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This time when she reached out to touch his cheek, she didn’t pull back. “Tell me why you’re in so much pain?”
He stared at her incredulously. “I lost my wife! How do you expect me to feel?”
“Oh, Kevin, I know grief when I see it, and that’s not what I’m seeing with you, not entirely, anyway.”
“You think you know what it’s like to grieve for someone?”
She didn’t even hesitate. “I grieved for you children every day of the past fifteen years.”
“Not the same. You could have had us back. All you needed to do was move home, or at least back to Chesapeake Shores. There’s nothing, nothing, I can do to get Georgia back.”
To his dismay he saw something in her eyes that scared him, an apparent understanding of every emotion that was in his heart.
“If you could wave a magic wand and bring her back, would you?”
“Of course,” he said at once, stunned that she’d even ask such a ridiculous question.
She waved off the quick response. “I don’t just mean having her safe and alive,” she amended. “Of course, all of us want that. I meant here, with you.”
He was slower to respond this time, though he once again insisted, “Of course.”
“Sweetheart, that tiny hesitation speaks volumes,” she said.
“What?” he demanded. “What did it say?” He honestly wanted to know, because for the life of him he couldn’t figure out all of the conflicting emotions rampaging through him on a daily basis.
“Think about it,” she said. “When you’ve figured out the answer, I think you’ll finally be ready to move on with your life.”
“If you know so much, you tell me,” he said. He barely kept himself from begging. He had a feeling she was right, that if he knew the answer, he could get beyond these endless days of living in a fog.
“It’s not up to me to put words in your mouth,” she said, then shrugged. “Could be I’ve got it wrong, anyway. But if you ever want to talk it through, I’m here to listen.”
Impatient, he snapped, “No, you’ll be back in New York. As usual.”
This time when he strode away, she didn’t even try to keep up with him. She let him go. Astonishingly, that hurt almost as badly as when she’d walked out on them.
Laurie arrived in town on Thursday to see Shanna’s shop and pronounced it amazing.
“I love the pale green color of the walls and all the white trim,” she said, as she stood in the doorway. “And the bright seaside pattern in the upholstery on the chairs looks fabulous. The whole store is warm and cozy and inviting. Not only is the mix of books and games perfect, but it smells like coffee and the tables and chairs in that area are charming. Who could resist coming here for a chat with a friend or a book club meeting? You are planning to start a book club, aren’t you?”
“Absolutely,” Shanna said. “I’m going to have a signup sheet at the opening. I love the idea of women getting together right here to talk about books.”
Laurie continued to walk slowly around the shop, surveying the room more closely. “There’s not another single thing you could do to make it better,” she said, then added with a grin, “So, let’s go book the inn for my wedding.”
Shanna regarded her friend with amusement. “What happened to coming to town to help me get ready for my grand opening?”
“You don’t need my help,” Laurie said blithely. “Frankly, I’m a little miffed about that, but since you don’t, we can focus on me. That’s always my favorite thing.”
“If I didn’t know you so well, I’d think you were a totally self-absorbed human being,” Shanna told her, even as she grabbed her purse and prepared to take Laurie to the inn for an inspection to see if it would meet her needs.
Fortunately, she’d anticipated exactly this scenario and had worked doubly hard to get ahead for the opening, so she could spend a few hours focused on the wedding.
“I’ve made an appointment with the owner,” Shanna told her. “We’ll walk around, look things over and have lunch, then meet with Jess.”
“You’re an angel,” Laurie said, giving her a hug. “I knew I could count on you. And once we’ve done this, you can count on me a hundred percent to do whatever you need me to do. I’ll even bake cookies, if that’s what you want.”
“Given your cooking skills, I think it’s probably a good thing that I’m having the food for the opening catered, by the inn, as a matter of fact. I’ll go over those details while we’re with Jess, too.”
“Then it won’t be all about me,” Laurie said with an exaggerated pout.
Shanna laughed. “Sorry, sweetie, you are not the center of the universe, at least not this week. When the time comes for your wedding, I promise you’ll get all of my attention.”
Laurie put on her seat belt, then managed to turn sideways and tuck a leg under her. “So, tell me about the men in this town.”
“Haven’t we had this conversation? Besides, you’re engaged. Other men should be the last thing on your mind.”
“Not for me. For you. And we haven’t discussed this since you’ve met someone,” Laurie said confidently.
Shanna regarded her with shock. “What makes you say that?”
“There’s a glow in your cheeks and a sparkle in your eyes. It wasn’t there when you left Philadelphia.”
“Maybe it’s there because I’ve been walking on the beach every morning. Or because I’m excited about opening the store day after tomorrow.”
“I like my reason better,” Laurie said, undaunted. “Who is he? What’s his name? How’d you meet?”
“Not talking about this,” Shanna said. “And here we are at the inn. Isn’t that fortunate timing?”
Laurie tried to stare her down, then relented. “These questions aren’t going away,” she warned. “I’m just hitting the pause button.”
“That’ll do for now,” Shanna said, relieved.
Of course, an hour later when Jess joined them in the dining room, it didn’t help that the first words out of her mouth were, “So, what’s going on with you and my brother?”
Laurie’s eyes lit up at once, even as Shanna groaned. Laurie turned to Jess.
“Shanna’s been seeing your brother?”
“No!” Shanna said emphatically. “Kevin has helped me out at the shop a couple of times. No big deal.”
Jess shook her head. “It’s a big deal to all of us. Kevin’s wife died in Iraq a little over a year ago,” she explained to Laurie. “Other than taking care of his son and dealing with family when he has to, he’s been pretty much isolating himself since then. Not that half the women in town haven’t tried to get his attention, but he’s been oblivious, at least until Shanna arrived on the scene.”
Shanna saw the precise moment when the full import of Jess’s words registered with Laurie. The excitement in her eyes dimmed. It was immediately replaced by concern.
“I see,” she murmured, turning to Shanna with a worried frown. It was evident that Jess’s words had doused her enthusiasm for this new relationship.
“Let’s talk about available dates for the wedding,” Shanna said pointedly. “I have a million last details to take care of at the store, so we don’t have much time.”
“Of course,” Jess said at once, opening her event planner.
As she and Laurie discussed the details of the wedding, Shanna sat back and tried to figure out how on earth to explain to her best friend that she really wasn’t about to leap from the frying pan of one lousy relationship into the fire of another.
The ride back to the shop was made in uncomfortable silence. Shanna made it clear at the outset that any discussion of Kevin O’Brien was off-limits. Since he was the only subject on Laurie’s mind, she apparently could think of nothing to say. That suited Shanna just fine.
After parking in the alley behind the shop, Shanna said, “Why don’t you go on upstairs and settle in? Take a nap while I finish sorting through the last boxes of inventory.”
“I can help with that,” Laurie said.
“Not really. I’m the only one who can figure out which things should go on display and which should be held back. I want to keep some things till after the opening, just in case it goes really well and the customers buy everything that isn’t nailed down.” She grinned as she said, “I should be so lucky, right?”
“You’re going to be a huge success,” Laurie said with unfeigned enthusiasm. “I can already tell. You have a knack for this. All those years of working as an accountant apparently stifled this creative side of you.”
Shanna could hardly deny that. Being a CPA had been a safe, but boring career. It was ironic that she’d met Greg while working for his family’s corporation. He’d encouraged her to quit right after the wedding, and she’d been only too eager to get away from the tedium. She hadn’t gone back to accounting until after the divorce, and she hadn’t been any happier the second time around, though her work environment had been a new one with coworkers she’d really liked.
“At least I know exactly how to set up a bookkeeping system and work with spreadsheets,” she said finally. “My education and experience weren’t a total waste of time.”
She unlocked the back door to the shop, and Laurie followed her inside. Shanna removed her spare apartment key from the small safe she’d had installed and handed it to her, but Laurie didn’t budge. Instead, she poured herself a cup of leftover coffee and nuked it in the microwave.
“We need to talk,” she announced, peering at Shanna over the rim of the mug.
“Not if it’s about Kevin O’Brien,” Shanna said firmly. “There’s nothing to discuss.”
“Lost soul. Little boy. I’d say there are at least two things we need to address.”
Even though she’d drawn the comparisons herself, Shanna remained insistent. “It’s not Greg all over again. You’ve heard the expression once burned, twice shy. Well, I’m at least three or four times shy. No way am I walking into the middle of this situation. Not that Kevin is actually like Greg. For one thing, he’s not drinking.”
“You have proof of that?”
“Proof, no, but he’s been around the store enough that I would surely have seen some evidence of it.”
“You missed it when you were dating Greg, even though the signs were there all along.”
Shanna sighed. She couldn’t deny that. “True, but now, believe me, I’d notice.”
“I wish I could believe that,” Laurie said. “But I know you, Shanna. You have the biggest, most generous heart in the world.”
“You make it sound as if I’m a sucker for a sob story.”
“Hardly, but I know one thing about you that very few people know.”
“Oh?”
“You want to be part of a family in the worst way. I know part of Greg’s attraction was, well, Greg. Add in his son and that whole impressive, if seriously dysfunctional, family of his, and you never stood a chance. I sense the same thing happening now.”
“You’re wrong.”
“How many people are there in this O’Brien clan? I’m guessing there are quite a few of them. I’ve met Jess. You’ve mentioned the woman with the flower shop next door. She’s an O’Brien, too, as I recall. Any more?”
“There’s another sister, but I haven’t met her,” she admitted. “And another brother.”
“Parents?”
“His father was the architect who designed the town. I’m not really clear on where his mother is. And there’s his grandmother.”
“Any more?” Laurie pressed.
“Isn’t that enough for you to make this point you’re so anxious to make?”
“There are more,” Laurie concluded.
“Okay, yes, his cousin is the rental agent who leased me the property, and his uncle manages all the properties.” She shrugged. “There are others, I think. Someone at Sally’s mentioned they refer to Chesapeake Shores as “O’Brien’s town”—because there’s such a slew of them or because Mick designed it. I’m not sure which.”
Laurie nodded triumphantly. “Either way, I rest my case. Big family, wounded man, little boy in need of a mom and you. It has destiny written all over it.” She gave her a knowing look. “Or disaster.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” Shanna snapped impatiently. “Which is exactly why I keep telling you there is nothing going on between Kevin and me. And there’s not going to be.”
Laurie started to speak, then sighed. “I suppose I’ll see for myself soon enough.”
“Meaning?”
“The second he walks into the shop on Saturday, I’ll know.”
Shanna turned away to hide the look of dismay she knew must be on her face. It was true. When it came to men, women and chemistry, Laurie would be able to read the situation in a heartbeat. And the only way to avoid it would be to call Kevin and warn him to stay far, far away.
The instant Laurie left and went upstairs to settle in, that’s exactly what she did. Unfortunately, she got his voice mail. Though she tried to explain in a message that it would be a bad idea for him to show up on Saturday, she suspected she wasn’t making much sense.
“Call me,” she said at the end. “It’s important.” Not sure if she’d even identified herself at the beginning of the call, she added, “This is Shanna, by the way. Call, okay?”
She hung up then, almost regretting the fact that she’d called in the first place. She was probably making too much of the entire situation. Then again, after the way his father had been checking out their relationship the other night, Kevin would surely understand about one well-meaning, meddling friend. He’d also likely want to avoid her like the plague.
6
“Why aren’t you dressed?” Gram demanded on Saturday morning, regarding Kevin with disapproval.
He glanced down at his perfectly respectable shorts and T-shirt. The shirt wasn’t even wrinkled. “I am dressed.”
“Not to go into town for the opening of the new bookstore,” she said. “This is a special occasion. I’d think you’d want to look nice.”
He’d worked really hard trying to block this particular special occasion from his mind. Unfortunately Bree hadn’t been able to resist dropping frequent hints and a few blatant reminders. Shanna had even called his cell phone while he’d been out fishing—or more specifically drifting around in his old boat. She’d left some cryptic message about the opening that hadn’t made a whole lot of sense. It had almost sounded as if she were warning him to stay away, which, frankly, he was more than happy to do. It was everyone else in his family who seemed to have other ideas.
“You’re going, right?” he asked his grandmother. “You can take Davy.”
She scowled at him. “Yes, I could do that,” she agreed. “But I’m not going to.”
He stared at her in surprise. Nell had never once backed down from an opportunity to have any of her grandchildren all to herself. “Why not?”
“Because he needs to pick out books with his father,” she said. “Reading is something the two of you do together. And you mentioned yourself that the shop owner promised you a free picture book for Davy for helping her with the coffee machine and her shelves.”
“I’m not taking a free book from Shanna,” Kevin said. “Starting a new business is tough. She doesn’t need to be giving away freebies to anyone who helps her out.”
