Lilac Lane

by Sherryl Woods

  *

  “Quite a crowd at your place last night,” Bryan noted when Kiera got into the car in the morning for the drive to the pub.

  “Just a girls’ night,” she said, unwilling to tell him that it had been a dress rehearsal for her Irish stew, one that had gone surprisingly well. She was still a little stunned by just how well it had gone, in terms of the food and the camaraderie. “We had dinner and dessert.”

  “And wine?” Bryan asked, sounding amused.

  “We had a few glasses,” she admitted. “Why did you make such a point of that?”

  “Because of the serenading that went on when I got home. Not a one of you can carry a tune, by the way.”

  Kiera stared at him. “We sang?”

  “Oh, yes.”

  “But I can’t sing.”

  He laughed. “I can attest to that. But you were all very enthusiastic. It was the best homecoming I’ve had in a while. You don’t remember any of this?”

  “I remember somebody suggesting we sing a few Irish songs, but things are a little fuzzy beyond that. I’m sorry if we kept you awake.”

  “Don’t be. I got my own glass of wine, sat on my deck and enjoyed the show. Just know that I won’t be recommending that Luke bring you all in to entertain at the pub.”

  Kiera groaned. “I should hope not. In fact, I’d prefer it if you never mentioned this to another soul. My very first girls’ night and it got completely out of control.”

  Bryan gave her a startled look. “Your first girls’ night?”

  Kiera nodded. “Unless you count a couple of sleepovers when I was very young.”

  “But surely you had a lot of women friends back home. Didn’t you ever get together and kick up your heels?”

  “I had three small children at home and a job that lasted practically from dawn to dusk. There was neither time nor money for going out with the girls.”

  She would have added that there’d been little time for friendships of any kind, but that made her sound far too pitiful.

  She never wanted Bryan to think of her as deserving pity. That also meant she could never fully explain to him or anyone else just how much last night had meant to her. She had, however, given every woman there a fierce hug when they’d left, hoping that would be enough to let them know how much their kindness meant to her.

  When Bryan had parked at the pub, she checked her watch and saw that it was still early enough that some of the women were likely to be at Sally’s.

  “Thanks for the lift,” she told him. “I have somewhere I need to be.”

  Bryan gave her a long look, then nodded. To her surprise, it was understanding she thought she read in his eyes.

  “Have fun with the girls,” he called after her, proving that he knew exactly where she was going and why.

  *

  Just inside the door at Sally’s, Kiera noted that there were still three women at what had come to be known as the O’Brien table. She walked over to Sally and told her she wanted to pick up the check for everyone there and ordered her own coffee and croissant while she was at it. Once she’d paid, she joined them in the back.

  “Thank you all so much for coming last night,” she said when she was seated.

  “We were just talking about how much fun it was,” Megan told her. “We’ve enjoyed these morning get-togethers for years, but then we all rush off to work. Family dinners on Sundays are great, but there are children running all over and the men are there. We never get to let our hair down the way we did last night. It was really special, Kiera, and we’ve vowed to find other occasions to do the same thing.”

  “I’m afraid we might have let our hair down a little too far,” Kiera said. “Bryan caught the whole performance.”

  The other women exchanged amused looks. “It was time he saw this side of you,” Megan said. “Sometimes things get so serious between a man and a woman, they lose sight of the fun that can be had. It happened to Mick and me. There were so many crises and issues and fights when we were married the first time that we forgot how much we enjoyed each other’s company and the way we’d always laughed when we were together. Laughter’s as important in a relationship as anything else. It gets you through the tough times.”

  To Kiera’s amusement, that set off a lively debate over the importance of laughter versus hot sex that left Megan blushing.

  “Too much information,” she finally told the others. “Especially for a mother to hear from her daughters.”

  “Amen,” Kiera said with a pointed look at Moira, who’d just joined them and added quite a bit more than her two cents to the debate.

  “This has been fun, as always,” Megan said. “But I have a gallery to run. Moira, you’ll be by later to discuss the upcoming shows I have in mind?”

  “I will,” Moira agreed.

  Megan gave her a curious look. “And you won’t be balking before I even open my mouth?”

  Moira laughed. “I think you might find me surprisingly agreeable.”

  “Then please do hurry, then,” Megan said.

  The women dispersed and Moira walked with Kiera back to the pub.

  “You really like them, don’t you?” Moira asked.

  Kiera nodded, feeling the surprising sting of tears in her eyes at the thought of leaving them, of leaving this whole town and Bryan behind.

  “Don’t go, Mum. You don’t have to,” Moira said.

  “It’s what we planned from the beginning,” Kiera said stoically.

  “Plans are meant to be changed. Please stay.”

  But in all of Kiera’s struggles, the only thing that had kept her going was having a plan and sticking to it. Straying from that slim grasp on control invited chaos, and she’d had more than enough of that to last a lifetime.

  *

  Bryan had a peaceful morning in the kitchen with no one underfoot, but it had left him oddly disgruntled. Apparently he’d grown used to having Kiera bustling around with her comments and unsolicited advice.

  Still, he was not expecting to have the peace shattered by Moira tearing through the door in a full-blown mood with him as her target.

  “Bryan Laramie, I have no idea what goes on in that head of yours, but you’re impressing me lately as a full-blown idiot.”

  Though he’d grown accustomed to her temper long ago and knew that it usually burned itself out if he simply remained silent, today he wasn’t in the mood for it himself.

  “What a friendly greeting,” he noted in a voice thick with sarcasm. “What set you off today?”

  “I’ve just had a talk with my mother.”

  Bryan frowned at that. “And what has she been telling you? The last time I saw her, she was in a perfectly pleasant frame of mind and on her way to join her friends at Sally’s.”

  “Well, she wasn’t in a pleasant frame of mind just now. She was crying.”

  Alarm spread through Bryan at once. What on earth might have happened in the past hour? “Where is she? I’ll talk to her.”

  “No you won’t. You’ll only blunder and make it all worse.”

  He fought to keep a tight grip on his patience. “Then what is it you want from me?”

  “I want you to make her stay in Chesapeake Shores. You’re the only one she’ll listen to.”

  “Moira, you’re her daughter, the mother of her only grandchild. If you can’t talk her into staying, what can I do?”

  “The mere fact that you have to ask that just proves what an idiot you are. She cares about you. She won’t stay unless you ask. But you can’t just ask as if she were a friend you’d miss and think of from time to time. Her staying has to be what you really want.”

  He sorted through the confusing declaration and thought he saw what she was really saying. “Are you suggesting I propose?” Even as he said the words, his heartbeat escalated straight toward panic.

  “Well, why not?” Moira demanded, as if a man asking a woman to marry him were a simple matter. “It’s not as if you’re still married as you once thought
you might be. You’re as crazy in love with her as she is with you. If any two people belong together, it’s the two of you. Do not be an idiot by letting her leave.”

  Love? The word hung in the air. It had been so long since Bryan had even thought in those terms, it was shocking to hear it in connection with Kiera. He couldn’t deny, though, that the prospect of her going back to Dublin left him feeling empty inside. She’d slipped into his life and filled some need he hadn’t even recognized.

  Marriage, though? He’d tried it and been an abysmal failure. Was he any wiser now? Or did he even need to be? Kiera, unlike Melody, was more than capable of telling him what she needed and demanding that she get it. There would be no crossed signals and hurt feelings. With a fiery temperament much like her daughter’s, she’d provide a road map. He’d witnessed firsthand how that worked for Luke and Moira.

  But what if he pursued the idea that had been nagging at him lately, the possibility that it might not be too late for him to pursue his dream to have a restaurant of his own? Had he learned the lessons well enough from his marriage, or would he revert to old patterns? There was Deanna to consider, too. All were things he needed to take into account before he asked Kiera to marry him.

  “Well?” Moira demanded. “Have I gotten through that thick skull of yours?”

  Bryan smiled at her. “You’ll have to wait and see. And you might want to consider the fact that your mother and I have never even been on what could be considered a date. Marriage would be a giant leap.”

  “Stop making excuses because you’re scared. Sitting around and talking till all hours or spending hours in here cooking together might not be formal dates, but you’ve gotten to know each other as few couples have.”

  “Point taken.”

  “So you’ll talk to her about a future?”

  “Whatever I decide will be discussed with your mother, not you.”

  “Well, that hardly seems fair,” Moira grumbled, then gave him a hard look. “Just don’t disappoint me.”

  “Moira, I adore you, but your disappointment is not at the top of my concerns when it comes to this.”

  She looked momentarily startled, but then smiled. “No, and if I’m being rational, which I seldom am, I suppose it shouldn’t be.”

  Once she’d left the kitchen, Bryan tried to resume cooking, but his concentration was shot. Fortunately, today’s specials were things he could almost make with his eyes closed. The customers wouldn’t suffer because of his distraction, but it was going to be a very long day, and he honestly had no idea how it might end.

  Chapter 22

  After her visit to Chesapeake Shores, Deanna waited a couple of days to give herself time to seriously consider her impulsive decision to transfer to Johns Hopkins to complete her undergraduate work in premed. Now she was sitting, cell phone in hand, trying to decide if her first call should be to Dr. Robbins to ask for guidance in making it happen or to Ash to tell him about her decision. Even though he’d been the one to suggest it, she couldn’t help wondering if he’d be hurt by her final decision to move farther away from home. No matter how supportive he seemed, she knew he’d been counting on her since her mom died.

  “You seem deep in thought,” Milos said, sitting down beside her. “Is there a problem? I’m happy to listen.”

  She smiled at the serious young man whose friendship she’d come to value. He was thoughtful and capable of listening without censure. He might turn out to be exactly the sounding board she needed.

  Starting slowly to try to put her rambling thoughts in order, she explained what was going on in her life.

  “This would be a significant change,” he concluded.

  She nodded. “That’s why I’m so confused. I’m worried about hurting the man who raised me and rushing a relationship with a father I’ve only known briefly.”

  “But isn’t what’s best for your future also important?” Milos asked, pushing his glasses back into place to study her more intently.

  “Of course.”

  “And would you be getting the best education here? If so, isn’t that what matters? If it allows you time to get to know your biological father, that is a bonus, yes?”

  “Yes,” she said, grateful for the fresh perspective.

  “And didn’t you tell me that your stepfather came to see you recently just to have pizza and talk?”

  She smiled, mostly because Milos, unlike many of the men she’d met over her college years, had actually paid attention to things she’d told him. “Yes.”

  “Then he could do that more often, perhaps, or you could still get home for a weekend.”

  “You make it sound so simple,” she said, laughing.

  “I think perhaps it is, when you take all of the tangled emotions out of it.”

  Impulsively, she threw her arms around him, startling him. “Thank you,” she said as he blushed.

  “Then you will try to enroll here?” he concluded.

  “Yes.”

  He nodded, a satisfied smile curving his lips. “I’m glad, because it seems I am going to be staying on, too,” he told her, beaming at his news. “The arrangements were made just yesterday. Professor Wheeler asked if I was interested, and when I told him I was, he got on the phone and, just like that, pulled strings to make it happen.”

  “Milos, that’s wonderful! Why didn’t you mention it sooner?”

  He shrugged. “I’m used to the fact that sometimes dreams don’t work out.” He smiled shyly. “This one did.”

  “I’m so happy for you and happy that we might get to spend more time together.” She hesitated. “That is, if you don’t think your girlfriend back home will object.”

  He sighed. “I think that is over. She knew coming here for the summer was important to me, but I think she’s tired of being left on her own. Unlike me, she is very social, what you might call a party girl. She told me she is already seeing other people.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “It was not meant to be,” he said, sounding surprisingly philosophical about it. “And this opportunity will give me the future I want. I want to be part of a team that discovers a cure for cancer or Alzheimer’s. I want to do something that matters.”

  “And I believe you will,” Deanna encouraged him. “I’ve heard Professor Wheeler himself say that you have great promise as a research scientist. It’s been evident all summer how much he values your work. He even gave you a small project of your own.”

  “A very small one,” he said.

  “Yes, but none of the rest of us was given any independent research to do. That’s a real accomplishment, Milos.”

  “I hope I can live up to his expectations,” he said modestly. “I will certainly try my best.”

  “Between us we will save a lot of lives one of these days,” Deanna said confidently. Suddenly she was excited by all of the possibilities ahead of her. “I’d better call my adviser at the University of Virginia and see what she can do about making this transfer official. And then I’ll call my stepfather.”

  “Then I will leave you to it,” Milos said.

  “Thanks for helping me to clarify things,” she called after him.

  “You already knew what you wanted,” he said. “I did very little beyond listening.”

  Deanna stared after him. He obviously had no idea just how important listening and a few thought-provoking questions could be.

  She made the call to Dr. Robbins and set things in motion, then called Ash several times until she finally caught him as he was coming in the door from work.

  “At this hour? It’s nearly nine. You’re working too hard,” she scolded him.

  “Are you calling just to check up on me?” he teased, laughing. “Has our relationship flipped on its head?”

  “I wasn’t, but perhaps I need to start.”

  “Tell me why you did call,” he suggested. “But first let me set down the bag of takeout I brought home with me.”

  Deanna didn’t like the impression she was
getting of his lifestyle these days. “What kind of takeout?”

  “Would you feel better if I told you it was a giant salad from Whole Foods?”

  “Yes, but I’m betting it’s Chinese from Imperial Palace.”

  He sighed. “You know me too well. Now talk to me, while I eat the Kung Pao chicken before it gets cold.”

  “I’ve decided to make the transfer to Johns Hopkins,” she blurted, aware that the rustling of paper and plastic utensils in the background suddenly stopped.

  “I see,” he said slowly.

  “You sound as if you have mixed feelings,” she said worriedly, then reminded him, “It was your suggestion.”

  “I mentioned it because I thought it might be a good option.”

  “But now you’re having second thoughts?”

  “That depends on why you’re doing it. If it’s for your education, I’m all for it. If it’s only about being closer to your father, then it does concern me.”

  “What if it’s both?” she asked.

  “Let me just ask you this. If things don’t work out between you and your father or get awkward or he has little time for you, any of those things, will you still be happy to be in Baltimore at Johns Hopkins?”

  “Absolutely,” she said without hesitation. “I’m loving everything about this program here.”

  “If that’s the case, then I’m all for the transfer,” he said, though he didn’t sound as enthusiastic as she’d hoped.

  “Ash, things are going well between Bryan and me,” she said, hoping to reassure him. “I think we both want this chance to make up for the time we lost.”

  “I just don’t want you to be disappointed if things don’t work out the way you envisioned. Your mother left him for a reason.”

  “I know, and it probably made perfect sense to her at the time, but a lot of time has passed. He’s not the same person, and I’m an adult now. I think I’ll be able to decide for myself if he’s selfish or too self-involved or whatever it was that drove her away. He’s been pretty open about how he put career over family back then.”

  “He could do that again,” Ash cautioned. “It’s one thing for you to show up out of the blue and have this happy reunion that lasts for a day or even a weekend, but what happens if you’re coming around all the time wanting his attention? He’s had years now when he’s been able to devote himself to work without any competing demands. The tendency to be a workaholic could be even stronger now.”