by Kait Nolan
As she spoke, her voice went flatter and flatter. He’d only thought she’d been shut down before. “It was just supposed to be temporary, until the hearing. The troupe had to move on. They had a show scheduled and couldn’t afford to miss it. He went with them because his understudy was ill, and no one else could play the part. Everybody’s paycheck depended on it. He promised me he’d come back as soon as it was done. But as it happens, at that show, he finally got the big break he’d been waiting for all those years. So, he didn’t show for the court hearing, and I came to Joan.”
“And that’s it? He didn’t fight for you?”
“Oh, he made a few grand gestures over the years. Promises he usually broke. But he always left in the end. His dreams were more important than me.”
“He sounds a right bastard. What kind of a man walks away from his child? What kind of man forgets his child?” Ari had only been in his life for a matter of weeks, and he couldn’t fathom not thinking of her every day for the rest of his life.
“A selfish one.” The matter-of-fact tone held no judgment. This was her truth. She was simply stating it. Flynn could see her struggling to pull herself back from whatever dark place the recitation had dragged her to. “You’re not selfish. My father would never have done what you’re doing. He’d have found some excuse, some way of slipping out of it. You may have a gypsy’s soul, Flynn, but you’re not like my father. You’re a far better man.”
“I’m not sure the bar’s too high for being a better man than he was. I’m sorry for how he hurt you.” The words felt wholly inadequate in the face of what she’d endured. He could see now why she was so fiercely determined to put Ari first, to maintain the home that had been given to her by Joan, and he felt himself slide a little deeper in love with her.
Pru shrugged. “It doesn’t matter now. I’m a grown woman, and I made my own choice to be with you. I don’t regret it.”
“Kennedy seems to think you will.” That stung. They’d been friends for years, and he’d thought she knew him better than that.
“She’s not factoring the most salient point.”
“What’s that?”
“I don’t expect you to stay.”
The words, her obvious belief in them, were a slap in the face. Flynn wanted to argue, to make the declaration he’d been trying to make with the song he’d sung before the entire night had gone off the rails. But in her current frame of mind, would she believe him? She had reasons, good ones, not to trust people to stick around. Both her parents had left her. Kennedy had left for years, and though the reasons hadn’t been what Pru and her sisters had thought, the emotional toll was bound to be the same. Even Athena and Maggie had gone off to their own lives across the country, trusting that she’d be what she’d always been. The one who stayed.
She needed someone to stay for her. Flynn wanted to be that man. Above and beyond the untenable position they were in with the phony engagement, he wanted a life with her. This life. But he understood that Pru was a woman who’d put little stock in words and promises. Too many people had broken them. He needed to prove himself through actions, and that would simply take time.
So instead of making professions, Flynn stepped into her, cupping her face in his hands. “I’m here. Whatever may come, I’m here. I won’t leave you to face any of this alone.” I won’t leave you.
When she sighed, some of the tension seemed to leech out of her. “Take me to bed, Flynn.”
If this was all she’d take from him for now, he’d give her everything he had. He led her back to the bedroom, where they quietly undressed. Here was tenderness and a bottomless well of patience as he took her up and over the first peak. And if, as they slid over the edge together with sighs and moans, he gave her the words in Irish, she was too lost in sensation to ask. But he held the words, and her, close to his heart, as they both drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Eleven
THEY GOT THROUGH THE weekend, giving the Nashville girls a true pampering experience. When she’d mentioned the possibility of expanding to a full day spa, they’d been all over the idea, insisting on getting on the mailing list for when it happened. When Porter brought by the initial concept drawings Sunday night, it seemed like a sign. Or maybe Pru just wanted to cling to the idea that she could do something to distract Kennedy from the situation with Flynn.
In the past few days, Kennedy had kept her distance. It had been under the guise of getting over jet lag and unpacking from their honeymoon, but the fact that Kennedy had been a world traveler for a decade made it feel like evasion and avoidance. Pru had felt her disapproval radiating from the house she shared with Xander three miles away. Standing on their front porch, she hesitated over the knocker. The police cruiser was gone, so Xander was on duty. Pru was grateful. One set of disapproving eyes was enough. Still, maybe it was a mistake to do this now.
Before she could make up her mind, the door swung open.
“Hey.” Kennedy sounded surprised to see her.
“Hi.” Pru dropped the hand she’d lifted to knock. “Were you on your way out?”
“I was thinking about a walk.”
“It’s a bad time. I can come back later.” She took a step back, already regretting coming over.
“Pru. Please don’t.” Kennedy stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug. “I don’t want to fight.”
“Neither do I.” Much as she wanted to, Pru couldn’t quite let herself tuck her head and return the embrace. She was still feeling tender after Kennedy’s accusations.
“Please come inside.” To settle the matter, Kennedy took Pru’s hand and dragged her through the door. “You want a glass of tea? Some coffee?”
“I’m fine.” Pru laid the envelope with Porter’s drawings on the counter. Impatience simmered, but she knew she couldn’t just jump right into business. Other things had to be said first. “Look, Kennedy, I’m sorry. I know you don’t approve of my being involved with Flynn—”
“It’s not that. Who you take to your bed is none of my business. I’ll admit to being shocked as hell because of your history. I never would have put you with Flynn. But he’s a good man or I wouldn’t be friends with him. I’m just upset at the potential ramifications for Ari.”
“So am I. So is he. She’s our first priority.”
“I get that. And that’s why Xander and I will support you however we need to.”
Pru released a breath and felt her knees go rubbery with relief. After their reaction on Friday, she hadn’t been sure what they’d do. “Thank you.”
“But—”
Of course, there was a but.
“Where does that leave you?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m still worried about what this relationship is going to do to you in the end. I love Flynn like a brother. But he’s got a way bigger case of wanderlust than I ever had. At least in my travels, I stayed for a few weeks or months at a time in one place. He stays days.”
And yet even before Lydia Coogan, he’d wanted to stay for longer than those few days.
“You know one side of him. You know the gypsy. But that’s not all he is.” Pru thought of the man she’d come to depend on over the past few weeks. The one who was an unfailingly generous lover. The one who noticed the little things and made thoughtful gestures that continually surprised her. The one who’d upended his entire life to right an inadvertent wrong.
Kennedy’s smile was pained around the edges. “Not all, no. But at the core, he’s different than I was. I came back because I had roots. He’s always felt strangled by them. Nothing’s going to change that.”
Pru bit back a bitter retort. Nothing was going to change that. Meaning no one. Meaning her. Because she wasn’t good enough. She wasn’t worth staying for. And wasn’t that just par for the course? Everyone left her.
But in her heart of hearts, she couldn’t believe that about Flynn. She couldn’t reconcile Kennedy’s view of him with her own experiences. She’d continually reminded herself he w
ould leave, that he’d resent the position he’d been forced into by circumstance. And at every turn, he’d proven faithful and true. The steady partner she so desperately wanted rather than the gypsy everyone believed him to be. She’d seen him settle in, settle down, seen him change since he arrived. He felt more than simple lust and responsibility. She knew he did. In many ways, she’d given him the home he’d clearly been looking for, whether he realized it or not.
And even as she knew Kennedy would call her a fool, a part of her believed that maybe they could make this work for real. The certainty of it blew through Pru, smoothing the edges roughened by her sister’s return. She had faith in Flynn. Faith in what they brought to each other, in what they made together. So, in the end, they’d see. But for right now, she wanted to change the subject.
“I didn’t come here to discuss Flynn. I came to talk about the inn.”
“Is there problem? Did something go wrong, while we were away?”
“The inn’s fine. You know I talked to Abbey about offering some freelance services, while she was in town.”
“Sure. How’s that going?”
“Like gangbusters. More business than she can reasonably handle. My massage schedule has stayed booked almost solid. If Flynn hadn’t pitched in and taken over some of the inn keeping duties, I don’t know how I would have managed while you were gone.”
“Wait, Flynn’s been working at the inn?”
“Seamlessly. He’s great at it.”
Shock rippled over Kennedy’s features before she waved it away. “I’m sorry for not being here, for not realizing I was leaving you in the lurch with having to manage my brainchild on top of your own established business, by yourself.
Pru just shook her head. “That’s not my point. The point is, there have been dozens of queries through the website about more. I think we have a reasonable market for a day spa.”
“A day spa.” Kennedy kicked back against the counter, a considering look on her face. “I admit I gave it a little thought when we moved your massage studio into the house, but we were so busy getting everything renovated and up and running, I hadn’t gone any further than that.”
“Abbey and I have been working on a plan.” Pru pulled out the sheaf of papers she’d brought, showing the list of prospective services and price lists and estimated business, based on the interest from the past couple of weeks. “Like the original business plan you wrote up for the inn, this could be ramped up as income allowed.”
“But what about space? Other than your studio and the family spaces, the rest of the house is entirely devoted to the inn.”
“That’s the other thing I came to talk to you about.” She pulled out the first of the drawings. “I had Porter put these together based on the ideas Abbey and I had. This is how we could renovate the barn. He’s already sent over initial estimates on cost, and I’m working on crunching the numbers to show how fast we could pay for it through a couple of different business models.”
Kennedy slowly scanned the drawings. “This is amazing. He could really do this with our barn?” She gave a little laugh. “What am I saying? It’s Porter. Of course, he can do this with our barn.”
“It was Flynn’s idea to use the space. I was thinking some kind of addition way on down the line. But using the barn would put this much closer to achievable. And the income from the spa would help offset those times when the inn itself isn’t full.”
“It’s a good idea, Pru.”
“I know.” She had faith in it because Flynn had faith in her. “I want to propose it to Maggie and Athena as the next phase. I need your help solidifying the business plan before I present it.”
“You’re the one who supported me in the idea of an inn to begin with. Of course, I’ll support you in this. But do you really want to do this now? While everything hangs in the balance with Ari?”
“The situation with Ari is going to be a lot of hurry up and wait. I’m worried enough about the whole thing—I need something to distract me. This will do it, and it’s something that will ultimately benefit the entire family.”
Kennedy gave her a long study before finally nodding. “Okay. I’m starting back to work at the tavern tonight, but if you can hook me up with the numbers you and Abbey have run, and the rest of it, I can get started converting all of that to a business plan that will justify how we’d pay for the renovation, based on Porter’s calculations.”
“Thank you. I’ll start putting out feelers for other prospective service providers. Having a list of potential staff should also weigh in our favor.”
“Maggie does love having all the details worked out,” Kennedy agreed.
They lapsed into silence. That was her cue to go. “I need to be getting back. We’re still turning rooms from this weekend, and I’ve got clients booked all afternoon.” She headed for the door.
“Pru?”
She turned back to see Kennedy watching her with concern.
“Are we okay?”
Were they? Probably not. No matter what she said, Kennedy was going to believe that her relationship with Flynn was a bad idea. Nothing but time and having things settled with Ari was going to change her mind. But this was a step in the right direction.
“I think we will be. I love you, sis. Welcome home.”
~*~
You are going to the special hell, Flynn thought. Surely that was the penalty for lying to a man of the cloth. Yet here he was, sitting across from Reverend Hodgson, with a pot of fresh coffee and a plate of cookies between them, as he accepted congratulations on his engagement.
“I was just so surprised when Crystal mentioned it,” the reverend said.
“Crystal?” Flynn asked.
“Crystal Blue, the owner of the diner,” he explained. “She was out here Friday night for the music.”
“Oh right.” By now, everyone in town knew. Even the checker at the grocery store had offered her felicitations. Flynn was just having a little trouble keeping up with all the connections.
“Anyway, Pru’s been part of the congregation for such a long time now, and she never breathed a word.”
“We kept the whole thing quiet. A lot of people wouldn’t have understood the long-distance thing.”
“I’m sure it was extremely difficult.”
“It was,” Flynn agreed. Was hell a finite level of suck and torture or was he adding to his punishment with every additional lie?
“Well,” Reverend Hodgson lifted his coffee in a toast, “love will find a way.”
“To be sure,” Flynn agreed.
“I’m so pleased for you both. Pru’s a good woman, and it’s a wonderful thing to see her happy.”
“She’s the best woman I know. These past weeks with her have been the best of my life. I wouldn’t trade them for anything.” At least he could be honest about that.
“Many more good years to come. When is the wedding?”
“Oh, well, we haven’t discussed it yet. Our focus at the moment is on Ari and getting through all the necessary formalities for me to be approved as a foster parent. We don’t want to delay that process any further than necessary. Besides, Kennedy’s is only just past, and I think we could all use a little breathing room before we go down that path again.”
“My what is just past?” The woman herself strode into the kitchen. “Hey, Reverend.”
“Kennedy, my dear, welcome home. Flynn and I were just discussing his engagement to your sister. It’s so wonderful that two of you found happiness so close together. Joan would be so pleased.”
Kennedy’s smile looked a little forced. “I wish she could have been there for my wedding.”
“I know she was there in spirit.” He squeezed her hand.
Flynn sipped some of his own coffee and cleared his throat. “I was just telling the good Reverend here that Pru and I aren’t setting a date until after things are sorted with Ari.”
“That is the plan,” Kennedy agreed.
“Perfectly sensible. It’s so wonde
rful what y’all are doing for that child.”
“It’s what Mom would have wanted.”
“What about you, Flynn? Are you ready to be a father?”
Was he ready? Flynn weighed his words carefully. “I don’t know that any man is ever truly ready for that responsibility. But Ari is a bright, talented girl and an easy child to love. I’ll certainly make every effort to do right by her.”
Reverend Hodgson beamed. “That’s a good attitude to have.”
“Where is she, anyway?” Kennedy asked.
“I dropped her at the farm this morning. Logan’s teaching her to ride. I’m pretty sure she’s completely besotted with his chestnut mare. When I left, she was working on negotiating a trade of lessons for mucking stalls.”
Kennedy made a face. “She must be besotted then. What about Pru?”
“She went in for a ninety-minute massage with a client a bit ago. I’m sorry she’s not available to see you, Reverend.”
“Quite all right. I’m sure I’ll see y’all again Sunday.”
“Yes, sir. Were you okay with the piece I emailed you about for the next offertory?” Flynn figured he might as well do whatever he could to rack up some points with the Almighty.
“Oh absolutely. Everybody so loved what you played last week. We’re all looking forward to it.” The minister drained the last of his coffee and pushed back from the kitchen table. “I won’t keep y’all. I know you’ve got a business to run, and I’ve got other congregants to see. I just wanted to stop by and offer my congratulations.”
Flynn rose. “We appreciate it.”
“Kennedy, it’s good to have you home. Will we be seeing you and Xander on Sunday?”
“Now that we’re past the jet lag, absolutely.”
Flynn saw the reverend out. When he got back to the kitchen, Kennedy had poured her own cup of coffee and was nibbling on a cookie.
