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“Pick a book and take it home to him,” she encouraged. “I owe you at least that for all your help today.”
“Nope,” he said flatly. “Any books I get from here, I’ll pay for. This is your business and it’s a new one. A few months, a year from now, if you offer me something for free, I’ll accept it graciously.”
“I’ll make a note of that, then. On my first anniversary, you get your pick of any book in the store.”
Kevin nodded. “That’ll work. Now, how about a break? I’m starving again, and we’ve been at this for hours. I’ll come back in the morning and finish up. In the meantime, why don’t we walk to Sally’s or one of the places along Shore Road and grab a bite to eat?”
She glanced at her watch and saw with dismay that it was after seven. “I had no idea how late it was,” she protested. “Shouldn’t you get home to your son?”
“I called and he’s already out like a light. He had a big day with my dad, apparently.”
“He’s really lucky to be surrounded by so much family,” she said, unable to keep a wistful note out of her voice. She couldn’t help thinking about another little boy whose life was nowhere near as idyllic. Because despair lay down that path, she deliberately stood up and went into the back room for her purse. “I’ll have dinner with you on one condition,” she told Kevin. “I’m buying. It’s nonnegotiable.”
“In that case, I should insist on going to Brady’s. It’s the most expensive place in town, next to the inn.”
Shanna’s expression brightened. “I hadn’t even thought of the inn. Let’s go there. I stayed there last year, and the food is fabulous.”
“I don’t think so,” Kevin said flatly.
“If it’s the cost, don’t worry about it. And I think we’re dressed okay. It’s fairly informal.”
“Not the cost or our clothes,” he said. “My youngest sister owns the place.”
“Oh, that’s right,” she said. “Jess, right? I really liked her.” She frowned at his expression. “Why is that a problem?”
“Apparently you don’t have siblings,” he said direly.
“No, but …” Her voice trailed off as understanding dawned. “They meddle!”
“They meddle,” he confirmed. “I’ve already made Bree take a vow of silence about me helping you out today. If we show up at the inn, Jess will try to make something out of it, and the next thing you know Abby will be chiming in with her two cents. She’s the worst of the lot. She’s the oldest, and she stepped in as a surrogate mother hen when our mom and dad divorced. She thinks that gives her the right to an opinion on almost everything related to our lives.”
Kevin sighed dramatically. “The only one not likely to chime in is my brother, Connor, but that’s only because he’s in Baltimore and won’t hear about this for a day or two. He’s in his first year with a big law firm, so he barely has a minute to himself, much less time to listen to the family grapevine.”
Though she understood the problem, Shanna thought it all sounded rather wonderful. As an only child who’d lost both of her parents a few years ago, she’d always longed for a great big family of exactly the kind he was describing. That was one reason, she now believed, that she’d been so eager to marry Greg Hamilton. It had nothing to do with his wealth or his family’s prominence in Philadelphia society. Greg was a single dad with sole custody of his son, and she’d had an instant family. That had overshadowed all of the warning signs that she was making a terrible mistake.
“I hear the French bistro around the corner is really good,” Kevin prompted. “How about that, instead? Please. Take pity on me and keep my family out of both our lives.”
“Sure,” she said, though not without some disappointment. “That makes sense. It’s close and I’ll be able to get back in here and do a few more things before I quit for the night.”
Kevin looked so genuinely relieved, she was glad she’d acquiesced.
To her surprise, Shanna found herself adding, “On one condition.”
“What?” he asked, instantly suspicious.
“You’ll tell me more about your family.”
“Why?” he asked, clearly bewildered by the request.
“I was an only child and have what I used to refer to as Little House on the Prairie syndrome. I idealize big families. I always imagine these amazing holiday gatherings, brothers and sisters pestering each other but being there for each other, no matter what. Is it like that with your family?”
“It is,” he said, then gave her a wry look, “though it’s not always the blessing you seem to be envisioning.”
“I want to hear about that, too,” she said eagerly, leading the way out of the shop and locking the door behind them.
“You’re going to be bored silly,” he warned her as they strolled down the block and turned onto the road that ran along the beach. There were several sidewalk cafés along the block, all of them busy. Across the street, couples and families strolled along the beach.
“You won’t bore me,” she said with certainty.
Even if his stories turned out to be dull, she had a feeling she’d find them fascinating, because of the insights they’d give her into who Kevin O’Brien really was. Or maybe who he had been before his life had been turned upside down by tragedy.
“I don’t like this,” Megan O’Brien declared to Mick. “I don’t like it one bit.”
During one of their now-nightly phone conversations, Mick had been filling her in on Kevin’s ongoing lack of motivation. She’d seen for herself how lost he was on her visits to Chesapeake Shores, but like everyone else she’d been making excuses for him. Clearly, though, it had gone on long enough. Everyone might grieve at their own pace, but sooner or later it was time to get on with life, especially with a child to consider.
“Have you tried to get through to him?” she asked Mick.
“Of course I have,” Mick said. “I tried to get him to go with me this morning, just to give him something to do. He turned me down flat, then stormed off. I haven’t seen him since.”
“Oh, Mick, you don’t think he’s drinking, do you?”
“Absolutely not,” Mick said at once. “I haven’t seen him have more than a beer or two in the evening since he moved home, and he hardly leaves the house, so I think I would know.”
“Well, something has to be done. He can’t go on like this,” she said.
“That seems to be the general consensus around here, but not one of us has been able to come up with a plan.”
“I’m coming down there,” Megan announced. “I’ll be there on Friday.”
“Not that I won’t be happy for any excuse to have you here,” Mick said, “but what is it you think you can accomplish that the rest of us haven’t?”
“I’m his mother. Surely I can think of some way to get through to him, even if having me around does nothing more than make him angry. At least that would demonstrate some kind of emotion.”
“Meggie, are you sure?” Mick asked worriedly. “He’s not been very receptive on your last visits.”
“Because I’ve been tiptoeing around like everyone else, trying to give him space. He’s mad at me. We all know that. I left and he took your side and he can hold a grudge with the best of the O’Briens. It’s time to put that in the past. Like it or not, I am his mother, and I will make him listen to me.”
Mick chuckled. “I’m impressed by your determination and I agree he should let go of the past, but this may not be the best time to get through to him,” he warned. “He already has a lot on his plate.”
“Since when did you give two figs about timing?”
Mick chuckled. “Never,” he conceded. “I just don’t want him trampling all over your feelings.”
“I can take it,” she assured him. “I deserve whatever he wants to dish out. And maybe if he’s venting all of his anger at me, he’ll release some of the pent-up emotions he has about Georgia. Where is he now?”
“I have no idea,” Mick admitted. “Like I said, he took off this morning in a huff, and Ma says she hasn’t seen him since.”
“What about Davy?” she asked incredulously. “He didn’t just go off and leave Nell to take care of him, did he?” Even as she asked, she saw the irony, since that was exactly what she’d done years ago, left Mick’s mother to raise her children. It had been unintentional, but that’s how it had turned out when her plans to bring them to be with her in New York had been ditched for a whole variety of reasons that she now knew were nothing more than flimsy excuses.
“No, he’s very reliable when it comes to his son. He knew Davy was with me. He called earlier to check on him, but when Ma told him Davy was already asleep, Kevin said he’d be home in a couple of hours.”
“Maybe he’s spending time with one of the girls,” she suggested. “Or Jake. They used to be good friends.”
“Maybe,” Mick said, though he sounded doubtful. “He’s not been in any mood to socialize, though. Jake’s stopped by more than once, suggested a guys’ night out, but Kevin’s refused. I suspect he’s off somewhere by himself, brooding.”
“For hours on end?” she asked, her concern growing. “He was always a social kid, not a loner. This really isn’t good, Mick. I’m worried.”
“You think I should go look for him? I could take a ride around town.”
“He’ll be furious if he thinks you’re checking up on him,” Megan said. “Then, again, it would put my mind at ease if I at least knew he wasn’t in real trouble.”
“Then I’ll go right now,” Mick said at once.
The immediate response surprised her. There’d been a time when Mick wouldn’t have wanted to involve himself in messy, emotional situations. He’d been focused almost entirely on his career. His family had taken a distant second place. It was the reason she’d finally left him.
All that was water long since under the bridge, she reminded herself. Lately Mick had been proving time and again that he’d changed his priorities, that he was putting his family first. More and more, Megan was reminded of the caring man she’d married. That he was as attentive to her as he’d been when they’d first been courting helped, as well.
“You’ll call me when you find him?” she asked him now. “No matter how late it is.”
“I’ll call,” he promised.
“In the meantime, I’ll make my flight arrangements for this weekend,” she said. “Even if he rejects me again, at least Kevin is going to know that I care enough to be there for him.”
“As long as you’re prepared for things not to go smoothly,” Mick said.
“No one ever said the path to reconciliation was destined to go smoothly,” she reminded him. “I still have a long way to go with each of our children.”
“As do I,” Mick conceded.
“The point is to keep trying. Now, go find our boy, Mick. Make sure he’s safe.”
“He’s not a boy,” Mick said.
“I don’t care how old he gets to be, when he’s hurting, he’s still my boy,” she said fiercely. “And I’m always going to want to make it better.”
She had to wonder, though, if this time that was going to be beyond her capabilities.
4
Shanna frowned as a classic Mustang convertible passed by on Shore Road for the fourth time. Though he made a halfhearted attempt to disguise his interest, it was evident the older driver was studying her and Kevin on each pass. There was no question that he was looking at them, because they were the only two people left at the café. They’d been lingering over coffee for a while now. Kevin hadn’t noticed the man’s odd behavior because his back was to the street. When she spotted the car yet again, she reached for Kevin’s hand.
“Turn around,” she said in an urgent undertone. “There’s someone watching us. I thought I might be imagining it, but he’s back again. This has to be the fifth time he’s gone around the block and slowed down right in front of us.”
Kevin regarded her blankly. “What? Who?” He shifted around, took one look at the approaching car, and groaned. He turned back to her with an apologetic expression. “That would be my father.”
“Your father?” She took another look and saw the resemblance: the same square jaw, the same thick black hair, though his had some gray and Kevin’s was cropped short in a way that kept its natural wave under control. If she’d been able to see them at this distance, she suspected the man’s eyes would be the same vivid blue. She turned back to Kevin with a puzzled expression. “Why on earth do you think he keeps circling the block?”
“I don’t know for sure, but if I had to hazard a guess, he’s spying on me.”
Shanna stared at him, then glanced back to note that the car had, indeed, slowed to a crawl. The driver lifted his hand in a casual wave, then made a sharp left into a metered, pull-in parking space across the road.
“Maybe he’s looking for you because something’s wrong at home,” she suggested.
Kevin shook his head and gestured toward the cell phone on the table. “He and my grandmother both know how to reach me.”
“Well, he’s definitely coming this way, so obviously he was looking for you.”
“More’s the pity,” Kevin said grimly. He stood up and met his father before he reached the table. “Dad.”
She watched as Mick O’Brien gave him a jovial slap on the back as if this meeting had been totally accidental. “Son, I didn’t expect to find you here.” He glanced in Shanna’s direction. “And with this lovely young lady.”
Kevin gave a dramatic roll of his eyes. “Dad, this is Shanna Carlyle. She’s opening a bookstore next to Bree’s shop. I was helping her at the shop earlier.”
“Good for you,” Mick said, retrieving a chair from a nearby table and pulling it up to theirs. “Think I’ll join you for a cup of coffee, if you don’t mind.” Then as an obvious afterthought, he added almost hopefully, “Unless I’m interrupting.”
Kevin, his expression resigned, sat back down. “You’re not interrupting.”
“Well, that’s good then.” He beamed benevolently at them as if bestowing a blessing.
It took every bit of restraint Shanna possessed not to chuckle at Mick O’Brien’s undisguised eagerness to figure out what was going on between the two of them. If Kevin weren’t so obviously miserable at having been discovered with her, she probably would have laughed. She hadn’t had anyone so blatantly checking out any of her dates since she’d left home for college, and back then it had been her dad.
“Mr. O’Brien, it’s a real pleasure to meet you,” she said when Kevin remained silent. “I fell in love with this town when I visited last year. I’m so excited that I was finally able to get some retail space to open my shop.”
“You’re exactly the kind of young, energetic person the town needs,” Mick said. “You’ll keep Main Street interesting, just the way it was intended to be.” He paused long enough to order a decaf coffee from the perky young waitress, who’d been hovering nearby, her rapt gaze on Kevin all evening. When she’d left, he asked Shanna, “How did you and my son meet?”
“Dad!”
He blinked at Kevin’s reaction. “What? It’s a logical question.” He winked at the waitress when she brought his coffee. “Thanks, Mary.” He turned his attention back to Shanna. “So, how did you meet?”
“He was looking for Bree yesterday and stopped in my shop. He came back today and saw that I was practically buried under a pile of unassembled bookshelves. He offered to pitch in.”
She was surprised by the look of dismay that passed over the older man’s face.
“Kevin put your shelves together?” he asked, sounding worried.
“He did.”
“And they’re still standing?”
She frowned at his reaction. “Well, of course they are. Why wouldn’t they be?” she asked, indignant on Kevin’s behalf.
“Dad’s not a fan of my construction skills,” Kevin told her.
“You said yourself this morning that you don’t have any,” Mick reminded him. “This isn’t news.”
“Well, he did a fine job on my shelves,” Shanna insisted. “You can inspect them yourself.”
Mick backed down, obviously chagrined at having maligned his son in front of her. “No need for that. I guess I’m just surprised.”
