by Kay Lyons
He'd been as nice and polite as always, but there was a tension in him that hadn't been there before, and because of it, London found herself jealous of a dead woman.
How awful was that? What kind of person—what kind of friend—felt such things? Lisa was a wonderful person, obviously a loving wife and mother.
So how could she feel anything remotely close to jealousy?
But that love? That devotion and the way Dominic talked about Lisa?
She wanted that. Craved that.
She shoved her food around on her plate and wondered why Rich hadn't felt that way about her. Things had changed between them over the years, but wasn't that part of life? The ebb and flow of a relationship combined with work and having a child? No one stayed the same. No one could stay the same. But that commitment… vows… integrity and trust in a relationship? Those things were huge and they were supposed to last forever. But how was someone ever supposed to know for sure that the other person was as committed to them and the marriage as they were?
Was that even possible?
No. Because people were human and they’d always disappoint.
"Mom? You're not listening."
She blinked to awareness and flushed beneath the combined stares of her son and Dominic. "I'm sorry. You caught me. What did you say?"
"You were making funny faces. What were you thinking about?"
Oh, baby. That is something I can't tell you. "Just thinking about how hungry I am." She glanced at Dominic and found his stare as unsettling as she had before. "Aren't you hungry?"
Samuel nodded vigorously. "Starving. And I want dessert. Please," he quickly added.
"Once you eat all of your food, you'll be full."
"Maybe," he said. "But there's always room for dessert. Right, Dominic?"
Dominic smiled but she noted the amusement didn't show in his eyes like it sometimes did.
Yeah, something had definitely changed.
* * *
Later that evening, they took the ferry back to Carolina Cove after walking a bit along Southport's beautiful waterfront.
"Lots of people out tonight."
"’Tis the season," she murmured, grateful for the tourists because it meant she kept her job and got paid. She much preferred going to the beach in the off-season, but seeing the little town so alive was fun, too.
Dominic stopped at the light and waited for it to change, and she studied his profile. He drove confidently and she felt safe with him behind the wheel. He didn't get angry at others on the road and floor the powerful car to ridiculous speeds as he passed or repeatedly change lanes like Rich had done.
She frowned at the realization she'd compared Dominic and Rich once again. On the surface, the two men were similar. Handsome, well-educated, intelligent. But inside they were as different as night and day, and she was pleased with the ability to discern the difference. It was amazing what heartbreak and experience could do to sharpen one's instincts.
The light changed and Dominic made the turn. She gathered her purse and the bag of cotton candy left over from the ball game earlier in the day and dreaded the thought of going into work tomorrow. She was tired. Worn out from the day and the tilt-a-whirl of her thoughts.
"I'll carry him inside."
She looked at Dominic in surprise and then into the backseat, only then seeing why Samuel's chatter had stopped. He'd fallen asleep, and while there was no way she could carry her almost-ten-year-old son up the stairs now, Dominic didn't think twice about it.
Seeing Sammy cradled against Dominic's broad chest left her trembling, and she turned away. Because for the first time—the very first time—since Rich had left them, she felt enough for a man to want the experience of being held by him. Wanted to be cradled against him and sheltered in his arms, if only for a brief moment.
Her hands shook but she managed to open the door. The trip up yet another flight of stairs to the bedrooms left her breathless because of the awareness that Dominic followed carrying Sam, and it felt like they were a family.
She turned on the bedside lamp and quickly scooped the clothes and other items from the top of Samuel's bed, yanking the blanket low so Dominic could lay him down. Samuel was so worn out he barely stirred and simply rolled to his side and closed his glazed eyes once more.
Back in the hallway, she pulled the door mostly closed, and they made the return trip to the main level.
"You have a beautiful home. It suits you."
The compliment pleased her, but only because she'd decorated the house bit by bit since Holland's idea of decorating was to have a bed and a coffeemaker. "Thanks. It's a work in progress. Holland travels so much she told me to do what I wanted so… I have been."
She looked around the interior, trying to see it from his viewpoint, but when she glanced back at Dominic, she found his gaze rising to meet hers, as though he’d stared at her… mouth?
"I should go. It's late."
"Of course.” She walked him to the door. "Thank you for everything. It was definitely a fun day. We haven't done anything like that in a while, and it was long overdue."
"For me, too."
If he hadn't said that and seemed to mean it, she could've opened the door and let him go unheeded. But he had said it, and he had seemed to mean it, and she found herself stepping forward to give him a hug goodbye even as she told herself not to.
But there she was against him, and his arms enveloped her. She closed her eyes, reveling in the warmth and strength and tightness of the embrace that didn't last nearly long enough.
She forced herself to let go and took a step back but gasped when she met his gaze. One second she stood free of him, and the next she was pressed back against the door, her head cradled in his palm, his lips on hers, searching, seeking. Gentle and rough and everything a kiss was supposed to be.
Seconds passed before he tore his mouth from hers, and a long moment passed before he gently but firmly moved her out of the way. She watched, lips tingling, as he walked out into the night and the door shut behind him with a soft thud no doubt meant not to wake her son.
"Mom? Did you just kiss Dominic?"
Chapter 16
"Hellooo? Earth to Ireland. Anybody in there?" London snapped her fingers in front of Ireland's face.
Ireland blinked and focused on her sister. "What?"
"Okay, what happened between you and Dominic yesterday?"
"What makes you think something happened?"
London tilted her head to one side and crossed her arms over her front. "You spent the entire day with him and didn’t get home until late."
"How do you know that?"
"Rita Donaldson saw you having dinner in Southport with what she called 'an extremely sexy man.' Now spill."
The problem with spilling it to her sister was that what one knew, the others knew—and that wasn't something she was prepared to deal with just yet. "Um…"
"Hey, Mom, did you tell Aunt Londy you kissed Dominic?"
"Oooh, really? So that's the problem?"
Ireland winced at her son's big mouth and sent him her best mama glare. "Didn't we agree we weren't going to say anything to anyone?"
"But Aunt London isn't anyone, she's family."
"Yeah, I'm family," London repeated with a broad grin. "So they kissed, huh, Sammy? Did it last a long time?"
"Yeah. It was gross."
Ireland buried her head in her hands with a loud groan. "Samuel, go… I don't know, do something. Now."
London held up her hand and stopped Samuel before he could run off. "Trash needs taken out and the coffee grounds need put in the composting bin."
"Ah, man."
"Hey, you don't work, I don't pay."
"Yes, ma'am."
"I should go. I need to—"
"Don't you dare move from that stool or I’ll tie you to it."
Ireland released another groan and waited for Samuel to head off to gather the trash and do his chores for the day at London's.
"He's g
one. Now tell me everything, including how my precious little Sammy was so traumatized by your make-out session."
Ireland rolled her eyes at London's description of her son's reaction and held up her decaf coffee mug. "If you want that story, you may have to add a little something to this."
London's eyebrows rose. "It was bad? Really? He looks like he'd be a good kisser."
"It wasn't— It was—"
"Yes?" London bent and retrieved something from the secret stash kept on hand for after hours and family gatherings and poured a bit in Ireland's coffee, making it an Irish after her namesake.
"It was a great kiss. It just shouldn't have happened."
"Why not?"
She took a long draw of the now warm coffee and enjoyed the added kick. "Because he practically ran out the door afterward and I haven't seen him since. His car was gone when I got to the inn for work, and he's been gone all day."
"He checked out?"
"No. At least, not officially."
"Then maybe he's coming back."
"Is he?"
"Did you check his room?"
"No. Oh, Londy. Maybe it was a bad kiss and he isn't coming back. Maybe I'm so out of practice that I don't know a good kiss from a bad one anymore. Maybe—"
"Maybe he just had something he wanted to do today and… forgot to mention it?"
Ireland shot her sister a disbelieving glare. "He's Lisa's husband."
"He's no one's husband. Not anymore. We've talked about this."
"But—"
"Look, Ireland, did you have a good day? Laugh, talk, have fun?"
She nodded. "We had a wonderful day. At least I thought so… right up until he stormed out of the house like he couldn't get away from me fast enough."
"Okay, so maybe it took him by surprise, too. You know? Maybe he’s not there yet emotionally, but it happened?"
Ireland shook her head and took another long sip. "It doesn't matter. He left. And he had to know after kissing me that would— That's bad form."
"Hey, cut him some slack. I'd say he's a little out of practice, too, if you know what I mean."
She lifted her head and frowned. "No. What do you mean?"
"Oh, Ireland, seriously? He was married for how many years? And she was sick for how many years? And if he's mourned as deeply as you think and as much as Lisa thought he would… then it's been a while for him, too, and he's just as freaked out as you are right now."
"I hate it when you make sense."
"I know. So gimme the details."
"I hope they're juicy."
They turned in unison to find Frankie walking in.
"You're just in time—"
"Can we not?" Ireland muttered to London.
"To hear Ireland tell us about her fantastic date with the hunky Mr. Dunn. It ended with kissing."
Frankie hiked herself up onto the stool next to Ireland. "Do tell. But you might want to wait or repeat it again. Carolina's on her way."
"Why? The shift just started a half hour ago."
Frankie shrugged. "I dunno. Said she needs a break and it's slow, so she's closing the office for a half hour. Did you already tell her?"
"No."
Frankie waved a hand toward London's cell phone. "Call Holland and put her on speaker."
Ireland groaned and took another long pull from the Irish coffee. This right here? This was reason number 484 why she wasn't ready for dating.
Chapter 17
"So you're back."
Dominic looked up from where he sat outside the inn's office, waiting on it to reopen, and found Carolina staring at him from several feet away. His gut knotted at the expression she wore. "The sign says you should've reopened a half hour ago."
"Sister emergency."
He winced at the news. "I take it you know?"
"That you stormed out after kissing Ireland? Oh, yeah." She pulled keys from the pocket of her flowy skirt and closed the distance to the door.
"How is she?"
"Why don't you ask her yourself?"
He rubbed a hand over his head to his neck and squeezed hard. "I thought she'd be here."
"Nope. She's gone for the day."
"Look, I don't expect you to understand but—"
"But you still love your wife yet you're drawn to Ireland and gave in to a moment of weakness. Am I right?"
"That… sums it up, yeah."
"I thought so. It's really not that difficult to understand."
Dominic followed her into the small lobby of the inn. "I'm going to apologize."
"Good." She grinned at him over her shoulder as she rounded the check-in counter. "That means you're handsome and smart. Good on you, mate."
He laughed at her choice of words. "Did you suddenly turn Australian?"
"Nope. Just practicing for when I go there this winter. I work as much as I can through the tourist season so I can travel in the off months."
"Alone?" He'd had a hard enough time coming to the inn for a two-week vacation. He couldn't imagine traveling the world as a single. Experiences like that were meant to be shared.
"Mostly. Sometimes I meet other people along the way and we'll travel part of the way together. It just depends."
Carolina was definitely the free spirit of the sisters he'd met. "Women alone are often targets. Keep your guard up." He felt the need to add the warning, especially seeing as how she wasn’t that much older than his daughter.
"Will do, Daddy-O. So, how are you going to apologize to Ireland?"
He ignored her sarcasm and focused on the real issue. "I don't know." On the way back to Carolina Cove, he'd thought about picking up a bouquet of flowers, but that was something he would've done for Lisa after an argument. With Ireland… he wasn't sure what was appropriate.
"Well, is it an apology for leaving, or for kissing her?"
Dominic added blunt to the list of characteristics Carolina possessed. "I don't know."
"Interesting. You know you could've called from Atlanta to apologize. You didn't have to come all the way back here for that."
Yes, he could have. But calling hadn't felt right, either. He wanted to make sure Ireland was okay. Wanted to… somehow make it right.
"Want some advice?"
He leaned heavily against the counter and wiped a hand roughly over his face. "At this stage, it certainly couldn't hurt."
"Hmm. Well, you might not like it, but you and Ireland are both stuck in the past."
"I'm not stuck."
"Oh? It's been a year—no offense—and you're freaked out over kissing a beautiful, single, wonderful woman. That's not moving forward, that's stuck."
"There's more to it than that."
"How so?"
"I shouldn't have taken advantage. I ruined a good day with my behavior."
"Did you ruin it, though?"
He narrowed his gaze on Carolina. "Why do you ask that? Did she say something to you?"
"Maybe. She wasn't happy that you left. She's totally ticked, actually, but the funny thing is, she didn't seem all that upset about the kissing. Just the leaving."
So Ireland hadn't minded the kiss? "She told me she isn't ready to date."
"But she went on one—with you."
"That was for Samuel."
"Hmm. Maybe. But I think she's more worried that you're not ready to date," Carolina countered.
"I'm not sure that I am."
"Ah. But you went to the game, had a nice time, and ended said night with a kiss you initiated before you got all weirded out."
"Is there a point to this?"
"I'm getting there. Ready?" She waited on his nod. "Look, Ireland's ex did a number on her trust level, and while our dad's a great example that not all men are cheating liars, it might help Ireland to have a male friend who's actually just a good guy. Not ready to date? Fine. Then be that friend for her while you're here. The rest will fall into place if it's supposed to."
Was it really that simple? Could it be that simple? Was he puttin
g too much pressure on himself to be something Ireland hadn't asked him to be? Didn't expect him to be?
There's only one way to find out.
* * *
An hour later, Dominic was beginning to think Carolina had warned Ireland of his return and she wasn't coming home because of it.
He paced the length of the screened porch and found himself in front of a photo of all of the sisters together, smiling at the camera. The girls were young, Ireland in her early teens at most. Three of the five sported braces, and all of them had a smattering of freckles across their noses.
A sharp gasp caught his attention. He'd been so deep in thought he hadn't heard Ireland ascending the stairs to the screened porch. He'd debated the wisdom of entering without an invitation, but waiting outside had become impossible when the mosquitoes began making a meal out of him.
"You're… back."
So Carolina hadn't warned her sister. "Can I come in?"
She hesitated a long moment but then moved to unlock the main door of the house. He followed her inside.
"Frankie's dropping Samuel off in a little bit after a Mario Brothers match. You probably shouldn't be here when he gets home. Sammy… saw us."
He winced at the news and lifted a hand, rubbed it roughly over his face. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that—kissed you. I don't know what I was thinking. You've made it perfectly clear you're not ready to date and… I crossed the line."
"It's fine, Dominic."
"It's not fine. You're upset."
"No. I mean, yeah, maybe I was, a little, because of how you left. But I understand."
"I doubt you do." She stared up at him, her eyes widening a bit at his tone. But how could she possibly understand what he was having such a hard time coming to grips with himself?
Because the truth?
Carolina was right. He'd initiated that kiss. Wanted to kiss Ireland and had pretty much the entire day. But the thought of a relationship and his kids' reactions… And then there was Samuel to consider…
"Explain it to me then."
Such a simple command. Such a complicated and involved answer. "We'd… had a wonderful day together. More fun than I've had in years. So when we got back here and you looked at me with those big blue eyes of yours… it seemed like the thing to do."
