Bottom Line: Callaghan Brothers, Book 8

by Abbie Zanders

  “You need a vacation,” Cat said, right on cue. “Book a flight and put him in a kennel for a few days. It will be good for both of you.”

  Max in a kennel? Only over Mary’s dead, lifeless body. The look of utter betrayal in Max’s eyes alone would be enough to kill both of them. As if sensing he was the topic of conversation, he rolled over onto his side and looked at her. Those big brown eyes sought her out. Once assured that she was near, they closed once again in slumber.

  “Not happening, Mom.” Mary wondered, not for the first time, if she was adopted.

  “Bill has a son about your age,” she said, switching gears without warning. “His second divorce is almost final, and he’s got a good job.”

  Oh, hell no. The last thing she needed was her mother setting her up on blind dates.

  “No, Mom. Not interested. And who’s Bill? What happened to Carl?” Every few months it was a different name; Mary didn’t even bother trying to remember them anymore.

  Catherine Murphy exhaled heavily in sufferance, refusing to be sidetracked. “You need a man, Mary.”

  Mary sighed; clearly her mother had reached the end of her patience and was abandoning all precepts of subtlety and going for an all-out attack. “No, I don’t.”

  “Well of course you do,” Catherine clucked. “Everything in life is better with a man by your side.”

  It wasn’t that Mary disagreed, exactly, but unlike her mother, Mary didn’t believe that just any man would do. It had to be the right man. Mary closed her eyes and prayed for strength and patience. Another flash of golden hair and glowing eyes filled her mind’s eye, this time accompanied by a pang of longing. She immediately opened her eyes and tried to dispel the image.

  “You don’t have to marry him, honey, if you don’t want to be tied down just yet. You don’t want to scare him away anyway. Just let him adjust your attitude a little, and if it’s good enough - ”

  “Mom, I have to go.” There was no way she could listen to her mother drone on and on about the benefits of sex on a regular basis again. She just didn’t have the strength.

  “Mary, don’t you dare hang up on me! You need to - ”

  “I love you, too, Mom.” Mary ended the connection and turned off her phone, tossing it on the counter to avoid the ten or so callbacks she’d get in the next few hours. Leaning back in the recliner, she exhaled heavily, promising herself that next Sunday, she was going to be in the shower when the phone rang.

  Chapter Five

  Aidan cruised down the main street of Birch Falls. Again. The sleek Benz caught a few curious looks, but he was beyond caring. Borrowing the kid’s POS Honda had convinced him that he definitely preferred his own vehicles, if for no other reason than they had working defrosters and didn’t smell like stale beer and McDonald’s French fries.

  Like Pine Ridge, Birch Falls wasn’t a very big town, but it was spread out over a fairly large area. There was one well-defined main strip, with a lot of streets that branched off and divided the area into different sections.

  Driven by a strange compulsion he couldn’t explain, Aidan had taken to trolling the streets in an attempt to find something that looked familiar. He wished, for the hundredth time, that he had paid more attention when Mary had given him a ride back to Tommy’s on New Year’s Day. As it was, all he could remember was the gentle way she had smiled at him and the light vanilla and jasmine scent in her Jeep.

  He shouldn’t be doing this. Mary obviously had no interest in seeing him again. If she had, she would have called by now. But here he was anyway, driving around aimlessly like some creeper, looking for anything that might give him a clue where to find her again.

  Aidan sighed. If he had no luck today, he might just have to break down and ask Lexi’s husband Ian for some help. Ian Callaghan had a reputation for being able to find anyone anywhere, but Aidan had to believe that locating a specific “Mary” in “Birch Falls” might even be beyond Ian’s mad digital stalking skills.

  One more time. Aidan drove south another mile or so, well past the last stop light in the town proper, and made a right. West for one block, then north. When he got to the city limits on the other side, he’d head east, then south, then back to the beginning.

  He must have covered at least three quarters of the town at least twice, but as the early winter darkness began to fall in earnest, he worked his way back toward the center of town and the multitude of streetlamps and lighted businesses concentrated there. It was unlikely he would find anything useful out in the darker, less populated regions, not when he had no idea what the exterior of her house even looked like.

  The bright lights of O’Leary’s Diner caught his attention, and Aidan smiled. He knew Conlan O’Leary, having met him several times at various Callaghan events. Conlan was the maternal grandfather of the Callaghans and their Connelly cousins in Birch Falls. Aidan liked him; the man even insisted that Aidan call him Daideo – the Irish version of “grandfather” - like all the others.

  Reluctant to return home just yet, Aidan found himself pulling into the parking lot.

  “Aidan, lad, this is a pleasant surprise!” Conlan looked up over a pair of bifocals to greet him with a smile. “Come. Sit. I’ll just be a mo’...”

  Aidan returned the older man’s smile, chuckling inwardly at Conlan’s affectionate familiarity and authority. It had been a long time since anyone had called him a “lad”, and even longer since someone attempted to treat him like one, but Aidan didn’t mind. It was kind of nice, actually. Conlan always treated Aidan like one of his own, and he was decidedly more grandfatherly than Aidan’s Fortune 500 grandsire.

  Sliding into the booth across from him, Aidan looked at the ledger and the stacks of receipts, invoices, and payroll checks. “You do know they have computer programs that do all that for you, right?”

  Conlan snorted. “Computers. Got no use for the blasted things.” Aidan laughed.

  A pretty young waitress came over to take his order. When Aidan smiled at her, she blushed ten shades of pink before heading off to fill it.

  Conlan chuckled. “Ye have a right gift there, lad, but she’s too young fer ye.”

  Aidan laughed. “No worries there, Daideo.”

  Conlan moved the stacks aside and closed his ledger. “So. What brings ye te Birch Falls?”

  “Checking out the competition,” Aidan replied with a half-grin that had Conlan chuckling. The Celtic Goddess was a five-star restaurant, among the best of the best, but O’Leary’s was the gold standard of old-school diners.

  “Ye’ll not get Keely’s recipe for cinnamon rolls, no matter how many of my waitresses ye smile at.” It was a running joke between them. Keely – now one of Conlan’s ten granddaughters-in-law – had once worked as a waitress at the diner. Her homemade recipe for the sweet, gooey treats had given O’Leary’s the distinction of having the finest on the east coast, or so he claimed.

  “Maybe not today,” Aidan’s eyes glittered with amusement. “But I’m working on it.”

  Right on cue, the cute little server brought him a roll and a cup of coffee. As Aidan took his first bite and rolled his eyes in bliss, a thought occurred to him. Conlan had lived in Birch Falls a long time, and probably knew everyone in town. Not to mention the Diner was a well-known gathering place for the locals.

  “Actually, Daideo, I’m looking for someone. Maybe you can help me out.”

  “Might this someone be a woman?”

  “Might be.”

  Conlan’s eyes glittered as he leaned back in his seat, bringing his own mug of coffee to his lips. Everyone knew the old man was a hopeless romantic who was only too glad to lend a nudge when necessary. “Go on, then.”

  Aidan wiped some of the icing from his lips. “I don’t have a lot to go on. Her name is Mary. Brown hair, brown eyes. Has a yellow Lab named Max. Drives a Jeep. I realize it’s not much,” Aidan said, “but do you know anyone like that?”

  “Now what would ye be wanting with our Mary?” The amusement had faded so
mewhat from Conlan’s eyes, and his expression was more serious than it had been only a few minutes earlier. If Aidan had to categorize it, he would call it protective.

  “You do know her,” Aidan breathed, feeling a rush of relief.

  “Aye. Answer my question, lad.”

  “She, uh, did something very kind for me. I’d just like to do something nice for her in return.”

  The older man said nothing, but continued to stare at Aidan until he felt the urge to squirm in his seat like a boy. Aidan exhaled, knowing Conlan would say nothing until he was honest with him.

  “I was at Tommy’s on New Year’s Eve. I had too much to drink. Mary took my keys and drove me back to her house to sleep it off,” he admitted. “But nothing happened,” he quickly added when he saw Conlan’s features harden slightly.

  “Why were ye at Tommy’s?”

  Aidan shrugged. “I don’t know. I just... felt the need to get away from Pine Ridge for a little while.”

  Conlan nodded in understanding, the lines in his face softening again. “Mary’s a good woman. Most folks around here say she’s an angel.”

  An angel. Yeah, he could see that. “Why is that?”

  “Ye are no’ the first she’s taken under her wing,” Conlan said vaguely. His eyes bored into Aidan’s. “She’s a good woman,” he repeated meaningfully.

  Yeah, Aidan had figured that out for himself. “I promise you, Daideo, my motives are pure. I just want to thank her. Maybe buy her some flowers or something.”

  That made Conlan chuckle, but Aidan had no idea why. “Ye sure about that, lad? A woman like Mary has a way of getting under a man’s skin afore he even realizes what’s happening.”

  Didn’t he know it, Aidan thought. “No,” he breathed. “I’m not sure about anything, actually. But I do want to do something nice for her.”

  Conlan studied him for a few more moments. “Alright. Ye are a good lad.”

  Aidan let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, feeling like he’d just passed a critical test. “You’ll tell me how to get in touch with her?”

  “I’ll do ye one better,” Conlan grinned and winked, looking at his watch, then turning his eyes to the front door. “Ah, there’s a good lass. Right on time.”

  Aidan followed his gaze, turning over his shoulder to where a familiar face was coming through the door. “Hi, Amy!” Mary said cheerfully, walking up to the counter and placing a brightly-colored floral bouquet there.”

  “Hey Mary,” the young girl answered back with a genuine smile. “The usual?”

  “Yes, please.”

  Only then did Mary’s eyes travel over to where they sat. She spotted Conlan first. “Hi Mr. O’Leary. Did you save some soup for me?”

  “Always, love,” he winked.

  Mary beamed, and Aidan couldn’t look away. She was even prettier than he remembered. Bundled up in a white winter coat edged with faux fur, her nose and cheeks were pink with cold.

  “Hi Mary,” he said, offering her a tentative smile.

  “Hi Aidan.” She was clearly surprised to see him, her brown eyes opening wide. “You two know each other?”

  “Aye, that we do,” Conlan answered. “Aidan here is - ”

  “ – a friend of the family,” Aidan interrupted, easing smoothly out of the booth and standing up before Conlan could finish. Aidan didn’t want Mary to know that he owned the Goddess. He liked the idea that she didn’t know, and still treated him like he was worth something. As long as she remained oblivious to his wealth and status, then he didn’t have to worry about her liking him for the wrong reasons. He didn’t think Mary was the gold-digging type, but he’d been disappointed enough times to be overly cautious.

  Conlan narrowed his eyes slightly, but said nothing else. There was a moment or two of awkward silence, then the waitress came out with a large Styrofoam container. “Here you go, Mary.”

  “Thanks, Amy.” Mary accepted the soup. “Well,” she said, turning to Aidan almost shyly, “it was nice to see you again, Aidan. Bye, Mr. O’Leary.”

  Mary was at the cash register when Conlan turned to Aidan. “She doesn’t know who ye are?”

  Aidan shook his head, though he was still watching Mary. “And I’d like to keep it that way for a while, Daideo.”

  Conlan thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “Alright then, lad. I suppose ye have yer reasons. I’ll leave it to ye. But I will no’ see the lass hurt, ye understand?”

  “Yeah. Thanks, Daideo.”

  “Hey, Mary, wait up.” Aidan jogged out of the diner to catch up. He noticed she was walking away from the parking lot, not toward it. She stopped and turned around. “Can I give you a ride?”

  “Thanks, but I don’t live very far from here.”

  “Oh.” He shoved his hands deep into his pockets, disappointed. He had hoped she would have forgiven him by now, or would at least be willing to give him a second chance, but it appeared not.

  “But you could walk me home, if you’d like,” she said, surprising him.

  His mood brightened considerably. “I’d like that.”

  They walked side by side, away from the diner. The sidewalk was clear for the most part, but there were enough icy patches to warrant caution. Aidan kept his hands at the ready. If she slipped, he would catch her. Unfortunately, Mary was annoyingly sure-footed.

  “So. What brings you back to Birch Falls?” she asked.

  Aidan had thought up a dozen different answers to that question during his seek-and-search, but opted for honesty. “You, actually.”

  Mary paused mid-step and turned those big brown eyes on him. “Me?”

  “Yeah. I’ve been thinking about everything you did, and what a jerk I was. I wanted to apologize, and maybe make it up to you.”

  She started walking again. “You weren’t a jerk, Aidan. You made a mistake, that’s all. And there’s nothing to make up.”

  “We’ll have to agree to disagree on that,” he said. Sensing that continuing on this line might put a premature end to their time together, Aidan changed topics.

  “You’re a regular at O’Leary’s, huh?”

  “Yeah,” she smiled. “Every Monday, at least. The soup du jour is potato, and it’s awesome. I stop on my way home from work.”

  “Where do you work?”

  “The flower shop up the street.”

  Aidan remembered driving by that place. He’d thought more than once about ordering flowers for Mary in there. Now he realized if he’d just followed his initial instincts to do so he might have saved himself a lot of time and aggravation. Of course, his logical side argued, ordering flowers for someone was pointless when he had no idea where to send them.

  “You sell flowers?”

  “Yeah,” she admitted. “Sell them, arrange them, grow them. I have a green thumb, I guess.”

  Recalling the multitude of plants she had in her kitchen, he had no trouble believing that. An idea suddenly occurred to him – he could ask Mary to help him pick out some plants for his office and condo. It would give him an excuse to see her again.

  “That is definitely a skill I’m lacking,” he told her. “My place could use something to brighten it up. Maybe you could offer a few suggestions?”

  “I’d be happy to,” she said, sounding like she meant it. “If you tell me a little bit about your space, we can find something you’re comfortable with.”

  Alarm bells sounded in the back of Aidan’s mind, warning him that he would have to choose his words carefully unless he wanted to explain why he had the corner office on the top floor of the Celtic Goddess and a high-end condo in a gated community. He shrugged, offering her a boyish smile. “Hey, I’m a guy. Green and hard to kill works for me.”

  She laughed, thank goodness, and Aidan felt lighter inside. “Green and easy. I think I can handle that.”

  All too soon their walk came to an end. “Well, this is me,” she said, stopping in front of a pretty Cape Cod. Aidan was sure he’d driven along this street
– it was too close to O’Leary’s not to – but he never would have recognized it as Mary’s house.

  It looked like something out of a Thomas Kinkade painting. A white house with decorative trim and dark green shutters. On the left, a big bay window jutted out, showcasing a Christmas tree saturated with lights. At the base, a miniature village consisting of lighted Dickens houses glowed softly atop puffs of snowy white down, creating an idyllic winter wonderland scene. In every other window, single electric candles burned in quiet welcome beneath softly ruffled white curtains.

  The front lawn was small but well-landscaped and neat. Everything was frosted in the latest several inches of heavy, wet snow, making Aidan think of a gingerbread house. Old-fashioned carriage style lamps lined the curved stone walkway and hung beside the door.

  Aidan could definitely see Mary living here. Like her, it was very understated, but warm and welcoming.

  “I know I should take the decorations down,” she said apologetically. “Everyone else does right after New Year’s, but I put if off every year. Putting them up is fun, but taking them down is just kind of depressing, you know?” She blew out a breath. “But I promised myself I’d bite the bullet and do it this weekend.”

  Standing there, outside looking in, the silvery gray wisps of clouds amongst an otherwise clear winter night, Aidan felt... something. Mary’s eyes twinkled with the reflection of the lights, her breath creating steamy little puffs of air. And he realized, that in that moment, he’d never wanted to kiss a woman quite so fiercely.

  “It’s beautiful,” he murmured quietly, forcing his eyes back to the house. “I can understand why you want to keep them up as long as you can.”

  It was nice, standing there beside her, looking at the lights. He didn’t feel the cold, and even more importantly, he didn’t feel that nagging ache that had been growing steadily over the past few years. He was more than aware, however, of the woman herself.