Barefoot on a Starlit Night

by Jo McNally

  She stopped, blowing a loose strand of hair from her face.

  “Are you talking to me?”

  Kelly laughed. “Yeah, DeNiro, I’m talkin’ to you. Your knuckles will start bleeding pretty soon if you don’t ease up a little.” She walked over and set her hand on Bridget’s shoulder. “Look—you’re leaving slivers of steel wool all over. You’re killing the scrub pad, for sure.”

  She was right. But Bridget wasn’t ready to concede that yet. “It needs a good scrubbing once in a while. I’ll wipe it down and oil the surface before I cook anything on here. I know how to take care of my kitchen, Kell.”

  “Life is about more than kitchens, cuz. When’s the last time you got out of this place and had some fun?”

  Not since Finn dumped me.

  “It’s been a while, but it’s fine. Business is picking up...”

  Thanks to Finn’s suggestions.

  “And I can’t take a break until the patio is done.”

  Because if I step off this property I might run into him somewhere.

  “We need it open by the Fourth of July. It’ll be the perfect place to watch the fireworks over the lake.”

  Kelly frowned. “I thought the contractor told you he couldn’t do it by then?”

  That was just one of many things that had gone wrong lately. It took forever to get the permits from the county and town. By the time they got the final go-ahead, Pete Helmsworth had taken on another hardscaping job in Watkins Glen. He was the only guy around with the talent to take on the slate patio she’d envisioned, with a big fire pit and stone benches all around the perimeter. The teak tables and chairs, built to withstand the weather, were scheduled to arrive that week, but there was no place to put them. The yard behind the Shamrock had been bulldozed level, but that was the extent of it. After three days of rain, it was a muddy mess out there. And the Fourth was only ten days away.

  “You’re right. It’s hopeless.” She sighed. “I’ll have to take out a loan to cover the expenses. Assuming I even qualify for one...”

  “Whoa!” Kelly folded her arms and stared. “Stop the pity train right there. I never said anything was hopeless.”

  “My whole life is hopeless at the moment.” She scrunched her face up. “Yikes, that did sound pathetic, didn’t it? Sorry. I’m just tired and frustrated.”

  “And lonely?” Kelly’s words echoed Bridget’s thoughts, but she didn’t want to go there.

  “Don’t. My heart can’t take talking about Finn anymore. It’s over.”

  Kelly shrugged and headed back to this sink. “It doesn’t have to be.”

  “He broke up with me. Ended our fake romance and the real one.” She returned to scrubbing the grill. “I’m not begging.”

  “No one said you had to beg, but you could go after what you want.”

  “I don’t want a man more concerned with protecting his own heart than protecting mine.”

  “But he thought he was protecting you. I mean, the guy’s an idiot, but aren’t they all? Is that really unforgivable?”

  “He hasn’t even asked for forgiveness, Kelly.”

  He’d quietly moved out of the apartment one evening while she was at the pub. She’d seen Luke’s truck over there. It was Luke who told her Finn was living with Rick Thomas until he found a place.

  Kelly turned again. “He hasn’t reached out at all?”

  He’d left a voice mail. Sent a text or two saying they should talk.

  “Not with any kind of urgency.”

  “Have you reached out to him?”

  “No, I haven’t. I’ve said all I need to say.” She kept scrubbing, and sure enough, scraped her knuckles on the grill. “Ow. Please, Kelly. Give it a rest. I need to move on. He doesn’t want me.”

  Finn always complained about his lousy judgment in relationships, but Bridget wasn’t much better. First Clark didn’t love her enough to fight for her, and now Finn had left her rather than put any work into their relationship. She was apparently very discardable.

  The kitchen door swung open behind her. She was surprised to see her grandmother standing there.

  “Nana! Is everything okay? Did I forget an appointment?”

  “Can’t a woman stop by the family business just to say hi?” Nana grinned. The smile warmed Bridget’s heart. Ever since the doctors told them that the tumor responded so well to the chemo that they’d only be doing a lumpectomy, Nana’s smiles had been a lot more frequent. Her chemo was done. The doctor said she’d probably be on medication for the next few years as a precaution, but things looked good. The nightmare was receding from all their lives.

  She hugged the woman who’d raised her. “You can stop by any time at all, and you know it. Do you want to sit? There’s a stool there by the counter...”

  “Stop fussing over me. You know I don’t like it.” But she did take a seat. “I’m here to ask a favor of you.”

  “Name it.” Bridget leaned against the counter. “I’ll grant pretty much any wish you make...” She thought of her conversation with her grandmother last week, and the one she just had with Kelly, and decided to add one condition. “...as long as it has nothing to do with Finn. You all need to stop trying to put us back together.”

  Nana straightened, looking offended. “Did I say anything about Finn?”

  “You haven’t said anything at all yet, but I only have that one condition on the favor. What would you like me to do?”

  “I want to go to Boston to see your Great Aunt Irene. My sister sent me an email and asked me to visit.”

  “O-kay...and you want me to...?”

  “Well, to drive me there, of course.”

  “Me? I have the Shamrock to run. Why not Mike...” She spied her cousin slipping toward the back door and pointed at her. “Or Kelly?”

  Kelly threw her hands up. “Not me! I’m taking summer classes, remember? Busy busy busy.”

  Bridget narrowed her eyes. “Not too busy to ask for a night off to go to Rochester with your friends last weekend.”

  Before the argument could escalate, Nana made her decision clear. “I don’t want Mike or Kelly or Mary or Timothy. I want you.” She picked at some invisible piece of lint on her capris, not meeting Bridget’s eyes. “I think you and I deserve a girl’s weekend, and you need to get out of Rendezvous Falls for a few days.”

  Bridget started to object, but Nana waved her off. “I promised this wasn’t about Finn, but it is about you hiding in this building and your house for weeks now. It’s not healthy, and getting away for a few days will help. We’ll do a little shopping and maybe take that dinner cruise on the harbor. We can do it midweek, so the Shamrock will be fine without you.”

  Kelly raised her hand. “Can I be in charge?”

  Nana chuckled. “Didn’t you just say you were busy busy busy?”

  “But this would be real-world work experience for extra credit in my business class. Come on, let me be the boss. Temporarily, of course.”

  “Boston?” Bridget’s voice trailed off. It wasn’t the worst idea, now that she thought about it. A road trip away from Rendezvous Falls and all things Finn. It was almost funny that Nana thought she was spending all her time at the bar and home to avoid thinking of Finn. His memory was everywhere here. Hell, she had to force herself to go down the back hallway to lock up at night. The thought of him pressing her to the wall and... She blew out a quick breath. Going down that road would bring nothing but more hurt. Maybe getting out of here was just what she needed.

  “Okay, Nana. As long as we don’t go on a weekend. It’s not like I have any construction to oversee.” She gave the back window some side-eye. “The patio isn’t going to happen anytime soon.”

  “I don’t know why we need that patio, anyway.” Nana stood. “I’ll call Irene and tell her we’ll be there Tuesday. We can come back Thursday?”

  �
�Uh...yeah. Thursday’s good. It’ll give me time to figure out a plan for the Independence Day party. I guess it’ll have to be indoors like last year, and people will have to go out to the parking lot to watch the fireworks.”

  Her grandmother gave her an odd Cheshire cat grin, like she was keeping a secret and was downright gleeful over it. “You never know what’ll happen, honey.”

  “What does that...?” But Nana was gone, moving faster than Bridget had given her credit for, leaving nothing but a swinging door.

  Why did this innocent trip to Boston feel like some sort of trap?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  FINN ACCEPTED A beer from Luke and joined him on the circular stone bench surrounding the fire pit on the new patio. It had been a hellish three days, but they’d made it happen. The Purple Shamrock had a beer garden.

  Logan Taggart had worked out the design details with the original contractor and had everything they needed delivered within an hour of Bridget leaving for Boston with her grandmother. Logan had done some building through the years, and turned out to be a bit of a wizard at laying stonework. Luke’s brother, Zayne, had helped Luke with the framework and roof of the new outdoor bar. Mark Hudson, husband of Evie, the owner of the Spot Diner in town, had painted a mural on the back wall of the pub of an Irish landscape, complete with castle ruins and a frame of shamrocks.

  Several McKinnons had helped, too. Mike had lugged wheelbarrows full of stone for Logan and Zayne. Patrick and Kelly had kept the bar and restaurant open for business. Mary brought lunch and...supervised. She was the only holdout on this idea. Not the beer garden, but the idea of Finn trying to win Bridget back. He’d caught her glaring at him more than once as they’d worked late into the evenings trying to finish. Like right now, as she came out of the pub with a plate of scones.

  She walked over and held the plate out to Finn and Luke, raising an eyebrow at the beers in their hand.

  “Maybe I should have brought pretzels instead of scones.”

  Luke had already grabbed one, and crumbs flew when he tried to answer, his words slurring around the scone.

  “Don’t be silly. Your scones go with everything, Mary. Including beer.”

  Finn took a scone. “Thanks, Mary.” He motioned around them. “What do you think?”

  Her face softened as she took in the beer garden, fenced in on one side to hide the parking lot, but open to the lake view below. The sun was low in the sky behind them, muting the summer glow of Seneca Lake. They’d just finished setting up the tables and stools Bridget had ordered, and Kelly was dashing around, setting weighted glass globes with candles in them as centerpieces.

  “I think...” She looked back to him. “I think you really know how to make a grand gesture, Finn. But what makes you think all of this is enough to win my cousin back after you broke her heart? She could still kick you to the curb, you know. She’s stubborn like that.”

  Luke laughed, sending another cloud of scone crumbs flying. “Jesus, Mary. Thanks for being such a ray of sunshine. A lot of people have busted their asses to get this done. I don’t know if my back will ever recover from handling all this stone. How about a little appreciation?”

  Mary’s mouth dropped open. She clearly hadn’t expected Luke to light into her. Neither had Finn.

  And Luke wasn’t done. “This man’s whole heart is resting on Bridget’s reaction to this, so maybe give him a break.”

  Finn clapped his hand on Luke’s back.

  “It’s okay, Luke. Mary’s right. This could all blow up in my face. But just to set the record straight, I don’t expect her to forgive me because we built the beer garden. This...” He looked around and shrugged. “This is just to get her attention. She won’t take my calls. She won’t answer texts. She’s made it clear she wants nothing to do with me. I have to get her to stand still long enough to listen to me. That’s all I’m hoping for at this point. For her to listen while I tell her what a complete ass I am and how sorry I am and how much I love her. This pile of rocks...” Luke protested that, but Finn kept going. “This may not make her love me. But Mary, I’ll do whatever it takes to earn her love again. This is just a start. I won’t give up.”

  Mary studied him thoughtfully, accepting the glass of orange juice Kelly handed her. “You gave up once.”

  “No.” He shook his head emphatically. “I screwed up, but I didn’t give up. I panicked. I doubted myself, but I never doubted her...” He stared at the lake. “Well, I did doubt her, but it had nothing to do with her. I let my past get tangled up...” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Shit. I know I hurt her, Mary, and I’m sorry. I promise you I’ll never do it again if she’ll take me back.”

  She nodded slowly. “Okay. I’ll hold you to that promise, Finn. And you don’t want to cross this Irishwoman right now. I’m running on too little sleep and a whole lot of momma bear hormones these days.” She glanced at her watch. “You’ll know what’s going to happen in a few hours. Bridget texted me that she and Nana will be back around nine.”

  She set the plate of scones on the bench, patting Finn’s shoulder as she straightened. “For the record, I’m rooting for you.”

  That was good to know, but the only person who mattered right now was on a highway, coming home to a surprise gesture she might...or might not...be happy about.

  * * *

  “NANA, I’M HAPPY to drop you off at your house. We’re going right by...”

  “I told you, I want to go to the pub. Mike said he’d pick me up there. That way you can get to your place and get some sleep. You’ve been driving for hours.” Nana adjusted herself in the seat, sliding the seat belt away from the tender area where her port used to be. “You must be exhausted.”

  She was a little tired. Boston was a six-hour drive, and she’d done it all. Not that Nana hadn’t offered. But Bridget knew she was worn out, especially on the way home. The visit with Nana’s sister had been...different. Irene was a character and a half—flamboyant and loud in contrast to Nana’s quiet strength. She had a brownstone in the city, and it was filled with colorful art, most of it done by Irene and her friends. Never married, she’d traveled the world for years, teaching wherever she could pick up a job, sometimes doing stage acting or lounge singing on the side, always up for an adventure.

  Irene filled their visit with museums and restaurants and probably more walking than Nana was ready for, but she’d never let her sister know that. She’d been a trooper, and Bridget had done her best to make sure Nana sat at every opportunity. The trip had been good for both of them, though. Nana sat up late with her sister and talked about old times and family doings. Bridget had a change of scenery to jog her out of her sorrow over Finn. Nana had been right, she’d buried herself in work to keep from dealing with things.

  Finn said he might never trust her with his heart. As angry as she’d been, the truth was she’d never be satisfied with just a piece of him. She wanted all of him. Or nothing. She’d ended up with nothing, and she was going to have to find a way to deal with that. They probably did need to have a talk, since he’d managed to keep his job at the school and would be staying in Rendezvous Falls.

  Vickie Pendergast had filled Nana and Bridget in on the story last week. Finn told Howard Greer the whole story about their fake engagement and why he’d done it—to secure his position at the school. Greer had lectured Finn for over an hour, but in the end, admitted it was partly his fault for pressuring Finn to prove he was serious about staying in Rendezvous Falls when Finn was already so anxious about his visa. The fundraising for the new history building was off to a strong start, and Greer credited Finn for a lot of that. In the end, he’d told Finn he was on a tenure track if he stayed, and would no longer have to jump through hoops to prove himself.

  Bridget was happy for Finn. He could finally relax and start building a future. It just wouldn’t include her, even though they’d be sharing the same small town. Th
ey’d need to figure out a way to navigate that. They were two mature adults, so it couldn’t be that difficult, right? The sun had sunk behind the vineyard-covered hills by the time she pulled into the Shamrock. She got out of the car and stretched with a low groan.

  So much to do before next week’s Independence Day party. But it would have to wait. She was too tired to do anything tonight other than checking in with Kelly and heading to the house and her bed. Nana waited while Bridget took her small bag from the trunk and they walked inside. It was quiet, but it was a summer Thursday night. It was always slower when the college wasn’t in session. That’s one of the reasons she’d wanted the beer garden... She stopped that thought in its tracks. Maybe next year.

  Mike was at the bar with Kelly. Mary and her husband were there, too. The baby was in his carrier, and Mary was rocking him on the bar as she picked at a basket of onion rings. Their other two kids were running around the tables and jumping off the edge of the stage.

  Patrick came out of the kitchen and waved in greeting.

  “There you are! This is turning into a regular family reunion tonight.”

  Bridget looked at everyone and frowned. “Why are you all here?”

  Mary rolled her eyes. “Thanks for the warm welcome, cuz. Just a coincidence, really. We stopped for dinner, Mike’s here to meet Nana, and these two...” She waved her hand at Patrick and Kelly. “They work here, in case you’ve forgotten.”

  Bridget couldn’t help thinking there was more to this coincidence.

  Nana took a seat next to Mary, then turned back to Bridget. “Oh, shoot, I almost forgot! Can I borrow that pink cardigan of yours? You know, the sparkly one with the three-quarter sleeves? I want to wear it to the breast cancer support group luncheon this weekend. We’re talking about having a walkathon this fall to raise money for research.”

  “Uh...sure, Nana.” She’d always thought her grandmother hated pink. “I’ll drop it off tomorrow...”

  “Oh, honey. Could you just run over and get it now? I want to make sure it’ll work with the top I want to wear under it.” Nana sat back with a smile that brooked no disagreement. “I’ll wait here for you.”