LITMIR.BIZ

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Susie’s hand. “I’ll be fine here for an hour. Why don’t you come back then?”

      “Or I could see that she gets back to her hotel,” Dillon offered.

      “I’ll come back,” Susie said, apparently sensing that Nell needed backup. She smiled at them. “Enjoy your visit.”

      Dillon escorted Nell inside, waited as she looked around.

      “You’ve kept it mostly the same,” Nell commented.

      “How could I change a thing, when everywhere I looked I saw you?”

      She shook her head. “You shouldn’t say things like that.” “Why not, if they’re true?”

      “You’re married to someone else,” she reminded him. “Christina died ten years ago,” he said, then held her gaze. “And your husband?”

      “Gone, too,” she said softly.

      “Then there’s no reason for us to feel guilty for indulging in a bit of nostalgia, is there?” he suggested. “Come in the back and I’ll make that tea. There’s a lot of ground to cover and you’ve only given us an hour to do it.” He studied her. “Or will you be in Ireland for a while?”

      “Two weeks,” she admitted.

      His expression brightened. “Then there’s time for a nice, long visit. This will just be the first of many, I hope.” Nell couldn’t argue. She hoped so, too. After all these years, her heart had taken a little leap at the sight of this dear old friend. It was too late to go back in time. She wouldn’t want that, anyway. But to have a few days to recapture those old emotions, to experience just for a moment that surge of optimism that came with spending time with a man who appreciated her, well, she wasn’t going to deny herself that.

      Mick frowned as Susie sat in the lounge with him, Megan and Jeff describing the meeting between his mother and Dillon O’Malley.

      “You think there’s some kind of history there?” Mick demanded irritably.

      “It looked that way to me,” Susie said. “Neither one of them explained anything more than that they’d known each other years ago, but there were definite sparks in the air. Who knew that Gram had a secret past?”

      “It’s not something to brag about, if she does,” Mick said testily.

      “How do you know a thing like that?” Jeff asked reasonably.

      “Has she ever mentioned Dillon O’Malley?” Mick responded, then answered his own question. “No, she hasn’t. And do you know why? Because she’s ashamed of it, I’ll guarantee you that. I need to take care of this.”

      “Let it go, Mick,” Megan commanded. “You’re not rushing over there to intrude on their reunion or to rescue your mother.”

      “Well, who knows what sort of man this Dillon O’Malley is? For all we know he’s gotten wind of the fact that the O’Briens are well-to-do and he plans to take advantage of Ma.”

      His brother frowned at him. “And how would he know a thing like that?” Jeff asked. “Would he have stored away this knowledge just in case the entire family decided to pay a visit to Dublin one day? You’re acting crazy, Mick. Didn’t Susie just say that Ma didn’t even know if he was still running the store our great-grandparents once owned? Obviously they haven’t kept in touch.”

      Mick regarded his brother accusingly. “Don’t tell me you don’t worry about Ma.”

      “I worry about Ma falling and breaking her hip,” Jeff countered. “I worry about her feeling lonely in that little cottage of hers. I don’t worry about her finding a companion whose company she enjoys.”

      “Then you’re naive,” Mick grumbled.

      Megan rested a hand on his arm. “Nell is a wise woman, Mick. She’ll see right through anyone trying to take advantage of her.”

      “Of course she will,” Susie said adamantly. “I only told you because I thought it was sweet, not so you’d get all worked up. Now I’d better walk back over there to get her. I told her I’d be back in an hour.”

      “I’m coming with you,” Mick said, standing.

      “No, you’re staying right here with me,” Megan countered. “You are not going over there and embarrassing Nell in front of an old friend.”

      “Well, someone who doesn’t have all these stars in their eyes ought to check things out,” he argued. “Susie’s besotted by love these days.”

      “I still have my brain, Uncle Mick,” Susie retorted patiently. “If something doesn’t seem right, I’ll handle it. And if you’re really worried, I’ll ask Mack to come with me. He could probably take Dillon O’Malley in a fight, though the man looked pretty fit for his age.”

      “Taking Mack along is probably a good idea,” Mick said, looking relieved.

      Susie rolled her eyes. “I was joking.”

      “Well, I’m not. What if Ma gets some crazy idea about inviting this man to join us tonight? Are you going to put a stop to that? “

      “Absolutely not,” Megan said firmly. “And if she does, you’ll welcome him and be on your best behavior.”

      Mick shook his head. He should have known he’d get no help from the rest of the family. They all lived in a dream world. It was up to him to keep an eye on things. That was his role in this family, and he took it seriously.

      He watched Susie leave, then said casually, “I think I’ll take a walk.”

      “No!” Megan and Jeff said in chorus. Defeated, Mick sighed.

      Megan patted his hand. “Let’s go up to the room. Maybe I’ll be able to think of some way to distract you.”

      Mick regarded her skeptically. “How?”

      Jeff clapped his hands over his ears. “Megan, please do not answer that till I’m gone,” he pleaded.

      After he’d left, Mick turned to Megan, intrigued despite himself. “You were about to say?”

      “I think I’ll let my actions speak for themselves,” she taunted, standing up and beckoning to him. “You interested?”

      He grinned at his wife, happy to see the lively spark of passion in her eyes. “You don’t have to ask me twice.”

      She laughed. “Good. For a minute there, you had me worried.”

      “Ah, Meggie, you never have to worry about a thing like that. You’ll fascinate me till the day I die.”

      She linked her arm through his and led the way to the elevator. The promise in her eyes made all his cares fade away. There’d be time enough later to worry about what his mother was getting herself into with this O’Malley fellow. And whatever it was, he’d fix it.

      4

      

      Matthew was very glad he’d paid attention to everything he’d been told by his family on prior trips to Ireland. His running commentary as he took Laila on a walking tour of the bustling streets around the hotel seemed to be relaxing her. She didn’t even object when he tucked her arm through his and kept her close by his side. For a couple of days she’d managed to elude him by going shopping with his cousins, but today he’d found her alone and managed to lure her away from the hotel.

      “Look at these window boxes,” she exclaimed time and again, pausing to take pictures of the colorful flowers mixed with holiday greenery. “People need to do this in Chesapeake Shores. See how cheerful it makes everything look?”

      “Winters are milder here,” Matthew reminded her. “Not by a lot, but enough to make a difference.

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