She’d be a tremendous asset to an up-and-coming young attorney. There’s no limit to what you could accomplish here with a woman like that by your side.”
Connor shook his head, not just at the suggestion of marriage but at the idea that Heather would be some kind of trophy wife. The idea was laughable.
“She’d never agree,” he said flatly. “She has her own dreams, and she’s achieving them in Chesapeake Shores.” He couldn’t say he entirely understood it, but it was evident that the quilt shop had fulfilled her in ways that teaching never had.
“Of course she would. She’s very bright. I’m sure she understands what’s at stake here. Talk it over with her. I’m sure she’ll want you to be successful.”
Connor chuckled. “Heather doesn’t care whether I’m successful or not, and she’d see right through it if I had some sudden change of heart about getting married. She knows how I feel about marriage. I can’t deny that I love her. But if I won’t get married for love, then I certainly won’t do it as some sort of career move. I’d like to think I still have some integrity left.”
“Then if you’re not chasing after her, what is this really about?” Grayson asked, obviously bewildered and not considering a toddler son motive enough for making such a drastic change.
“It’s about getting my priorities in order. It’s about being closer to my family.” He gave his boss a rueful look. “And it’s about me being sick to death of listening to men trying to excuse the crummy way they treat their wives. I want to practice a different kind of law.” He would have described Joshua Porter’s vision, but he doubted Grayson would understand. To a man totally focused on the accumulation of billable hours and the right kind of publicity, it would be sentimental hogwash.
“That would be a crying shame,” Grayson said. “You’ve made a name for yourself handling high-profile divorces. What about your current caseload? What are you going to tell the men who are counting on you to extricate them from their marriages and get them the best possible settlements?”
“We have other attorneys who can take over. Or I can simply stop taking on new cases and refer any inquiries to someone else. I’ll finish up with the clients I already have, however long that takes. It’s up to you how you want to handle that. I haven’t set a specific timetable for leaving, but I won’t abandon anyone unless that’s your preference.”
Grayson shook his head. “I’ll have to think about that. These men sought you out. They may not be comfortable with another attorney taking over in the middle of things. On the other hand, when they learn what you’re planning, they could lose faith in your judgment.”
“Like I said, it’s up to you, or we could meet with each client and handle them on a case-by-case basis once we determine what they want,” Connor said, trying to be reasonable. Although he was anxious to get started on this new venture, he didn’t want to leave bad blood behind. If things in Chesapeake Shores didn’t work out as he’d envisioned, he could someday be back in Baltimore looki
ng for work.
“I’ll talk this over with the other partners and get back to you,” Grayson said. “They’re not going to be one bit happy about this, Connor. We’ve all invested a lot of time and energy in bringing you along with the firm. You’ve been our rising star.”
“And I appreciate that,” Connor told him. “I really do.”
Of course, what they appreciated was that from the beginning he’d been not only ambitious, but aggressive in building his caseload. They might have mentored him in many ways, but he’d brought that trait into the firm with him. While some of his colleagues might genuinely miss him, most would miss the income he’d generated. He had no illusions about that.
Less than an hour later, Grayson was back in his office. “If you refuse to reconsider, we’re agreed that it’s best for this to be a clean break. Mitch Douglas and Frank Helms will take over your caseload effective immediately. Their secretaries will notify the clients of the changes. You can transfer the files to them by the end of the day.”
Connor knew he shouldn’t be shocked, but he was. “You want me gone today?”
Grayson’s expression was cold and unyielding. Connor had seen him look the same way when going for a witness’s jugular in court.
“We think it’s best not to drag these things out,” Grayson said. “I’m sure you understand.”
Gone was any pretense of affection or even graciousness. It was clearly all business. Connor’s decision was viewed as a betrayal, and the partners were quickly cutting their losses. He was almost relieved by that. It told him a lot about the attorneys with whom he’d worked the past few years.
“Oh, believe me, I do understand,” Connor said just as coldly.
Something told him that not only had he made the right decision, he’d made it in the nick of time—before he turned into the kind of money-driven, unfeeling men he’d once admired.
Megan looked up from her book in surprise when she heard a car pull to a stop in front of the house. She was even more surprised when she saw Connor emerge. She’d taken a rare day off and had planned to spend it enjoying the quiet outside doing next to nothing. Her life had been an endless whirlwind since she’d moved back to Chesapeake Shores, remarried Mick and opened the gallery. Today, with Mick out at one of the Habitat for Humanity sites he oversaw, she’d envisioned an afternoon with no interruptions, least of all from her son.
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