She held the door of the refrigerator open and looked back at him. “What?”
“Last I heard, you couldn’t cook. Maybe we should go out and grab a burger or pizza or something.”
“We’re both a mess, and I don’t want to take the time to clean up,” she said, then grinned. “Never fear, Gail always leaves a few things tucked in here for me. Next to Dillon, she’s the best chef in town.”
His expression brightened. “In that case, let’s see what the possibilities are,” he said, stepping up behind her.
He was so close, she could smell the lingering scent of his aftershave. Suddenly it took everything in her not to turn around and bury her face in the curve of his shoulder. She straightened so suddenly, she bumped her head on his chin.
“Sorry,” she said, regarding him with a wince. “Are you okay?”
“Nothing an ice pack won’t cure,” he said, then stopped her when she would have reached into the freezer for one. “I’m kidding. I’m fine.” His eyes lit up. “And I see roasted chicken in there. Can we have that?”
“We had chicken for lunch.”
“Doesn’t matter. There’s nothing better than cold chicken with a glass of wine. I’m assuming you can come up with a bottle of pinot grigio or a sauvignon blanc. I’ve heard the wine cellar here is second to none.”
“Cold chicken and wine, it is,” she said. “I’ll grab the chicken. You check out the wines.” She gestured toward the oversize wine cooler they’d had installed just a few weeks earlier. It was stocked with some excellent California labels, as well as several local wines and even a few more expensive French vintages. Will whistled as he scanned the labels. “Excellent selection.”
“Gail knows what she’s doing. I don’t,” Jess said, digging through a drawer for a corkscrew. “Pick whatever you want.”
She found a few more things for their meal—some cut veggies, a wedge of cheese, a cluster of chilled red grapes and a loaf of French bread baked earlier in the day. The tray was loaded down when she’d finished.
Will shook his head at the sight of it. “I thought we were having a simple snack.”
“This was simple,” Jess said. “Did you see me turn on a single burner on the stove? You take the tray. I’ll take the wine and glasses.”
The sun was starting to dip in the west when they sat down at one of the picnic tables scattered around the inn’s sweeping lawn. Will poured the wine, then held up his glass.
“To simple meals with good friends,” he said quietly.
There wasn’t anything even remotely suggestive in his words, no hint of innuendo that he wanted something more. And yet Jess thought she could read the desire in his eyes and couldn’t help wondering if it was reflected in her own.
The thought of it was so terrifying, she felt she had to say something. “Will?”
He nodded, his gaze never leaving her face.
“You know this…” She gestured to their meal, which had yet to be touched. “It’s not a date. We should probably be clear on that.”
He frowned slightly. “How would you describe it?”
“Just a snack, you know, to thank you for helping out earlier.”
“Okay,” he said slowly. “But since we’re being clear, let me tell you that I do not intend to get caught up in one of those ridiculous not-dating situations that Susie and Mack have found themselves in. Since this was your idea, you can call this whatever you want tonight.” He leveled a look into her eyes. “But the next time you and I share a meal—if we ever share another meal—it will be a date.”
Jess trembled at the intensity in his voice and in his eyes. She was even more shaken when he stood up, dropped a quick kiss on her forehead and announced he had to go.
“But—”
“You stay out here and enjoy watching the moon come up,” he said, cutting off her protest. “It’s going to be a full one tonight.”
He was gone before she could ask him to stay. She told herself it was just as well. With the conflicted feelings she was suddenly having about him, sitting here with him watching the rise of a full moon might be a little too romantic. Who knew what crazy things she might be tempted to do.
7
Connie had been on three blind dates so far, each one more depressing than the one before. It wasn’t that the men weren’t nice. They just weren’t Thomas O’Brien. They lacked his maturity, his passion for his work preserving the Chesapeake Bay, his blue eyes that sparkled with laughter when they shared a joke.
The way she was pining for the man was pitiful. And it had only gotten worse since they’d gone to dinner a couple of weeks ago.
As innocent as that dinner had been—they hadn’t even shared a hug, much less a kiss—she’d been replaying every second of it in her head ever since. Those three intellectually stimulating hours had spoiled her for everyone else. Nor had she laughed that hard in years. Thomas had a wonderfully self-deprecating way of telling stories on himself and everyone in the O’Brien family.
She was sitting in her office at her brother’s nursery, trying to work up some enthusiasm for calling a customer to explain that it wasn’t possible to plant palm trees on the Maryland shore and expect them to live through the winter, when Jess wandered in.
“You look as down as I’m feeling,” Jess commented, lifting a chair over piles of seed catalogues in the cramped room and sitting down. “What’s on your mind?”
Since just the thought of discussing her feelings for Thomas with an O’Brien made her cringe, Connie opted for an evasion. “I’m just overloaded with work.”
Jess gave her a knowing look. “You sure it doesn’t have anything to do with my uncle?”
Connie feigned shock, hoping she sounded convincing. “You mean Thomas? Why would my mood have anything to do with him?”
“I could have meant Jeff,” Jess teased. “That you jumped to the conclusion I was talking about Thomas is very telling.”
“Oh, please,” Connie said. “What kind of issues could Jeff and I possibly have?”
“Landscaping issues,” Jess improvised. “He does manage a lot of properties around town.”
Connie wished she’d seized on that possibility a lot sooner. “I don’t have issues with Jeff, or Thomas, for that matter. I don’t know where you got such a crazy idea.”
“Because from all the reports I’ve been hearing, sparks fly whenever the two of you are in the same space,” Jess said.
Connie sighed. “You’ve been talking to Connor.”
Jess grinned. “And Kevin. I believe Heather’s also mentioned a time or two the way your face lights up when you see him. I’ve seen it for myself, my friend. And then there’s the rumor that the two of you were spotted in Easton having dinner a couple of weeks ago.”
Connie groaned. “That is so humiliating. I could have sworn nobody in the family saw us.”
“They didn’t,” Jess said. “My chef Gail and her husband had a rare night out. She wanted to try a new restaurant. She’d heard the place has a great chef, and you know how competitive she is.”
“I never saw her,” Connie said, chagrined by the realization that she’d had eyes for no one in the room except Thomas.
“I don’t think you were paying much attention to your surroundings,” Jess teased. “Of course, I already had an inkling about what was going on from my brothers and my own observations. This just confirmed it.”
“I might have to kill them,” Connie said with a groan. “I knew they’d figured out how I felt, but I didn’t think they’d blab.”
“They’re O’Briens,” Jess said. “None of us can keep a secret worth a damn. Surely you’ve seen that.” She leaned forward. “So, what are you going to do about it? Are you two actually dating finally? I think it would be great if you did, by the way. Uncle Thomas needs a strong, wonderful woman who shares his interests.”
“We had dinner,” Connie said, then added, in the interest of full disclosure, “And a couple of lunches, plus coffee a few times.”
Jess chuckled at the recitation.
“Oh, stop it,” Connie muttered. “It’s not like it’s turned into some big romance or anything.”
“What do you plan to do to change that?” Jess pressed.
“Me?” Connie asked, looking horrified. “Nothing.”
“You’re not going to wait around for him to do something, are you? Because I can practically hear the wheels in my uncle’s head grinding while he assesses how the whole family, especially your brother, would react if he seriously started dating you. I imagine he’s sensitive to the age issue, too. It’s up to you to show him that the feeling’s mutual.”
“I don’t know that it is,” Connie said. “I mean, I know I’m attracted to him, but for all I know he’s just being nice to me. He’s probably just grateful for the help I’ve given to him with all those events to raise money for the foundation. Dinner the other night was friendly, nothing more.”
She uttered the words without allowing her frustration to show. She’d actually braved humiliation by telling Thomas in advance that she wanted it to be a date, but once they’d met at the restaurant, he’d behaved like a total gentleman, nothing more than a casual friend. She could hardly criticize his manners, only his astounding self-control. The relationship was beginning to take on the same bizarre hands-off style that defined Susie and Mack’s and even Will and Jess’s. She found that worrisome, to say nothing of frustrating.
Jess rolled her eyes. “Friendly? You can’t be that naive. If he invited you to dinner, that’s huge. Every woman can tell the difference between gratitude and attraction. I know you practically lived like a nun while Jenny was at an impressionable age, but you haven’t been away from the dating scene that long.”
Connie frowned at her certainty. “Some women I know can’t seem to tell the difference between attraction and professional interest. Want to talk about that kiss between you and Will at Brady’s?”
“I do not,” Jess said, her cheeks pink with embarrassment.
“Then I guess there’s nothing more to say. Why’d you come over here, anyway?”
“I was looking for a distraction, to be honest. My next stop’s the bank. Maybe Laila will be more forthcoming about what’s going on in her life. She seems to be the only one of us who’s been actively dating since she signed up for Will’s online matchmaking.”
“I’ve gone out on a bunch of dates,” Connie protested.
“Have you seen any of the men twice?”
“No, but neither has Laila. What’s your point?”
“She’s still accepting dates. You’re not.”
“How on earth do you know that?” Connie asked indignantly. “Did Will tell you?”
Jess grinned. “Nope. It was a lucky guess, which you just confirmed.” She stood up, then kissed Connie’s cheek. “Talk to Thomas. Ask him out, if you’re really interested. I’m telling you, you’re going to have to take the lead with him, at least in the beginning.”
She was gone before Connie could respond. Jess was probably right, Connie thought. Maybe she did need to be the one to make the next overture, but doing so was way too far out of her comfort zone. Besides, it was only a couple of weeks before they’d be thrown together at a last-minute fundraiser they’d arranged to hold at a nearby fall festival. With luck, the decision might be taken out of her hands. Otherwise she’d have a long, lonely winter to survive without even the chance encounters she’d come to count on.
En route to the bank, Jess dropped by Sally’s and picked up a couple of raspberry croissants along with two cups of coffee to take with her. Before she could leave, though, she turned too quickly and nearly walked straight into Will. He put a steadying hand on her arm, which she immediately shrugged off.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, frowning. “It’s not even close to noon.”
He smiled. “I usually pick up coffee to take to my office first thing in the morning,” he said. “What about you?” He gestured toward her take-out order. “Don’t you usually grab something at the inn in the morning?”
“I felt like a change of pace this morning. I’m on my way over to the bank to visit with Laila.”
“Then I won’t keep you,” he said. “Enjoy your day.”
The dismissal grated. Jess had half a mind to stay right where she was, but since she had no idea what she’d do next, she sighed and left, grumbling under her breath about men in general, and one man in particular.
When she bumped directly into someone just outside the café, she looked up to find Connor regarding her with amusement.
“You seem distracted, sis. First you run into Will inside Sally’s, and now you practically mow me down. Is something wrong?”
“Not a thing,” she assured him, as he fell into step beside her.
“It wouldn’t have anything to do with your encounter with Will back there, would it?”
She stopped in her tracks and scowled at him. “Does this family have spies everywhere? Do I need to tie bells around your necks, so I’ll know when an O’Brien is in the vicinity?”
He had the audacity to laugh. “I was sitting at the counter, minding my own business, when you came in. It is not my fault if you and Will started dancing around each other like a couple of boxers waiting for the first punch to be thrown.”
“A lovely analogy,” she commented. “And it wasn’t like that.”
“Then what was it like? You left there muttering about Will. You weren’t even looking where you were going, which explains our close encounter on the sidewalk out front. What did he say to get under your skin this time?”
“Not a thing,” she insisted, then couldn’t stop herself from adding, “He dismissed me. Do you believe that? He actually dismissed me, like some teacher graciously letting class go even though the bell’s already rung anyway.”
Connor looked confused. “Meaning?”
“What right does he have to send me on my way with a pat on the head?”
“I never saw him pat you on the head.”
“Figuratively,” she said impatiently. “He was condescending. And all because I told him last night wasn’t a date.”
Connor stared at her. “Last night? You were with Will last night? You didn’t leave Mom and Dad’s with him.”
“No, he came by the inn to help me clean the attic. Without an invitation, in case you were wondering.”
Connor, who was used to dealing with reluctant witnesses in a courtroom, nodded as if what she was saying made perfect sense, even though he was clearly confused. “Okay, so the two of you cleaning the attic together wasn’t a date. Did he think it was?”
“No, he thought dinner was,” she said. “Well, actually he didn’t say he did, but I told him it wasn’t, just so there’d be no misunderstanding about it, and he got all huffy and left.”
Connor laughed. He didn’t even have the courtesy to try to hide it. “You know, I always thought Mack and Susie lived in some crazy state of denial, but you and Will may have taken up residence right next to them.”
“Will said almost the same thing, and then he said he wouldn’t stand for it,” Jess told him.
“Can you blame him? We’ve all gotten a little tired of those ridiculous protests Susie and Mack keep uttering.”
Jess sighed. “No, I get what Will was saying. I was just trying to be straightforward and honest.”
“Really?” Connor said doubtfully. “Because I don’t even think you’re being honest with yourself about your feelings for Will. Oh, it’s possible that you didn’t have any at one time, but now you do. Why not admit it and see what happens?”
“Because I can’t,” she said in frustration.
“Why?”
“When I’m with him, I feel like he knows more about me than I know about myself. It’s annoying.”
“Do you have any idea how many women would give anything to find a man who actually understands them?”
“This is different,” Jess insisted.
“How so?”
She couldn’t really explain it, so she retorted, “It just is.”
“Now, there’s the rational side of you I know and love,” Connor said lightly.
“Oh, go suck an egg,” she snapped. “I never said it was rational. It’s just the way I feel.”
Connor draped an arm across her shoulders and hugged her. “You’ll work it out,” he said confidently.
“You seem to have a whole lot more faith in me than I do,” she replied despondently.
“Just about everyone in the family does,” Connor said. “Maybe you should think about why that is, Jess. Until you figure out that you’re a terrific person who deserves to be happy, you’re going to keep getting in your own way.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Love you. I’ve got to get to the office.”
She watched her brother leave, then sighed. Something told her that Connor, who—bless his heart—was not known as the most insightful person in the universe, had hit the nail on the head this time. If he could see what was going on with her, then maybe it was time she took a harder look at herself.
Will went to the bar at Brady’s after work. It was something he rarely did on his own, especially on a Monday night, but he was still stewing over his encounter with Jess earlier in the day and the whole fiasco on Sunday night.
To his surprise, he found Mack and Jake already there.
“What are the two of you doing here tonight?” he asked.
“We agreed that you weren’t yourself at lunch today and something told us you’d be turning up here tonight,” Jake said. “Besides, I needed an entire hour to relax without the baby screaming. For a very little girl, she can make quite a racket.”
“And yet you expect Bree to deal with her all day,” Will commented, ignoring the references to his mood.
“Bree has help, believe me. Her grandmother stops by and takes over for an hour or so. She drops the baby off with Megan every afternoon. And whenever she takes her over to the theater, the girls in her upcoming production take turns fussing over her. This child has more unofficial nannies than any kid on earth.”
Will grinned. “In other words, the only time you get to spend with her is in the evening when she’s exhausted and crying,” he guessed.
Moonlight Cove Page 9
