“Nice metaphor,” Will said. He’d pretty much figured out the same thing. “Any thoughts on what I should do to fix this?”
“Be patient with her. Keep coming at her. Let her know you’re not going anywhere. You’ll have to keep doing that till she believes you. Given her history, she’s going to be a tough sell.”
Will nodded. “Yeah, leaving seems to be a real theme with her. And, to be honest, I get exactly where it’s coming from. I’m just not sure there’s enough time or patience to convince her I’m not going to abandon her.”
“I hope you’re wrong about that,” Connor said. “I want Jess to be happy. You’re my friend. I want you to be happy, too. I’ll admit I was skeptical when I first figured out you were interested in her in that way, but I figure if anybody can work with Jess’s issues, it would be you. You have all sorts of insights most of us poor mortal males can’t begin to figure out.”
“Only if she’ll let me in,” Will said, allowing his discouragement to show. “I don’t know, Connor. Maybe I’m out of my depth here, after all.”
Connor frowned at him. “If you’re willing to give up after one night—”
“It’s not one night. I’ve been in love with her for years.”
“But you’ve only taken her to bed for the first time last night, unless I miss my guess. Come on. You have to know this is just starting. It’ll only end if you walk away.”
Will sighed. “And if I do that, I’ll only be proving her point,” he concluded.
“Looks that way to me,” Connor said. “Send her flowers.”
“Did that.” And it had bought him a night with Jess in his bed. He supposed there was a message there. “But I get what you’re saying.”
“Then you’re still in?”
Will grinned, resigned. “Of course. Your job here is done.”
Connor chuckled. “What kind of fee do you usually charge for this advice? Should I send you a bill?”
“I’ll buy your breakfast,” Will said. “If the advice pays off, maybe there will be champagne down the road.”
Connor nodded. “I can live with that.”
After he’d gone, Will glanced at his watch. He had less than an hour before his first patient of the day. That was just enough time to run down to Ethel’s Emporium. Most women, under these circumstances, could be wooed with fancy chocolates. He happened to know that Jess’s sweet tooth could be satisfied with old-fashioned penny candy, the kind she’d been denied as a kid for fear it would contribute to her hyperactivity. As a result, she’d craved it even more, sneaking off to Ethel’s the second she received her allowance.
He picked out a colorful metal sand pail, had Ethel fill it with a variety of the candy, dress it up with a big bow, then asked her if she could have it delivered to the inn. Ethel’s brows shot up.
“You and Jess?”
Will nodded. “Me and Jess,” he confirmed.
“Well, I’ll be.”
“Keep that to yourself, okay?”
She frowned at the request. “Best gossip I’ve had in weeks, and you want me to keep quiet about it?”
“I do.”
“Well, seeing that it’s you, I’ll do it,” she finally conceded. “You want to send a note with this?”
Will took out his card and scribbled on the back of it: “No crummy poem this time, just love.”
Of course Ethel read it. She laughed. “That’ll do.”
“I’m so glad you approve,” he said wryly.
“Somebody has to give you their blessing. I’m guessing there will be plenty of doubters.”
Will sighed. There certainly were, including the woman in question.
Jess sat in the inn’s kitchen, a mug of decaf in front of her along with a cheese danish she’d managed to reduce to a mound of crumbs. She was still annoyed with herself for letting Will down earlier. She’d almost chased after him and shown up at Sally’s, but at the last minute she’d spotted Connor’s car parked on the street right outside and chickened out. She’d been stewing over her cowardice ever since.
Gail walked in, shrugged off her winter coat and hung it on a peg, then caught sight of Jess. Her gaze narrowed.
“Don’t you look chipper,” she commented. “What’s wrong?”
“Not a thing,” Jess claimed.
Gail poured herself a cup of decaf, then grimaced when she took a sip. “If you’re going to make coffee in my kitchen, could you try not to ruin it? What if a guest got a taste of this?”
“There are no guests up and about yet,” Jess said. She waved toward the much larger espresso machine they used for the guests. “Your toy is untouched. Feel free to work your magic. And, by the way, if you hate my coffee so much, you don’t have to drink it.”
“I’m caffeine-deprived. I took a chance you’d slipped up and made the real thing,” Gail said.
Though she began bustling around the kitchen in preparation for pulling together the breakfast menu, she kept casting sideways glances in Jess’s direction. Eventually, with the espresso machine filled and sending out a tantalizing aroma, a mountain of eggs at the ready beside the stove, and bacon and sausage on the grill, she fixed herself a second cup of coffee and sat down across from Jess.
“Okay, I’m about to get slammed with breakfast orders, so make it quick,” Gail said. “What happened between you and Will last night to put that glum expression on your face? Did he send you back into the night without giving you what you went over there for?”
Jess scowled at her. “You have such a charming way with words.”
“I like to cut to the heart of things. It’s one of the qualities you appreciate in me,” Gail said, a grin tugging at her lips.
“This morning, not so much,” Jess declared.
“You’re wasting time, sweet pea. The bacon’s sizzling. I need to get back over there and give it my full attention. Talk.”
“Okay, here it is in a nutshell. Last night was great. This morning I blew it.”
“How so?”
“I wouldn’t go with him to Sally’s.”
Gail chuckled. “Who could blame you?”
“I’m fairly certain Will does. He looked so disappointed in me, Gail. I felt awful. I practically told him I was too ashamed of our relationship to let anyone find out about it. And do you know what’s worse? I drove over there, thinking I should just march right in there and make things right with him, but I got scared off because I spotted my brother’s car.”
This time Gail didn’t laugh or even smile. “I have to ask this,” she said solemnly. “Are you really that worried about what people, or more specifically your family, will think? Or is this just what you do? You start to get involved, get scared when the emotions are too much, and then dream up any excuse you can to run? Or to invite the other person to dump you?”
Jess hated the characterization, but she had to admit that Gail might be exactly right. Was that what she’d done this morning? Had she intentionally avoided Sally’s, knowing it would hurt Will’s feelings and, therefore, practically dare him to give up on her?
She moaned and buried her face in her arms. “I am such a mess when it comes to this kind of thing,” she muttered. “You’d think I was fifteen, not thirty. It’s pathetic.”
“It kind of is,” Gail agreed, though her tone was gentle. “Maybe it’s time you started thinking seriously about making a change.”
“Ironically, the person best qualified to tell me how to do that is Will,” Jess said. “Wouldn’t that be the icing on the cake? Um, hey, Will, could you help me find a way to stop screwing up my life?”
Gail didn’t laugh. “I know you’re joking, but maybe that’s not such a terrible idea.”
Jess frowned. “I am not going to Will for counseling. Wouldn’t that make it unethical for him to date me? It would sort of defeat the purpose, don’t you think?”
“Interesting that losing Will as a date is the first thing that occurred to you,” Gail noted. “But you need to do something before yo
u keep making the same mistake over and over.”
“I know you’re right,” Jess conceded miserably. “I really do.”
Just then Ronnie stuck his head into the kitchen. “Is the girl talk over? There are people in the dining room wanting breakfast.”
Gail looked at Jess. “You going to be okay?”
“Of course,” she said, injecting a cheery note into her voice. “I’m going to be just fine.”
Apparently relieved by their responses, Ronnie stepped inside. “This came a few minutes ago. Maybe it will cheer you up,” he said, pulling a sand pail with a mountain of penny candy in it from behind his back. He handed it to Jess.
She started smiling even before she looked at the card. Only one person could have found such a perfect gift for her.
“Will?” Gail guessed.
Jess nodded, then laughed when she read the card.
“Seems like you didn’t blow it so badly this morning after all,” Gail commented. “Second chances don’t come along every day, sweet pea. Make the most of this one.”
Jess intended to do just that, even if she had to scramble out of her comfort zone to pull it off.
Thomas had managed to get through an entire twenty-four hours without speaking to Connie, but he had to admit he hadn’t liked it. He’d turned it into some kind of test for himself, to see if maybe his feelings for her would cool down with even a tiny bit of distance between them. It had been an exercise in futility. She’d stayed front and center in his thoughts anyway.
He couldn’t pinpoint why she got to him the way she did. She was nothing like either of his wives. She was a strong, independent single mom, who was far from the sophisticated kind of women he’d been involved with in the past.
Even though he’d never had kids of his own, he’d been a close observer of the families of both of his brothers. Jeff seemed to have the whole parenting thing down to a calm, easygoing science. Mick’s children had been put through the wringer, but thanks in some measure to their grandmother, they’d grown into fine young people.
Bottom line, Thomas knew the kind of work it took to be a rock-solid parent, even if he’d never experienced it himself. He admired Connie’s dedication to raising her daughter on her own. Of course, she’d had Jake around to pitch in, but no question, she was the one responsible for the fine young woman Jenny had become.
Connie was a nurturer. Her home was a testament to that. It was the house in which she’d been raised, filled with the warm touches that made it a home. She’d probably never ordered takeout in her life, at least not beyond pizza. He even wondered about that since it had taken her a while the other day to come up with the phone number for the pizza shop in Chesapeake Shores. Thomas had the closest one to his place on speed dial.
“I hate to interrupt the daydreaming,” his secretary said when she stepped into his office. “Your brother’s here. Should I send him in? You have a half hour before your next appointment.”
“Mick’s here?” he asked, surprised.
“He said he had something important to discuss with you.”
“Then send him in,” Thomas said, leaning back in his chair. Mick had only paid one other visit to his office, when he’d been looking for advice about Megan. That had been startling enough. Thomas could hardly wait to hear what had brought him by today.
Mick came in with a scowl etched into the deep lines on his face. Thomas sat up straighter.
“Is there a problem?” he asked at once. “Is anything wrong with Ma?”
Mick waved off the question. “Ma’s fine, though I think she’s intent on driving me to drink. She keeps making comments about looking for gentlemen callers.”
Thomas blinked. “Ma wants to start dating?”
“So she says,” Mick reported. “Frankly, I think she does it just to make my blood pressure rise.”
“It would probably be good for her,” Thomas said thoughtfully, once the initial shock had passed. “She was used to having her days filled with your family. She’s probably bored to tears now.”
Mick’s scowl only deepened. “I didn’t come here to talk about Ma’s dating plans. I have something to say about yours.”
Now it was Thomas’s turn to scowl. “Tread carefully, big brother,” he warned. “You’re heading onto dangerous turf. My social life is none of your concern.”
“It is when I hear you’re about to make a fool of yourself with some girl who’s young enough to be your daughter, a girl who’s like part of the family.”
Thomas sighed. “So you’ve heard about Connie and me.”
“I have,” Mick confirmed. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
“I’m not going to defend myself to you, if that’s what you’re hoping for. Connie is hardly young enough to be my daughter. Not even I was that precocious. She’s certainly old enough to know her own mind. We’ve both gone into this with our eyes wide open.”
“‘This’?” Mick said. “Exactly what is ‘this’?”
“A relationship,” Thomas said readily.
“Then it’s true. You’re having an affair?” he said, his expression incredulous. “What the hell are you thinking?”
“That she makes me happy,” Thomas said, refusing to let Mick’s attitude rattle him. “And, thanks be to God, I seem to make her happy, too.”
“And what about Jake? How’s he supposed to feel about you taking advantage of his older sister?”
Thomas frowned at him. “Nobody’s taking advantage of anybody. I can assure you of that. As for Jake, he and I have looked each other in the eye and reached an understanding, so I’m guessing the problem is you, not Jake.”
“Okay, what if it is? It’s wrong. How can you not see that?”
“What I can see is that this is none of your business,” Thomas said. “Connie and I aren’t flaunting this in anyone’s face. We’ve been discreet.”
“And why is that?” Mick demanded. “I’ll tell you why. Because even you know you ought to be ashamed of yourself. You’re scared Ma will get wind of this and have a stroke.”
Thomas stood up, slamming a fist on his desk as he rose. “That’s enough, Mick. You may be my older brother, but I won’t have you or anyone else trying to turn this into some sleazy, back-alley affair. Nobody respects and admires that woman more than I do. I won’t let you insult Connie or me by suggesting what we’ve found is something tawdry. And leave Ma out of it, too. The only thing she’s ever wanted for any of us is that we find happiness.”
Mick didn’t look appeased. “If you’re so all-fired sure that there’s nothing wrong with what you’re doing, then why haven’t you brought it out in the open? You haven’t escorted Connie to Sunday dinner, have you?”
“Because this is exactly the kind of reaction I was hoping to avoid,” Thomas declared. “I won’t have Connie embarrassed, Mick, and apparently that’s the only kind of behavior I can expect from you.”
For just a moment, Mick looked taken aback by his vehemence. His gaze narrowed. “You really care about her? Seriously?”
“It’s getting to be damned serious,” Thomas said, even surprising himself.
Mick nodded slowly, as if absorbing the information. “I see.”
“Do you?” Thomas challenged. “I hope so, because I thought you and I were finally starting to make some progress in mending our relationship. I’d hate to see it go off track again, if only for Ma’s sake. How’d you find out about this, anyway? It seems clear to me that Jake didn’t tell you.”
“I overheard Connor and Kevin talking,” Mick admitted. “I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, so I decided to come straight to the horse’s mouth.”
“Well, I suppose I should be grateful you came directly to me, instead of talking about it to everyone else in the family,” Thomas said grudgingly. “Once all the O’Briens start dissecting the news, it could put so much pressure on Connie it’ll scare her off.”
“I don’t imagine she’d be scared off if you put a ring on her finger,”
Mick said slyly.
Thomas froze. “An engagement ring?” The out-of-the-blue thought didn’t make him half as nervous as it should have.
“Or you could skip straight to a wedding ring,” Mick said. “You’re not getting any younger. The two of you could probably still have a kid together, if you got busy in a hurry.”
Thomas gave him a wry look. “Thanks for the suggestion.”
“I’m just saying—”
“I know what you’re saying,” Thomas said impatiently. “But I think Connie and I will have to decide the pace of this relationship ourselves.”
“Up to you,” Mick said agreeably. “You’ll bring her to dinner this Sunday.” He said it as if it were a foregone conclusion. “Get this out in the open. Connie deserves that kind of openness, especially when it comes to your family.”
Thomas couldn’t disagree. He was just afraid she’d listen to the invitation, then turn around and run the other way. He could hardly blame her. He wasn’t much looking forward to the occasion himself.
“Maybe,” he began, hoping to put it off.
“This Sunday,” his older brother said. “Or I’ll speak to Ma. I imagine she’ll give you an earful about showing some respect for a woman we all care about.”
That was the last thing Thomas wanted. “We’ll be there,” he promised.
Or they’d both head to Tahiti for a few months, where there wouldn’t be an O’Brien in sight.
“You have to be kidding me,” Connie said when Thomas called to tell her there was a command performance scheduled for Sunday.
“I was going to break it to you when I came over on Friday, but I had a feeling you might need a little time to adjust to the idea. Or maybe to flee the country.”
“You just didn’t want to tell me when there was a cast iron skillet within reach,” she retorted.
He laughed. “That, too.”
“Thomas, is this what you really want? Are we ready to go public? We’re still finding our way.”
“I don’t think we really have a choice. Half the family already knows. And now that Mick knows, it won’t be long before the others do. I don’t want anyone to get the idea that we have anything to be ashamed of. I love what’s happening between us.”
Moonlight Cove Page 23
