The Summer Garden

by Sherryl Woods

  “As they were meant to,” he said. “I care about you, Moira. There’s no doubt in my mind about that. It’s the future that seems too far away to predict.”

  “The future is only tomorrow, Luke, or just an hour from now. We don’t even know how much of one there will be. We can never know. It’s only this moment that we can be certain of.”

  “And in this moment,” he responded quietly, looking at her until she met his gaze, “I’m exactly where I want to be, Moira. I’m with the person I want to be with. Can’t that be enough for now?”

  She understood that it was all he could offer. She even thought she understood what was holding him back—that bloody timetable of his. But was it enough? She sighed. She couldn’t force him into taking the leap of faith that she had taken by getting on a plane and coming to Chesapeake Shores.

  And she’d already decided that she needed to stay and fight for what she wanted. Was she now ready to give up at the first big bump in the road?

  “For now,” she said. “But not for long, Luke. Not for long. I’ve too much pride to cling to something that might never be.”

  He nodded then. “Could I persuade you to come back to my place, so we can celebrate tonight’s success properly? I want to be with you.”

  She saw the need in his eyes, felt the pull of an attraction that was always there and slowly stood up. “Let’s go,” she said quietly. “I’ll grab my things and meet you at the car.” She gave him a challenging look. “Do you suppose anyone will be scandalized if I arrive at your place in my robe, wearing nothing underneath?”

  He looked as if he were about to swallow his tongue. “Nothing?” he echoed.

  “Not a thing,” she confirmed with a grin.

  He moaned. “I think you were put on this earth just to torment me.”

  “I believe so,” she agreed readily, smiling. “And I plan to do a very fine job of it.”

  17

  Despite a very short night with very little sleep, Luke was at the pub soon after dawn to meet the cleaning crew he’d hired to deal with the opening night debris. After this he and his employees would handle the cleanup, but Moira had persuaded him to bring in the extra help just this once. And, yet again, she’d been right. He was increasingly awed by her understanding of how to manage the place, to say nothing of the way she seemed to know him inside out.

  Though he’d suggested that she stay in bed at his place, she’d insisted on coming with him, stopping off only to pick up coffee and breakfast for them at Sally’s. He expected her to be coming through the door any minute, which was why it was all the more distressing to see Kristen entering instead. If the dark smudges under her eyes were indicative, she hadn’t had a good night after leaving the pub where she’d been so unwelcome. Under other circumstances, he might have felt a smidgen of pity at the humiliation she’d experienced, a humiliation of her own making.

  “Back for another round?” he asked, his tone unfriendly.

  She winced at his question. “Truthfully, I came to apologize,” she said. “I knew I wasn’t on the guest list last night, but I came, anyway. I have no idea why.”

  “I could explain it to you, if you like,” Luke offered. “I think I have a pretty good idea. You wanted to stake a public claim on me that you knew would hurt Moira, a woman you don’t even know.”

  She looked even more chagrined by his obviously accurate assessment. “I’ve turned into such a bitch since I moved here,” she admitted. “First, I kept trying to rekindle things with Mack, and now I can’t seem to walk away from you. What the hell is wrong with me? I was never needy like this before. I keep humiliating myself over and over again. I should have taken Mack up on it when he offered to let me out of my contract and help me find another job.”

  “You probably should have,” Luke agreed bluntly. “Chesapeake Shores is never going to be a good fit for you, Kristen. You need bright lights and a man who’ll truly appreciate you, preferably one who’s not already taken.”

  “You weren’t taken when we started going out,” she reminded him. “In fact, you pursued me.”

  “I did,” he conceded. “But things have changed.”

  “You’re with the little Irish milkmaid now.”

  He scowled at the disparaging comment. “Why do you have to do that? Do you have to cut Moira down to feel better about yourself?”

  “I suspect that’s exactly it,” Moira said from the doorway, startling them both. “Good morning, Kristen. Were we expecting you?”

  “I came to apologize,” Kristen said, though her expression was anything but contrite as she faced Moira.

  “To Luke, not me, I imagine,” Moira said. “Have you finished?”

  Kristen looked startled that Moira had not only stood her ground, but actually dismissed her. She held Moira’s gaze for a moment, but, to Luke’s surprise, Kristen was the first to blink.

  “I should go,” she murmured to Luke, looking as if she still hoped he might beg her to stay.

  “Probably a good a idea,” he confirmed.

  Then in one last attempt to reclaim her dignity or her superiority, Kristen gave him a long, impudent survey, then said, “I’ll see you soon, Luke.”

  He watched her walk away, shoulders straight, head held high, and wondered if she was really half as tough as she wanted everyone to believe. He’d seen another side of her at one time, or at least thought he had. Even now, he’d heard a hint of vulnerability behind her apology, a hint quickly undercut by her deliberate jab at Moira.

  “Are you feeling sorry for her?” Moira demanded, her expression indignant.

  “Just a little,” he admitted, smiling. “You did a fine and well-deserved job of putting her in her place.”

  “It shouldn’t be up to me,” she said.

  “In other words, I should have kicked her back out the door the second she turned up here,” he guessed.

  “Seems that way to me,” she replied.

  “She came to apologize. I let her. It would have been rude not to.”

  Moira shook her head, as if she found him too pitiful for words. “Is that really what you think, that she was here to make amends?”

  “It’s what she said,” he argued.

  “She was here to test the waters, to see if she’d accomplished her goal last night of causing a rift between us. I’m sure she would have happily consoled you if you said I’d gone running home to Ireland.”

  “But she hasn’t caused a rift, and now she knows that.”

  “Because I walked in,” Moira countered. “Would she have known it if I hadn’t? Would you have told her, Luke?”

  “I did tell her,” he said in frustration. “Or I tried to.”

  Moira finally smiled at that. “Imagine that, a stubborn, hardheaded woman. Who else would an O’Brien man be attracted to?”

  He laughed. “Pot calling the kettle black,” he pointed out.

  She smiled and the visible tension in her shoulders eased, as she settled onto his lap. “That it is,” she said. “And if I’ve a need to stay right here in your arms whenever there’s anyone else about, I’ll do it just to show the world that you’re taken.”

  “Then you’re not giving up on me?” he inquired, relieved by that.

  “Not just yet,” she confirmed. “Weren’t you the one who assured me you were trainable? I’m counting on that.”

  “Since when do you claim to have more relationship experience than I do?” he inquired.

  “It’s not experience that counts in these circumstances,” she told him with a saucy grin. “It’s determination, and I have that in great supply.”

  And thank God for it, he thought, just before he kissed her, until Kristen Lewis was the last thing on either of their minds.

  Though it ha
d been a late night with plenty of excitement, Dillon had been up early and gone for his morning walk on the beach before he heard Nell stirring. When he returned, the house was still quiet. Too quiet, perhaps.

  He tapped on her bedroom door, his heart in his throat. “Nell? Are you awake? Is everything okay?”

  He heard what sounded like a moan, and panic clawed its way up his throat. “Nell, dear, I hope you’re decent, because I’m coming in.”

  When he opened the door, he spotted her at once on the floor beside the bed, lying in a crumpled heap. He rushed to her side.

  Her eyes were open, thank God, and her breathing was shallow, but steady enough.

  “Are you hurt?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “Just my pride,” she said. “I stood up too quickly and had a bit of a dizzy spell. I’d just fallen when you knocked. It took the wind out of me for just a minute, so I couldn’t answer.”

  “Here, my darling, sit up slowly,” he said, easing an arm behind her shoulders. “Not too fast.” He watched the color return slowly to her too-pale cheeks. “Better?”

  She nodded. “I feel like such an old fool.”

  “We’ve all taken a spill from time to time,” he said. “It’s nothing to fret about, as long as you’re sure you’re not hurt. Your hips feel okay? Your legs? Do you think you can stand?”

  “If you’ll help me till I’m steady on my feet, I’ll be fine,” she insisted. “It’s just this blood pressure medicine. I think it’s too strong, but the doctor says it’s working and I need to adjust to the side effects.”

  Dillon frowned at that. “That doesn’t sound right to me. Maybe you should get a second opinion.”

  “If I go racing off to another doctor, Mick and the others are bound to find out. They’ll make much more of it than they should. You know how they are.”

  “I know they’d be concerned about you,” Dillon said. “And rightfully so.”

  “Well, I don’t want the commotion. The next thing I know, Mick will move me out of here and into his house.”

  Dillon held her gaze. “Not as long as I’m around,” he reassured her. “I promise you that.”

  He helped her up, then encouraged her to get back into bed. “Rest for a little while. I’ll make tea and bring you breakfast in bed. You deserve to be pampered after the long night you had helping out at Luke’s opening.”

  “But you’re my guest,” she protested.

  “Not if I intend to stick around,” he argued. “Then we’re partners, and I’ll do my share to help out.” He regarded her with amusement. “You do know I’ve been on my own for a while now. I’m capable of scrambling an egg and making toast and tea. Let me impress you. You had a long day yesterday. A little extra time off your feet is probably in order.”

  Though she looked as if she were about to argue, she finally nodded. “I believe I’ll give in graciously just this once.”

  That she did told Dillon just how shaken she was by the fall. The outcome this time had been fine, but at their age who knew what might happen if she fell again? It was something they all feared, a broken leg or hip that would be the beginning of the end of mobility, if not life as they knew it.

  When he returned with a tray laden with eggs, toast, jam and tea, she was propped up against the pillows, looking more like herself.

  “I don’t believe I’ve ever felt so pampered,” she said. “This will be just what I need before we go over to the pub today.”

  “You’re not going anywhere,” he said. “You’re going to spend the day taking it easy.”

  Her blue eyes flashed at his order. “You don’t make those kind of decisions for me, Dillon O’Malley. Luke needs me to supervise in the kitchen.”

  “Luke needs to run his own business,” he replied with equal firmness in his voice.

  “And he will,” she said. “But for now, he needs my help and I intend to give it to him.”

  He heard the intractable note in her voice and smiled. She was definitely back to her feisty self. “How about a compromise? We both go over to check on things. You can spend an hour with the cook, tasting today’s specials, and then we come back here, so you can take a nap. Will that work? If you feel rested enough, we’ll go back over this evening for another check.”

  She smiled at him over the rim of her teacup. “A compromise? I imagine I can live with that.”

  “You know if we’re going to make a go of this, Nell, we’ll have to do a lot of compromising along the way. We’re both two old people who are set in our ways.”

  “Speak for yourself,” she teased. “I’m the most flexible person you’ll ever meet.”

  “I’ll believe that when you’ve shown me evidence of it,” he taunted right back.

  She reached for his hand then and held on tight. “I’m so very glad you’re here and not just because you rescued me this morning.”

  He smiled at her. “I’m glad I’m here, too.”

  It was a late-in-life blessing he’d never anticipated. And, God willing, they’d both have a long time yet to enjoy it.

  Though Moira spent the morning trying to put both incidents with Kristen out of her mind, she simply wasn’t able to forget easily, much less forgive. She couldn’t help wondering how Susie had tolerated it when Mack had been on the receiving end of Kristen’s predatory wiles.

  Maybe this was the perfect chance to get to know Luke’s sister a little better. Since Luke was on the phone placing orders or bossing around the cleaning crew, she paused long enough to give him a quick kiss, told him she was taking a break, then headed around the corner to the real estate office.

  When she walked in, Susie looked up from her computer with a surprised expression.

  “Moira, how are you? Have you and Luke been celebrating all night? Last night’s party was absolutely amazing. I felt as if I were back in Dublin. Mack and I can’t wait to come back.”

  “That’s exactly the effect your brother was going for,” Moira said, pleased that they’d accomplished it. “I was wondering if you had a little time so we could talk? Maybe over lunch at Sally’s or somewhere else, if you’d prefer. My treat.”

  Though Susie looked startled by the invitation, she didn’t seem dismayed. Moira figured that was a good sign. She still wasn’t one-hundred percent certain of her welcome with any of the family members, even though none of them had tried to keep her at arm’s length.

  “I can get away, sure,” Susie said. “Would you rather take a ride over to my house? I’d love for you to see it.”

  Moira nodded eagerly. “That would be wonderful,” she said at once. “I’ve been dying to get a look at your place. I’ve heard so much about it and about your fabulous view. Should we pick up lunch before we go?”

  “No need. If a salad’s okay, I have everything we’ll need.”

  “A salad works for me,” Moira told her.

  Susie locked up the office, then led the way to her car. “I’m really glad you came by,” she said as they drove out of downtown. “We haven’t spent much time together. Since you’re obviously special to my brother, I want to get to know you better.”

  Moira smiled. “I know everyone in the family was a bit taken aback that Luke and I hit it off,” she admitted. “I hope I’m making a better impression this time around.”

  “Much better,” Susie confirmed. “Mom is one of your biggest fans. So is Gram.”

  “They’re wonderful women,” Moira said. “I wish I were as close to my own mum as you all are to yours.”

  “If you want it, you’ll get there,” Susie assured her. “Mom and I were always close, but it’s not always that way between mothers and daughters. Sometimes you have to work at building a good relationship. Just look at the struggles Abby, Bree and Jess had making peace with Megan, and now the
y’re getting closer all the time.”

  “I think time is exactly what it will take for my mum and me,” Moira said. “There’s a lot of past baggage to overcome.”

  When they’d turned onto Beach Lane, Moira spotted two amazing homes nestled in the woods along the cliff overlooking the bay. They looked as if they’d always been there, a part of the scenery, rather than an intrusion on it.

  “Oh, my,” she murmured, her eyes wide. “And Matthew designed these?”

  Susie nodded, her pride unmistakable. “Mine first, then the one just up the road for him and Laila. He’ll design Luke’s next, when the time comes.” She shook her head. “Luke considered selling his lot, but thank goodness Gram was able to talk him out of it.”

  “Why would he have sold such a beautiful piece of property?” Moira asked, stunned.

  “For the money to open the pub,” Susie said. “But he found the financing another way. I think it’s made him even more determined, though, to make a success of the place, to prove that Gram wasn’t misguided in giving him his trust money early.”

  “I’d forgotten about that,” Moira admitted. It reminded her of why Luke was so obsessed with the pub’s success. It went beyond his own need to prove himself. He wanted to justify Nell’s faith in him. She couldn’t fault him for that.

  The inside of Susie and Mack’s home was as spectacular as the outside. The rooms were warm and filled with sunlight, the decor cozy and inviting.

  “I just love it,” Moira said, spinning slowly around to take in the open downstairs floor plan. “I think Nell’s is more my style because it’s so cozy and intimate, like an Irish country cottage, but this is amazing, Susie.”

  “We’ve been happy here,” Susie said, leading the way to the kitchen with its granite countertops and cherry custom cabinets. “When we built it, I was so sick. I wasn’t sure I’d ever have the chance to live here with Mack, so I’m grateful every day, not only for my health, but to be here with him.”