The Summer Garden

by Sherryl Woods

  “God, no,” Matthew said. “Can you imagine the fuss this news will stir up? O’Briens go nuts over baby announcements. Laila is so not ready for that.”

  “She will be,” Luke said again. “How long have you known?”

  “Two days. The at-home test confirmed it a week ago, but she refused to believe that, so it was only the day before yesterday that she got undeniable proof from her doctor. She’s been ranting and raving ever since.”

  “Don’t women’s hormones go a little crazy when they’re pregnant?” Luke asked.

  “I mentioned that and nearly got my eye poked out by a flying plate,” Matthew said.

  Luke started to laugh, but managed to choke it back at Matthew’s expression of pure misery.

  “You could send flowers,” Luke suggested.

  “As an apology?” Matthew asked incredulously. “I am not sorry about this.”

  “Just as a token gesture,” Luke said. “Or candy? How about that? Women love chocolate.” He was struck by a sudden inspiration. “No, wait, I’ve got it. Go out and buy some teeny-tiny little baby romper thing.”

  “That could be rubbing salt in the wound at the moment,” Matthew argued.

  “No, it won’t. Don’t you remember how Bree and Abby and all the other women in the family got all teary-eyed and sentimental when they saw all those itty-bitty clothes? It’ll make it real for her. She’ll start thinking about this wonderful little human being you’ve created together and forget all about it being the wrong time, or whatever it is she’s thinking.”

  Matthew nodded slowly. “I suppose it’s possible.”

  “If it doesn’t work out, you can always sleep on my couch for a couple of nights till she calms down.”

  His brother scowled at the suggestion. “We won’t work this out by my hiding out at your place.”

  “And yet here you are right now,” Luke commented.

  “I needed neutral territory to get my thoughts in order before the next round,” Matthew said. “Is it so wrong to want to be excited about this in front of her and have her share that feeling?”

  “Of course it’s not wrong, and eventually she will,” Luke said yet again. “Give her a little time to get used to the idea. Tell her whatever she needs to hear to believe this isn’t the end of life as she knows it.”

  “But it is,” Matthew said seriously. “It’ll be a whole new world from here on out. We won’t just be a rather unorthodox couple no one expected to hook up. We’ll be a family. I think that scares Laila to death. I have a feeling that she thought as long as it was just the two of us, if things didn’t work out, it would be no big deal. Now, with a baby, we’re in this forever.”

  “Weren’t you always?”

  “I was. And on most levels I think she was, too, but the conservative part of her brain needed an out just in case she was right about us being a terrible match.”

  Luke smiled, thinking of how difficult it was to read between the lines with women. “If you’ve figured that much out, you’re halfway to solving the problem.”

  For the first time, he managed to coax a smile from his brother.

  “You know,” Matthew said. “If all your advice is this good, bartending may be the best decision you ever made. And Will’s likely to try to convince you to get a degree and join his practice, after all.”

  “Not a chance of that,” Luke said. “I’m perfectly content being a sounding board. The advice is a bonus just because you’re family.”

  “Thanks,” Matthew said. “I’d better get to work.”

  He was almost to the door when Luke called out to him. Matthew turned back.

  “Congratulations!” Luke said, grinning. At least his brother had one person in the family who could share his excitement. It wouldn’t make up for Laila’s reservations, but Luke was confident she’d come around before long, too.

  Taking Nell’s advice first thing in the morning, Moira grabbed her camera and left to go exploring. Though she usually preferred taking pictures of people to taking shots of scenery, she wanted to have her images of Chesapeake Shores captured in a way that would allow her to glance through the reminders once she was home.

  After placing a note on the kitchen table for Nell and her grandfather, she left the house before the sun was fully up. Two hours later, she found herself in front of The Inn at Eagle Point, Jess’s pride and joy. Sitting on a cliff overlooking the bay, she thought it was stunning.

  And, she remembered with delight, it had a kitchen. She was starving.

  Inside she found a young man behind the reception desk, his nose buried in a book. “Is Jess O’Brien around?” she asked, startling him so badly he nearly fell off his stool. He promptly winced at having been caught.

  “She’s in her office,” he said. “Please don’t tell her I was half-asleep on the job.”

  She laughed. “I never tattle,” she promised. “Shall I find her office, or will you tell her I’m here?”

  “I’ll call her,” he said.

  “I’m Moira,” she told him.

  He grinning. “Oh, I know. There are few secrets in this town, and we’ve all been hearing about the visiting Dubliners. I’m Ronnie Foster. I’m training to be a chef so I can work in the kitchen here full time, but for now, I help out taking reservations and carrying bags.” He shrugged. “At least that’s what I’m supposed to be doing.”

  He called Jess, who apparently told him she’d be right down. “Take a look around while you wait,” Ronnie suggested.

  Moira nodded, already intrigued by the coziness Jess had achieved with the inn. The old wood floors gleamed. The carpets added warm splashes of color and there were flowers on the tables and in many of the upholstery patterns. With huge windows letting in light, it was a sunny, welcoming place. No wonder it had become a success.

  Jess eventually found her in the main parlor looking out at the spectacular view of green lawn, flowers and the bay beyond.

  “You’re out early,” Jess said. “I’m so glad you’ve come by to see the inn for yourself. Did my bragging do it justice?”

  “It’s fabulous,” Moira told her honestly. “I thought it was impressive from the outside, but inside it’s absolutely lovely. If Nell weren’t such a gracious hostess and her cottage so charming, I’d want to stay here.”

  Jess beamed. “Considering how all of us treasure Nell’s cottage, I’ll take that as a huge compliment.”

  “It’s meant to be,” Moira said. “Now, do I have it right that you serve breakfast? I’ve been wandering around taking pictures for a couple of hours, and have suddenly realized I’m famished. I was hoping you could join me.”

  “I’d love it,” Jess said at once. “I have to tell you, though, that I had a panicky call from Laila a few minutes ago, and she’s on her way over. Since she’s usually not in the office here today, I got the sense that she needed to talk. If so, I might have to abandon you when she gets here.”

  “Not a problem,” Moira said, then smiled. “I still think about how romantic her wedding was in Ireland. I’m so glad that Mum and I were able to have a small part in making it happen. I’ve never seen two people look happier than she and Matthew did that day.”

  Jess laughed. “I think we all felt that way, as if it were magical. I was flat-out envious that my cousin Matthew, one of the greatest rogues of all time, pulled off such a coup.”

  She led the way into a dining room, which, like the rest of the inn, had towering windows letting in the morning light. “Have a seat, and I’ll grab a couple of menus,” she said, then came back with coffee as well. “Would you prefer tea? We have a selection of that, too.”

  “It would be sacrilegious to admit this in Ireland, but I love my coffee, especially first thing in the morning,” Moira confided.

 
Jess laughed as she poured, then set the pot on a trivet on the table. Moira noticed that she didn’t pour any for herself.

  “No caffeine?” she asked.

  “It doesn’t go well with my attention deficit disorder,” Jess admitted. “I’m scattered enough without it, so I try to avoid it. Gail will bring me some decaf in a minute. She’s our chef.”

  “And Ronnie?”

  “Ah, that’s right, you met him just now. He’s going to be an outstanding chef himself one of these days, according to Gail.” She leaned closer. “He sucks on desk duty, but he’s been trying harder in return for the inn picking up some of his tuition expenses at culinary school. He’ll graduate in a few months and then he’ll be our official sous-chef. I think it will be a relief for all of us.”

  Just then Laila strode into the dining room. However, the tall, elegant, starry-eyed woman Moira remembered from her wedding day looked frazzled and out of sorts this morning. She stopped short at the sight of Moira.

  “I didn’t know you’d be here,” she said, already backpedaling.

  “What a lovely welcome,” Jess chided, causing Laila to turn pink with embarrassment.

  “I’m so sorry,” she apologized to Moira. “I just came barreling in here with my own agenda. I never meant to be rude.”

  “It’s okay,” Moira said, sensing that something was definitely amiss. As much as she’d like getting to know the woman who might one day be related to her if things worked out with Luke, she had a feeling that she was intruding now. “Jess explained that you were coming by. I’m the unexpected interloper. If you’d prefer to see her in private, I totally understand.”

  For what seemed like an eternity, Laila looked torn. “Oh, what the hell,” she muttered and pulled out a chair. “The news will be all over sooner or later.”

  Jess’s eyes immediately lit up. “News?”

  “Coffee first,” Laila said, then sighed and put the pot back. “Never mind. I’ll have decaf.”

  Jess’s mouth immediately dropped open. “You’re pregnant,” she guessed, looking stunned.

  Laila stared at her in astonishment. “Am I wearing a sign on my forehead or something? I can’t possibly have a baby bump yet.”

  “You turned down caffeine,” Jess explained. “You never turn down caffeine.”

  “Congratulations,” Moira ventured, though it was dismay, rather than excitement, that seemed to be radiating from Laila in waves.

  “Thanks, I guess,” Laila said without enthusiasm.

  Jess regarded her with genuine concern. “Why aren’t you over the moon about this? I’ll bet Matthew is.”

  “Oh, Matthew is ready to shout the news from the rooftops,” Laila confirmed. “You’d think he single- handedly invented pregnancy.”

  Moira chuckled, then hid her face. It didn’t seem like the time to let her amusement show.

  “Oh, go ahead and laugh,” Laila told her. “The whole family’s going to be laughing their fool heads off when they find out about this.”

  “Why on earth would anyone laugh?” Moira asked.

  “Because, like my sister-in-law Abby, I was supposed to be the ultimate career woman. I was supposed to be running the family bank by now. Instead, I’m keeping the books for a few businesses around town, and if Matthew has his way, I’ll be staying at home, barefoot and pregnant.”

  This time it was Jess who couldn’t contain her laughter. “Matthew? Really? He loves you, Laila. He wants you to be happy and fulfilled doing whatever you want to do.”

  “How am I supposed to do that now? I’ll be home with a baby.”

  “Abby’s not home with the twins, and I guarantee she’ll be back at work after the new baby arrives within weeks, if not days,” Jess countered. “Bree stayed home barely a minute. She just takes Emily Rose with her to work. And when Will and I are ready, I certainly won’t be a full-time, stay-at-home mom. Why should you be any different? Remember that great big office upstairs? There’s plenty of room for a portable crib in there.”

  “It just seems as if staying home and having babies is what Matthew’s going to expect.”

  “Has he even hinted at such a thing?” Jess asked.

  “And would it be so bad to stay home and be a mother?” Moira dared to ask. It was something she’d wished for desperately as a child—that her mother had been at home, rather than working one and sometimes two jobs to make ends meet because she’d flatly refused to ask Moira’s grandfather for help.

  Laila whirled on her with a narrowed gaze. “You’d want that? To stay home? I thought you were about to launch a big career as a photographer. Won’t that be demanding?”

  Moira shrugged. “It remains to be seen if I’ll be any good at that or not. I’m excited about the possibility. It would be nice to accomplish something, but I think it would be just as rewarding to make a wonderful home for my husband and children, not because he expects it, but because I’d feel fulfilled doing it.”

  “Seriously?” Laila asked, her expression bemused.

  “I think so, yes. I might feel differently if I’d already made my mark. I might not want to give up the success of it, and I can understand your wanting something different. I’m just saying there’s value in being a good wife and mum.”

  “Gram would applaud that,” Jess said to Moira. “Does Luke know you feel this way?”

  “It’s not come up,” Moira admitted.

  “You do know it could make things easier,” Jess suggested. “If you’re not driven to have a big career, then it would make it simpler for him to ask you to stay.”

  “My going or staying isn’t under discussion at the moment,” Moira told her firmly, then glanced at Laila. “I’m sorry for turning the focus onto me. You have to decide what’s best for you.”

  “I thought I had,” Laila said wearily. “But now there’s a baby to consider. I wasn’t quite ready to take another person into account. And it’s not as if my career plans have turned out the way I’d expected.”

  Jess grinned at her. “But a baby, Laila! A human being that you and Matthew have created together. He or she is going to be absolutely amazing. And you know you’ll be wonderful parents.”

  “What if the baby already knows I have all these doubts?” Laila asked, looking chagrined. “I’ve probably already scarred it for life.”

  Moira smiled. “I believe at this stage, it’s little bigger than a peanut. I don’t think it’s quite sensitive to your moods just yet.”

  Laila sighed, her hand resting protectively on her stomach. Moira smiled again at the instinctive gesture.

  “How about some of Gail’s stuffed French toast to celebrate?” Jess suggested. “I don’t know about you two, but I’m starving. And you were hungry when you arrived, weren’t you, Moira? Laila, how about you?”

  A slow grin worked its way across Laila’s face. “Well, if I’m going to be eating for two, I might as well enjoy it. Normally, I can’t even look at the French toast without gaining five pounds. When I turn into a nice plump blimp, I’ll blame it all on Matthew.”

  “Don’t you think you should probably let him off the hook now?” Jess asked gently. “He didn’t get you pregnant all by himself.”

  “But he’s been so cute trying to calm me down,” Laila said. “He brought home baby clothes this morning. He said they were Luke’s idea. Of course, I went ballistic at first, because it seems that’s what I do when he goes all gaga over the baby, but after he’d gone, I picked them up and really looked at them. I have to say that I still can’t quite imagine that I’m carrying a baby that will eventually fit into them.”

  She looked a little dazed by the thought.

  “Do you want to go on torturing him awhile longer?” Jess asked. “If it will make you feel better, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt.”
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  “Just until he’s painted and furnished the entire nursery,” Laila said with a grin. “Then I’ll relent.”

  Moira stared at her incredulously. “You’d actually let him choose the decor for the nursery all on his own?”

  Laila hesitated, then shook her head. “You have a point. I suppose sooner is better than later.” She sighed. “I wouldn’t mind chocolates, though. He offered to order my favorites. They seem to take the edge off my annoyance.”

  “If you tell Matthew that, he’ll buy you the whole factory,” Jess told her. “Give the guy a break.”

  Laila laughed. “Okay, okay. I knew when I came over here you’d take his side.”

  “Truthfully, I love both of you equally,” Jess replied diplomatically. “But it’s this innocent little baby you’re carrying I love most of all.”

  As soon as Jess had placed their order with Gail, she came back to the table with a pad of paper and a pen. “Let’s plan a baby shower.”

  “Oh, yes, let’s,” Moira said excitedly. “Can I take the pictures? Free of charge, of course.”

  Jess and Laila exchanged a look.

  “Will you still be here?” Jess asked.

  Deflated, Moira sighed. “I never thought of that.”

  “Whenever it is, you’ll come back for it,” Laila said at once.

  Moira nodded, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that in just a few weeks she’d be walking away from a world filled with people who’d come to matter to her.

  And then what? Would it simply go on without her? Out of sight, out of mind—wasn’t that what they said? Was that a risk she wanted to take? Or did she even have a choice in the matter?

  10

  After she left the inn, Moira walked back to Nell’s cottage but found it deserted. There was a note from her grandfather that Mick had driven them into Baltimore to see someplace called the Inner Harbor. He’d tried to reach her on her cell phone to see if she wanted to come along, but had gotten no answer. She realized then that she’d left the cell phone in her room.